Michael J. Barrett is a Democrat serving as state senator for the Third Middlesex District in Massachusetts, which includes the city of Waltham and the towns of Bedford, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Concord, Lexington , Lincoln, Weston, and a large part of Lexington. He currently holds positions as Assistant Majority Leader, Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities & Energy, and Senate Chair of the Disabilities Caucus. Notable achievements include architecting three major climate bills: An Act Creating A Next Generation Roadmap for Massachusetts Climate Policy , An Act Driving Clean Energy and Offshore Wind , and An Act Promoting a Clean Energy Grid, Advancing Equity and Protecting Ratepayers . Earlier, he authored precedent-setting 1992 domestic violence legislation requiring judicial review of offender registries and led the Toxic Use Reduction Act.

Education and Political Experience

Barrett's political career spans multiple districts and roles. He served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives for Reading, North Reading, and part of Wilmington, chairing the Environmental Caucus and shaping the Hazardous Waste Superfund statute. He then served in the Massachusetts State Senate for Cambridge, Belmont, Watertown, and Allston-Brighton, leading on gay rights, human services, and environmental issues, earning awards like the Environmental Lobby of Massachusetts Special Achievement Award. After a 17-year private sector hiatus as CEO/General Counsel of Visiting Nurse Associations of New England and a health care IT analyst for Forrester Research and Critical Mass Consulting, he returned in 2013 as senator for Third Middlesex following a competitive Democratic primary win and general election victory. Additional roles include Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities and Senate Post-Audit and Oversight Committee .