Carl Sciortino, 2010 State Rep Questionnaire Responses

1. What are your top three agenda priorities and how will you take action on these priorities?

The three priority areas I will continue to pursue in the next legislative session are the Transgender Civil Rights Bill, MCAS testing reform, and public transportation.

The Transgender Civil Rights Bill is legislation I have been working on for the last two terms. It would add “gender identity or expression” to our state’s existing civil rights and hate crimes statutes. It would specifically bar discrimination in the areas of housing, employment, education, credit, and public accommodations, as well as offer hate crimes protections for anyone who faces discrimination or violence because of their gender identity. I was proud to build enough support this term to get a majority of the House and Senate as co-sponsors of the bill, and I am working with a coalition of organizations to ensure its passage in the upcoming term. It has been frustrating to not get the bill passed yet, but I am confident we are on track and I will continue to do the work necessary until it passes.

For the issue of MCAS testing, I am working with organizations including Citizens for Public Schools, the Mass Teachers Association, and others to ensure high school students are not denied a high school diploma solely because of their score on MCAS. I have filed legislation that would incorporate MCAS into a multiple assessment system, where a number of indicators would be used to get a more comprehensive understanding of whether a student has achieved what is required of them to graduate. I am currently in the process of reviewing our current bill to determine how the federal Race to the Top program, and the fact that Massachusetts is adopting the national standards along with possibly moving to a national assessment, would impact the bill, but the goal remains the same and we will continue to pursue a multiple assessment system.

In the area of public transportation, I see my work in two related areas. First, I will continue to be a proactive advocate for the green line extension, which I will address further below. But second, I am committed to ensuring we address the longstanding financial challenges facing our public transit system. We created the MBTA Legislative Caucus this session, and advocated for the gas tax as a revenue source to address the needs of the T. While the gas tax did not get taken up by the legislature, we were successful in directing $160 million in new revenue from the sales tax increase to the MBTA, and successfully blocked the increase in fares. In fact, the MBTA is the only major transit system in the country that in the past two years did not increase fares, reduce services, or both, which I am very proud to have been a part of. Nonetheless, I will continue to work on addressing the MBTA’s debt burden, which is the underlying cause of many of their financial challenges. This requires some long term planning, which for the MBTA hasn’t happened since forward funding was put into effect a decade ago.

2. How have you as an office holder worked to support progressive causes?

It is my belief that core values of the Democratic Party are in fact progressive values, and I see part of my job as trying to articulate those values and do what I can to make sure they are reflected in the policy and financial decisions made in state government. This is why I was proud to be a part of the founding of PDS, and why I am appreciative of the opportunity to seek your endorsement.

I have been a proactive organizer in the legislature for progressive causes. In my first term, I quickly became involved in organizing for the preservation of marriage equality, passage of the minimum wage, closing corporate tax loopholes, passing comprehensive global warming legislation. My progressive advocacy has continued right through the current term where I was intimately involved in efforts to bring greater transparency to tax credits, fight MBTA fare increases, preserve access to public housing when regulations were seeking to add barriers, pass CORI reform, and defeat efforts to expand predatory gambling in the Commonwealth.

I see my job as a legislator not just to file and pass bills that I have filed, but also to work in coalition with other legislators and advocacy groups to make meaningful change. I formed the Democratic Study Group along with Senator Jamie Eldridge, which brings together progressive legislators and advocates on a regular basis to review our policy goals and advocacy strategies, as well as to educate the legislative membership at large about the progressive perspective on policies we expect to be taken up.

3. How will you work with the federal, state, and local governments to ensure that the Green Line is extended through Somerville to Medford by December 31, 2014? What will you do to ensure strong community participation throughout the process?

The green line extension is a rare opportunity to have a major investment in public transportation infrastructure take place in our community. It has incredible value, not just as a transit access project, but because of its environmental and public health benefits, for environmental justice communities as well as the general populations of Medford and Somerville.

My very first public event right after being elected in the fall of 2004 was at a public hearing in support of this project, and my very first speech on the floor of the House of Representatives in the spring of 2005 was on the green line extension. I have been actively participating in all of the station design workshops and advisory group meetings, have attended every public meeting and hearing on the project since being elected, and have submitted numerous pieces of testimony and letters of support advocating for the advancement of the project.

The legal commitment to bring the project to completion to both Union Square and Medford Hillside by the end of 2014 is a commitment I would like to see kept, and do all I can to ensure it is achieved. We currently face two challenges. First, MassDOT has indicated they expect another ten month delay, and second, they continued to contend that stopping at College Ave and not Route 16 is adequate to meet the legal requirements. On both issues I am continuing to work with our local and state officials and community members to ensure full compliance with the legal requirements.

That means that any potential delay must be avoided if at all possible, and we have a right to much greater detail of the expected timeline from now until completion. If there is an unavoidable delay, mitigation for the purpose of air quality benefits must be put into place, and I believe such mitigation must be to the benefit of the neighborhoods in Medford and Somerville who have been patiently learning about and working on the green line project. It also means that we will have to continue to advocate, possibly in a courtroom, for adherence to the requirement to actually reach the Medford Hillside neighborhood, and not stop short at College Avenue.

All of this involves a great deal of diligence and cooperation at the local, state, and federal levels of government, but it also means we are asking a lot of local community members. I have been proud to see such engaged residents in both communities in my district attending meetings, learning about the project, sharing information with neighbors, asking tough questions, and making sure the project is designed in a way that protects the character and desires of existing neighborhoods and residents. I will continue to support active involvement of residents in all aspects of the project planning and design, and my office will continue to reach out to the abutting neighbor to ensure they are brought into the process as we have been doing throughout this process. That has included email and snail mail notifications, individual and small group meetings, and many lengthy phone conversations, but I am happy to be a resource to neighbors who want to be a part of this incredible project, with all of its benefits and challenges.