|
State Rep. Thomas M. Stanley
State House, Room 167
Boston, MA 02133
(617) 722-2230
Thomas.Stanley@mahouse.gov
|
Rep. Stanley speaking on the House floor during the debate on opioid legislation.
First of the FY17 Ways and Means Budget hearings at the State House. Rep. Stanley and his colleagues heard testimony from Administration & Finance officials, State Treasurer, State Auditor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, and Inspector General on Governor Baker's FY17 budget recommendations.
FY17 Ways and Means Budget Hearing
Let's go Celtics!
Reflections
Pink Hue
Charles River
Dusk
Sunset
Charles River
Mt. Feake Cemetery
Tranquility
After the storm |
|
 |
|
|
MA Primary is March 1st
 The Massachusetts presidential primary will take place o n March 1st. Please don't forget to vote! Learn more about the MA elections schedule. Rep. Stanley Helps Pass Substance Addiction Legislation Representative Stanley joined his colleagues in the House in passing substance addiction legislation that creates a new standard to evaluate and treat patients who present in emergency rooms with an apparent overdose. This new best practice, which will be covered by insurance, is designed to ensure the proper assessment and discharge of patients who seek voluntary treatment. The bill limits first-time opiate prescriptions to seven days for adults and all opiate prescriptions for minors to seven days, with with exceptions for chronic pain management, cancer, and palliative care. Additionally, practitioners must check the prescription monitoring program (PMP) each time they prescribe any opiate and correspondingly note that in the patient's medical records. In an effort to build upon current prevention efforts, the legislation updates current law requiring all public schools to have a policy regarding substance abuse education by requiring schools to report their plans to the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE). DESE will then consult with the Department of Public Health (DPH) to provide recommendations that will assist schools and ensure they are providing effective and up-to-date education. Additional education materials will be provided to all student-athletes. This legislation follows a 65.2% increase in substance addiction funding since FY12 and the landmark substance addiction law passed in 2014 which, for the first time, mandated detox and stabilization coverage. The two bills are intended to complement each other and reflect a consensus-driven approach. Committee Considers Municipal Modernization Reform Bill
 Rep. Stanley, a member of the legislature's Municipalities Committee, and other members of the Revenue Committee and Municipalities and Regional Government Committees held a hearing on parts of Gov. Baker's reform bill (H 3908), focusing on municipal finance and a provision to give municipalities the first crack at buying properties that are not on the tax rolls. State officials including the lieutenant governor and municipal administrators testified in support of reforms which would offer municipal government officials in Massachusetts additional flexibility and control. Local officials who testified at the hearing claimed that having the opportunity to buy tax-exempt land could solve open space issues or allow a town to expand its own facilities. Rep. Stanley Helps Pass Legislation to Protect Minors from Dangers of Indoor TanningRep. Stanley helped pass legislation that prohibits individuals under the age of 18 from using a tanning bed. Tanning beds are classified in the most dangerous group of cancer-causing agents by the World Health Organization, and this change reflects the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) recommendations regarding tanning devices. The bill also requires that tanning device operators be over the age of 18, but does not change the age permissible for other employment at tanning salons. Gov. Baker signed the legislation. Attention Seniors! Learn about the Circuit Breaker Tax CreditThe Circuit Breaker is a property tax credit that was designed by the legislature with the hope of alleviating some of the burdens that property tax can create. Seniors will receive a dollar credit on their Massachusetts state income taxes for every dollar that the total of their property tax, water and sewer bills exceed 10% of their income, up to the $1,070 maximum. Learn more.
Rep. Stanley Signs Go Red for Women Resolution 
Rep. Stanley signed a resolution sponsored by The Women's Caucus and the American Heart Association's annual Go Red for Women resolution. The resolution requests that that the Massachusetts General Court, in recognition of the importance of the ongoing fight against heart disease, hereby recognizes February 2016 as American Heart Month in Massachusetts. Rep. Stanley will attend a ceremony in the Senate Reading Room on Wednesday, February 24th.
Go Red For Women encourages women to take charge of their health and schedule a Well-Woman visit to learn about health status and risk for diseases. The American Heart Association is celebrating February 2016 as American Heart Month, Go Red For Women is asking all Americans to Go Red by wearing red and speaking red.
Rep. Stanley Signs Heart Defect Awareness Resolution
Rep. Stanley cosponsored a resolution recognizing the recognizing the week of February 7 through the 14 as Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week. The resolution encourages all citizens to increase awareness, education, and services for congenital heart defects. Every year, 40,000 babies are born in the united states with congenital heart defects, and cardiomyopathy, a chronic disease of the heart muscle, affects approximately 75% of all children in the U.S. with a congenital heart defect and it is the leading cause of birth-defect related deaths. Congenital heart defect awareness week will provide the opportunity to share experience and information with the public and the media, in order to raise public awareness about congenital heart defects.
Rep. Stanley Signs Early Care and Education Legislative Priority Letter
Rep. Stanley signed onto a letter to House Speaker Robert DeLeo and House Ways and Means Chairman Brian Dempsey asking that the House once again prioritize the Early Education and Care System. As a multi-year commitment is needed, the letter encouraged House leaders to keep early education as a top priority again this year, specifically addressing the need to adequately compensate the early education workforce. To view the full text of the letter, click here.
Governor Baker Releases Fiscal Year 2017 Budget Proposal
Gov. Baker filed the state's budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2017 (FY17), known as "House 2," which continues the multi-year effort of bringing state spending in line with revenues, significantly reducing the state's reliance on one-time solutions, and budgeting for a sizable deposit into the stabilization fund. The administration's plan recommends key investments in education, local aid, addressing substance misuse, workforce development, transportation, and the Department of Children and Families (DCF), all without raising taxes or fees. The $39.6 billion budget invests in education, workforce development, and local aid without raising taxes; budgets for Stabilization Fund deposit and significantly reduces reliance on one-time solutions.
Baker-Polito Administration to Increase Affordable Access to Clean and Efficient Energy
The Baker-Polito Administration announced the launch of a new initiative and $15 million in funding to help low- and moderate-income Massachusetts residents access cost-saving, clean and efficient energy technologies. The Affordable Access to Clean and Efficient Energy Initiative will focus on coordinating the agencies that serve the energy and housing needs of the Commonwealth's low- and moderate-income residents and identify the most effective strategies to direct funding. The initiative will include an inter-secretariat working group and a $15 million commitment for clean energy programs to expand opportunities for low- and moderate-income residents.
The inter-secretariat working group will review the barriers to clean energy investment for the state's low- and moderate-income residents and suggest improvements in policies and programs to increase their impact. Clean energy programs through the initiative will be funded by a $10 million commitment from the Department of Energy Resources (DOER) and $5 million from the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center (MassCEC). These programs will help address challenges related to high-cost, high-emissions heating fuels, complex financing, and expensive up-front costs of clean energy projects.
State Awards $2.5 Million to Support Heroin and Opioid Crime Reduction Efforts
Governor Charlie Baker, Lt. Governor Karyn Polito and Secretary of Public Safety and Security Dan Bennett announced the release of more than $2.5 million in federal grants to help District Attorneys, Sheriffs, and other criminal justice agencies strengthen and enhance their ongoing efforts to combat heroin and opioid abuse in Massachusetts. This competitive grant opportunity allows eligible state and county criminal justice agencies to solicit grant funding for services aimed at prevention, intervention, diversion, enforcement, and treatment. All proposals were required to include a law enforcement nexus and place a primary focus on targeting heroin and opioid abuse. Learn more about the Governor's Opioid Task Force.
DCR Seeks Applicants for its Partnership Matching Funds Program
Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Commissioner Leo Roy announced that the agency is accepting applications for the FY'17 Partnerships Matching Funds Program. The grant program, which DCR will allocate up to $1.5 million in matching funds, assists in financing capital projects proposed by park advocacy groups, civic and community organizations, institutions, businesses, municipal governments, and dedicated individuals with an interest in improving the Commonwealth's natural, cultural, and recreational resources.
This fiscal year, the Baker Administration awarded $776,479 in Partnerships Matching Funds Program grants to 16 projects throughout the Commonwealth. Past projects have included
the design and construction of new playgrounds, the clearing of invasive plant species from waterways, the installation of interpretive signage, the construction of trail and path enhancements; and the planting of trees and other landscape improvements. Applications are due by March 19, 2016. Learn more.
2016 Firefighter Exam
The state's Human Resources Division (HRD) announced that the 2016 Municipal Firefighter examination and our recruitment campaign is underway. The written examination is scheduled for Saturday, April 16, 2016 with a last filing date of March 1, 2016. An additional processing fee will be applied to applications filed after March 1, 2016, so we ask that candidates be encouraged to apply early. Applications will not be accepted after March 21, 2016. Additionally, candidates are encouraged to apply early because the physical component of the examination, known as the ELPAT, is already underway in Hudson, MA. Learn more.
DCR Announces this Year's Arbor Day Poster Contest Theme
Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Commissioner Leo Roy announced the theme of the 2016 Arbor Day Poster Contest: "Trees Grow with Us and for Us." Fifth grade classes from both public and private schools across the state are asked to participate in this year's contest by having the students create posters and then hosting a school poster contest. The winning poster from each school can then be submitted to the agency for review.
This year's theme, "Trees Grow with Us and for Us!" is designed to increase students' understanding of trees and the role trees play in their community and in the world around them. The DCR Urban and Community Forestry Program, with support from the U.S. Forest Service, sponsors the annual contest for fifth graders across the Commonwealth.
Posters must be submitted by April 1, 2016, and the contest is open to all students currently enrolled in the fifth grade. An Arbor Day Poster Contest Guide is available on the DCR website or can be obtained by contacting Mollie Freilicher, 413-577-2966, mollie.freilicher@state.ma.us.
Each year, over 1,500 Massachusetts fifth graders participate in the Arbor Day poster contest. First place prizes include a tree planting ceremony at the winner's school, a certificate for art and science supplies, and more. Second Place, Third Place, and Honorable Mention winners will also receive art and science supplies.
|
|
NEWS FROM LINCOLN & LEXINGTON
|
 Publish your events in The Stanley Report! We want to hear from you! The Stanley Report is a great way to spread the word about an upcoming event. Please forward any community, civic or nonprofit upcoming events that you would like included in next month's Stanley Report. If interested, please email Mark Phillips, Rep. Stanley's legislative assistant, with information about your event.
Boston Brain Tumor Ride
The Boston Brain Tumor Ride is an event to raise awareness and much-needed resources to fund critical brain tumor-specific programs to improve the lives of all those affected by brain tumors. This year's ride starts and ends at 200 West Street in Waltham on Sunday, May 15, 2016, and is expected to draw over 700 riders, 64+ volunteers, and 100+ spectators. Hosted by the National Brain Tumor Society, the Boston Brain Tumor Ride offers individuals and teams a chance to honor and remember loved ones, connect with others interested in the brain tumor cause, and helps to educate the local community on the diverse needs of the brain tumor community. Learn more.
Kids Cooking Green Hosts Events
Kids Cooking Green is the educational arm of the Lexington, MA Farmers' Market. Classes are designed for kids as young as Pre-K through 8th grade, and there are some classes for adults. Kids Cooking Green also provides programming through its Fund for City Schools, which brings classes to communities that could otherwise not afford it. Click here to learn more.
|
 State Representative: 2001 - Present City Council: 1998 - 2004, 2006 - 2015 Council President: 2003 State Committees: Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government Joint Committee on Ways and Means House Committee on Post Audit and Oversight Education: Suffolk University (MPA), Bentley University (BS - Management), Mass Bay Community College (AS - Business Administration) Board Member: Waltham Partnership for Youth, Waltham Family School Advisory Board, Waltham Safe and Healthy Schools YRBS Steering Committee, Waltham Community Day Center (Honorary), Reach Beyond Domestic Violence Advisory Board, Safe Schools Healthy Students Initiative, Waltham Community, Enough Abuse Campaign, Waltham Drug Task Force Awards: Work, Community, Independence - Human Service Advocate of the Year, 2008 COFAR - award recipient for support of people with mental disabilities, 2003 MassBay Community College Distinguished Alumni Award WATCH CDC - Housing Advocate Award, 2007 Minuteman Senior Services - Certificate of Appreciation, 2006 Boston Bar Assoc., Greater Boston Legal Services and MetroWest Legal Services - Pillar of Justice Award, 2003 Shining Star Award, Edinburg Center Personal: Married to the former Kimberly A. Bayliss Children: Ryan, age 21, Parker, age 12 |
|
|
