Rep. Stanley Helps Pass Housing Bond Bill

State Representative Tom Stanley joined his colleagues in the Massachusetts House of Representatives in passing legislation to preserve and produce affordable housing throughout the Commonwealth.  The bill authorizes $1.4 billion in investments over the next five years to finance the production and preservation of low and moderate income housing.

The $1.4 billion includes $500 million for the rehabilitation and modernization of state-assisted public housing. These funds cannot be used to create new state-owned public housing but to expedite the turnover of dilapidated units once vacant. The bill also includes $55 million to facilitate modifications for the elderly and disabled to allow them to remain in their homes.

This is the first long-term housing finance bill to come before the Legislature since 2008 and marks the introduction of a capital investment in early education centers through the Early Education and Out of School Time Capital Fund. The $45 million allocation funds the development of facilities for early education and out-of-school programs.

Rep. Stanley Hosts Meeting Regarding Creation of Center for Urban Sustainability

Rep. Stanley hosted a meeting at the State House to discuss the University of Massachusetts's plans of creating a Center for Urban Sustainability at the site of the former UMass Suburban Experiment Station on Beaver Street in Waltham. The Center will house partners that include industries and businesses, municipalities, government agencies and citizen groups who will collectively be involved with and address priorities related to food security and access, environmental stewardship, urban agriculture and workforce development in urban settings. The proposal calls for a LEED-certified, energy-innovative building to become the front door portal for education and research for urban sustainability issues and a destination for citizens, businesses, and municipalities to access resources for hands-on learning and classroom training focused on urban sustainability issues. Not only will this project benefit residents and businesses of the greater Waltham area, but it will seek to become the center of urban sustainability for the Commonwealth.

Rep. Stanley meets with Massachusetts School Building Authority regarding Waltham schools

Rep. Stanley recently met with Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) Executive Director Jack McCarthy and Superintendent Susan Nicholson of Waltham Public Schools to go over Waltham's statement of interest (SOI) to MSBA.  Submitting an SOI is the critical first step in the MSBA's program for school building construction, addition/renovation, and repair grants.  It allows districts to inform officials about deficiencies that may exist in a local school facility and how those deficiencies inhibit the delivery of the district's educational program.

Senate Approves $34 Billion Budget

After two days of debate, the Senate approved a $34 billion annual state budget focused on early education, elder care and local aid.  The budget, which was approved by a vote of 36-3, draws from the state's reserves and relies on revenues from a developing package of tax increases linked to the transportation system.  The House approved its budget in April.  A six-member conference committee will iron out differences between both budgets before the new fiscal year 2014 beings on July 1. 

Gov. Patrick Holds Road Funding; Local Officials Upset

Although Gov. Patrick signed legislation setting the terms for borrowing $300 million to finance MA's local road repair program, his decision to release only $150 million at the moment is frustrating local officials.  The administration says it will wait until the House and Senate finalize a transportation financing plan with new tax revenue to decide whether to release an additional $150 million for Chapter 90 road repairs (for roads, highways, bridges and public transit).  Mayors, city councilors and selectmen are upset that Gov. Patrick withheld the $100 million increase in Chapter 90 approved by the Legislature, but also decreased funding by $50 million from this year's funding level of $200 million.

Gov. Paul Cellucci, who died Saturday at age 65, lied in repose in the Hall of Flags on Thursday. There was a memorial service for Cellucci in the House chamber before the public viewing. Cellucci served in the House and Senate before becoming lieutenant governor and then governor.

Massachusetts National Guard Awards Ceremony

On Monday, June 3 at 4:00PM, thirteen members of the Massachusetts Army and Air National Guard received military commendations for their service during the Boston Marathon bombing.  The ceremony was held in the Hall of Flags at the State House. The ceremony was unique because General Frank Grass, Chief of the National Guard Bureau and member of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, awarded the commendations to our service members.  General Grass, a four-star General in the United States Army, serves as the commander of all National Guard service members in the United States and its territories and is the primary advisor to President Obama on all matters relating to the operations of the National Guard.

Committee will hear Texting-While Driving, Bicycling Bills on June 26

On June 26th, the Transportation Committee will consider legislation focused on the sharing of roads among motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians.  The Committee will discuss proposals to require the hands-free use of mobile phones while driving, to protect bicyclists in bike lanes, to protect pedestrians at crosswalks, to ban the use of mobile phones while driving, and to increase fines and penalties for texting and driving. 

Congressman Kennedy to Lead the Governor's Stem Advisory Council

Congressman Joe Kennedy will chair the Governor's Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Advisory Council. Massachusetts has received national recognition and has emerged as a leader in promoting STEM education. Congressman Kennedy is currently the state's only member serving on the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology.

Governor Patrick established the STEM Advisory Council in October 2009. As chair of the Council, Lieutenant Governor Murray has increased coordination and collaboration among existing STEM programs and resources, garnering national attention and praise for Massachusetts. In addition to being rated number one by the U.S. Department of Education on the nationwide Race to the Top Competition, Massachusetts has also been recognized by the National Governor's Association's Center for Best Practices, Change the Equation and Innovate+Education as a top STEM state.

The STEM Advisory Council's most prominent accomplishment is the launch of the @Scale Initiative, hailed as a breakthrough model at delivering a combination of public and private funding to replicate and bring to scale transformative, system-wide improvements in STEM education.

$1.1 Million in Grants to Benefit Vocational Schools across Massachusetts

Lieutenant Governor Murray joined Secretary of Administration and Finance Glen Shor and Secretary of Education Matthew Malone to announce the 25 recipients of $1.1 million in Vocational School Equipment grants to benefit Massachusetts vocational schools. This program provides grant funding to qualifying institutions to purchase necessary equipment to prepare their students for the modern workforce.

The 25 recipients of FY 2013 Vocational School Equipment grants include 184 cities and towns across Massachusetts. The recipients reflect geographic diversity across the Commonwealth, including several Gateway Cities.  The grants provide over $1,149,997 in funding, benefiting 1,671 students in 184 municipalities across the Commonwealth. Approximately $1,925,553 in matching funds and in-kind donations will be leveraged to support these programs, a $1.67 match for every $1 dollar investment. Funded programs represent 9 of 10 occupational clusters as identified by the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE), with the largest investments going to manufacturing, engineering and technology.

Governor Patrick Signs Bill Appointing Officer Sean Collier Posthumously to Somerville Police Department

Governor Patrick signed H. 3450, "An Act Authorizing the Mayor of the City of Somerville to appoint Sean A. Collier a police officer of the City of Somerville." The act posthumously appoints Sean Collier as an officer of the Somerville Police Department.  Officer Collier was killed in the line of duty on April 18, 2013 while serving as a police officer for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

New Collaboration to Support Children of Military Families

Gov. Patrick announced the creation of a collaboration to provide specialized training for early education and care providers to support the unique needs of the children of Massachusetts' military families. There are currently more than 25,000 military-connected children living in the Commonwealth.

The initiative is a partnership between the Department of Early Education and Care (EEC), the Massachusetts Head Start State Collaboration Office (HSSCO) and the U.S. Office of Secretary of Defense (OSD).

Members of the Executive Office of Education, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the National Guard are working together to implement the terms of the Compact as part of the State Council to the Interstate Commission on Educational Opportunities for Military Children, which was created by the VALOR Act. The Commission is expected to hold their first meeting this summer.

The agencies collaborated with Wheelock College and the Military Child Education Coalition to provide early educators with the latest research, skills and tools to develop strength and resiliency in military-connected children so that they can meet the challenges of family deployment. The training will address topics such as grief, trauma and reintegration.

State Announces New Leadership for Three Major Policy Initiatives

As part of Lieutenant Governor Murray's transition out of state government, the Lieutenant Governor announced new leadership to chair and oversee policies to end and prevent homelessness, substance abuse and sexual and domestic violence.  Undersecretary Aaron Gornstein of the Department of Housing and Homelessness will chair the Interagency Council on Housing and Homelessness (ICHH); Secretary John Polanowicz of Health and Human Services and Secretary Andrea Cabral of Public Safety and Security will co-chair the Governor's Council to Address Sexual and Domestic Violence; and Acting Commissioner Cheryl Bartlett of the Department of Public Health will chair the Interagency Council on Substance Abuse and Prevention.

Patrick Administration Awards Improvement Grants for Massachusetts Farms

Governor Patrick, along with Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rick Sullivan, awarded grants totaling $700,000 to 11 projects that will help farmers improve their farm operations. Governor Patrick, Lieutenant Governor Murray and EEA officials then toured Konsinski Farms in Westfield, which received a $75,000 grant to install a value-added fruit winery.

Awarded through the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources' (DAR) Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR) Improvement Program (AIP), grants went to farms in the communities of Cummington, Dartmouth, Dracut, Easthampton, Groton, Lanesborough, Rochester, Sunderland and Westfield.

The program helps sustain active commercial farming on land that has been protected from development through DAR's APR Program. AIP provides technical assistance and business planning to improve farm productivity and profitability with the goal of enhancing the significance of APR farm operations and their contribution to the state's agricultural industry.

Governor Patrick Joins State Wildlife Officials for Eagle Banding at the Quabbin Reservoir

Governor Patrick joined Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA) Secretary Rick Sullivan, Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game (DFG) Commissioner Mary Griffin and the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife (MassWildlife) staff to band bald eagle chicks at the Quabbin Reservoir. MassWildlife has banded bald eagle chicks since 1982 as part of a bald eagle restoration project.

As part of MassWildlife's annual effort to band all bald eagle chicks hatched in the Commonwealth every spring, each eaglet is outfitted with uniquely numbered metal leg bands that will enable researchers to identify it later. Banding young eagles is an important tool for measuring the success of species restoration programs by enabling scientists to gather information about survival rates, how far birds disperse when they leave the nest, habitat preferences and causes of death.

A victim of habitat loss and reproductive failure linked to exposure to pesticides such as DDT, bald eagle populations had plummeted across the country by the time they were placed on the U.S. Endangered Species List in 1973. Their numbers have since rebounded and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service removed bald eagles from the federal endangered species list in 2007. In Massachusetts, the bald eagle was down-listed from Endangered to Threatened status in 2012.

Summer Reading for Children, Teens and Adults

Find a reading program at the library, get new book suggestions for readers of all ages, and spend time relaxing with a good book on your next vacation. Click here to learn more. 

June is LGBT Pride Month

Find information on events happening statewide as well as health, bullying, violence, and suicide prevention resources for LGBT individuals.  Click here to learn more.

Police & State Trooper Exam Rescheduled for June 15

The Police & State Trooper civil service exam that was originally scheduled for April 20, 2013, will now take place on Saturday, June 15, 2013. By now, applicants should have received a new "Notice to Appear" and should print it out and bring it to the exam with them on 6/15. If you have questions, please visit www.mass.gov/hrd or call the Civil Service hotline at 617-878-9895.

First-Time Homebuyer Tips

Spring is a popular time to think about purchasing a home, and as a first-time homebuyer in Massachusetts, you may have questions about the process. Luckily, there are state and federal programs to help you through it, including assistance with down payments - being a low- to moderate-income household does not necessarily mean you can't own the home of your dreams - seminars and more. Click here to learn three great tips on buying a home.

Mass.gov Offers Open Government Website

File for unemployment insurance benefits online or by phone