Talking With Tarsky: Official Edition

Welcome to the first issue of Talking with Tarsky: Official Edition!

“Talking with Tarsky” may have begun as a campaign attempt to keep people informed, but as we were fortunate enough to be elected to represent the fine people of the 13th Norfolk District, “Talking with Tarsky” lives on as our official office newsletter! We’re hopeful that we can utilize this format to update you on what we’ve been up to, both in district and at the State House, and what’s happening in Needham, Dover, and Medfield’s Precincts 1 & 2.

Thanks for joining us on this journey!

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What We've Been Up To

After being sworn in on January 1st, I moved into the “bullpen,” or Hearing Rooms B1 and B2, which had been outfitted for each new Representative and their Legislative Aide. My Aide Kyle and I were in B2 - despite privacy being hard to come by, the bullpen was a great experience for both of us, as we were able to learn alongside our colleagues and build strong relationships that will last on Beacon Hill and beyond. During our time in the bullpen, we met often with constituents and advocates, handled constituent cases, and laid the foundations for how our office and its workflow will operate. Though we’ve now moved out of the bullpen into Room 448, I know Kyle and I will look back fondly on our few months in there.

Committee Assignments

I’ve been assigned to four committees: the House Committee on Climate Action and Sustainability, and the Joint Committees on Public Service, Veterans and Federal Affairs, and Municipalities and Regional Governments. All four of these committees will allow us to make meaningful change on both the local and state levels.

My Legislation

I seasonably filed nine bills, ensuring that they will be discussed in a hearing this two-year session. With my background in schools, I submitted legislation targeted towards helping our kids, teachers, and administrators create the safest and most effective educational environment possible, as well as bills modernizing our laws and providing resources for those recovering from substance use issues.

You can find my legislative portfolio HERE.

I’ll be particularly focused on H.715, An Act relative to phone free schools. This bill would seek to implement in our public middle and high schools a bell-to-bell phone ban, allowing our students to engage with the material and each other while providing our teachers with more controllable classrooms. In my final months as principal at Holbrook Middle-High School, we implemented the “pouch system” which H.715 is modeled off of; I saw students interacting with each other at a higher rate and received overwhelmingly positive feedback from teachers and administrators alike.

I believe this statewide policy would equip individual school districts with the tools necessary, both tangible and informational, to mitigate the dangers of phone usage. The bill was heard in front of the Joint Committee on Education on June 17, and I look forward to seeing the committee’s decision.

Notable Happenings

FY26 Budget Passage

On Monday, June 30th, the House and Senate passed the General Appropriations Act for Fiscal Year 2026 - a $61.01 billion budget that funds the Commonwealth for the next fiscal year, responsibly balancing major investments into education, transportation, and affordability with economic discipline. Notably, the budget contains no new tax increases on residents and businesses while contributing further to the Commonwealth’s Stabilization Fund, which has risen to $8.1 billion. Governor Healey signed the bill with small changes on July 4th, leaving the final total at $60.9 billion.

The 13^th Norfolk District received $25 million in Chapter 70 funding, with $14.7 million for Needham, $7.2 million for Medfield, and $1.1 million for Dover, as well as an additional $2.9 million for the Dover-Sherborn Regional School District. The towns of the district as well as their non-profits also received $610,000 in funding, from safety improvements to Needham’s Rosemary Recreational Pool and upgrades to Medfield Town Hall, to operational support for Needham-based Hope and Comfort, Inc., and for the creation of a makerspace lab at Dover-Sherborn High School. Also included is funding for the Charles River Center’s Nutrition Project and a summer concert series at Bellforge Arts Center.

I was proud to vote in favor of this budget and play a hand at getting funding for our district.

Joint Rules Package

For the first time since 2019, the House and Senate agreed on a joint rules package which will govern the 194th General Court and its procedures. Passed in a bipartisan fashion, the rules will boost transparency, efficiency, and efficacy, making sure our work on Beacon Hill is accessible to all members of the Commonwealth. The rules are below, and I believe that the publishing of bill summaries, the recording of committee votes, and the extension of the hearing notification window are a few highlights.

Fair Share Supplemental Budget

As there was a surplus of funds collected above projections from the Fair Share surtax, the Legislature was able to pass a $1.39 billion supplemental budget to further invest in education and transportation across the Commonwealth. The supplemental budget allocated $716 million for transportation and $593.5 for education funding, including $535 million for the MBTA and $248 million for special education costs. These crucial investments in our Commonwealth’s future fulfill important promises to our communities, pushing for greater equity in education and transportation to ensure all citizens receive an excellent education and can move freely amongst the state.

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What's Next

As we head into the second half of 2025, we will continue to engage with our constituents in the district and stakeholders throughout the state on the issues important to them. We’ll work hard on the constituent cases that require action on our end and make sure our office is running smoothly.

We’ll see decisions on a number of bills that have been discussed in committee hearings, including many of my own, and see how best to advocate for their passage.

I’m looking forward to local events to come, such as Dover Days, Medfield Day, and Needham’s Harvest Fair - if you have any local events that you’d like us to advertise via our social media, please email Kyle.McGrath@mahouse.gov with information!

We also have a few projects in the works that will bring greater awareness to some of the wonderful people and groups that make the 13th Norfolk District what it is - more info to come soon!

And finally, we’ll also be closely monitoring what is happening at the federal level to make sure that Massachusetts is best poised to protect its citizens and businesses in the times ahead.

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Thank you for joining us for our inaugural edition! I hope this has given a telling glimpse into our work for the 13th Norfolk District. If you have any ideas for ways we could improve the newsletter in the future, please don’t hesitate to let us know - we want this to be an effective tool to communicate and we want it to last, so all ideas are appreciated.

See you next time!

Yours in Community,

Josh