Rep. Stanley Files Amendments to the Supplemental Budget; Requests Flood Reimbursement and Prevention Funds
 
Rep. Stanley filed an amendment to secure $20 million in funding to reimburse cities and towns for costs to municipal property (and/or flood prevention efforts) due to the March 2010 rainstorm.  He also filed an amendment, with Rep. Koutoujian, to secure $100,000 or more for an engineering evaluation and investigation of the Moody Street Dam in Waltham to ensure the safety and structural integrity of the dam.
 
Rep. Stanley also cosigned an amendment to secure $7.2 million reserve for election costs including but not limited to special election costs for municipalities and an amendment to make the state budget more transparent and accessible to taxpayers.

Rep. Stanley cosigns letter to Expand Energy Efficiency
 
Rep. Stanley signed onto a letter of support for House Bill 3124, An Act Relative to Expanding Energy Efficiency in the Commonwealth. The letter encourages the favorable report of this bill from the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy. This legislation will save consumers money on their energy bills and help the Commonwealth reach the greenhouse gas reduction targets of the 2008 Global Warming Solutions Act.
 
H.3124 updates the law to meet the needs of the modern marketplace by setting energy efficiency standards for common consumer and commercial appliances, including televisions, portable light fixtures, DVD players and recorders, compact audio products, bottled water dispensers, portable electric spas, and commercial hot food holding cabinets. This bill will save Massachusetts residents $515 million dollars (in 2005 dollars) every year, starting in 2011. With Massachusetts residents projected to spend $545.1 billion in energy costs between 2010 and 2030, every dollar we can save is good for residents.
 
Rep. Stanley Votes to Increase Punishment for Assaults on Health Care Workers
 
Rep. Stanley voted in favor of a bill to toughen penalties for anyone who assaults on-duty health care workers.  The legislation, which passed the House, would punish individuals who assault nurses, nurse psychologists, occupational therapists and physical therapists with jail sentences between 90 days and 2.5 years or fines up to $5,000. Current law punishes assaults on emergency responders, ambulance operators and ambulance attendants.

Committee Passes Bill to Create State Budget Transparency Web Site
 
The Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight passed the State Budget Transparency Bill, cosponsored by Rep. Stanley, from its committee. The bill makes all state spending and revenue transparent by establishing a comprehensive state budget website.
 
The billdirectsthe Secretary of Administration and Finance to create and maintain a searchable website detailing the costs, recipients, and purposes for all appropriations, including contracts, grants, subcontracts, tax expenditures and other subsidies funded by the state government. The database will include state revenue sources and expenses including the "quasi-public" agencies. The web portal would be accessible to the public and updated on a regular basis.  
  
Patrick Administration Awards $16.25 Million in Federal Stimulus Funding for Trailblazing Energy Efficiency Projects
 
As part of the Patrick Administration's Massachusetts Recovery Plan, Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Ian Bowles announced that 11 projects will share $16.25 million in federal stimulus funding to demonstrate innovative ways of achieving dramatic energy savings in buildings across the Commonwealth. Launching between now and June, these projects are expected to create approximately 485 jobs once up and running.
 
A Request for Responses (RFR) issued by the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) last fall for $15 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding opened a floodgate of innovation - yielding 114 proposals worth over $250 million in requested project costs. After evaluating the proposals, DOER increased the pool of funding to $16.25 million to accommodate more projects. The 11 selected won approval based on their ability to create jobs, leverage cost sharing, and achieve scalable and dramatic improvements in the energy efficiency of buildings across the Commonwealth. Demonstrating ways to significantly reduce energy use, as well as substituting alternatives for fossil fuel-based heat, the High Performance Buildings initiative will pave the way for widespread building energy performance improvements beyond what existing state- and utility-run efficiency programs can accomplish.
 
Rep. Stanley Cosigns Letter to Speaker Supporting Constituents with Disabilities
 
Rep. Stanley signed onto a letter to Speaker DeLeo and Chairman Murphy, outlining the budgetary needs necessary to prevent an unfolding crisis in the lives of 33,000 citizens with disabilities served at the Department of Developmental Services.  Because of the present fiscal crisis, the representative did not demand that a specific dollar amount be added to the House Budget, but requested that this population be given a priority as the budget is drawn.  Budgetary areas of concern are day and employment services; family support/respite and the residential services accounts. 
 
Rep. Stanley's Bill to Protect Public Deposits Reported out of Committee
 
The Financial Services Committee favorably reported Rep. Stanley's bill to increase the security of public deposits (including deposits made by the state, cities, towns, counties, districts and regional school districts) out of committee. The bill called for a special commission to study the issue and recommend reasonable standards to protect public deposits.  The bill also protects public money from the impact of any banking crisis that may jeopardize other deposits.
 
The special commission would be comprised of the House and Senate chairs of the Joint Committee on Financial Services who would serve as co-chairpersons; the State Treasurer or his/her designee; the State Auditor or his/her designee; the State Banking Commissioner or his/her designee; three representatives of the Massachusetts Collectors and Treasurers Association, two representatives of the Massachusetts Bankers Association; and a representative of the Massachusetts Municipal Association.
 
Commissioner of Insurance Rejects Small Business Health Insurance Premium Increases
 
Governor Patrick recently directed a review, on an emergency basis, because sharp and repeated rate increases are crushing small businesses and working families in the Commonwealth.  Subsequently, the Commissioner of Insurance rejected all health insurance premium increases for small businesses that he deems to be excessive. The Commissioner's decision means that the rates that were in effect in April of last year will remain in effect for those companies that were disapproved.
 
Small businesses are being crushed under the weight of health care costs that keep rising sharply year after year. Instead of hiring and growing our economy, they are trying to manage under unreasonable pressure from the cost of health care. Big insurance companies and hospitals have been talking about the problem for years but doing little about it. Small businesses and working families need relief now while we continue working with the industry on long-term solutions to control the costs of health care.

If you own a small business and the premium increase charged by your health insurance company has been disapproved by the Commissioner, it means you will be getting a rebate or credit for the premium increase that you paid. That will give you some economic breathing room and allow your business to keep growing.

 

The House unanimously passed a bill to reorganize agencies in the Executive Department.  Specifically, Rep. Stanley voted in favor of merging the State Office of Minority and Women Business Assistance (SOMBWA) and the affirmative market program within the Operational Services Division (OSD) to create the Supplier Diversity Office within OSD.  He also voted for the transfer of MassGIS from EEA to ITD and for additional changes to the structure of the Fiscal Affairs Division.

 

Massachusetts 4th and 8th Graders Rank First in Reading on 2009 NAEP Exam 
 
The Commonwealth's 4th graders ranked first and 8th graders tied for first on the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) reading exam in 2009, marking the third time in a row that the state's students outscored their peers nationwide, the Patrick-Murray Administration and education officials announced on Wednesday.
 
According to results of the 2009 NAEP exam, the state's 4th graders scored an average of 234 on the reading assessment, well above the national average of 220 and first in the nation. At grade 8, Massachusetts students achieved the highest average of 274, which exceeded the national average of 262 and tied for first with five other high performing states: New Jersey (273); Connecticut and Vermont (272); and New Hampshire and Pennsylvania (271).
 
NAEP, also known as "The Nation's Report Card," is the only nationally representative and continuing assessment of what America's students know and can do in core subjects. NAEP assesses a representative sample of students in all 50 states and reports state-level results at grades 4 and 8. In Massachusetts, 3,900 students at grade 4 and 3,600 students at grade 8 were randomly selected to participate in the NAEP reading assessment. The NAEP reading scale ranges from 0 to 500.