“You have to credit state Rep. Harriett L. Stanley with courage.
The West Newbury Democrat, who chairs the Legislature's Joint Committee on Health Care, thinks our state-funded Medicaid system could be a bit less lavish. The very mention of such blasphemy is enough to spur activists into a pitchforks-and-torches march on the State House.
Stanley, of course, is absolutely correct.”
— Eagle-Tribune
January 2003
Key Issues
Priorities for Harriett include
- Development and Funding of District Infrastructure
- Education
- Harriett thinks that funding of k-12 education is one of state government's most important investments
- Higher education is one of the Commonwealth's economic engines. Harriett has lead the effort to increase community college funding for several years.
- Chapter 40-B Reform
- Chapter 40-B Task Force report
- Harriett and her staff wrote the "Legislator's Introduction to Chapter 40-B" (pdf file)
- Medicaid Reform
- Harriett's policy paper, "Re-engineering Medicaid" (pdf file), won the 2003 Better Government Competition award (Emerging Issues category) from the Pioneer Institute for Public Policy.
- Harriett and staff wrote the comprehensive manual "A House Member's Guide to Health Care."
- Housing Policy
- Harriett chairs the West Newbury Chapter 40-B Compliance Committee and helped write the town's affordable housing plan.