Capitol Comments
By State Rep. Patricia A. Walrath 3rd Middlesex District

Region - The State House is still "open for business" during the summer months. The building opens at 8 a.m. when park rangers unlock the doors of the State House to the public. Tourists are welcome to walk around the building on their own or join a tour; tours run from 10 a.m. until 3 p.m. and are usually 30- to 45-minutes long. If you are in Boston, I invite you to take a tour and stop by my office! As you walk through the halls of the State House, you see portraits of past Massachusetts governors. The earliest portraits are from the "Massachusetts Bay Colony Period" (1629 to 1686), followed by the era of the "Province of New England" (1686 to 1692) and the "Royal Colony of Massachusetts" (1692 to 1774). The first governor of what we now call the commonwealth of Massachusetts was John Hancock.

Legislators' and staff ers' days are filled with work on behalf of constituents along with meetings and events:

Legislative briefings give legislators and staff members the chance to learn about various issues. Recent briefings have covered Triple E and West Nile Virus, CORI reform, and foreclosure rates. Keep an eye on this column for updates from these sessions.

Committees continue having hearings for bills assigned to them. The Health Care Financing Committee recently heard legislation that would make changes to the Health Care Reform Law. To see a weekly schedule of hearings, visit www.mass.gov/legis and click on "Hearings."

The Women's Caucus recently held a meeting featuring the executive director of Jane Doe Inc., an organization whose mission it is to prevent domestic violence and sexual assault. Other caucuses organized in the legislature include the Elder Caucus, Children's Caucus, Aviation Caucus and Mental Health Caucus.

Dr. Craig Mello, UMass professor and Nobel Prize winner, spoke to the House and Senate during a joint session. Guests in the House Chamber included the governor and a former speaker. Dr. Mello discovered a gene silencing technique and spoke about the importance of medical research. He said he's learned of 66 other Nobel winners from Massachusetts over the years.

During informal sessions held twice weekly, resolutions, local issues and other non-controversial matters are taken up. Legislators do not meet in informal sessions with a calendar as they do in formal sessions. Formal sessions have debate and recorded votes on controversial matters.

For information about State House history and tours, visit Secretary of State William Galvin's Web site at www.sec.state. ma.us/. The site also provides links to the Massachusetts Archives, the Historical Commission, Elections Division and more. To watch House sessions online, visit www.mass. gov/legis and click on "House Video Webcast" under the "Latest Technology Initiatives" headline.

Massachusetts has official state songs such as the state polka "Say Hello to Someone from Massachusetts" and the state song "All Hail to Massachusetts," although you don't usually hear them very often in the State House. We're more likely to hear the National Anthem. During this past joint session, a talented young woman led us in the singing of the National Anthem. The National Anthem Project is sponsoring the "American Musical Salute," a national tour that visited all 50 states. The project focuses on raising awareness about supporting and funding school music programs. Our anthem was written by Washington, D.C., attorney Francis Scott Key in September of 1814, during the War of 1812. As the British attacked Fort McHenry, Key watched and dreaded that Baltimore would be taken by morning. After dawn broke, he was surprised to find that a battle-worn American flag still flew and was inspired to compose the poem "The Star- Spangled Banner." The tune is that of "To Anacreon in Heaven" by John Staff ord Smith. For more information about "The Star-Spangled Banner" and its history, check out www.thenationalanthemproject. org.

As always, please feel free to share your questions, comments or opinions with me by calling 617-722-2430; writing to Room 236 State House, Boston, MA 02133; or sending email to Rep.PatriciaWalrath@ hou.state.ma.us.

Editor's note: Rep. Walrath serves the 3rd Middlesex District of Hudson, Bolton, Maynard and Stow.