“Today is a historic day for this legislative body, for the citizens of Massachusetts and—most especially—for animals,” said State Representative Lou Kafka, who was key in moving the bill through the House. read more...
A tragic case of extreme animal abuse has sparked a resolve to toughen animal cruelty laws. read more...
Sharon, Massachusetts ranked first in CNN's Money Magazine Top 100 Places to live! read more...
Representatives from the Fire Department, School Committee, Rep. Lou Kafka’s office, and others read to classes during the sixth annual event. After reading to the students, a total of 23 people talk with the students about the importance of reading both inside and outside of school. read more ...
Beacon Hill Roll Call records the votes of local representatives on two roll calls and local senators on four from the week of July 15-19. Last week's action in the Legislature again centered around a Democratic leadership-sponsored transportation package that includes $500 million plus in tax hikes. Increases include a 3-cent-per-gallon hike in the state's current 21-cent-per-gallon gas tax, which, beginning in 2015, would also be indexed to inflation. Other hikes include a $1 jump in the current $2.51-per-package cigarette tax, an increase in the tax on cigars and smokeless tobacco, imposition of a 6.25 percent sales tax on computer system design services as well as modification of prewritten software, and a change in the way utilities are classified for tax purposes. read more ...
“I am open-minded to a raise in minimum wage depending on how it’s done and how it’s spread out,” said state Rep. Louis Kafka of Norfolk on Tuesday. “If it’s reasonable then I certainly would support it. I think that if you give those workers who make minimum wage a few more dollars in their pocket, they would spend it in other areas and infuse the economy...I’m waiting to see what the final proposal is.” read more ...
Beacon Hill Roll Call records the votes of local representatives on one roll call and local senators on four roll calls from the week of June 24-28. The House, 105-47 and Senate, 34-6, approved a transportation package that proponents say will raise $500 million through tax hikes. Some opponents of the measure dispute the proponents’ projections and argue that the total in tax hikes will be dramatically more than $500 million.Provisions include a 3-cent-per-gallon hike in the state's current 21-cent-per-gallon gas tax, which, beginning in 2015, would also be indexed to inflation. read more ...
Kafka last week said the bill received initial approval from the House, and is expected to come out of the Committee on Bills in the Third Reading within the next week so that the House can vote on engrossment. "I expect the House to overwhelmingly, if not unanimously, support this bill," Kafka said. read more ...
The the Massachusetts State House and State Senate districts was released on Tuesday at a hearing of the Massachusetts State Legislature’s joint redistricting committee, and while some towns were impacted, Stoughton’s state legislative districts remain unchanged ... Rep. Louis L. Kafka (D-Stoughton) represents precincts 2,3,4 and 6 in Stoughton. The rest of his district, the Eighth Norfolk, consists of the entire town of Sharon, two precincts in Walpole and one precinct in Mansfield, in addition to his four precincts in Stoughton. read more ...
The 2012 Sharon High School football team was issued a Commendation last week by Massachusetts State Sen. Brian Joyce and Rep. Lou Kafka at the State House. The Eagles were honored on Thursday, Feb. 8 for their Eastern Mass. Division III Super Bowl Championship season last fall. read more ...
Rep. Lou Kafka (D-Stoughton), precinct 3 and 4’s representative, and Rogers lead the delegation, consulting representatives with prisons in their towns. Brian Dempsey, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, agreed to let them amend the budget to include the mitigation money for Walpole ... Kafka hopes the meeting will produce a plan to approach the Governor with a message."To convince him that he has, in a sense, penalized Walpole for housing the facility [MCI-Cedar Junction," Kafka said. "We’ve been successful in the past." read more...
As Governor Deval Patrick seeks to build public support for his proposed $1.9 billion tax increase, the plan is proving to be a tough sell among area legislators ... More than 50 economists recently signed a statement in support of the plan, arguing that the state’s future prosperity is threatened by chronic underfunding of its education and transportation needs. A group of educators and union leaders has also publicly backed the plan. But state Representative Lou Kafka, a Stoughton Democrat, said he is “not favorable to the governor’s plan. I think it goes a bit too far.” He said he will be interested in reviewing the alternative plans he anticipates will come from legislative committees. read more ...
Representative Louis L. Kafka (D-Stoughton) announced in a press release on Friday that he will be seeking reelection to another term as the State Representative to the Massachusetts General Court from the 8th Norfolk District. Kafka is one of Mansfield's representatives along with Jay Barrows.Citing the challenges that lay ahead for his District and the Commonwealth, Kafka is both “concerned and invigorated by what he expects will be an eventful next session,” the press release states.Kafka, a Democrat, was first elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1991. read more ...