Denise C. Garlick (née Collatos) is an American state legislator who represented the 13th Norfolk District in the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into ...

. Garlick was graduated from Dedham High School in 1972. Garlick attended the New England Baptist Hospital School of Nursing and Fitchburg State College BSN. She is a Needham resident and a member of the Democratic Party. In 2017, she was honored as the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities Council's Legislator of the Year. She is also a registered nurse. In Needham she served as the vice chair of the Board of Selectmen, co-chair of the Needham Senior Center Exploratory Committee, and the chair for the Needham Board of Health.

Issues

Women's Rights

Garlick is an advocate for a women's rights and access to reproductive care. Her legislative website contains her past actions on the issue and her stance on the topic:

"As a woman, a mother, a nurse, I support a woman’s right to make all choices, including reproductive choices. I support laws that guarantee this right and I work to ensure access to quality healthcare and education and advocacy services."

Climate Change

Garlick has worked to raise the renewable portfolio standard and net metering cap. She supports policies that promote

environmental justice Environmental justice is a social movement that addresses injustice that occurs when poor or marginalized communities are harmed by hazardous waste, resource extraction, and other land uses from which they do not benefit. The movement has gene ...

. She supports transforming the power grid to 100% renewable sources and the decarbonization of the transportation sector.

LGBTQ Rights

Garlick voted in favor of the 2016 anti-discrimination bill to protect transgender people from discrimination in public places. In addition she also voted yes on ballot question 3 to uphold the law.

"LGBTQ rights have always been important to me, as Chair of the LGBTQ Aging Commission and as chief sponsor of the funding for the LGBTQ Youth Commission."

Electoral history

Garlick had no challenger in either the Democratic primary or the general election after 2018.

References

External links

Official website
Living people Democratic Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Women state legislators in Massachusetts Politicians from Needham, Massachusetts 21st-century American women politicians Year of birth missing (living people) Fitchburg State University alumni 21st-century members of the Massachusetts General Court {{Massachusetts-MARepresentative-stub