The Stanley Report

House Elects New Speaker

The House elected Rep. Robert DeLeo to serve as its new speaker, with the support of 137 colleagues. His nearest opponent, Minority Leader Bradley Jones, received 16 votes, the entire Republican caucus.

Rep. Stanley, House, Pass Rules Reform

Rep. Stanley joined his colleagues in the House in passing a broad rules reform package that will limit the Speaker's term to a maximum of 8 years, institute mandatory ethics training and allow the Speaker to unilaterally remove a member from a leadership position or committee if they receive a criminal indictment. These changes to the rules will help pave the way for the work the House has to do on ethics reform, pension reform and transportation reform.

The rules changes will permit the Ethics Committee to bring forward bills and eliminate legislative or executive agents from giving gifts to members. Through the work of Rep. Stanley and other Members of the House, this package targets ethics reform, process reform and voting reform.

Rep. Stanley supports Governors Ethics Task Force Legislation, also files his own ethics legislation

Rep. Stanley believes that the legislature needs to quickly adopt the recommendations presented by Governor Patrick's Task Force on Ethics and Lobbying Reform. In early January, Gov. Patrick's Task Force on Public Integrity issued a report outlining comprehensive recommendations to strengthen the state's ethics and lobbying laws. The bill filed by the governor focuses on the enhancement of rules and authority concerning lobbying and conflict of interest violations. The bill gives the Attorney General greater authority to enforce conflict of interest and lobbying laws. The legislation also includes enhanced penalties for these violations as well as mandatory education and training for all public employees.

Rep. Stanley filed ethics legislation to define lobbying; ban gifts from lobbyists to public officials; provide the Secretary of State rule-making authority to implement the lobbying laws, to provide confidential, binding advisory opinions and impose fines; require lobbyists to wear name and affiliation badges while on duty in any public building; and remove the provision that allows the legislature to be exempt from the state's open meeting law.

Gov. Patrick Announces Transportation and Economic Security Reform Plan

Gov. Patrick announced a comprehensive reform plan to simplify the state's transportation system, while addressing serious fiscal challenges stemming from decades of neglect and inaction, and a failed bureaucracy under the "Big Dig" culture. Gov. Patrick's Transportation and Economic Security Plan incorporates recommendations from the Transportation Finance Commission Report that uncovered decades of inaction and neglect under previous administrations. Gov. Patrick plan includes securing the Commonwealth's economic future and maintaining safety of the state's roads and bridges. For complete information and details about the plan, please click here.

The plan proposes a fuel tax increase of 19 cents - approximately $8 per month for most drivers. Future increases would follow the Consumer Price Index (an essential component that the state failed to do last time). The gas tax has not been increased since 1991.

Rep. Stanley Files Education Legislation

Rep. Stanley filed a bill to place a moratorium on charter schools until a special commission determines the effectiveness of Commonwealth charter schools based upon criteria set forth. The objective of this bill is to suspend the current practice of approving new charter schools in the state which threaten the financial stability of every MA public school. Charter schools divert dollars from school districts to programs that are not accountable to the taxpayers in your community and are not proven, in many cases, to be more effective.

Rep. Stanley Files Legislation on Behalf of Senior Citizens

Rep. Stanley filed a bill to reduce the age of eligibility for senior citizen real estate tax exemptions to age sixty five. This legislation reduces the age of eligibility from age 70 to 65 years old and would allow more citizens of the commonwealth to take advantage of the senior circuit tax breaker.

He also filed an act relative to the senior circuit tax breaker credit.Currently, the income tax credit is equal to the amount by which one's property tax bill exceeds 10% of their total income, and it is capped at $750. This legislation would change it 8.5% of a senior's total income.

Rep. Stanley filed a bill to exempt seniors from certain bank fees. Seniors applying for MassHealth would no longer have to pay the charges assessed by banks for obtaining those records. This helps reduce the financial burden on seniors, many of who are especially sensitive to any extra cost associated with maintaining access to health care.

Rep. Stanley files MA GI Bill for Veterans

Under current law, Massachusetts veterans may be eligible for limited tuition waivers, but they are not a guaranteed benefit. Today, the mandatory fees at the Commonwealth's public higher education institutions can be four times the cost of tuition. Last year, the Legislature included language in HB 4469, The Welcome Home Bill, which addressed such cost barriers and waived both tuition and fees at state and community colleges for current members of the Massachusetts National Guard. This bill would expand the tuition and fee waiver education benefit to all Massachusetts veterans.

Rep. Stanley's Bottle Bill Change May Bring relief to Water and Sewer Rates

Rep. Thomas Stanley recently filed legislation, on behalf of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA), to update and expand the "Bottle Bill" in MA.

The Bottle Bill would expand the existing Bottle Bill to include $0.05 deposit on bottled water containers. Unreturned deposit receipts would be placed in a dedicated fund available to municipalities, water districts, and the MWRA to be used for water and sewer infrastructure repairs and projects. The anticipated amount of unclaimed deposits would bring in between $30 and $50 million annually.

Article 87 Briefing

Gov. Patrick's office held a legislator and staff briefing on the Governor's Article 87 package, "An Act Reorganizing Certain Agencies of the Executive Department." This legislation restructures certain state agencies to make them more cost effective and responsive by consolidating programs and program staff within agencies whose mission and expertise will ensure the most coordinated, efficient operation of the programs.

Rep. Stanley Encourages Residents to Contact Energy Bucks to Stay Warm

Rep. Stanley encourages his constituents to contact Energy Bucks to see what energy efficiency and cost-saving services they qualify for. Energy Bucks is an integrated campaign that creates "one-stop-shopping" for energy assistance services, enabling Massachusetts residents to better understand and apply for programs that can help them manage their energy costs.

Energy efficiency services are available to families at little or no cost depending on their income. Typically, a family of four can qualify for some form of assistance or energy efficiency services if their income is less than $4,124.

These services can help save qualified families up to 30 percent on their energy bills by insulating and weatherizing their homes, repairing or replacing a heating system, receiving discount rates for electric and gas, installing energy efficient appliances and obtaining fuel assistance. By spreading the word about the resources available, Energy Bucks links residents to programs that will help them stretch their dollars as the weather gets colder and budgets get tighter.

While this year's fuel assistance benefit has increased, providing roughly 10 weeks of heat to oil customers versus last year's average of 7 weeks, there are also actions residents themselves can take to reduce their energy use and stretch their dollars. Simple steps like taking showers versus baths, which use 40 percent less hot water, and turning off and unplugging all TV's and computers when not in use, can make a real difference in energy bills.

Energy Bucks is an integrated campaign combining grassroots outreach, community-based activities and advertising to build awareness of the fuel assistance, discount rates and energy efficiency services available to income-eligible families. To find out if you qualify for assistance, click here or call 1-866-LESS-COST.

Legislation cosponsored by Rep. Stanley signed into law

The Nature Conservancy thanked Rep. Stanley for cosponsoring land conservation incentives, which the governor signed into law (An act authorizing tax credits for qualified donations of certain land to a public or private conservation agency - chapter 509 of the acts of 2008). The incentive will provide a very useful tool for the permanent protection of ecologically valuable land during these challenging times.

Savings in the Commonwealth

The Massachusetts Office of Travel and TourismStarting announced great new deals on Massachusetts lodging, restaurants, and attractions at www.massvacation.com
When you visit the site, you'll see hundreds of newly discounted places to go and things to do - all across the Commonwealth. Just download the wallet-sized "MassValuePass" and take advantage of discounts that start at 25% off. These offers expire on March 31.

Federal Stimulus Package Includes Billions for MA

Massachusetts will receive more than $11 billion the $787 billion American Recovery and Investment Act. Funds from the stimulus package will include $1 billion for transportation projects and infrastructure work. This money includes $400 million for highways and $600 million for mass transit. Funds from the stimulus package will also benefit the state, cities and towns and individuals as direct subsidies for social services or tax credits. The MA legislature's formed an 18-member Temporary Standing Committee on Federal Stimulus Oversight to oversee stimulus spending.

MA's share of the stimulus packages includes tax cuts to people earning less than $75,000 per year and families making under $150,000, at a rate of $400 per individual and $800 per family,
green tech tax credits, nearly $45 million in homelessness prevention funds, approximately
$60 million to "restart" stalled affordable housing projects, $30 million in Community Development Block Grant funds, more than $800 million in federal education aid and approximately $2.4 billion in Medicaid funding.

MCC's Adams Program Invests $1.3 Million in Creative Economy Projects

The Massachusetts Cultural Council (MCC) announced the release of more than $1.3 million in grants to stimulate new economic activity, create jobs, and revitalize communities by investing in arts and cultural projects across the state.

The grants come through MCC's Adams Arts Program for the Creative Economy, the oldest and most far-reaching program of its kind in the nation. This year, Adams grants will support 37 projects in every region of Massachusetts. These funds fuel a creative sector that has a $4.2 billion total impact on the state's economy and provides more than 109,000 jobs.

FY09 MassHealth Outreach Grant Awards

The state's Office of Medicaid awarded more than $2 million in FY09 grants to community-based organizations across the state to support ongoing initiatives to expand access to health care. The grants support efforts already underway to identify, educate and enroll and individuals who are eligible for health insurance programs now available through health care reform. The grants also support education to individuals on how to receive health care, assist new enrollees with provider enrollment, help individuals retain their health insurance benefits, and help individuals transition to other qualifying health insurance programs if their circumstances change.

This initiative will advance relationships between local community organizations to facilitate more cohesive statewide outreach. Grant recipients include hospitals, community health centers, and community-based organizations statewide to broaden and strengthen the state's health care network.

AG Issues New Community Benefits Guidelines for Hospitals and HMOs

Attorney General (AG) Martha Coakley issued new Community Benefit Guidelines for non-profit, acute care hospitals and health maintenance organizations (HMOs). The guidelines are the product of a year-long review by an Advisory Task Force of key stakeholders who share the common goal of improving the health of communities across the state. Under the guidelines, hospitals and HMOs submit annual reports to the AG on their community benefit programs and expenditures, enabling both AG oversight and public scrutiny of non-profit health care institutions. The Advisory Task Force on Community Benefits, reached consensus on stronger guidelines that create clear expectations for how hospitals and HMOs should dedicate resources to improve the health in their communities.

Transportation Secretary Announces Free Turnpike FAST LANE Transponders

Transportation Secretary James Aloisi, Jr. announced plans to provide Turnpike drivers FAST LANE transponders free of charge beginning February 15th. In addition, anyone who purchased a transponder after January 15, 2009 will be credited the upfront cost of $25.95. This plan applies to all vehicles, including taxi cabs and commercial vehicles.

All FAST LANE users will be assessed a monthly fee of 50 cents per transponder beginning in June to cover costs associated with the electronic toll collection program. Replacement transponders will also be available free of charge. FAST LANE transponder applications are available online or by calling 1-877-MASSPIKE (1-877-627-7745). Transponders also are available at FAST LANE Service Centers in Auburn, Natick, and East Boston and at eight Registry of Motor Vehicle branch offices across the Commonwealth.

Contact Information: State Representative Thomas M. Stanley State House, Room 36 Boston, MA 02133 (617) 722-2470 Thomas.Stanley@state.ma.us

Contact Information:

State Representative

Thomas M. Stanley

State House, Room 36

Boston, MA 02133

(617) 722-2470

Thomas.Stanley@state.ma.us