Use this search box to find articles that have run in our newspapers over the last several years.
Date: 4/13/2022
SPRINGFIELD - State Sen. Adam Gomez has seen his first legislative effort passed by the Senate.
He explained in an interview on FOCUS Springfield that Massachusetts has become the 15th state in the nation to consider The CROWN Act, which outlaws discrimination based on natural hair styles, particularly those worn by African Americans.
Gomez explained the House had passed the bill and now with the Senate’s approval the bill will go to Gov. Charlie Baker for his approval.
State House News Service reported what Gomez said on the floor of the Senate, “I am honored and humbled to speak on such an important piece of legislation today. I was approached earlier to lead on this bill and knew it was one I would be proud to lend my support to and push to get it to the finish line, which we are here today. The CROWN Act creates a respectful and open world for natural hair. It is the culmination of brave women of color who have shared their experiences and advocated for its passage in states across the country. As a father of two young women, this bill and their activism is important. This bill will prohibit race-based discrimination against hair and natural hairstyles. Today, the Senate’s action to pass this bill represents a commitment to stand beside people of color, to lend support to this important initiative. No one person in the state should hear from their teachers or bosses that something they were blessed with deems them unfit for the office, classroom, or sports field. It is past time that this discrimination be prohibited. I want to acknowledge the effort by the CROWN Coalition and advocates who supported this. My colleagues who helped to get this to the finish line. A huge thank you to Senate President Spilka and the Senate Ways and Means chair, and the chairman from the Judiciary Committee for pushing this out of committee. Thank you so much and I look forward to the Senate’s approval of this bill.”
Gomez said that with state passing this act, he hopes it will advance to the federal level.
Gomez has also been working on the Working Family Mobility Act, which has just been passed by the House. Gomez explained the act allows people regardless of their immigration status to acquire a driver’s license.
Gomez explained the license will not allow fraudulent voting but rather will help make sure people are driving safely and can be insured.
“I think that is one of the most important pieces, the public safety aspect, of this bill to make sure we’re making the roads safer, individuals regardless of immigration status that they are able to get from point A to point B because the individuals who come here, they come here to work.”
He noted there are “mixed families” in Springfield in which one spouse was born here and the children were born here but the other spouse was not.
Having a legal driver’s license helps build a better relationship with the police, Gomez said. It also provides a better pathway to citizenship and builds a better sense of community, he said.
With the State House completely re-opened, a new phase in Gomez’s term has started. He noted with a laugh that his first term has coincided with the pandemic, so the return to a standard operating system for government is new to him. He said the Legislature has passed rules that allow some remote operations because “we are still living in a pandemic,” Gomez explained.
He continued, “It was extraordinary for me because it was my first term. I ran a race in a pandemic and we weren’t supposed to be outside. People were very fearful. Once I was sworn in, the State House was closed to the public, but the members were allowed to come in and handle business within their offices.”
He noted, “Where legislation and policy are strengthened are through relationships. It’s very hard to build relationships via ZOOM or Microsoft Teams, which the Senate and House elected to use instead of other platforms.”
Although he said the pandemic period was “an extraordinary humbling experience,” he believes new legislators may have “suffered a bit” trying to build relationships.
The Legislature is now in budget season and Gomez said understanding the impact of the pandemic on the state is part of the factors shaping ideas around the budget.
He said the growth of the gig economy is one change in the state’s economy and something legislators must consider.