BOSTON - State Representative-Elect John Keenan of Salem joined dozens of his colleagues at the State House on Monday to prepare legislation for the next session of the General Court. Wednesday was the deadline for filing legislation for the session, which will begin with the inauguration of Keenan and the 12 other members of the Class of 2005 on January 5th.

Keenan attended several caucuses to review the proposed legislation for the upcoming session, including those of the Massachusetts Municipal Association, the Progressive Caucus, the Energy and Environment Caucus, the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, and the Children's Caucus. At the caucuses he discussed the details of many bills at length with fellow legislators.

"It was a terrific day," said Keenan, "Not only did it provide me the chance to review in depth much of the legislation that will be brought forward in the next session, it also gave me a chance to interact with other representatives and speak with them about how the legislature operates. I am very much looking forward to the start of the next session."

In all, Keenan reviewed hundreds of proposed bills. Some were new and some were re-filed legislation from the previous session. The legislation ran the gamut of issues from insurance reform to education and from the environment to regulations and criminal justice. After carefully reviewing the bill language and discussing the ramifications with other legislators, Keenan selected several bills to co-sponsor for the upcoming session.

"All of these bills are good and necessary measures," said Keenan. He particularly emphasized four measures he chose to co-sponsor:

• The Comprehensive Ocean Resources Management Act. "This bill is especially important to a coastal city like Salem," Keenan pointed out, "It will give us greater control over what kind of development happens within three miles of the shore."

• Early Education for All. "This was a major commitment of mine during the campaign and I believe it is a very crucial bill," said Keenan, "I stand whole-heartedly behind the early education for all initiative and look forward to helping Massachusetts become a leader in our nation when it comes to fair and equal education for all children."

• An Act to Redefine Victim. "Currently, restraining orders are only available to victims of domestic violence who are in some kind of provable relationship with their victimizer," explained Keenan, "This legislation would expand the definition of victim to allow those who are harmed or threatened by strangers to apply for a restraining order." Keenan, a former prosecutor in the Essex County District Attorney's Domestic Violence Unit, has expressed an interest in serving on the legislature's Committee on Criminal Justice.