By Dan Murphy
As he looks towards another reelection bid this fall, Rep. Jay Livingstone can’t help but reflect on what he still needs to accomplish in office.
One of his “biggest disappointments,” he said, was that H.3372, ‘An act relative to third-party delivery data reporting’ – a bill he sponsored that would give municipalities greater ability to regulate delivery drivers, particularly those on scooters, didn’t pass the House in the last legislative session. While State Police and Boston Police already have some jurisdiction over delivery drivers, Rep. Livingstone said his bill is intended to give them both the “additional data and enforcement tools” needed to better enforce the rules of the road (and sidewalks). And if reelected Rep. Livingstone told this reporter in a phone call on Monday, Aug. 12, he looks forward to having another shot at shepherding this bill through the legislature.
Originally an attorney by profession, Rep. Livingstone has represented the Suffolk 8th District since 2013, when he won in a Special Election to succeed Marty Walz. He has been reelected five times since then in 2014, 2016, 2018, 2020, and 2022, respectively.
While his bill to better regulate delivery drivers didn’t pass the House, Rep. Livingstone had far greater success with other recent legislation, including H.4076, ‘An Act enhancing the Historic Beacon Hill District,’ a bill he sponsored which was signed into law by Gov. Maura Healey on July 3 that expands the boundaries of the Beacon Hill Historic District via the addition of a previously omitted, approximately 40-foot-wide swath of land running from Charles Circle to Bowdoin Street along Cambridge Street on the Beacon Hill side.
Rep. Livingstone also sponsored an equal-pay bill to help close gender and age gaps for wages and another bill that built upon it, which was signed by Gov. Maura Healey into law on July 31. This recently enacted law also included another bill sponsored by Rep. Livingstone, which helps ensure that women are fairly compensated upon retirement when it comes to any adjusted wages they might’ve retroactively been paid.
Meanwhile, an unusual arrangement surrounds the redevelopment of the West End Branch Library whereby the city, which owns the building, will turn it over to a developer and then take a condo interest for the library space from that developer. The city asked Rep. Livingstone to sponsor legislation that would clarify the developer’s obligations under state law in this endeavor; a modified bill passed the House last week and is now pending in the Senate.
“The West End Library is incredibly important to serve the needs of the community,” said Rep. Livingstone, who added that the redevelopment project would result in not only a “much-improved library” but also in the creation of much-needed housing for the area.
Rep. Livingstone currently chairs the Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities, which allows him to lend a hand to some of the Commonwealth’s often overlooked populations.
“It was incredibly rewarding, thinking about and working to improve the social safety net, particularly for children, families, and persons with disabilities, and our committee favorably put out bills on a variety of issues that ranged from improving outcomes for substance-exposed newborns to removing offensive terms from our statutory code,” he said.
Under Rep. Livingstone’s leadership and guidance, the committee also worked with the Department of Children & Families to get that state agency to change its policies regarding the benefits provided to foster children in an effort to save them more money.
Likewise, the committee has also worked with the state’s Department of Housing and Community Development to help children who are aging out of foster care secure housing.
Rep. Livingstone often relies on the guidance of his constituents when it comes to setting priorities in office.
“Many of my ideas come from constituents,” he said. “I have regular office hours in the community and will schedule a meeting with any constituent to try to address their concerns.”
Looking ahead towards another term in office, Rep. Livingstone said: “I’ll continue to look for ways to improve the quality of life for people throughout my district; I will continue to push for environmental legislation to green our economy; and I will continue to [support] civil rights legislation to make sure people in Massachusetts have the rights they deserve, especially as the U.S. Supreme Court continues to chip away at them, particularly in regard to reproductive freedom.”
For more information on or to contribute to Rep. Livingstone’s reelection campaign, visit Jaylivingstone.com.