Mass. student turns terrifying choking incident into legislative action | Bay State Briefing

John L. Micek

Mon, July 28, 2025 at 9:30 AM UTC

11 min read

Mass. student turns terrifying choking incident into legislative action | Bay State Briefing

For Madeleine Elizabeth Jackman, the only thing scarier than choking as members of her family looked on was realizing that "no one sitting around me knew what to do."

"In a whole restaurant full of people, only one customer, a registered nurse, had the proper training to save my life," Jackman, of Newburyport, said.

That fateful moment brought Jackman, the president of her Red Cross Club at Newburyport High School, and a rising senior, into contact with state Senate Minority Leader Bruce E. Tarr.

And together, they hatched a plan that would become a bill , and, they hope, eventually, the law of the land in the Bay State.

Namely, making CPR training and training on defibrillators a high school graduation requirement. And last week, Jackman and Tarr, R-1st Essex/Middlesex, made the case for the bill before the Legislature's Joint Committee on Education .

"There's a lack of CPR training amongst the population, and though I was lucky, it can cost lives," Jackman told the panel during a public hearing in Gardner Auditorium at the State House last week.

"Now, here's an even more shocking statistic: Massachusetts is one of only seven states in all of America in which CPR is not already a high school graduation requirement," Jackman continued.

"We are a state that prides itself on providing the best access to health care in the world, and yet we are not granting the same access to our students," she continued. "CPR itself is a straightforward yet immeasurably impactful skill that can be taught in under two hours."

Right now, such training is a part of the curriculum in Massachusetts's public schools, Tarr, of Gloucester, told his colleagues.

"But certification in CPR and the use of an AED is not required, making us an outlier among the states," he said. "So this bill, and others like it that are before the committee, seek to codify that and ensure that it is a graduation requirement."

One of those bills was filed by Rep. Carol Doherty, D-3rd Bristol, a veteran lawmaker who died, at 82, earlier this year after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

Doherty's successor, newly elected Rep. Lisa Field, also a Democrat, has taken up the baton and is pursuing passage of that bill.

Like Jackman, Tarr dived into the data to make the case for the legislation.

Of the more than 350,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests that occur nationwide every year, only 41% of the victims receive CPR from passersby before EMTs arrive, Tarr noted. But when that life-saving care is administered, "it increases the chance of survival by a factor of two to three times."

"And so it's imperative that we have a trained group of bystanders in our communities to be able to respond to these situations, which happen every day," Tarr told his colleagues.

Kyle McWilliam-Lopez, the executive director of the American Red Cross' northeastern Massachusetts office, underscored the urgency of CPR and AED training.

"With an AED, every second counts, so it's so important that people of all ages learn how to perform CPR and use an AED," he told lawmakers.

"Now, we have a long history at the Red Cross of training people to save lives. And we continue to address today's most urgent needs," he continued. "Last year in Massachusetts, we trained more than 145,000 people in health insurance safety skills. It is our hope that that number continues to rise and that it will carry through to the next generation of lifeguards, EMTs, paramedics and health professionals."

And while she's waited for Beacon Hill to act, Jackman said she took matters into her own hands, starting a group called "The Heart Stars" initiative, a program where she and her classmates teach CPR.

"I've seen a real community interest in learning CPR and making training more accessible," Jackman told lawmakers. "But the reality is that it is a struggle for adults to fit a CPR class amid their busy lives."

"The solution is our youth," she said, noting that making CPR certification a graduation requirement is an "incredible opportunity to ensure that every future adult in Massachusetts can adequately perform CPR."

U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., right, greets Boston City Councilor Henry Santana at a press conference for Mayor Michelle Wu's reelection campaign at Jamaica Pond on Monday, July 14, 2025.Tréa Lavery/MassLive

Markey plays the endorsement game

Normally, we regard political endorsements in much the same way that we view baseball cards: They're fun to collect and trade with your friends, but only a handful have any lasting value.

That has not stopped U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., from gallivanting around the state and sewing up key endorsements as he runs for reelection on Capitol Hill.

And, of course, to head off any more potential primary challengers.

Markey, 78, of Malden, has faced questions about his age: He'll be 80 on Election Day, as some Democrats push for a generational change in Washington.

Alex Rikleen , 38, of Acton, is so far the only Democratic candidate to throw his hat in the ring for 2026. He has never sought elected office before, according to his campaign's website.

Last week, Markey claimed the support of key Boston Democrats in the State House, including the very clout-y state Rep. Aaron Michlewitz, the North End Democrat who chairs the budget-writing House Ways and Means Committee, our friends at MASSterList report .

That comes on top of key endorsements from U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-1st District, the ranking Democrat on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, and a roster of influential Western Massachusetts pols.

Markey also swung through Newton , the home turf of U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-4th, who is often mentioned as a possible 2026 contender — though he insists (without actually saying 'No' to a bid) he's running for reelection to his House seat.

A Brockton lawmaker wants to make the iconic South Shore bar pizza Massachusetts's official state pizza.AnderJPArts - stock.adobe.com

When the Moon Hits Your Eye, etc.

What's the most iconic pizza style? Ask 10 people, and you're going to get 10 different answers.

Some will insist it's the thin-crusted New York-style pie. Others? They'll swear by the pillow-y Grandma pizza. If you're west of the Mississippi, get ready to brawl over Chicago-style deep dish. Or maybe Detroit-style is more your speed.

And you have to come from Pennsylvania to fully appreciate the joint conundrums of Old Forge and Altoona-style pizza.

But the Bay State? There's a plethora of pizza, but none that can lay claim to being the signature style.

Enter state Sen. Michael Brady, D-2nd Plymouth/Norfolk, who's got a bill in the oven that would make the iconic South Shore bar pizza the state's official pie.

As Axios notes , the bill could face a fight. What with the North End being a redoubt for New York-style and the legendary Neapolitan-style pie.

Whatever happens, the debate will likely be ... delicious ...

What's your fave style? Whose pizza reigns supreme? Let me know at jmicek@masslive.com.

The Massachusetts state Senate approved legislation designed to avert potentially difficult interactions between law enforcement and people living with autism spectrum disorder.Getty Images

Mass. Senate passes 'Blue Envelope' bill

Lawmakers in the majority-Democrat state Senate have approved legislation designed to avert potentially difficult interactions between law enforcement and people living with autism spectrum disorder.

The "Blue Envelope" bill , sponsored by Sen. Joanne M. Comerford, D-Hampshire/Franklin/Worcester, authorizes special blue envelopes for people with autism spectrum disorder that hold the driver's license and registration.

The front of the envelopes includes specific instructions for law enforcement officers on the driver's diagnosis, impairments, triggers, emergency contact information, as well as best practices for communicating, Comerford's office said in a statement.

The program is voluntary. And in other states where it's in place, such as Connecticut, it's been shown to reduce stress and improve safety during traffic stops — which are pretty stressful, in general.

"The Blue Envelope bill makes our commonwealth a safer place for people who are neuro-diverse," the Northampton lawmaker said. "It moves us closer to equal opportunity and access for people of all abilities."

The bill now heads to the state House for further action.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and her challenger, philanthropist Josh Kraft.(Tréa Lavery/MassLive)

Monday Numbers

Last week's Boston Globe/Suffolk University poll provided some interesting insights into the mood of the voters in the state's largest city when it comes to such key issues as education, affordability and housing. (And, oh yeah, that whole mayoral campaign thing , too).

The poll found Boston voters pretty bullish on the Boston Police Department, with more than two-thirds (66%) saying they believed the department "generally [does] a good job and [treats] people of different races fairly, even if there are a few bad apples on the force."

Which doesn't mean, however, that a majority of city voters wouldn't like to see some changes.

More than half of the poll's 500 likely voter respondents (52.2%) said they'd support "cutting some funding from the police and using the money for social services — for instance, to help the homeless and the mentally ill."

Thirty-eight percent of respondents opposed the proposition, while 9.2% were undecided.

The poll, conducted from July 13 to July 16, had a margin of error of 4.4%.

A view of the Massachusetts State House in Boston, looking across Beacon Street from the Boston Common.(John L. Micek/MassLive)

They Said It

"That Harvard education is paying off for you."

— U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs jabs a Trump administration attorney during a hearing on canceled government funding for Harvard University .

Hundreds of renters from across Massachusetts are expected to converge on the State House on Tuesday as a legislative panel hears testimony on a bill that would limit rent hikes to the inflation rate, with a cap of 5%. (AP Photo/Nam Y. Huh)

What Goes On

Hundreds of renters from across Massachusetts are expected to converge on the State House on Tuesday as a legislative panel hears testimony on a bill that would impose new limits on rent increases.

The proposal sponsored by Sen. Patricia Jehlen, D-2nd Middlesex , would limit those hikes to the inflation rate, with a cap of 5%.

It's set to get an airing before the Legislature's Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government at 1 p.m. on Tuesday in the Gardner Auditorium in the State House.

Those renters are expected to start the day with an 11:30 a.m. rally on the State House steps on the Beacon Street side of the building, organizers said in an email.

"Out-of-control housing costs driven by corporate real estate investors make it impossible for hundreds of thousands of Massachusetts residents to make ends meet," they argued.

Goo Goo Dolls singer John Rzeznik performs at the St. Joseph's Health Amphitheater at Lakeview in Syracuse, N.Y., in this 2023 file photo. Scott Schild | sschild@syracuse.comScott Schild | sschild@syracuse.com

Turned up to 11

The Goo Goo Dolls and Dashboard Confessional co-headline a show at the Leader Bank Pavilion in Boston's Seaport neighborhood at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday ( tickets and more information here). From 1995, here's " Name ," the tune that put the Goo Goo Dolls on a path to stadium-sized popularity.

Reddit Inc. signage is seen on the New York Stock Exchange trading floor, before Reddit's IPO, Thursday, March 21, 2024.(AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura, File)

Your Monday Long Read

If you're one of the millions of people who log onto Reddit every day, congratulations, you're helping to keep one of the last vestiges of the delightfully weird, non-corporate, old internet alive.

But thanks to the rise of AI, the site is facing new challenges, even as its popularity explodes thanks to folks who've just had it with algorithm-driven social media.

Writing for NYMag's Intelligencer , John Herrman , explains the tension.

Here's the germane bit:

"According to Similarweb, it's one of the largest properties online; if you take away social apps like Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok, and utilities like Google and ChatGPT, its closest competition among websites is Wikipedia.

"In 2023, according to the company, Reddit had around 60 million unique visitors a day; its latest earnings report puts the number at 108 million a day, 400 million a week, and, according to conservative estimates, well over a billion different people using it every month. About those earnings reports: In 2024, Reddit went public. Its stock price popped, then climbed alongside its traffic. Revenue is way up, and after years of losses, the company eked out a slim profit in the last quarter."

"Why now? Reddit's co-founder and current CEO, Steven Huffman, suggests the answer is obvious. 'When we started Reddit, it was a web page of 25 links from around the internet,' he says. 'Now, 20 years later, you're stumbling into some thread where people are telling stories they've never told before and it drifts into life advice for someone who lives 2,000 miles away.' He didn't see that coming, he says, but "in hindsight, it actually makes a lot of sense."

That's it for today. As always, tips, comments and questions can be sent to jmicek@masslive.com. Have a good week, friends.

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