Public Inquiry & Assistance Center The AGO's Public Inquiry and Assistance Center (PIAC) works with consumers who have a range of questions and concerns and offers a free service that helps resolve matters between consumers and merchants outside of courts. Contact PIAC at (617) 727-8400. |
Fair Labor Division Massachusetts laws provides a minimum set of standards for when, how and how much employees must be paid. If you believe that these laws are not being complied with, please file a Non-payment of Wages Complaint form or contact the AGO's Fair Labor Division at (617) 727-3465.
|
Help for Homeowners Brochure
The AGO has developed a new brochure, Help for Homeowners, which alerts homeowners (and prospective homeowners) about foreclosure rescue scams. Agencies are welcome to print and distribute the brochure as needed. Download and view the new brochure.
| |
|
|
Welcome to the September issue of Building Better Communities. I hope you had a safe and restful summer. For many of us, September signals the end of summer and the beginning of the new school year. For many of the Commonwealth's youngest workers and the businesses that employ them, the end of summer also means balancing school with work.
The AGO uses this newsletter, along with our website and our blog, At Issue & In Focus, to address issues of importance to Massachusetts residents, cities, towns and businesses. Thank you for taking the time to read the September edition of Building Better Communities! We welcome your feedback and thank you for the work you do each day for our communities.
Cordially,
Martha Coakley
Massachusetts Attorney General |
 AGO Announces Three Grant Opportunities
The AGO is pleased to announce the release of three requests for proposals (RFPs) for funding beginning January 4, 2010.
Using funds obtained in a financial settlement reached with the Fremont Investment & Loan Company, the AGO will offer $5,000 mini-grants to consumer advocacy programs, or other qualified organizations, and grants of up to $100,000 to organizations with a statewide service area, to provide consumer outreach and education on financial literacy topics including avoiding mortgage foreclosure, recognizing and avoiding predatory lending practices, understanding the details of mortgages (such as rates, payments, term and penalties) and other related financial literacy issues.
Also with funds obtained in a financial settlement reached with the Fremont Investment & Loan Company, grants up to $150,000 will be available to Massachusetts Community Development Corporations (CDC's), Massachusetts Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI), Municipal Governments, and Municipal Housing and Redevelopment Authorities to assist in the rehabilitation of distressed and abandoned properties.
And third, using funds available through the AGO Health Care Cy Pres fund, grants up to $100,000, over two years, will be available to municipalities, school districts, and nonprofit organizations within Massachusetts which serve low income and/or at-risk youth to provide youth employment opportunities with a wellness and/or physical activity component.
For more information on these programs, including eligibility requirements and deadlines, visit www.mass.gov/ago/grants. |
 Northeastern University Research PartnershipThe AGO will be working with Professor James Allen Fox, Ph.D., of Northeastern University's Law, Policy and Society Program, and his students on a year-long research project designed to understand some of the ways a school environment (such as the selections in vending machines or the posting of nutritional information in a cafeteria) might influence the food choices students make. This work will complement other AGO efforts to partner with public health experts, schools and communities across the state to find solutions to the troubling childhood obesity problem. |
 Working Teens and the School Year |
|
|
|
|
