“The state judiciary is loaded with former prosecutors and is under-representative of the defense bar,” Barrett said in a statement. “Mara has the values and experience needed to get us closer to balance, which will contribute to the crucial pursuit of justice.”

According to Dolan, Barrett’s work was instrumental in passing criminal justice reform in Massachusetts, leading to a more equitable system that supports young and vulnerable residents, reduces recidivism, increases judicial discretion, and enhances public safety.

“Senator Barrett has long been a staunch advocate for criminal justice reform that protects public safety while ensuring that the rights of the accused are protected,” Dolan said in a statement. “It is essential that our judiciary have balance to ensure equal protection under the law. His endorsement means a great deal to me, and I know it will mean a great deal to voters.”

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During a State House News Service event in Boston on Thursday morning, Roy and Sen. Michael Barrett, the Senate chairman of TUE, each pitched their chamber’s bill and looked ahead to how the two approaches might be reconciled. The House bill is essentially a deep dive on offshore wind policy while the Senate’s legislation is a more broad climate and energy bill that touches upon offshore wind but also deals with topics like climate resilience, solar policy and electric vehicles.

“Despite the significant difference in emphasis, there’s much that Jeff and I agree with … we’re going to have no difficulty discussing all of these things,” Barrett said. “But this is going to be hard, all kidding aside, because the Senate has views … on solar, on the relative importance of offshore wind, on how to approach transmission … so this isn’t going to be a simple matter of everything the Senate wants to do on electric vehicles being traded for an important offshore wind piece and everything we hope to do for cities on clean buses being traded for another offshore wind piece.”

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The bill — titled “An Act Driving Climate Policy Forward” — includes 45 amendments such as putting $50 million toward electric vehicle charging stations, banning non-electric vehicle sales by 2035, increasing off-shore wind energy to 5,600 MW by June 2027 and investing $100 million toward renewable energy, among other policies.

The climate action bill comes as a follow-up to last year’s law, introduced by Senator Michael Barrett, that outlined short-term climate goals and authorized 1,600 MW of offshore wind energy less than the current goal for mid-2027.

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State Sen. Michael Barrett, the Senate chair of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy, on Tuesday also endorsed Healey, as her campaign unveiled the climate agenda. The 2020s must be a “breakthrough decade” for climate policy in Massachusetts, Barrett said.

“In the epic battle to write, pass, and implement the 2021 Climate Act, Maura and her team have been in the trenches with us,” Barrett said in a statement. “She knows the details as well as the big issues, and knowing both is what we need … Maura is the person to get it done.”

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According to The Boston Globe, cars make up for about one-fifth of carbon emissions in the state. Cutting down on the reliance of gas powered cars would greatly reduce emissions in the state, and if instituted more broadly could play a major role in fighting climate change.

While the State House has passed a few climate bills, experts feel that the government is not doing enough to solve this issue.

“The state is not trying hard enough,” said Senator Mike Barrett, lead author of the state’s landmark climate law. “Nobody has chosen to own this.”

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