“Fernald and its kin held people of all ages without their consent. It served as the site of ghastly violations of human rights. Yet much of Fernald’s story remains unknown. … This measure will enable researchers to excavate the histories of people at Fernald and elsewhere.”

“The [Special Commission on State Institutions] opened a long-neglected inquiry into the troubling history of these facilities, including the Fernald School in Waltham,” Barrett said.

The legislation, championed by State Sen. Michael J. Barrett, seeks to shed light on the untold histories of thousands who lived and died in such facilities across Massachusetts.

“I’m feeling very good, that the House and the Senate made sure that this good, kind, sensible idea did not get lost,” he said. “This should give us more confidence that government works once in a while. It certainly is working in this case.”

State Sen. Michael Barrett, who spearheaded the legislation in the Senate, said the goal of the bill is to serve families who have long been left in the dark while balancing privacy concerns.

Thanks to the commission, a similar provision was filed by the Governor and included in a recent Senate bill. I’m pushing to get it across the finish line.

Thanks to Alex Green, Anne Fracht, and Hezzy Smith for a wonderful conversation.

Most of these records remain in the custody of the state, but due to privacy laws, they remain largely inaccessible to the public. One of the commission's recommendations: pass a bill that Rep. Garballey and I have filed to open these records to the public after a certain amount of time has passed.

The report, written by the Special Commission on State Institutions, found that barriers persist for members of the public -- including relatives and researchers -- who have tried and failed to access the records of people who lived and died in these institutions.

I joined community members at the temple to mark the fifth anniversary of the canopies’ installation.

In addition to Barrett, speakers included State Rep. Carmine Gentile, Chuck Collins of the Institute for Policy Studies, Claire Karl Müller of Mass Power Forward, and Alex Chatfield and Lara Sullivan of SPJE.

Thanks to the efforts of a local group, Stop Private Jet Expansion at Hanscom or Anywhere (SPJE), the State House rally drew residents from across the state.

“In seriously entertaining this proposal, Massport is on the verge of a terrible two-fer: aiding and abetting the warming of the planet and pandering to the concentration of private wealth.”

“No way can you put in a bunch of garages for private jets and still claim ever again to be concerned about climate. This is it. This is the inflection point for Massport,” said Barrett, who represents the four towns adjacent to Hanscom.

They urged Massport to reject a proposal “to house private jets that would let a handful of super-rich people super-pollute,” in the words of State Senator Mike Barrett.