Memorial Day 2025: Honoring Those Who Made The Ultimate Sacrifice For Our Nation

Oliver Wendell Holmes referred to Memorial Day as “our most sacred holiday,” and said we should “not ponder with sad thoughts the passing of our heroes, but rather ponder their legacy – the life they made possible for us by their commitment and pain.”

We can never fully repay the debt we owe to our veterans, especially those who made the ultimate sacrifice in service to our nation to help protect our many freedoms. On Memorial Day, the House Republican Caucus joins with Americans everywhere as we remember and honor the lasting legacy of our fallen soldiers.

Rep. Kane to Serve on Reconstituted Special Commission on Local and Regional Public Health

House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. (R-North Reading) has appointed State Representative Hannah Kane (R-Shrewsbury) to serve as his designee on the newly-reformed Special Commission on Local and Regional Public Health.

Initially created in 2016 to help assess the effectiveness and efficiency of municipal and regional public health systems in Massachusetts, the special commission has been temporarily revived to review the Public Health Excellence Program, which was launched in April of 2021 to promote health care equity across the state through the development of shared public health services on a regional level. The commission will also review the funding available to support and enhance the Commonwealth’s local and regional public health system.

“As a legislator, Hannah has long prioritized public health issues as part of her legislative and budgetary agenda,” said Representative Jones. “She has a proven track record of working to build consensus on public health policy, and I am confident that she will once again play a key role in advancing the special commission’s agenda to improve health care equity for all Massachusetts residents and to maintain a robust local and regional public health system.”

Representative Kane served as a member of the original 2016 special commission, which completed its work and disbanded after filing a report on its findings and recommendations in June of 2019. The six key recommendations contained in the commission’s report included proposals to:

·       * Elevate the standards for and improve the performance of local public health departments.

·      * Increase cross-jurisdictional sharing of public health services to strengthen the service delivery capabilities of local public health departments.

·      * Explore improvements to the current platforms to report, analyze, and interpret data.

·       * Set education and training standards for local public health officials and staff and expand access to professional development.

·       * Commit appropriate resources for the local public health system changes proposed by the Commission.

·       * Ensure continuity of stakeholder engagement in the implementation of the Commission’s recommendations.

Representative Kane was recognized for her work on the 2016 commission when she received the Massachusetts Public Health Association Legislative Leadership Award in November of 2019. She also received the Vic Karaian Award from the Massachusetts Environmental Health Association in May of 2022 in recognition for her leadership and primary sponsorship of the Statewide Accelerated Public Health for Every Community Act (SAPHE 2.0).

“I was honored to serve on the original Special Commission on Local and Regional Public Health, and to then work with my colleagues and advocates to pass into law many of the Commission's recommendations. H1935, An Act relative to strengthening the local and regional public health system (SAPHE 1.0) was signed into law in April 2020, and H2204, An Act relative to accelerating improvements to the local and regional public health system to address disparities in the delivery of public health services (SAPHE 2.0), was signed into law as part of H5100 in November 2024,” said Representative Kane. “Public health is one of my top priorities, and I am grateful to Leader Jones for the opportunity to continue working with the Commission to ensure that all Massachusetts residents can enjoy strong public health services.”

Representative Kane was first elected to the House of Representatives in a 2015 special election and is currently the Ranking Minority Member of the Joint Committees on Public Health, Health Care Financing, and State Administration & Regulatory Oversight, as well as the Ranking Minority Member of the House Ethics Committee and a member of the House Committee on Steering, Policy & Scheduling. She represents the 11^th Worcester District, which is comprised of the town of Shrewsbury and Precinct 4 in Westborough.

Representative Sweezey to Serve on Ocean Advisory Commission

House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. (R-North Reading) has appointed State Representative Kenneth P. Sweezey (R-Duxbury) to the Massachusetts Ocean Advisory Commission.

Created by the Legislature as part of the Oceans Act of 2008, the Ocean Advisory Commission is responsible for assisting and advising the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs on the management and development of the Massachusetts Ocean Management Plan, which governs the protection and sustainable use of the state’s ocean waters.

“As the Ranking Minority Member on the Joint Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, Ken is a perfect fit for the Advisory Commission,” said Representative Jones. “I am confident he will do a great job working to ensure that the Commonwealth’s marine habitats are properly protected.”

Representative Sweezey expressed his appreciation for the appointment, stating, “I’m proud to be appointed to the co
mmission to advocate for our coastline, particularly in communities like Marshfield and Duxbury, which I’m honored to represent. It is critical that ‘development’ in our ocean spaces be done responsibly and with careful consideration for our coastal communities and natural resources.”

The Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs is required to review the Ocean Management Plan at least once every five years. The most recent plan was released in 2021.

Representative Sweezey is one of 18 members serving on the Advisory Commission, which includes legislators, state agency representatives, and several stakeholders from environmental organizations and the fishing industry. He is replacing former Representative Mathew J. Muratore (R-Plymouth), who had served on the Advisory Commission since 2015.

Representative Sweezey represents the 6^th Plymouth District, which is comprised of the town of Duxbury; Precinct 2 in Halifax; Precincts 2 and 3 in Hanson; Precincts 2A and 4 in Marshfield; and Precincts 1, 2, 3A, 4, and 5 in Pembroke.