MILITARY ISSUES

• Senator Kerry was able to secure $20 million dollars for VA Vet Centers, many of which are located right here in Massachusetts.
  
• After the Walter Reed scandal, Senator Kerry visited two local VA Hospitals, to visit patients and meet with staff, and hear firsthand from our soldiers and their families about what we can do to keep our nation’s promise to our veterans. He visited the West Roxbury VA Hospital and the Northampton VA Hospital. Kerry has long worked on veterans’ health care issues.
  
• Over the last 18 months, Kerry has introduced several pieces of legislation to help fund better care for our returning soldiers, including a recent push for $18 million for additional mental health staffing assistance.
  
• Senator Kerry visited the Weymouth home of World War II veteran Bill Garvey to present him with three World War I medals earned by Garvey’s late uncle and namesake, William Henry Garvey, who was killed in action in France on Nov. 10, 1918. The Garveys had been trying to obtain the medals from the Army for years, but were unable to due to technical restrictions. Senator Kerry was able to obtain the medals and finally present them properly to the family. Garvey said, “Now I can die happy.”
  
• Last month, Senator Kerry attended a farewell ceremony for a battalion on its way to Iraq. He met with soldiers to tell them just how much Massachusetts and their country appreciate their service, and that we will keep our promise to them when they return home. He also stressed the importance of supporting the family and friends left behind.
  
• Kerry urged the Secretary of Defense to reconsider a plan that would change the benefits of active duty National Guard soldiers mid-rotation. Kerry argued that any changes would place an unnecessary financial burden on approximately 500 Massachusetts families. As a result of the designation change, guard members will lose their Imminent Danger Pay and various other economic entitlements, putting an unnecessary financial burden on their families back home. Kerry said “when these brave men and women signed on for their service, they were told one thing – and now they’re being told another.”

APPROPRIATIONS

• Kerry, along with Senator Kennedy and Congressmen Frank and McGovern, has been instrumental in getting funding for the SouthCoast Commuter Rail project. Since 2005, they've been able to secure approximately $11.5 million for the rail extension project since 2005. Kerry believes that the commuter rail is a smart investment for the south coast of Massachusetts.
  
• Kerry has been instrumental in helping Fire Stations and Police Stations across the state receive millions of dollars in funding.

ENVIRONMENT

• Last year Senator John Kerry sent a letter to Senate President Robert Travaglini, House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi, and others urging both the House and Senate to consider legislation that directs the Department of Environmental Protection to fully comply with the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative.
  
• Since Governor Patrick took office, Massachusetts has rejoined RGGI. Kerry praised Patrick’s decision earlier this year. “Governor Patrick made the right decision to overturn the previous administration’s intransigence and re-engage in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative. Global climate change is one of the most urgent challenges facing our country and I’m proud that Massachusetts is stepping up to the plate to tackle greenhouse gas emissions. This is the right decision for our environment, our economy and our security.”
  
• Kerry has spoken out on environmental issues throughout the state. A few months ago, Kerry reacted to the Environmental League of Massachusetts’ new “State of the Environment” Report. Kerry said, the “report from the Environmental League of Massachusetts lays out some startling truths about the air we breathe, the water we drink and the overall condition of our environment. Under Republican Leadership at the state and federal levels, we have gone backwards. 2006 will be remembered for sky-rocketing gas prices, record-high oil company profits, an acknowledgement by even President Bush that America is addicted to oil, the Alaska BP pipeline spill, and a widespread recognition that human activity is causing global warming to happen far more quickly than previously thought. It's more clear than ever before that it's time for a change when it comes to energy, the environment, and public health.”
  
• Kerry has consistently spoken out against an LNG facility in downtown Fall River. He thinks a facility in a populated area like Fall River is irresponsible and unsafe for residents. The proposed site for the terminal is within one mile of five schools, an elderly housing complex and residences for 9000 people. If an accident or terrorist attack were to occur, people in this area might be victims of a huge explosion. In addition to the safety risks to humans, this project poses numerous additional risks directly correlated to the navigation of the tankers. Under the proposal, tankers will have to navigate up to 31 miles of Narragansett Bay and the Taunton River, requiring several complex navigational maneuvers in order to pass under the local bridges. Significant questions remain over the company's assertion that this can be done safely on a consistent basis given the challenges presented by our unique waterways. For instance, the maneuver requires a vessel to transit through one bridge opening, stop, be pushed sideways by tugs for about 100 feet to align with the next bridge, then proceed forward. Is it any wonder that the Coast Guard has said that there is “no margin for navigational error, and [the transit plan] appears unsuitable in its current state?” Kerry has spoken with various federal and local officials, including Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman, about the dangers of this facility and about finding a more comprehensive way of siting LNG facilities. Kerry also attended a rally in Fall River protesting the proposed facility.

BUSINESS

• As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Small Business and Entrepreneurship, on which he has served as the top Democrat for the past decade, Senator Kerry is working to leverage all the resources available so Massachusetts small firms can maximize their role in the national and global economy.
  
• Senator Kerry hosted two procurement conferences in the state over the last year - one in Lawrence, the other in Boston. With nearly 640,000 small firms in Massachusetts, small businesses are the backbone of the state's economy, creating some $30 billion in annual state revenues and employing roughly 1.5 million people. Senator Kerry's conferences brought together small businesses and contracting officials from federal, state, and local government procurement offices, as well as hospitals, colleges and universities, prime contractors and independent franchisers. Additionally, several banks and other lending institutions were available to discuss small business loans and provide financial counseling.
• Senator Kerry met with members of the Mass Entrepreneurship Forum. The forum was the first-ever gathering of technology entrepreneurship programs and organizations within the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Massachusetts ranks second in the nation in the total number of SBIR awards, proving the Bay State plays a pivotal role in developing technologies that keep the U.S. on the cutting-edge of global innovation.
• In the 109th Congress, Senator Kerry held a field hearing to examine the small business programs available to Massachusetts veterans and reservists in order to help expand economic opportunities for them through his Military Family Bill of Rights legislation.

MASHA'S LAW

• John Kerry was instrumental in passing legislation to close loopholes in current child Internet pornography laws. Kerry succeeded in including "Masha's Law" in the Adam Walsh Child Protection Act, which was signed into law last summer. Kerry was inspired to write "Masha's Law" after hearing the story of Masha Allen. Kerry and Masha unveiled the legislation together at the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children in January. Masha was adopted from a Russian orphanage at age five by a man who began sexually abusing her the night she arrived. He has since been found guilty of 11 counts of child sexual abuse, but Masha's images - hundreds of them - are on the Internet and being downloaded around the world. In fact, half of all identified of child pornographers have downloaded pictures of Masha. Yet this courageous teenager tells her story to raise awareness so others are spared her unspeakable horror. Masha's Law will dramatically increase penalties for anyone who downloads child pornography off the Internet, raising the civil penalties from $50,000 to $150,000 - the equivalent of illegally downloading songs from the Internet. And, it will fix the law to allow victims ages 18 or older to recover damages from those who downloaded images of them taken while they were children.
  
• Senator John Kerry nominated the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children for the Congressional Coalition on Adoption’s Angels in Adoption award. The award recognizes a group that has made a difference in the lives of children through adoption, foster care of child welfare advocacy.

IMMIGRATION

• Senator John Kerry visited families and friends of those who were swept up in an immigration raid in New Bedford. The events in New Bedford shined a light on a tragically broken immigration system and remind us all that too many American companies brazenly break our immigration laws. These companies have been emboldened by the fact that, for too long, there has been no accountability for illegal hiring practices. We desperately need to pass comprehensive immigration reform. Last year, millions of Americans demonstrated they were ready for comprehensive immigration reform by marching in our nation's largest cities. The Senate responded and passed comprehensive immigration reform. It is time for the President to step up and make it a reality.
  
• Kerry urged the Immigrations and Customs Enforcement director to request an explanation into the immigration raid, and urged the agency to work as quickly as possible to reunite the stranded children with their parents.
  
• Kerry called Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff, as well as sending him a letter demanding answers regarding the immigration raid. He requested that a thorough investigation be launched into how the raid was prepared and executed. In addition, Kerry also raised concerns about how the target of an ICE criminal investigation could also be the recipient of lucrative DOD contracts.

CRIME

• Kerry hosted a 'Conversation on Crime' with Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray, Attorney General Martha Coakley and various other federal, state and local officials. The attendees discusses the root causes of crime among juveniles and the steps needed to provide increased resources for education and crime prevention in communities across Massachusetts. The meeting was a first of its kind - gathering together officials from all levels of government in a collaborative way to help find a solution to the state's growing crime problem. Kerry said "We are feeling the affects of America's crime epidemic right here in Massachusetts. But I believe we can help fix this tragic problem. Friday's meeting was a great first step, but much, much more needs to be done. We owe it to the thousands of victims of crime in this state to do that work," said Senator Kerry. "We've identified core problems and have raised solutions for a clear-cut way to fix the problem. Massachusetts residents don't want to hear more of the same rhetoric on this issue. They want answers and they want solutions, and we must give them both. The time to try and help reduce crime throughout the Commonwealth is now."
  
• On Martin Luther King Day, Senator Kerry sat down with a group of ten Boston young people at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center in Roxbury to have a frank, private discussion about violence and what they are going through in their lives and neighborhoods. The Senator solicited their thoughts and experiences as they talked about the high level of violence in 2006, and to collaborate on ideas for preventing violence and reaching at-risk youth as a new year begins.

HEALTH CARE

• Kerry attended a health care rally at Children's Hospital in Boston. He advocated for expanding health care for thousands of children in Massachusetts and throughout the country. The rally came on the heels of an announcement about a new report saying that voters across Massachusetts and New England overwhelmingly support major funding expansions for MassHealth and the State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP), a federal-state partnership that covers low-income children who don't otherwise have health care insurance. Kerry will also continue to advocate for his Kids First Act which will build on the proven success of Medicaid and S-CHIP programs and would federalize all Medicaid costs for beneficiaries under age 21 that are below the poverty level. In exchange, the federal government and states would agree to expand S-CHIP for children in higher income families. It would also help reduce the barriers to enrollment that keep so many eligible children un-enrolled.

OTHER

• Kerry sent a letter to the Portuguese Ambassador to the United States, urging him not to close the Portuguese Consulate in the City of New Bedford. New Bedford is home to thousands of Portuguese-Americans.
  
• Kerry asked the Department of Health and Human Service to investigate claims of a cover-up at the CDC. The CDC allegedly blocked an investigation into the deaths of six firefighters whose personal safety equipment failed, and that the Centers failed to take action until nine additional firefighters died under similar circumstances.
  
• Kerry urged the Department of Justice’s Inspector General to provide an explanation as to why the families of dozens of firefighters, police officers and EMTs across the country are not receiving benefits promised to them under the Hometown Heroes Act of 2003. Kerry also requested an investigation into the DOJ’s handling of various death benefit claims.
  
• Kerry honored the famed Tuskegee Airmen for receiving the Congressional Medal of Honor, the most prestigious award Congress can bestow. Kerry said “The Tuskegee Airmen helped remind a resistant nation that heroism knows no skin color. They served their country above and beyond the call of duty. I am honored to congratulate each and every one of them for their service, their bravery, their undeniable patriotism and their utter dedication to a country that at the time, didn’t always return their commitment and devotion. I am pleased that Luther McElwain, Eugene Jackson, and the others from my home state of Massachusetts who were part of this extraordinary unit are finally receiving recognition from a very, very grateful country.”
  
• Kerry honors YouthBuild students at annual leadership conference. The students circulated a letter, co-sponsored by Senator Kerry, urging the Senate appropriations committee to allocate additional funds for YouthBuild programs nationwide. In 1992 Senator Kerry introduced a bill that made YouthBuild a national program, enabling it to receive federal funding. And just last year he was the first to introduce the YouthBuild Transfer Act which passed unanimously in both the Senate and the House of Representatives and was signed into law by President Bush. The new law transfers the YouthBuild program from the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to the Department of Labor (DOL). Since its inception, 60,000 of young people have built over 15,000 units of affordable housing. There are over 226 YouthBuild programs in 43 states for 8,000 young adults, and Senator Kerry believes that number can – and should - grow. Last year alone, 260 communities were denied YouthBuild funding. In 2004 local programs turned away over 12,000 applicants solely for lack of funds.
  
• Kerry was on hand to help dedicate the Central Artery Tunnel in honor of the beloved former U.S. Speaker of the House Thomas “Tip” O’Neill, Jr.
  
• Kerry and his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry participated in a wide ranging discussion with members of the Massachusetts Women’s Business Forum, a group dedicated to the professional development of women leaders.
  
• In August of last year, Kerry joined 4,000 other riders for the 2006 Pan-Massachusetts Challenge, a bike race covering 192 miles and 46 towns in Massachusetts. In its 26th year, the Challenge raises money for the Jimmy Fund and since 1980, has contributed over $145 million for cancer research at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Marking his third time in the event, Senator Kerry rode alongside fellow cancer survivors and their families for 111 miles, sharing with them a personal commitment to fight cancer.
  
• Kerry marked the five year anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks on our nation by visiting the memorial to the victims of 9/11 at the Boston Public Garden. He then attended the 5th Annual luncheon hosted by the Massachusetts 9/11 Fund to spend quiet private time with families who lost a loved one five years ago. That evening, Senator Kerry joined with firefighters from across Massachusetts on the Esplanade in honoring their fallen colleagues from the NYFD.
  
• Last fall, Kerry joined the North Shore in celebrating NASA’s selection of the Robert L. Ford School as a NASA Explorer School. This three-year partnership with NASA will improve teaching and learning in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Senator Kerry congratulated the students and spoke about the critical need to keep America’s edge on science and technology to assure that America remains economically competitive.
  
• To commemorate Martin Luther King Day, Senator Kerry attended the 36th Annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Breakfast at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center, hosted by the Union United Methodist Church and St. Cyprian’s Episcopal Church. Senator Kerry gave remarks to commemorate the life and legacy of Reverend King.
  
• During the Spring flooding of 2006, Kerry called on Governor Romney to ask the federal government for a physical disaster declaration by the Small Business Administration in the counties devastated by the area’s worst flooding in 70 years. This step would allow the government to immediately begin providing the much-needed disaster loan assistance to residents and business owners. A Major Disaster declaration by the President would automatically allow home and business owners to apply for disaster loans.
  
• Just hours after the explosion in Danvers, Senator Kerry visited the scene of the Danvers disaster and met with those affected. He urged Governor Romney to join him in requesting that the Small Business Administration issue both physical and economic disaster declarations for the city. A declaration would allow small businesses in the area to receive federal aid.