Rep. Stanley Votes against CORI Reform Legislation
 
Although Rep. Stanley agreed in principle on the issues, he voted against the CORI bill due to lack of debate on the 46 amendments and no explanation of what amendments or parts thereof were included in the overall bill.
 
The House approved legislation on a 138-17 vote to limit employers' access to the criminal records of job applicants.  Proponents claim this change will make it easier for former convicts to find work and avoid a return to crime.
 
The Senate passed similar legislation last November. Under both pieces of legislation, felony convictions on a person's record would be sealed and unavailable to prospective employers after 10 years, instead of 15 years under current law. A House-Senate conference committee will now meet to discuss the two bills.

 

House May Debate Bottle Bill Before Formal Session Ends July 30
 
The end of the formal legislative session is approaching.  Before the session concludes, the House may debate the Updated Bottle Bill. Rep. Stanley filed an amendment to the FY11 state budget to update the state's Bottle Bill, the state's most successful recycling program.  He has previously filed similar legislation. An expanded bottle bill will increase recycling, as 80 percent of bottle-bill-covered beverages are redeemed and/or recycled but only 22% of NON-covered beverages are recycled.  The amendment will complement curbside recycling, which is very effective for beverages consumed at home, but the majority of single-serving containers are consumed on-the-go, out of curbside's reach.  The proposal has strong public support and has been endorsed by more than 140 cities and towns and just about every environmental group in the state.  The bill decreases landfill use, saves energy, saves oil and creates green jobs.  Additionally, the amendment increases state revenue. 

Rep. Stanley Votes to Pass Bill to Join National Popular Vote Compact
 
Rep. Stanley joined his colleagues in the House in passing legislation to join an interstate compact that would ensure that the candidate who wins the national popular vote is elected President of the United States. Under this legislation, Massachusetts would appropriate all of its electoral votes to the winner of the national popular vote regardless of which candidate garners the most votes in Massachusetts.
 
There are a total of 538 electoral votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The National Popular Vote compact would only take effect when the combined electoral votes of the participating states reach 270 - the majority of electoral votes needed to win the presidency.
 
There are currently five states that have joined the National Popular Vote compact by enacting this legislation: Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey and Washington. These states carry 61 electoral votes. This legislation would add Massachusetts' 12 electoral votes to the total, giving the compact 27% of the electoral votes needed to take effect. 
 
House Passes Bill Allowing Drug Discounts
 
Rep. Stanley voted to pass legislation that would allow consumers to take advantage of prescription drug discounts in an effort to lower medical costs.  This bill would allow consumers cost savings while reducing some of the barriers that prevent patients from taking their medications as prescribed. These savings can reduce co-payments by $10 to $20 or more every month.
 
These discounts do not allow consumers to choose a medicine but would give them the option to save money once their treatment has been prescribed by their doctor and approved by their insurer. Obtaining prescription medicine still requires coordination with a medical professional, and a provision included in the bill allows insurance companies to opt out if they choose to do so. 
 
Massachusetts' has a generic substitution law in place intended to curb the use of brand name drugs through the use of generic-first formularies. However, when generic drugs are not available or a physician determines a name brand drug is necessary for treatment, this legislation would allow patients to save money on needed drugs.  
 
House Passes Bill Allowing SBLI to Offer More Competitive Rates
 
Legislation passed removing the unisex mandate imposed on Savings Bank Life Insurance (SBLI). According to proponents, this will allow the company to compete against other life insurers on a level playing field.

Although mortality charts show that women typically outlive men, current law prohibits SBLI from taking gender into account in its establishment of rates, benefits and coverage. A similar mandate is not imposed on the rest of the market. Unlike other insurers, therefore, SBLI is prohibited from offering lower insurance rates to women.
 
This legislation would permit SBLI - a Massachusetts company established in 1907 - to take gender into account when establishing rates, benefits and coverage, thereby allowing SBLI to offer lower rates to women and compete within the market.
 
Federal Grants Are Available
 
Grants.gov is your source to FIND and APPLY for federal grants. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is proud to be the managing partner for Grants.gov, an initiative that is having an unparalleled impact on the grant community. Learn more about Grants.gov and determine if you are eligible for grant opportunities offered on this site. Grants.gov does not provide personal financial assistance. To learn where you may find personal help, check out Government Benefits, Student Loans andSmall Business Start-up Loans. 

Transit Systems Struggling
 
Transit systems nationwide are struggling, and federal funding to help operate cash-strapped transit systems like the MBTA will likely be on the table as billions of dollars of transportation spending are debated by Congress.  The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) permitted 10 percent of capital transportation spending to be used for operating expenses, such as running trains and paying employees.

Pending in Congress is a transportation authorization bill to provide $2 billion to cover operating costs for transit systems, a proposal supporters say would stave off fare increases and service cuts. According to the bill's preamble, 84 percent of federal transit systems have raised fares, cut services or have considered one of those actions since January 2009.

MWRA Mails Annual Water Quality Report
 
The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority has begun mailing its Annual Water Quality Report to every household in its service area. The report is required by the federal Safe Drinking Water Act and updates consumers on last year's water quality test results.
 
MWRA has great confidence in the water delivered to your home and wants its customers to have the same confidence. MWRA and the local water departments test thousands of samples each week. The results for 2009 were excellent: for the 120 contaminants tested for, every standard was met.
 
In the latest round of testing, the MWRA system was again below the Lead Action Level with the lowest levels ever. And tests have also shown that there are no traces of pharmaceuticals in the drinking water supplied by MWRA.
 
MWRA distributes the report to over 800,000 homes in 41 cities and towns. Community-specific inserts also provide information about municipal water systems. The reports are being mailed between now and the end of June. Look for it in your mailbox. 
 
The report is also available online. A large print version is available upon request and a Spanish version will also be available soon.
 
MA retains lowest percentage of uninsured
 
A new report prepared by the Urban Institute for the Blue Cross Blue Shield Foundation of Massachusetts has found that Massachusetts remains the state with the lowest rate of uninsured adults between 18 and 64 in the country.
 
Based on a survey conducted last fall, 95.2 percent of those between 18 and 64 were insured, a figure virtually unchanged from the previous year and up from the 87.5 percent insured in 2006, the year the state's health insurance mandate was signed into law but before its implementation began.
 
The report notes that "the higher level of insurance coverage in the state has been associated with improvements in access to and use of care, quality of care, and the affordability of care. These important achievements provide evidence that Massachusetts residents are obtaining meaningful, comprehensive coverage." To read a summary of the report, please click here.

RMV Customer Service: Road Test Online Booking
 
Road tests can now be booked online at www.mass.gov/rmv. The newest customer convenience to the RMV online branch could help reduce the demand on the call center by approximately 260,000 callers a year. In the last 18 months, MassDOT RMV has made the online branch the busiest by adding a dozen new website transactions which resulted in 39% more customer traffic.

MassDOT RMV examiners conduct 2,500 road tests a week at 29 locations throughout the state. During a two week test launch of the new online feature, more than 1042 permit holders booked a road test through www.mass.gov/rmv. Those who prepay for the exam when they book online also save themselves a trip to an RMV branch once they've completed the road test.

Bay State Gas Residential Past-Due Balance Forgiveness Program
 
Residents struggling to pay overdue utility bills are finding it a bit easier now with help from the Bay State Gas past-due balance forgiveness program. The program provides qualified customers with assistance in budgeting for their current natural gas bills, while each month also forgiving a portion of past-due balances. To take advantage of the forgiveness program, current Bay State customers must first qualify for the company's residential assistance rate. Anyone interested in more information should speak with one of Bay State's specially trained call center representatives by calling 1-800-688-6160. Please click here to learn more.