Talking with Tarsky
- Administrator
- 2 days ago
- 4 min read
May 2026
Welcome back to Talking with Tarsky! April was a significant month for our office, read on to find out more.
April Highlights
It was a pleasure to meet Chief Hospital Corpsman Vlad Link, a Chelsea native, at the State House on April 28, and hear about his extraordinary role supporting the crew of the Artemis II mission.
Chief Link was part of the U.S. Navy dive medical team that greeted and assessed the astronauts after their splashdown following a 10-day journey around the moon. He was among the four individuals who helped open the Orion capsule and conduct initial medical evaluations for astronauts Christina Koch, Jeremy Hansen, Reid Wiseman, and Victor Glover.
It’s awesome to see someone from our own community playing such a critical role in a historic space mission. Thank you for your service and dedication!
It was an honor to be invited to the unveiling of a bench dedicated to Vincent “Vinnie” Walsh.
For 38 years, Vinnie faithfully delivered mail to the same neighborhood in Needham, becoming a familiar and beloved presence to so many. He watched families grow, built lasting connections, and—especially during COVID—was sometimes the only friendly face that neighbors, particularly seniors, would see.
His unexpected passing on January 17, 2024, was a profound loss for the community he served so deeply.
Thank you to Needham Post Office Shop Steward Brian Senior for leading the effort, in partnership with the Town of Needham, to place this bench on Carol Rd. in Vinnie’s honor. It’s a fitting tribute to a life of service, dedication, and quiet impact.
Vinnie’s legacy will live on in the community he cared for every single day.
To learn more about Vinnie and his legacy to the neighborhood he served visit: https://needhamobserver.com/a-very-special-delivery-man/
Legislation Updates
S.2581/H.5366 & H.5350
On April 8th, the House passed two important pieces of legislation: S.2581/H.5366, An Act to promote student learning and mental health; H.5350, An Act modernizing the Commonwealth’s cannabis laws.
S.2581/H.5366 has many facets, but the two most important relate to youth social media use and cell phones in schools. This bill takes important steps to support student well-being and responsible technology use:
Prohibits children under 14 from creating social media accounts
Requires parental permission for 14- and 15-year-olds to join social media platforms
Requires school districts to implement “bell-to-bell” policies limiting cell phone use during the school day
These measures are aimed at helping young people stay focused in the classroom, supporting healthy development, and giving families a stronger role in online activity.
Additionally, my bill, H.715, was incorporated into this legislation. I ran in part to turn this idea into law, and I’m thrilled that we’ve passed this hurdle in my first term.
As an educator, I saw firsthand the pervasive ways phones and social media have impacted our classrooms—teachers leaving the profession, students struggling to focus, and work going unfinished.
This legislation is not about punishment or resisting technology. It’s about restoring order in our schools so that engagement and real learning can happen again. We owe our students more than constant distraction—we owe them environments where they can think, connect, and grow.
That’s why I’m proud to champion this legislation, and I was honored that my colleagues asked me to deliver my maiden speech to close the House debate.
You can view my maiden speech below.
H.5350 restructures the Cannabis Control Commission into a three-member body, removes costly requirements from cannabis businesses, and safely increases the personal possession limit to two ounces. It also streamlines the Commission and makes it directly accountable to the Governor, removing current complexities around the agency’s appointing authorities.
Chapter 90
On April 15th, the House passed H.5375, An Act financing long-term improvements to municipal roads and bridges, a $4.58 billion bond authorization to invest in Chapter 90 and transportation infrastructure. While this bond authorization does not outlay these funds, I look forward to advocating for the projects in our communities as Capital Improvement Plans (CIPs) are developed.
H.5500
On April 29th, the House passed H.5500, or the House version for the Commonwealth’s Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) budget. Funded at $63.41 billion, the House’s FY27 budget responds to the needs of residents, provides record support for the Commonwealth’s cities and towns, and among many critical investments, includes significant funding for education, transportation, health care, housing, and workforce development. Despite economic pressures from the federal administration, we in the House constructed a fiscally-responsible budget that invests in every corner of our state. We were also pleased to secure funds for each of the three towns in our district. This press release has more details on the budget as a whole.
Also on April 29th, the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development hosted a hearing for H.5188, An Act establishing a special commission to study access to unemployment insurance in the Commonwealth, which I jointly filed with Representative Luddy. Our offices had noticed a large number of constituent cases regarding significant delays in obtaining unemployment benefits. While our offices are happy to handle these issues, we believe that the process itself should be streamlined, especially for those constituents who may not know that their Representatives or Senators can be of assistance. Receiving unemployment benefits is a basic and essential government service, one that should be a hallmark of an efficient and effective government, and this hearing exemplifies the level to which my colleagues take this matter seriously. You can watch our testimony below which starts around the 6:45 mark.
Looking Ahead
May Office Hours
April was an important month for our office: with the House passage of the FY27 budget and my priority issue regarding cell phone usage in schools, I leave this month feeling fulfilled and proud of our office’s work. As the weather warms and we move into May, I’ll be looking forward to town meeting season kicking off, as well as our first annual State of the District recap events. See dates and locations below. We hope to see you there!
Yours in Community,
Josh
As always, if you need anything from my office, please reach out to me or Kyle by email (joshua.tarsky@mahouse.gov | kyle.mcgrath@mahouse.gov) or by phone at (617) 722-2582
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