State Rep. Orlando Ramos
Reminder Publishing file photo
SPRINGFIELD — State Rep. Orlando Ramos enters his third term in the state’s House of Representatives with an appreciation for what he was able to accomplish last session, and a desire to make progress on a “diverse set of legislation” he filed in mid-January.
In an interview with Reminder Publishing, Ramos (D-Springfield) said the past session was “a productive one” that included the passing of major bills that he worked on, like the housing bond bill and economic development bill.
“We were able to legislate in a way that benefits all the people of the commonwealth, and not just the regional Boston area,” Ramos said of the past legislative session. “We were able to ensure that in those major bills that we brought back resources to Western Massachusetts.”
The historic $5.16 billion housing bond bill Gov. Maura Healey signed in August was something Ramos said he was happy to be involved with, especially because the bill addresses the astronomical housing shortage that the state faces and aims to make housing more affordable.
“The more units that we’re able to build, the more units that we’re able to help fund, the more supply that will be available for people,” Ramos said. “And that will, in turn, drive down the cost of housing, which is astronomical at the moment.”
Aside from those two bills, Ramos said he was also able to get an amendment passed in the state’s recently passed prescription drug bill that requires the creation of a committee to study the effects of opioid addiction on the Black and brown communities in Massachusetts.
The overall bill, which was signed by Healey in early January, promotes greater transparency on prescription drug pricing as a step toward tackling the high cost of health care and medications.
“That was one I was very proud of,” Ramos said, of his amendment to that bill.
With 2024 now behind us, and the new two-year legislative session upon us, Ramos is now hoping progress will be made on 27 bills that he filed in mid-January that range from assistance to micro-businesses, a biomass bill, collective bargaining bills and transportation-related bills.
One such bill he refiled, a safe swimming bill, is one he has been filing ever since he was elected a state legislator. Ramos said the bill intends to give Gateway Cities like Springfield the opportunity to build swimming pools and give children of color a place to learn how to swim.
Prior to 2004, Ramos said cities and towns in Massachusetts were able to get reimbursed up to 80% for building swimming pools as part of their school projects. That all changed in 2004, when former Gov. Mitt Romney’s administration reworked the rules for how the state reimburses cities and towns for school building projects.
When that happened, swimming pools were labeled a “luxury item,” a designation Ramos disagrees with.
“Studies have shown that when you’re talking about Black and brown communities, a swimming pool is not a luxury item,” Ramos said. “It’s an item that can be the difference between life and death, because Black and Brown children are drowning at a much higher level than their white counterparts, and almost at a crisis level.”
According to a 2024 study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, drowning death rates for Black people under the age of 30 are 1.5 times higher than the rates for white people, with disparities highest among Black children ages 5-9 and 10-14.
Ramos said the bill he filed would revert to the system prior to 2004, where — for Gateway Cities specifically — the state would reimburse schools up to 80% for building swimming pools as part of their school projects.
Another bill Ramos refiled is intended to close a loophole that utility companies like Eversource takes advantage of every year.
According to the state’s General Laws, if a taxpayer is appealing a property tax valuation, then they are only required to pay up to 50% of their tax bill. However, Ramos said that this law is intended for small businesses and individuals who are struggling to pay property taxes, not multibillion-dollar utility companies like Eversource.
The loophole caused a decade-long property tax dispute that ended in Eversource having to pay the city of Springfield $41 million.
“Eversource has taken advantage of this loophole for the past over a decade, and they’ve used it to withhold millions and millions of dollars from communities like the city of Springfield,” Ramos said. “So, I filed legislation to be able to close that loophole.”
The state representative also touched on his passion for regulating facial surveillance policy. He noted that in 2020, the Springfield City Council passed a moratorium on the local government’s use of facial recognition technology.
When he first got elected to the State House, one of the first bills Ramos filed was to regulate facial surveillance technology at the state level.
Ramos said that a commission borne out of the criminal justice reform bill in 2020 spent several meetings coming up with detailed recommendations on how facial surveillance should be used. His bill basically codifies those recommendations by including things like a requirement for police to have a warrant to use facial recognition technology, as well as language that emphasizes the need for a more centralized location where the technology can be tracked.
The bill passed the House in Ramos’ first term as representative, but did not pass the state Senate.
“I’m hopeful that this year it’ll make it through the finish line,” Ramos said.
Aside from those refilings, Ramos added that he has filed legislation that further regulates biomass by making sure the state is not subsidizing biomass projects or using taxpayer money to pay for biomass energy.
Ramos said passing this bill is important because biomass is “unhealthy and unclean,” especially for environmental justice communities like Springfield.
“[Regulating biomass] has always been a passion of mine,” Ramos said.
Other bills Ramos filed for the session include one that forces the commonwealth to have judicial accountability and another that would establish an advisory committee to, among other things, examine the accessibility of fresh food retail in Massachusetts communities.
“It’s a pretty lengthy list, but I think there’s very effective legislation,” Ramos said of the bills he has filed. “I’m hoping to push them past the finish line this year.”
