Senator Michael O. Moore Democrat - Second Worcester

Born and raised in Millbury, Senator Michael O. Moore (D-Millbury) has devoted his entire adult life to public service, including as a law enforcement officer, environmental investigator, and town selectman. Senator Moore has represented the people of the Second Worcester District in the Massachusetts Senate since January 2009. His current district includes the Towns of Auburn, Grafton, Millbury, Shrewsbury, and Westborough, as well as southeast sections of the City of Worcester. He lives in Millbury with his wife Jennifer, an immigration attorney, and his two adult children, Sydney and Seth.

A graduate of the Waltham Police Academy, Mike began his 22-year law enforcement career as an Environmental Police officer working for the Department of Environmental Police, eventually assigned as an investigator in the Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office. He holds a master’s degree in criminal justice from Western New England University.

Since taking office in 2009, Senator Moore has been a leader on public safety, education, environmental protection, women’s health, sexual assault/domestic violence, economic development, and local infrastructure. He currently serves as chair of the Joint Committee on Advanced Information Technology, the Internet, and Cybersecurity, as vice chair of the Joint Committee on Financial Services, and sits on six additional committees.

During his legislative career, Senator Moore has stewarded several critical bills and policy provisions through the legislature, including:

·       2020 Nicky’s Law, creating a statewide registry of caretakers found to have abused or neglected an individual with developmental or intellectual disabilities who were trusted with their care.

·       2021 College Sexual Assault Bill, establishing reporting requirements for college administrators on the frequency and nature of sexual misconduct, and creating statewide guidelines for how allegations of sexual misconduct should be handled on campuses.

·      2023 FY24 Budget Bill, which includes a provision introduced by Senator Moore allowing pharmacists to prescribe and dispense safe and effective hormonal birth control to qualifying patients without a prescription from a doctor.

·      2024 Revenge Porn Bill, which includes a provision championed by Senator Moore legally defining “coercive control,” a form of abuse that utilizes threats to control or compel a victim into compliance, and expanding protections previously only covering physical or emotional abuse.

·       2024 Firefighter Turnout Gear PFAS Ban, requiring manufacturers disclose the use of toxic PFAS chemicals in firefighter protective gear by 2025, and establishing a complete ban of the use of these “forever chemicals” in turnout gear by 2027.

Mike is involved in a number of statewide and nationwide initiatives, including the National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL), an organization providing access to bipartisan policy research and collaborative resources from and for legislators in all 50 states, and the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators (NCEL), an organization that serves as an informational and collaborative network of bipartisan legislators from across the nation with the goal of advancing effective and targeted environmental conservation policy.

In early 2024, Mike was appointed to the Artificial Intelligence Strategic Task Force created by Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey, a task force made up of industry stakeholders, academic experts, and government leaders with the goal of both studying the impacts of AI technology and advising the Governor and the Legislature on how policy can foster this revolutionary innovation while protecting everyday people. He also serves as the NCSL’s representative to the Global Advisory Committee, which advises the US Department of Justice’s Global Justice Information Sharing Initiative, a group with the goal of promoting the efficient exchange of information that may lead to advancements in public safety and justice across the world. Further, Senator Moore serves as the NCSL’s representative to the Public Safety Advisory Committee, a nationwide group of public safety officials, experts, and legislators who advise the FirstNet Authority on how to best advance communication between first responders and meet the needs of those who protect our communities.