ONE Massachusetts Weekly Update

Weekly Roundup

April 15th, 2010

Today, as we are all keenly aware of the funds that we contribute to our state and country, it is important to think about why we all share that support. The truth is that things that we all want for our communities and our families - things like access to good jobs and safe neighborhoods - do not just happen; it depends on shared investments in the public systems that underpin our quality of life.

Last week, I sent you a letter describing Investing in our Commonwealth, a community-based campaign to build support for the shared investments in the public systems that underpin our quality of life.

We have already had an amazing response to this effort - with many individual network members and organizations signing on! Just some of the organizations who have committed to the campaign include:

ONE Massachusetts Leadership Team
Mass Teachers Association
Coalition Against Poverty
Coalition for Social Justice
Boston Parent Organizing Network
Mass Community Action Network
Mass Society of Professors at UMass Amherst
Mass Home Care
Mass Public Health Association
YES! Northampton
Mass. Public Health Association
Health Care for All
Mass. Senior Action Council

For more information on Investing in Our Commonwealth, please visit the campaign page at ONE Massachusetts. There you will find lots of great information, including sample materials [Sample Letter] [Sample Phone Script].

If you'd like to get more involved in this campaign or other ONE Massachusetts trainings and campaign, feel free to contact me now!

Thank you,

Yawu Miller

Project Director, ONE Massachusetts

yawu@realclout.org | 617-275-2918

TAKE A LOOK AT WHAT ELSE HAS BEEN HAPPENING ACROSS THE STATE:
Civic Engagement | Revenue | Government Reform

REVENUE

Goal: By 2013, a fair, adequate, and stable tax system will be implemented. It will raise sufficient revenue so that state and local governments can fund the array of services needed.

UPDATES:

STATE BUDGET: House Ways and Means Proposal. The House Ways and Means Committee approved a $27.8 billion fiscal 2011 budget bill Wednesday morning that increases overall state spending by 3.2 percent but cuts local aid to cities and towns by $234 million. The budget includes $1.4 billion in spending cuts and savings, including $300 million derived from a debt restructuring proposal also endorsed separately by the committee. The bill reduces spending in certain line items by $750 million, and includes no draws from the state's dwindling rainy day fund and no tax increases. The bill includes $1.5 billion in one-time federal stimulus funds that the state may not be able to rely on in fiscal 2012. The budget also does not eliminate any tax exemptions, or tax breaks and credits. [SHNS]
STATE BUDGET: Elderly Feel Pinch of State Budget. The Patrick administration has failed to follow through on key commitments to help older citizensavoid nursing homes and stay in their homes and communities, actions that could save the state significant money, advocates for the elderly and legislators said yesterday.

This year's state budget includes $2.5 million to expand a pilot program that provides free counseling to frail seniors about alternatives to nursing home care. But the administration has not expanded the program, and Elder Affairs Secretary Ann Hartstein acknowledged last night in an interview with the Globe that the money was diverted to other community-based programs for the elderly that were facing budget cuts. [Boston Globe]
BUDGET CUTS: School Aid Could Face Cuts. During debate on an economic development bill, Senate budget chief Steven Panagiotakos on Thursday warned of a possible cut in Chapter 70 education aid to cities and towns. Panagiotakos, in defending state government's approach to economic growth, said the state had invested $3 billion in public education since passage of an education reform law in 1993 and protected Chapter 70 education aid from cuts in each of the last two recession budgets. "This year we might not be able to say that," Panagiotakos said. [SHNS]
TAX EXPENDITURE BUDGET: Talk on Film Credit. Rep. Will Brownsberger wrote an Op-ed for the Belmont Citizen-Herald about the vote that took place a couple weeks ago at the State House about preserving or reducing the film tax credit in the state.

"Last week, I voted with a surprisingly small minority to curtail the state's film tax credit. Mike Widmer, the president of the Massachusetts Taxpayer Foundation, has stated that, "All the evidence shows that it is a very costly tax credit with minimal economic impact, and the failure to limit it will require deeper cuts in other state programs, including aid to cities and towns."
STATE BUDGET: Senate Approves Bill to Solve Part of $605 Million Budget Gap. The Senate voted along party lines Thursday to endorse a $247 million spending bill that includes other provisions aimed at closing part of a $605 million budget gap identified by lawmakers, with additional budget fixes expected this spring. Members rejected by a vote of 14-23 a GOP-backed amendment to implement a hiring freeze for the last three months of the fiscal year. [SHNS]

CIVIC ENGAGEMENT

Goal: By 2013, the voice and input of the state's multi-racial, multi-ethnic communities will create a counterweight to the currently dominant voice and will be tangibly reflected in the public decision making process.

UPDATES:

ACTION: Service Nation Campaign. ServiceNation is a national campaign to increase service opportunities and elevate service as a core ideal and problem-solving strategy in American society.

Reaching an estimated 100 million citizens through its 200-plus member groups, ServiceNation played a leading role in the drafting and enactment of the Edward M. Kennedy Serve America Act. Now that the Act has passed, the ServiceNation coalition is working to inspire a powerful culture of volunteerism in our country through the promotion of national days of service and strategic partnerships across the entertainment, philanthropic, and corporate sectors.

ServiceNation envisions an America in which a commonly asked question is, "Where do you serve?" If you haven't already, please help ServiceNation spread the word and explore service opportunities in your community.

UPCOMING:

April 16th - Commonwealth Legislative Seminar Graduation. The Commonwealth Seminar provides legislative training, networking opportunities with top policymakers, and public service job opportunities for diverse leaders in Massachusetts. Consider attending the 20th CLS Graduation with keynote speaker Steve Grossman.

Friday, April 16th 2010 - 11:00 a.m.
MA State House, Senate Reading Room
April 27th, 2010 - Conversation on the Fiscal Crisis - Focus on Youth Issues. Featuring: Secretary of Administration and Finance Jay Gonzalez

Tuesday, April 27, 2010 - 3:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.
MA State House, Room B-1

GOVERNMENT REFORM

Goal: By 2013, a transparent, accessible and accountable state and local policy-making process will be in place.

UPDATES:

AGENCY STREAMLINING: Senate Passes Overhaul. The Senate voted 37-0 just to pass legislation streamlining and merging the state's economic development agencies and requiring those agencies to comply with new accountability measures. Bill supporters said it would weed out waste in those agencies and force state government to more seriously address the needs of businesses, including efforts to secure capital and expand both workforces and plants. [SHNS]
TRANSPARENCY: State Receives "F" on Spending Transparency. A local research group gave Massachusetts a failing grade on government transparency Tuesday, ranking 33rd among states in providing details of budget spending to the public. The Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group said Massachusetts fails to provide "checkbook-level" detail about government spending on a publicly accessible web site, which means voters have no access to information about which vendors receive state funds. But according to MassPIRG, a pending bill (H 2972) to direct the Executive Branch to create a searchable web site on state appropriations, contracts, grants, subcontracts and tax expenditures, would bump Massachusetts from a F to an A. [SHNS] [More info at MassPIRG]
PENSION REFORM: Governance Bill in the Senate. The Senate on Monday morning voted initial approval to a legislation making a series of major changes in state pension system governance laws, including the appointment of a receiver to oversee the Essex Regional Retirement Board. The legislation also includes several new mandates, including mandatory filing of collective bargaining agreements with retirement boards, 18 hours of training for local retirement board members, and a requirement that board members file statements of financial interests with the commission. [SHNS]

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