News from Beacon Hill

State Representative Carl Sciortino (D-Medford) is holding office hours from 6PM-7PM on Thursday, November 8 at the Danish Pastry House, 330 Boston Avenue.

Sciortino can also be contacted on any day at his State House office, Room 23, by calling 617-722-2140 or via email at Carl.Sciortino@state.ma.us.

Rep. Sciortino’s “Buffer Zone” bill, aimed at strengthening buffer zones around reproductive health centers, recently passed the state House of Representatives after being approved by the state Senate.

The bill calls for the creation of a 35-foot buffer zone around entrances and driveways of all reproductive health centers in the state. The current law, enacted in 1994 after the murder of two women’s health center employees by John Salvi, calls for a 6-foot “bubble zone” around individuals when they are within 18 feet of a reproductive health care facility.

Rep. Sciortino said the current law has been nearly impossible to enforce due to its “vagueness and complexity.”

“This bill allows protestors to exercise their right to free speech while ensuring individuals accessing health care can do so free from in-your-face intimidation and harassment,” said Sciortino.

State Representative Jim Marzilli (D-Arlington) has been busy preparing for a Democratic primary for the 4th Middlesex senate district.

A special election is being held Tuesday, November 13, to pare down the Democratic field to one candidate. Marzilli faces competition from three other Democrats, including state represenatives Charles Murphy and Patrick Natale, and retired firefighter Ken Donnelly .

Marzilli, who recently received an endorsement from the Boston Globe, is running for a seat vacated by former state Senator Robert Havern (D-Arlington), who left for a lobbying gig. The senate district includes all of Arlington, Burlington, and Billerica, and parts of Woburn and Lexington.

As state representative, Rep. Marzilli has represented a small slice of Medford and much of Arlington for seventeen years. He will no longer represent Medford if elected to the senate seat.

State Representative Paul Donato (D-Medford) has launched a new website, www.repdonato.com.

The new website will contain recent news, contact information, and a feedback form so residents can share their views and concerns with the representative.

Rep. Donato will hold office hours on Wednesday, November 21, from 10:30AM-11:30AM at the Medford Senior Center, 101 Riverside Avenue. Residents are encouraged to stop by and discuss any issue of concern.