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Happy Thanksgiving
Best wishes to you and your family for a most Happy Thanksgiving. Each year on the fourth Thursday in November, Americans gather for a day of feasting, football and family. We gather together around a table, thankful to have one another in our lives and grateful for the blessings bestowed upon us.
As I think about gathering this week, I am grateful for your friendship, support and guidance over the years, and most importantly, for the opportunity you have given me to represent the residents of Franklin and Medway. I thank you for continuously being there and coming together as a community, in both good times and bad.
And I thank my family, friends, and colleagues who work day in and day out to make Massachusetts a great place to live, work, and raise a family. That hard work and commitment is such a great way to give thanks and pay it forward.
As I look forward to carving yet another turkey, I hope that you too will enjoy your day and the beginning of a wonderful holiday season!
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Honoring veterans
Rep. Roy joined Franklin and Medway residents in honoring and thanking veterans for their service.
In Franklin, Major General L. Scott Rice spoke to a packed house at the Annual Veteran's Breakfast. We also took the opportunity to thank and honor Bob Fahey, Franklin's long time Veteran's Service Officer who retired earlier in the year.
In Medway, Col. Michael Matondi was the master of ceremonies and coordinator for multiple events. We started with a breakfast at the Medway Senior Center, followed by a service at the Village Church. During the service, Sgt. Robert Saleski provided a history and explanation of the Purple Heart award.
As Medway Town Administrator Michael Boynton noted, it’s our duty, honor and obligation to remember our veterans and honor the sacrifices they bring forward 365 days a year. You can see the MDN story on the events by clicking here.
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Horace Mann heirs visit State House
Rep. Roy hosted three direct descendants of Horace Mann in a State House visit. Joyce Mann Hine, Karen Post and Kaleigh Post, joined Rep. Roy on a tour and visited each of the milestones honoring the Father of Pubic Education.
Joyce is the great great granddaughter of Horace Mann and grew up in Franklin. She is a 1953 graduate of FHS and now lives in Connecticut. She learned recently of the efforts to erect a statue to honor Horace Mann in Franklin, and brought along her daughter and granddaughter for the visit.
"It was a particular honor to join Joyce, Karen and Kaleigh on the State House tour," noted Rep. Roy. "It was their first time in the capital building, and they were thrilled to see all the monuments that recognized the great work of Horace Mann. I was thrilled to have the opportunity to meet them and talk about the legacy of Horace Mann."
For more pictures from their State House visit, click here. All three descendents plan to join the Franklin community at the dedication of the statue in 2016.
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New UMass President
It was a pleasure to see UMass President Marty Meehan at the State House to talk about UMass and its importance to our Commonwealth.
The school is a great economic and educational institution that has led to many success stories. We talked about the importance of spreading these stories throughout the state.
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Seatbelt safety
Rep. Roy met with members of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and AAA to discuss primary seatbelt legislation.
The Judiciary committee conducted a hearing on the bill in November. Those testifying outlined this bill would make the Commonwealth a safer place to live and save money. According to AAA and the NTSB, Massachusetts could save thousands of human lives and hundreds of millions of dollars by bringing our seatbelt adherence up to the national average with the successful passage of a primary seatbelt law.
You can view the proposed bill by clicking here. For more photos from the NTSB visit, click here.
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Rep. Roy joined Mass Staffing for its Annual Awards night at the Seaport Hotel. We heard many incredible stories about hard work and perseverance that help make Massachusetts a great place to live, work, and raise a family. Roy spoke and acknowledged the important part staffing employees play in our economy.
To view more photos from the award ceremony, click here.
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Public safety mass
Rep. Roy attended the Public Safety Mass at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Boston.
Cardinal Seán O’Malley celebrated the Mass in thanksgiving of all active and retired Police, Fire, corrections officers, and emergency personnel and their families Sunday morning at the Cathedral of the Holy Cross. Also remembered were those public safety personnel who have fallen in the line of duty as well as their families.
To see more pictures from the Mass, click here.
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Israel resolution
Rep. Roy joined his colleagues in the legislature in securing unanimous passage of a resolution supporting the Massachusetts/Israel relationship and rejecting efforts to isolate and target Israel. The House resolution, sponsored by Rep. Roy, underscored the depth of the connection between the Commonwealth and Israel.
“We applaud the Massachusetts legislature for unanimously passing this resolution and furthering efforts to further the ties between Massachusetts and Israel, through economic, cultural and social partnershipsâ€, said Jeremy Burton, Executive Director of JCRC of Greater Boston. “We thank the leadership, sponsors and the numerous bipartisan co-sponsors who stated with one voice that effective engagement is the key to meaningful and deep relationships.â€
"I have witnessed firsthand the incredible results of collaboration between Massachusetts and the State of Israel," said Rep. Roy. “This formal resolution from the Legislature will serve to reiterate and remind us of this longstanding and mutually beneficial relationship. And we look forward to renewed and new efforts to work together to strengthen that partnership.â€
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Medway girls soccer played with heart throughout tournament
Congratulations to Medway High's girls soccer team on a terrific run in the Division 3 state tournament.
As reported in the Milford Daily News and Boston Herald, the Mustangs provided more than just wins and losses for their high school and community. They provided hope and played with heart.
We are very proud of this team and their accomplishments, and delighted that everyone came together as a community.
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MMS opioid summit
Rep. Roy attended a fascinating Opioid Abuse Summit hosted by the United States Attorney's Office and the Mass Medical Society.
A wealth of information was provided through a series of panels including conversations with addicts, family members, doctors, pharmacists, and law enforcement officials. It was five hours of information that put the problem in perspective and offered strategies for addressing the crisis.
It also featured addresses from US Attorney Carmen Ortiz, Attorney General Maura Healey, and United States Attorney General Loretta Lynch. U.S. Attorney Loretta Lynch said collaboration and cooperation among law enforcement and medicine is the key to progress in battling the epidemic of opioid addiction.
You can view videos of the summit programs by clicking here. For more pictures from the event, click here.
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Juvenile justice
Rep. Roy spent a day at the Suffolk County Juvenile Court in Boston, where he had a chance to meet with five of the judges, sit in on some of the cases, and talk about issues important for the implementation of juvenile justice.
The conversation also focused on Rep. Roy's sexting bill that is currently pending in the House. It was good to hear the judge's thoughts on a bill that would impact their court.
Overall, it was an eye-opening experience and very educational. Thank you Hon. Terry Craven (First Justice), Hon. Stephen Limon, Hon. Joseph Johnston, Hon. Helen Brown-Bryant, Judge Lewis, and Clerk-Magistrate Donna Ciampoli for your time today.
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TIPS server training
Rep. Roy joined Norfolk DA Michael Morrissey and others at Training for Intervention Procedures (TIPS) safety training as part of the DA's campaign against impaired driving.
As DA Morrissey noted, TIPS Training is not required by state law to be a server, but it is an important set of tools on how to use changes in a patron’s judgment, coordination and other signs to assess when they have had enough. They are skills that can end up saving lives.
Rep. Roy took the opportunity to remind servers that since they are on the front line, their role is very important in preventing drunk driving. They are the ones right with clients at the moment it counts. The training is timely as we enter the holiday season and we greatly appreciate the fact that our local businesses participated by sending their servers to the program.
Also taking part were Franklin Police Chief Stephen Semerjian, ABCC investigator Ted Mahoney, TIPS trainer Mike Marcantonio, Franklin Country Club General Manager Kevin Emlinger, and Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Rowe, head of the office’s crime prevention unit.
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Cerce earns MIAA wellness award
Rep. Roy was honored to join Attorney General Maura Healey, many members of the staff at Franklin High, and Franklin Public Schools administrators, to present the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA)'s Wellness Coordinator of the Year award to our Franklin High's Kristin Cerce.
She was given the award at the MIAA's health and wellness event in Westborough. Kristin has been an inspiration since her first days at FHS in 2005 and has taken the health and wellness program to new heights. She is also an integral part of the SAFE Coalition and a leader in the efforts to find a cure for substance abuse disorder.
Congratulations Kristin and thank you for being a partner in this effort.
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Bill would aid human services, both workers and clients
Rep. Roy testified in support of House Bill 124 - An Act relative to creating a loan repayment program for direct care human service workers. Rep. Roy was joined by a number of human service workers, the Caring Force of Massachusetts and Michael Moloney, a friend of Rep. Roy’s office, and the CEO of HMEA which is headquartered in Franklin.
The bill would create a loan repayment program for low-paid human services workers. If the bill is signed into law, workers would be eligible to receive $150/month to help pay back their qualified student loans.
The bill would help human services workers pay down their college debt and continue working at community-based organizations doing jobs that they love. Organizations would be able to use this benefit to recruit and retain qualified staff. And clients would receive consistent, quality care throughout Massachusetts.
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La Cantina Winery
Rep. Roy spent an afternoon with his friends at La Cantina Winery in Franklin to learn the fine art of wine-making. La Cantina is a new winery which just opened its doors.
During that afternoon's operation, the crush crew worked on a Merlot and Cabernet, running the grapes through the press and then pumping the wine into steel tanks.
It was a great afternoon and we are look forward to the racking operation soon. We'll be bottling next year.
To see more pictures from the press, click here. To learn more about the winery, click here.
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