From addressing climate change to overhauling the way the state funds public schools, there are a number of critically important bills under consideration in the Legislature this session.
There are also some more lighthearted ones, including a variety of proposals to create new state symbols.
This year, the spring peeper, for example, could become the state’s official amphibian thanks to Fitchburg elementary school students and their teacher who have asked legislators to file a bill, as New England Public Radio reported.
There are also efforts to make Bell’s Seasoning the state’s official seasoning and make the quahog the state’s official shellfish.
Massachusetts has more than 50 official symbols, including a state gem (rhodonite), dog (Boston terrier), heroine (Deborah Samson) and even a polka song (“Say Hello to Someone from Massachusetts”).
Rep. Angelo J. Puppolo, Jr., D- Springfield, put forth a bill for the official state cupcake this session. He’s working on other legislation that he admits is more important. “But you gotta have a little levity for things,” he said, adding, “Really, it shows pride in the commonwealth.”
The Gazette looked at some of the other state symbol bills put forward this year.
What it is: An act designating the Boston cream pie cupcake as the official cupcake of the commonwealth
Who’s behind it: Rep. Angelo J. Puppolo, Jr., D- Springfield, filed it, and Senator Eric Lesser, D-Longmeadow, is a co-sponsor
Why: In 1996, the Boston cream pie became the official state dessert, and in 2003, the Boston cream doughnut became the official state doughnut. It’s a “natural progression” to honor the Boston cream pie cupcake now, said Rep. Puppolo.
“This Boston cream pie cupcake is the equivalent of apple pie to America,” told the Gazette. “Plus, they’re delicious.”
The specific cupcake that inspired the bill is not from Boston, but from Springfield’s Koffee Kup Bakery.
Gov. Baker has wagered the Koffee Kup Bakery cupcakes as part of his friendly bets with other governors over sports games like the Super Bowl.
Sen. Eric Lesser — who represents part of Springfield and has sponsored the bill in the past — is also a fan of the dessert. “I’ve had more than I want to admit,” he said.
“I certainly understand there’s a lot of urgent issues at stake,” he added, “but this is a fun light-hearted way to promote pride in our community and elevate a family-owned business in Springfield.”
What it is: An act designating the “Giant Puffball” fungus as the official mushroom of the commonwealth
Who’s behind it: Sen. Cindy F. Friedman, D-Arlington
Why: An Arlington High School student and member of the Boston Mycological Club suggested the bill over coffee to Sen. Friedman, saying that it’s a common mushroom in the state, according to Friedman’s office. On its website, the club boasts that its the oldest amateur mycology — the study of fungus — club in the country. The mushrooms, generally found in the eastern and central part of the county, are white spheres that can be as small as a golf ball and as large of as a watermelon.
“It is hard to mistake the large white sphere with anything else in the fungal kingdom,” Liam Nokes, who suggested the bill and is currently a sophomore at Arlington High School, wrote in an email to the Gazette. “This is important with fungi,” he continued, “because there are many species that look incredibly similar to each other, and misidentifications can prove risky for anyone who thinks it is a good idea to eat what they find — and a state fungus that no one could identify would be no fun for anyone.”
What it is: An act designating the song “Roadrunner” as the official rock song of the commonwealth
Who’s behind it: Rep. David Paul Linsky, D-Natick
Why: “I’m in love with Massachusetts,” Jonathan Richman of the Modern Lovers professes in the band’s 1976 song “Roadrunner,” recalling a night out driving through the state. Richman is also a Natick native.
“The passionate and candid lyrics of ‘Roadrunner’ take the listener on a late-night car ride down Massachusetts Route 128, passing by several Bay State landmarks, including Stop & Shop, Howard Johnson’s, Route 3 and the Massachusetts Turnpike,” Rep. Linsky wrote in an email to the Gazette.
“‘Roadrunner’ combines the liberation of youth on the open road with the sights and sounds of our beloved commonwealth and embodies what it was like for my generation growing up in the Massachusetts of the 1970s and 1980s,” he added. He’s not the first one to try to pass the bill — when Boston Mayor Marty Walsh was a Dorchester representative, he proposed it in 2013 and made national news. The band’s drummer, David Robinson, told the Boston Globe, in 2013, “I didn’t know that we needed a state rock song. Now that I see there’s a state muffin, I’m not so sure it’s such an honor. I think they picked the right song, though, that’s for sure.”
What it is: An act designating the song “14 Counties of Massachusetts” as the official county song of the commonwealth.
Who’s behind it: Rep. Thomas Stanley, D-Waltham
Why: Several years ago, Rep. Stanley visited Our Lady’s Academy, a private school in Waltham, and the students were learning the counties of the state through a song, “14 Counties of Massachusetts,” according to Rep. Stanley’s office. Each county gets a stanza in the song. For example: “I’m Hampshire County/I was founded in 1662/In the west center of the state/My largest town is Amherst, it is true.”
The school requested it to be designated the official county song of the state, and the bill specifies that the official county song be a version recorded by the students at Our Lady’s Academy. When asked what a “county” song is, legislative aide Mark Phillips said: “A song to help you learn the counties of any state, I guess.”
What it is: An act designating the Blanding’s turtle as the official turtle of the commonwealth
Who’s behind it: Rep. Kate Hogan, D-Stow
Why: Hogan visited a school in her district where students kept Blanding’s turtles, a turtle with a yellow throat that can be found in marshes and shrub swamps in eastern Massachusetts.
Currently, it is considered to be threatened under the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act.
“The Blanding’s turtle is particularly vulnerable to the negative impacts of climate change on their habitat,” Rep. Hogan said in an email. “By filing this bill, my goal is to raise awareness about the Blanding’s turtle and shine the spotlight on the preservation efforts of students and wildlife groups around the state.”
Greta Jochem can be reached at gjochem@gazettenet.com