News from Beacon Hill

Public Hearing in Waltham! Proposed Hazardous Material Route

A public hearing will be held in Waltham on Tuesday, August 30 from 6:30-8:30pm at Clark Government Center. The hearing will be held by MassDOT to provide the public with the opportunity to provide testimony and comments regarding the City of Boston's routing analysis and proposed Non-Radioactive Hazardous Material through routing designation along I-93/I-95. All views and comments made at the hearing will be reviewed and considered to the maximum extent possible. MassDOT and City of Boston representatives will be present to discuss the proposed route and answer questions.

Rep. Stanley and his colleagues recently sent a letter to Department of Transportation Secretary Jeffrey B. Mullan to express concern over the proposed shifting or rerouting of hazardous materials trucks from Boston's North End neighborhood streets into suburban communities adjacent to Route 128.

According to the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, the stretch of Route 128 from Route 3 in Burlington through Waltham currently hosts 200,000 cars and trucks each day, well over its capacity of 150,000. Diverting an average of 317 trucks a day from Boston will further intensify Route 128's traffic congestion issues through the heart of the western suburbs.

Panel Approves Bill Writing Financial Literacy into Math Curriculum

The Education Committee approved a bill which would require the state Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to develop standards and objectives on personal financial literacy education. The legislation includes language provides instruction on financial literacy being incorporated into the math curriculum for grades kindergarten through 12.  Educational topics would include loans, borrowing, interest, credit card debt, online commerce, rights and responsibilities of buying a home, saving, investing, planning for retirement, and banking and financial services.  The Senate passed the bill.

House Speaker DeLeo recently appointed Rep. Stanley to a 20-member board of trustees who will administer a bill recently passed by Gov. Patrick which establishes a financial literacy trust fund within state treasurer's office. The bill encourages financial literacy and education for residents, businesses, educational institutions, community organizations and other entities that will promote financial literacy throughout the Commonwealth.

Rep. Stanley filed similar legislation to establish a financial literacy curriculum in Massachusetts. This legislation will require that public schools teach a financial literacy curriculum developed by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to cover consumer financial education, personal finance and personal credit.

Rep. Stanley Co-sponsors Legislation to Restore Quinn Bill Funding

Rep. Stanley signed onto legislation to restore funding for the police career pay program to its share (50 percent) of the Quinn Bill. The purpose of the Police Career Incentive Pay Program, or Quinn Bill, enacted in 1970 by the Massachusetts legislature, was to encourage police officers in participating municipalities to earn degrees in law enforcement and criminal justice and to provide educational incentives through salary increases. Cosponsors of the legislation feel that the Legislature should be proactive in keeping a skilled and motivated police force but not push the burden of unfunded mandates onto cities and towns.

State Legislature Passes Court Reorganization Legislation

The Legislature passed landmark court reorganization legislation aimed at improving the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the state's court system and restoring public trust in the Department of Probation. The bill establishes a civilian court administrator to run the general administration of the Trial Court and brings transparency to hiring and promotion practices at the Department of Probation.

Following the recommendation of the Monan Commission Report, the bill establishes an Office of Court Management within the Trial Court to be headed by a civilian Court Administrator. The Court Administrator and Chief Justice of the Trial Court will divide the responsibilities currently held by the Chief Justice for Administration and Management. The Chief Justice of the Trial Court will serve as the judicial head of the Trial Court, responsible for planning, policy, assigning judges, judicial discipline, and all other inherently judicial functions.

Under the legislation, the civilian Court Administrator will be responsible for the general administration of the Trial Court, including reviewing and approving the hiring of non-judicial employees, administering appropriations and expenditures, negotiating contracts and leases, and any other inherently non-judicial administrative functions. The Court Administrator will also be required to identify core administrative functions and create cost-savings and efficiencies by consolidating certain administrative activities of the various departments of the Trial Court.

The bill also adds needed transparency to hiring and promotion practices across state agencies by requiring recommendations offered on behalf of any applicant to be shielded from hiring authorities until the final round of the interview process. Recommendations submitted in support of candidates who are hired will be considered public records.

New Law Targets Alcohol, Lottery Purchases by Welfare Recipients

Gov. Patrick signed a law to ban recipients of cash assistance from the state from using those funds to purchase alcoholic beverages, lottery tickets or tobacco products.  The law states that violators must reimburse the state and instructs store owners and workers not to accept direct cash assistance funds held on electronic benefit transfer cards for the purchase of alcohol, tobacco or Lottery tickets.  Store owners found to have knowingly violated the law face a fine of up to $500 for the first offense, between $500 and $1,000 for the second offense and not less than $1,000 for the third offense.  

Committee Okays Bill Banning Tobacco Product Sales at Pharmacies

 The Public Health Committee endorsed legislation to prohibit pharmacies, hospitals, health clinics or any big box store with working pharmacists on site from selling cigarettes. A similar ordinance was passed in Boston which prohibits pharmacies from selling tobacco products. Communities in MA with similar bans include Everett, Fall River, Lancaster, Needham, Newton, and Southborough. Supporters of the bill say it is beneficial to over public health while opponents including retailers think the government should not ban store owners from selling a legal item. The statewide retailers' association plans to fight the proposal

State Makes Funding Available to Cities and Towns to Reduce Youth Violence

As part of the Safe and Successful Youth Initiative, the Patrick Administration has issued a Request for Responses (RFR) to solicit grant applications from cities and towns to support efforts to reduce youth violence. To fund the grants, the Administration will allocate up to $10 million in funding, secured through a supplemental budget, to support communities with high levels of youth-related homicides and non-fatal assaults and serious injuries over the past five years.

Funding will require grantees to implement a coordinated intervention strategy focused on "proven risk" youth and is intended to fill gaps in direct services currently available for these youth. The goal is to support a full continuum of services for young men who are most likely to be victims or perpetrators of shooting or stabbing violence and their families, including identification, street outreach and engagement, trauma counseling, employment, education and services for families.

The Executive Office of Health and Human Services, which issued the RFR, expects that applications represent a community-informed collaborative effort led by a municipality. Applicants must be able to demonstrate effective working relationships with community partners that are equally committed to program implementation, including educational and health and human services agencies, medical and behavioral health providers and non-profit faith and community-based organizations. Collaborations should also include local and state law enforcement entities, including the Department of Youth Services, District Attorneys' Offices, the Office of the Commissioner of Probation, the Parole Board and Sheriffs' Offices. For communities selected, contracts will be for one year, beginning on or around October 1, 2011.

This initiative complements the Administration's allocation of a total of $8 million in funding to support an estimated 4,000 summer jobs for at-risk youth across the Commonwealth. The funds represent $6 million in YouthWorks funding administered by the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development and Commonwealth Corporation, along with $2 million in Federal Byrne Grant funding that has been directed by the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security to fund summer jobs. Governor Patrick also launched Summer Corps 2011, an effort that allows Corps members to bring academic support and civic engagement opportunities to approximately 900 middle school-aged youth. The full RFR is available online at www.comm-pass.com.

MBTA GM Davey Named New Transportation Secretary

MBTA director Richard Davey was named Gov. Patrick's next secretary of transportation. Davey will become Patrick's fourth transportation secretary. He will replace Jeffrey Mullan who announced last month his plans to leave the administration before the end of the year. Davey will take over the Department of Transportation on Sept. 1, and will decide who will fill his job as head of the MBTA, either on a permanent or interim basis.

Meredith Peterson Interns in Rep. Stanley's Office

Meredith Peterson, a senior at Stonehill College majoring in Political Science and minoring in Public Administration, is volunteering this summer as an intern for Rep. Stanley.In Rep. Stanley's office, Meredith has assisted in office duties such as responding to constituent emails and letters, writing resolutions and compiling information on upcoming legislation. Meredith was accepted and attended the Washington Semester Program in American Politics last fall at American University in Washington DC. During the semester, she served as an intern for the National Foundation for Women's Legislators. Meredith graduated in 2008 from Waltham High School with honors receiving the School Committee Key for academic achievement. Her first place award winning essay on Nathaniel Banks is on display at the Waltham Museum. While in high school, Meredith also worked as a volunteer intern in Rep. Edward Markey's office. Following graduation in May of 2012, Meredith hopes to pursue a career in municipal government and will continue her study for a master's degree in Public Administration.

Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Awarded to 25 Cities and Towns

As part of the state's nation-leading commitment to clean energy, Massachusetts Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Richard K. Sullivan Jr. held an event at the Lexington's Battle Green to announce the award of 94 electric vehicle charging stations for 25 cities and towns across the state, including a station in Lexington.

The following communities are receiving charging stations, which will be sited on downtown streets, parking garages, shopping malls, schools and colleges, and commercial, medical and industrial parks: Athol, Barnstable, Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Chelmsford, Falmouth, Greenfield, Hanover, Holyoke, Hopkinton, Kingston, Lancaster, Lenox, Lexington, Lowell, Nantucket, New Bedford, New Salem, Newton, Northampton, Orange, Salem, Tyngsboro, and Worcester.

The Commonwealth will also be installing additional charging stations, separate from these municipal installations, at Logan Airport garages, Logan Express parking lots and at MBTA commuter parking locations, bringing the statewide total of new charging stations to 142.

House Passes Alimony Reform Legislation

Rep. Stanley helped the House unanimously pass legislation to reform guidelines for determining the form, amount and duration of alimony payments. The bill creates four new categories for alimony: "general term alimony," "rehabilitative alimony," "reimbursement alimony," and "transitional alimony." Each is designed to give payors and recipients a clear understanding of how long alimony payments will be made or received in a given circumstance.

Senate Approves Supportive Housing Bill

The Senate approved legislation to create 1,000 units of "supportive housing," or housing to help modest income seniors and individuals with disabilities and homeless families to live independently. The House will now consider the legislation. According to the Citizens Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA), the bill does not include any new appropriations and asks that state agencies use existing resources and target the creation of 1,000 units over the next three years. CHAPA estimates that there are nearly 3,640 families in homeless shelters in the state, including 1,540 in motels because shelters are full. CHAPA estimates there are 4,041 homeless individuals in MA and 1,181 homeless veterans.

Griffin names new assistant secretary for disability policies and program

Christine Griffin will serve as the state's new assistant secretary for disability policies and programs. Griffin most recently served as deputy director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Griffin also served as commissioner on the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission from January 2005 until December 2009 and executive director of the Boston-based Disability Law Center. She also served a member of the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education and the Massachusetts Developmental Disabilities.

August is Asian Longhorned Beetle Awareness Month

August is Asian Longhorned Beetle (ALB) Awareness Month. All residents should remain vigilant in spotting ALB and reporting possible sightings. Infestation of the beetle was first reported in Worcester on August 1, 2008, leading to the removal of more than 27,000 trees across the city. In July 2010, a second infestation was discovered in Boston, but has so far remained limited in its scope.

Residents should be especially vigilant for the ALB during the summer months, when adult beetles have emerged from the trees and are active. The beetle can destroy hardwood trees including maple, birch and willow. By tunneling deep into a tree's branches and trunk, beetle larvae disrupt sap flow, weakening and eventually killing the tree. Once the beetle invades a tree, the only remedy is to cut the tree down and chip it into small pieces. ALB is thought to have been first introduced to the United States in New York in 1996 via wood packing material shipped from Asia. To learn more, please click here.

Renew Your Boat, Recreation Vehicle and Snowmobile Registration Online!

Through the Massachusetts Environmental Police Online Registration System, you can now renew your motorboat, snowmobile, or recreation vehicle registration online. Please click here for more information

State Announces Massachusetts Energy Efficient Appliance Rebate Program

A follow-up to last year's Great Appliance Exchange, the new program is open to Massachusetts households. Customers who purchase a new ENERGY STAR® refrigerator and/or room air conditioner to replace an inefficient model may qualify for rebates of $150 and $50, respectively.

The program is funded by a combination of a US Department of Energy American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant, funding from the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) and funds available to promote energy efficiency from a nitrogen oxides (NOx) cap and trade program established to reduce ozone pollution. The program is expected to fund approximately 20,000 rebates worth $2 million and is estimated to save around 1.8 million kilowatt hours in a year, enough to power 250 homes for a year.

Rebates will be available on all ENERGY STAR® qualified refrigerators and room air conditioners, purchased on or after July 28, and each purchaser must replace an existing refrigerator or room air conditioner to receive a rebate. Customers who participate and who are eligible will receive a $150 rebate for refrigerators and $50 for room air conditioners. Those households served by the Cape Light Compact, National Grid Electric, NSTAR Electric, Unitil, and Western Massachusetts Electric Company are also eligible for an already existing $50 Mass Save rebate on their ENERGY STAR® refrigerator purchase. (The Mass Save refrigerator rebate is available only through www.MassSave.com, not through this program.)

State Announces New Internship Opportunities Website

The state launched a website featuring internship opportunities across Massachusetts. The new website, promoted by the Commonwealth Marketing Office, aims to convince college students and recent graduates to stay in the state. Companies are allowed to post opportunities at no charge and serves as a "a one-stop shop" for students searching for internships. Currently, the site features more than 100 internship opportunities.

Drivers Encouraged to "Donate Life"

Massachusetts drivers can register as organ donors on their driver's license or online through the Donate Life New England registry. About 99 percent of all Massachusetts residents who designate themselves as organ and tissue donors do so through the Registry of Motor Vehicles at RMV branches and on its website.

Registering as a donor can save the life of someone desperately in need of a transplant. More than 110,000 Americans, including about 3,000 Massachusetts residents, are awaiting a life-saving organ transplant that may not come in time. In 2009, the RMV became the first state agency in New England to create an on-line application to allow an individual to register to be a donor. New England Organ Bank is the federally-designated, non-profit procurement organization responsible for the surgical recovery of organs and tissues for transplant throughout the New England region. Donate Life New England is a joint project of two federally designated organ procurement organizations that serve New England - LifeChoice Donor Services and New England Organ Bank. They have come together to create a fast and easy way for citizens of New England to register as organ and tissue donors in a secure and confidential manner. For more information, visit www.donatelifenewengland.org.

Improved Benefits and Discounts for Drivers

Drivers around the state are able to take advantage of more discounts and expanded benefits as the competitive marketplace continues to mature. Managed competition went into effect April 1, 2008, ending the fixed-and-established system under which the state set auto insurance rates. The new system created a marketplace that allows companies to compete for consumers through rates, discounts, and benefits. Since the start of the reform, 13 new companies have entered the state, including three of four biggest carriers in the country (Allstate, Progressive and GEICO).

To shop for a better auto insurance policy, visit www.mass.gov/autorates, research carriers' websites, and meet with insurance agents. For more info, visit the Massachusetts Division of Insurance's website, (www.mass.gov/doi) an agency within the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation. Follow the Office at www.mass.gov/consumer.

Free program to help veterans & their families quit smoking

A free, statewide smoking cessation program is designed to help Massachusetts veterans and their families live healthier and longer lives. Massachusetts veterans and their family members can now call the Massachusetts Smokers Helpline at 1-800-QUIT NOW (1-800-784-8669) or click here to receive free telephone support and a two-week supply of nicotine patches to help them quit smoking.

Learn more about Mass 2-1-1

Mass 2-1-1 online directory is an information resource for emergency food, rent, help paying your heating and utility bills, mental health counseling, health programs, public health and safety services, child care referrals, job resources, and other help for individuals, parents and families. Click here to learn more about Mass 2-1-1.

MA 2011 Fishing and Hunting Licenses for Sale Online

 Hunting and fishing licenses for the 2011 season are now available through a new online licensing system for fishing and hunting licenses and permits - including the new recreational saltwater fishing permit. The system, known as MassFishHunt, allows hunters and anglers to order and print licenses online for use on the same day they place an order. In addition, the new system will enable the nine DFG field offices across the state to issue licenses electronically beginning in January 2011. MassFishHunt will process licenses for inland fishing, hunting, and trapping and permits for recreational saltwater fishing and lobstering. Prior to this new system, hunters and anglers could order licenses online but most hunters would have to wait to receive their license in the mail before hunting.