My First 100 Days

It has been 100 days since I was sworn into office as a freshman State Representative so I thought I’d share with our community some of what I have been up to since January 2.

Campaign Promises

Taxes: First, and most recently, I voted against a tax hike. I said I would not support a gas tax hike in my debate and I kept my word. I also assume nothing and question whenever some entity wants more tax dollars for programs. I have found several agencies incorrectly do cost-benefit-analyses and I report the errors I find to the respective agency heads – most care.

Government Accountability: At every door I knocked on in my campaign, I said I want to make sure we have more government accountability. Keeping that promise, I filed legislation to make it so that we start measuring prison programs to know if they reduce recidivism or not - this is a tax waste and a public safety issue. I have also worked with several state agencies to help them better measure the outcomes of their programs; I do this in an unofficial capacity. I have also been very critical and vocal of the so-called research reports that are floating around Beacon Hill. When I ask for a report to show me proof that we will get the outcome we want or a return on our investment, I am often disappointed. Many reports are not real research and analysis reports. Most are public relations documents with shoddy research methods that are published to push a political agenda.

Public Safety: I filed numerous bills to enhance public safety. One bill will help better define who should be a level three sex offender and to measure the effectiveness of sex offender programs (and all prison programs), and a bill to identify who is a sex offender when they leave one state and come to ours. Another bill of mine is designed to help police departments in high violence cities get additional training so that they can decrease violence and gun violence where it is happening by the people doing it.

Mental Health: I am drafting a bill that will help raise revenues from relevant luxury goods to help pay for increased child and psychiatric services. I also advocate having a reasoned approach when addressing mental illness in the aftermath of the Sandy Hook shooting in CT. Mental health advocacy was my big campaign issue of mine due to its prevalence and how it is too often overlooked by politicians and stigmatized by the public. I get a lot of calls for help on this issue. I have been honored to be the graduation speaker at the Harvard Medical School psychiatry residency program in June.

Non-Campaign Promises

Several things have come up that I didn’t foresee but I have taken the lead on. I held a "Keeping Kids Safe" from sex offenders, bullies and guns forum.

I invited the Commissioner of DTA (EBT, food stamps, SNAP, etc,) to Attleboro; the Commissioner will be here on May 9 to talk with and hear from our community members.

I also invited the Commissioner of Education to Attleboro to talk about the state’s move away from MCAS to PARCC; the Commissioner has accepted my invitation and our offices are setting the date. I am taking the lead to help school districts throughout the state be PARCC ready with internet access.

I have sponsored a number of bills to: decrease disability discrimination and increase disability rights; decrease the chances that we will criminalize some childhood misbehavior; increase the rights of health care proxies and family members of the deceased; make rehabilitation counselors recognized; protect children from second-hand smoke; and to ensure safer access to senior citizen facilities. I am currently working on a bill to raise revenues without raising taxes for high school sports.

Work in Attleboro

I am working with several Attleboro City Counselors on a few projects including, but not limited, to the Attleboro Farmers Market, cemetery commission, local autonomy for Attleboro concerning its roads, and many constituent issues. I also informed the Mayor nearly two months in advance that Attleboro would become a Gateway City so that he could start planning for that change.

I work with the United Regional Chamber of Commerce to help local small businesses try to decrease regulation and improve access to state resources.

I have received well over 500 calls from Attleboro constituents in search of a wide range of issues including, but not limited to: unemployment assistance; mental health help; housing assistance; health and home insurance assistance; discrimination issues; complaints about different public agencies; and more.

Several of my projects over the past 100 days are very involved and yet unresolved. I have a lot more projects to come over the nest 630 days.

Most importantly, everything I do, I do as a leader or a follower, but it is always with others.

Paul Heroux is the State Representative for the Second Bristol District. Paul wants to hear from you by calling him at home at 508-455-2547 or at paulheroux.mpa@gmail.com.