The Stanley Report

News from Beacon Hill

State Primary Election Day: September 14, 2010

Be sure to head to the polls Tuesday, September 14, 2010 to vote in the State Primary Election. Polling places will be open from 7:00am - 8:00pm statewide. To learn more, please click here.

State Receives $800,000 Grant to Support Counseling Programs for Spring Flood Victims

The Patrick Administration announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has awarded the state's Department of Mental Health (DMH) $800,000 in funding to provide disaster and crisis counseling for individuals impacted by the flooding caused by severe storms in March.
Record rainfall earlier this year affected thousands of Massachusetts residents and business owners in seven counties across the Commonwealth. With these funds, DMH's MassSupports program will be able to better provide individual and group crisis counseling, basic supportive or educational contact, public education, community networking and support to flood victims. Teams will consist of mental health professionals and para-professionals trained to deliver crisis counseling services in impacted areas.

House Gives Final Approval to Vital Records Registry Bill

The House approved legislation to establish a statewide database of all vital records, including birth and death certificates and marriage licenses. The database will make it easier for city and town clerks to access vital records when someone needs copies of birth or death certificates. Also, the records will be
available immediately electronically, alleviating long waits to retrieve such information. The bill, which will bring the state in line with new federal legislation mandating all birth certificates be checked against death certificates, will head to the Senate for approval.

Autism Waiver Enrollment

The Department of Developmental Services is conducting a new application process for parents of young children with autism to apply for the Children's Autism Waiver Program. Applications are due between September 20th and October 1st. Additional information and applications can be found here.

Gov. Patrick Announces Highest Public School Funding Level In History Due To State-Federal Partnership

The Governor allocated $204 million from the federal Education Jobs Fund to school districts across the Commonwealth, bringing state support for public schools to its highest level in history. A combination of state and federal dollars totaling $4.07 billion will ensure all school districts receive more state aid - at least $25 per student - than they did last year. The new funding, which followed the announcement that Massachusetts secured $250 million in federal Race to the Top dollars, will support an estimated 2,700 teaching positions.

On August 10th, President Obama signed the Education Jobs Fund into law, providing $26 billion nationwide to preserve jobs for teachers and other school-based employees. The Commonwealth's $204 million appropriation will be directly distributed to school districts through the state's education funding formula and combined with state and federal funds to ensure that every school district across the state meets its foundation level budget for the 2010-2011 school year. With this new infusion of federal funding, the Governor is able to fully fund Chapter 70 without the need to use about $60 million in American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funds available for general government purposes.

Fall Publication of Abandoned Property Listings Available

Abandoned Property includes forgotten savings and checking accounts, uncashed checks, insurance policy proceeds, stocks, dividends and contents of abandoned safe deposit boxes. After three years of no customer-generated activity, most accounts are considered "abandoned" and are turned over to the Treasury. An updated list of abandoned accounts is published twice annually as new accounts are turned over to the Commonwealth. There is no time limit to claim abandoned property and, in many cases, claimants will receive interest. Please click here to check the Abandoned Property list. The newly released list includes 2 accounts over $100,000, 3 accounts between $50,000 and $100,000, and more than 250 accounts in excess of $5,000. In addition to bank accounts, the new accounts include 100 abandoned safe deposit boxes, 25 owners of mutual funds and 7,652 owners of stock.

State Agricultural Officials Launch Website Featuring Statewide Farmers' Market Guide, Interactive Agricultural Tourism Map

With the harvest season at its peak, Department of Agricultural Resources (DAR) launched a new website dedicated to connecting Massachusetts residents and visitors to the Bay State's rich agricultural offerings. The new MassGrown & Fresher website makes it easy to find farmers' markets, culinary- and agri-tourism destinations, and agricultural fairs. The site includes a guide to agricultural fairs, a crop availability chart, a culinary and farm events calendar and information for how to find and purchase locally grown products. The site, www.mass.gov/massgrown, has been getting over 10,000 visits per month since its beta launch in April. Click here to access the site's interactive Google map that allows users search for agricultural destinations within a particular radius.

Massachusetts State Treasury presents a Fun Financial Education Game for Adults

The Financial Education Department of the Massachusetts Treasury has teamed up with Doorways to Dream (D2D) Fund to bring to you a "Massachusetts 2010 Financial Entertainment Contest," with "Celebrity Calamity," an online financial education game tournament. While focused on fun, this game aims to empower participants to master personal finance skills, improve confidence in financial decision making and increase responsible consumer behavior. To learn more, please click here.

Tour the State Library

The State Library welcomes Rep. Stanley's constituents to the library and arranges tours for school groups or other groups who wish to view the premises and see some of its special holdings. Staff can show materials about Rep. Stanley's district and about subjects of interest to Waltham and Lexington.To schedule a tour, please contact pamela.schofield@state.ma.us or call 617-727-2590 or email the reference department directly using the above number or by e-mailing reference.department@state.ma.us. You may also contact Rep. Stanley's office for assistance. You may wish also to visit the library's blog.

AARP Tax-Aide looking for volunteers

Last year, some 24,000 older, low- and middle-income Massachusetts taxpayers received assistance and tax preparation from the nation's largest, free tax assistance program, AARP Tax-Aide. The Massachusetts Department of Revenue is proud to partner with the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) and the federal Internal Revenue Service (IRS) in the training of volunteers, 600 of whom provided help to individuals returning their state and federal income taxes.

The commitment to work with clients in locales such as public libraries and senior centers extends from Feb. 1 to April 15. This is a meaningful and challenging opportunity for community service. We'd like to hear from anyone who has volunteered in the past as an AARP Tax-Aide. To learn more, please click here.

Employers Can Apply for Federal Funding to Reduce Cost of Insurance for Retirees

Massachusetts employers can apply for newly available federal funding that will help them reduce the cost of providing health insurance to their employees who retire early. Employers are encouraged to apply early, as funding is limited and will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

The Early Retiree Reinsurance Program was established by Congress as part of the Affordable Care Act, with $5 billion in funding. The program provides reimbursement to participating employment-based plans for a portion of the cost of health benefits for early retirees and their spouses, surviving spouses and dependents. Employers who are accepted into the program will receive reinsurance reimbursements for medical claims for retirees age 55 and older who are not eligible for Medicare, as well as their spouses, surviving spouses and dependents.

Health benefits that qualify for relief include medical, surgical, hospital, prescription drug and other benefits between $15,000 and $90,000. Claims incurred between the start of the plan year (often January 1) and June 1 are credited toward the $15,000 threshold for reimbursement. However, only medical expenses incurred after June 1, 2010, are eligible for reimbursements under this program.

Unless the funding expires sooner, the Early Retiree Insurance Program ends on January 1, 2014, when early retirees will be able to choose from the additional coverage options that will be available through the health insurance exchanges created under the new national health reform law. Employers can access the program application online.

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.

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.

AARP launches new web tool to help lower drugs costs

AARP launched its new Doughnut Hole Calculator, a free web tool that can help residents "avoid the dreaded coverage gap" which can leave folks stuck with thousands of dollars in unbudgeted spending. Click here to access this calculator. According to the AARP, in 15 minutes visitors can view a graph of their out-of-pocket spending by month, look up lower cost drugs for their conditions, create a Personal Medication Record and print out personalized letters to their doctors to help start a conversation about safely switching prescriptions.

Job Opportunities with the Commonwealth of MA

A number of job listings are posted on the Commonwealth of Massachusetts website. For more information, click here.