Kathi-Anne Reinstein Second Assistant Majority Leader

State Representative Kathi-Anne Reinstein (D-Revere) represents the 16th Suffolk District, which includes portions of Revere, Chelsea and Saugus. She has the distinct honor of being the first woman elected as State Representative from her district and is currently serving her 6th term in office. Kathi succeeded her father, the late William G. Reinstein in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. Representative Reinstein was appointed by Speaker Robert A. DeLeo as a House Division Floor Leader in February, 2009. Also, Representative Reinstein currently serves on the House Ethics Committee. After graduating from Revere High School, Kathi attended the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. She completed her undergraduate studies at Suffolk University where she received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Public Relations and Organizational Communication in 1993. She received a Master of Arts Degree in Political Communication from Emerson College in 1997. Prior to being elected to the House of Representatives, Kathi worked for the Merrill Lynch Boston Corporate and Institutional Client Group. Kathi was first elected as a State Representative in 1998 at age 27. During her tenure in the House, Representative Reinstein has served on many legislative committees including the Joint Committee on Public Safety; the Joint Committee on Insurance, the Joint Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets, the Joint Committee on Taxation, the Election Laws Committee, and the Joint Committee on Higher Education. She has also served as the Vice-Chair of the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs Committee. In February of 2008, former Speaker Salvatore DiMasi appointed her to House Chair of the Joint Committee on Elder Affairs. Representative Reinstein is currently a member of the Woman’s Legislative Caucus, the Children’s Issues Legislative Caucuses, the MWRA Legislative Caucus, the Caucus on Air Transportation, and the North Shore Legislator’s Caucus. In addition, she also served on the Special Commission on Education Technology. She is also a proud member of many local organizations including the Revere Beach Partnership Committee, the Saugus River Watershed Council, the Loyal Order of the Moose, Revere 1st and volunteers at other charitable organizations throughout her district. In 2004, as Co-Chair of the Public Safety Sub-Committee, Rep. Reinstein traveled across the state in an effort to research and revamp existing fire safety statutes and regulations. She is extremely proud of having played a significant role in the passage of House Bill # 4550. This landmark legislation is the single most comprehensive piece of fire safety legislation signed into law in over 62 years. In her past role as Chair of the Women’s Caucus, she was instrumental in the passage of legislation to provide health insurance coverage for hormone replacement therapy and contraceptive coverage for women. Rep. Reinstein continues to battle for a cleaner and safer environment for her constituency. She successfully fought to prevent the siting of a power plant in Chelsea, the establishment of a Trash Transfer Station in Revere, and continues to work tirelessly to prevent the installation of a third burner at a waste facility in Saugus. Representative Reinstein serves as Co-Chair of the Metropolitan Beaches Commission, which looks at the current conditions of each beach throughout the region, identify the best management practices across the region, and make recommendations that would bring the beaches to their fullest potential as significant recreational and economic resources. In honor of her diligent work, she was the recipient of the Senator William M. Bulger Award for Outstanding Creativity in Solving a Major Problem of the Boston Harbor by the Boston Harbor Association in November of 2007. She also received the Legislator of the Year award in 2008 on behalf of the Silver Hair Legislature for her devotion to elder issues. In March, 2009, Representative Reinstein’s alma mater, Emerson College, bestowed on her the Walter Littlefield Distinguished Speaker award for her steadfast dedication and commitment to public service. In July, 2010, Speaker Robert DeLeo appointed her to the conference committee which reconciled the differences between the House and Senate bills on expanded gaming. Representative Reinstein has been a longtime advocate for expanded gaming in the Commonwealth because two of the state’s four racetracks are located in her district. Also in July, 2010, Representative Reinstein championed the passage of the “Silver Alert” bill, a significant piece of legislation that set up a state-wide alert for missing adults with Alzheimer’s and dementia. During her tenure as Chair of the Joint Elder Affairs Committee, Representative Reinstein learned of the troubling issue that often times, people with memory-related illnesses often wander away from home, which is why she was proud to sponsor a bill to create the Silver Alert system.