Updates from the State House

Senator Joan Lovely is in her fifth term in the Massachusetts State Senate representing the Second Essex District communities of Beverly, Danvers, Peabody, Salem, and Topsfield. Senator Lovely serves in Leadership as an Assistant Majority Leader, Chair of the Joint and Senate Committees on Rules, and as the Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Bills in the Third Reading. Senator Lovely also sits on the Senate Committee on Reimagining Massachusetts: Post-Pandemic Resiliency, the Senate Committee on Global Warming and Climate Change, the Senate Committee on Steering and Policy, and the Joint Committee on Housing. In addition to her committee work, Senator Lovely is the Senate Chair of the Ellen Story Commission on Postpartum Depression, Senate Co-Chair of the Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators and the Vice Chair of the Public Records Commission. She also chaired the Special Senate Committee to Review Sexual Harassment Policies and Procedures. Senator Lovely became personally engaged with government when she collaborated with neighbors and volunteers to rebuild a neighborhood playground in Salem, where she subsequently served on the Salem City Council from 1998-2012. She and her husband Stephen make their home in Salem and are the proud parents of three adult children and ecstatic grandparents to a new granddaughter. In her spare time, Senator Lovely enjoys boating and gardening. She and her family also enjoy their 4 Labrador Retrievers, 5 ducks, 2 chickens and 1 cat. She also enjoys showing her ducks at the Topsfield Fair.

Representative Paul Tucker has served the general public and the Commonwealth for over 30 years with a distinguished career as a police officer, a Police Chief, and later the State Representative in the city of Salem. During his service as a law enforcement officer, Representative Tucker, held leadership positions on the executive board of the Massachusetts Major City Chiefs Association and the North Eastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council. Representative Tucker utilized his expertise as a former police Chief, in his service in the House of Representatives and was able to successfully help reform fentanyl and carfentanil trafficking laws. Additionally, Representative Tucker championed the rights and protections for transgendered individuals and has advocated for police education and training reforms. In 2021 State Representative Paul Tucker was appointed by Speaker of the House, Ronald Mariano to serve as the Vice-Chair of the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government for the 192nd Session. In addition to serving in this new leadership role in the House Representatives, Representative Tucker will continue to serve on the joint committees on Ways and Means, Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery, and joint committee on Transportation.