Lyons Announces North Andover Office Hours

By State Rep. Jim Lyons.

Lyons Demands Welfare System Changes

The 18th Essex representative has filed legislation to restrict welfare benefits.

On the heels of a scathing report by Inspector General Glenn Cunha citing ongoing abuse in the Massachusetts welfare system, lawmakers are demanding transparency. State Rep. Jim Lyons of Andover joined State Rep. Marc Lombardo this week in proposing legislation to do just that. The two Republicans have filed bills mandating stricter monitoring of welfare benefitsa as well as transparency within the system. “Before the Governor asks the hardworking and struggling families and businesses of the Commonwealth for more tax dollars, we should know where every penny is being spent in our state budget,”  Lyons said. “We need to ensure that individuals and families that play by the rules and need help are the receiving benefits and those who do not…

• Photos (1)

Lyons Sounds Off on Patrick's Budget Proposal

The two called for re-prioritizing instead of raising taxes.

Gov. Deval Patrick submitted a $34.8 billion budget proposal to the legislature Wednesday, calling for investments in trasportation, education and infrastructure and tax hikes to pay for it. And Republican State Rep. Jim Lyons is not happy with it. "To raise taxes on the hard working families of Massachusetts, $2 billion, is absolutely the wrong direction for the governor to be going in," Lyons said. "The last thing we ought to be doing in this fragile economy is punishing small bsuiness and driving them to look elsewhere outside of the commonwealth." Patrick's proposal would raise the income tax to 6.25 percent and reduce the sales tax to 4.5 percent. While agreeing that the sales tax should be reduced, Lyons took issue with Patrick's …

•  7 Comments
• Photos (1)

Lyons Co-Authors Bill To Protest Judge's 'Absurd' Ruling

Judge ordered state to pay for transgender killer's sex-change operation and legal fees.

State Rep. Jim Lyons has co-authored a bill that would require the state to pay legal fees for all "law-abiding tax-paying citizens of Massachusetts" up to $700,000. That's the amount of legal fees the state has been ordered to pay on behalf of Michelle Kosilek, a transgender inmate who won a highly publicized legal battle to force the state to pay for his sex-change operation. Kosilek, 63, was known as Robert Kosilek when he murdered his wife Cheryl Kosilek in Mansfield in 1990. He changed his name to "Michelle" in 1993. Lyons and state Rep. Marc Lombardo, R-Billerica, were outraged when U.S. District Judge Mark Wolf ordered the state to not only pay for the sex-change operation but to cover Kosilek's legal fees, as well. The state has …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (2)

LETTER: Lyons Protects the Taxpayer

This letter was submitted by North Andover resident Dan Lanen.

To the Editor: Please join me in voting for Jim Lyons for state representative in the 18th Essex District. Jim Lyons has kept his promise of being a watchdog for the taxpayer. Representative Lyons has fought the status quo of political patronage and wasteful spending. Jim has battled the governor for accountability and exposed millions of dollars in fraud. I have worked with Jim Lyons in a professional capacity as a selectman and watched while he fought to increase local aid. While others told Rep. Lyons there were huge projected deficits at the state level, Lyons replied that waste could be cut and local aid could be increased. There was much resistance to his proposals to reign in state spending and fully fund local aid and Chapter 70 …

•  2 Comments
• Photos (1)

Mike Burns

6:52 pm on Monday, November 5, 2012

Brilliant , lets give in to the election fixing cronies on Beacon Hill who " red shirted "LItalien for two years so they could gerrymand and redefine the the district to give her a second shot at raising taxes , and adding another yews woman to the most one sided legislative body in America   more ›

Lyons Demands Appeal Of Court Decision Regarding Killer's Sex-Change

State Rep. Jim Lyons is outraged that court is forcing state taxpayers to foot the bill for a convicted murderer's sex-change operation.

(Editor's note: The following information was submitted by the office of State Rep. Jim Lyons, R-Andover. As of the November election, Lyons' district will include a section of Tewksbury. He is running for re-election against Barbara L'Italien.) "This is an insult to the taxpayers of Massachusetts," said State Rep. Jim Lyons of Andover. Lyons was referring to the federal court decision that forces state taxpayers to fund the sex change of a vicious murderer. This criminal murdered his wife, Cheryl Kosilek, in 1990 and was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life imprisonment. "Apparently," Lyons said, "the Patrick Administration has been caught flat footed on this matter." He noted that and administration spokesperson at the …

• Photos (1)

Lyons Delivers Maiden Speech on State Gaming Debate

The following was submitted by the office of State Rep. Jim Lyons.

State Rep. Jim Lyons delivered his maiden address to the House of Representatives on Wednesday afternoon. Lyons expressed his opposition to the pending casino gambling legislation. Here is the full text of that speech: "Within the bill to institutionalize casino gambling in Massachusetts lies a provision that bans smoking tobacco products in casinos. The betting parlor must present a pristine smoke free environment. This presents a jarring note, a clanging sound, in a bill that seeks to undo centuries of history, that seeks to remove the prohibition, endorsed by generations, against state sanctioned casino gambling. For how many decades have we been striving to discourage the individual habit of smoking? The same bill that acknowledges our…

• Photos (1)

House Minority Leader Praises Lyons' 'Perfect Voting Record'

The following was submitted by the office of Rep. Jim Lyons.

House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones Jr. congratulated State Rep. Jim Lyons (R-Andover) for achieving an impressive voting record so far this legislative session. The Andover Republican participated in 104 consecutive roll call votes in the House this year, a 100 percent voting record, casting votes in favor of a number of reforms relative to reversions for local aid and court reform. Rep. Lyons also cast numerous votes challenging the Democratic-led House on a number of issues, including a comprehensive Ethics Reform package, an income tax rollback, a permanent sales tax holiday and a gradual rollback of the state sales tax. “Lyons is an incredibly committed member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, and an extremely valuable…

•  6 Comments
• Photos (1)

Cool Fusion

12:57 pm on Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Fear and loathing .. when government workers get their first over the horizon glimpse of the dreaded private sector.   more ›

Lyons Joins GOP Effort to Strengthen Code of Conduct

The following was submitted by the office of State Rep. Jim Lyons.

Led by House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones Jr. and Rep. Dan Winslow, Rep. Jim Lyons joined his Republican colleagues in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in proposing the first comprehensive reform of the House Code of Ethical Conduct governing Representatives and legislative staff in more than 25 years. The proposed reforms will hold members and legislative staff to a higher standard of ethical conduct than prescribed by statute, as well as work to restore the public’s faith in state government. "During my recent door-to-door campaign, I talked with voters about the importance of checks and balances to assure ethics in government," Lyons said. "We must reform the single-party political 'culture of corruption' on Beacon Hill …

• Photos (1)