Brewer Reports to the People - May 2010
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May 2010
Brewer Reports to the People
Issue XVII
Hello,
May is finally here, and it will prove to be a very busy month. The Senate is cracking down on the FY 2011 budget process and will prepare for debate toward the end of the month.
The Senate floor is not the only place that is heating up - we have been lucky enough to enjoy some warm weather and many of our trees and plants are in full bloom. May is also Military Appreciation Month. Every year I participate in many events throughout my district dedicated to honoring our veterans. This Memorial Day, I plan to visit as many ceremonies as I am able to share in the time honored tradition of honoring our service men and women during this time of the year.
Sincerely,
Budget Update
The House of Representatives concluded debate of its FY11 Budget proposal on Friday, April 30, 2010. As expected from the statement released in March by House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Therese Murray, the House budget reduces the Unrestricted General Government account and the Chapter 70 account by 4%. The $27.8 billion budget proposal was approved on a roll call vote of 132 to 25 and does not include any of Governor Patrick’s proposed revenue generating initiatives.
After the conclusion of the week long debate, House members voted to increase the bottom line by $13.2 million. One of the amendments adopted by the House adds $6.3 million to reimburse cities and towns affected by the December 2008 Ice Storm. This funding represents the second half of the 25% state match for federal assistance. I will be watching this item closely in the coming months and advocating for the funding of this account. The House Clerk’s Office is presently working to publish the final budget document. You will be able to access it at http://www.mass.gov/legis/11budget/house/index.htm once this process is complete.
The Senate Committee on Ways and Means will release its budget recommendations for FY11 on Wednesday, May 19, 2010 and members will debate the proposal the following week. The budget will be available online in the afternoon at http://www.mass.gov/legis/11budget/senate/index_pre.htm/. Upon completion of the Senate budget debates, a six member Conference Committee will be appointed to negotiate the differences between the House and Senate budgets. As Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, I will serve as a member of the Conference Committee. I encourage you to call my office at 617-722-1540 or write me directly at Stephen.Brewer@state.ma.us to alert me of the programs that are important to you.
Bullying Bull Signed Into Law
You have probably seen quite a bit about the Bullying Bill in the news. The General Court agreed on a final version of the bill on Thursday, April 29, and the bill was signed into law by Governor Deval Patrick on May 3, 2010. I had the privilege of attending the signing of this landmark legislation and sharing this experience with a group of 3rd Grade Students from East Brookfield Elementary School. The students who participated in this bill signing were given a very special opportunity. Each one of them will likely be affected by bullying as they continue their education. It is my hope that by having the chance to hear from advocates of this bill, they will learn the effects of bullying and will respect themselves and their classmates more in the future.
I am so proud to have been a part of passing the bullying legislation. Bullying is a different story than it used to be. There used to be one bully in the neighborhood and we could deal with it as a community. Now cyber space allows hundreds of bullies into the neighborhood. As technology changes, the laws have to change to keep up with it. We may find that the law needs tweaking, as many laws often do, and we can make changes in the future if need be. I was very moved by the stories of Phoebe Prince and Carl Walker-Hoover, both victims of bullying in Massachusetts. Carl and Pheobe were left with nothing – no support, no help – as a result they ended up taking their own lives, Carl was only 11 years old.
We owe it to our children to prevent future tragedies like these.
Legislative Update
Over the past month, the Senate has voted on numerous pieces of important legislation and I would like to share with you information and my thoughts about a few of them.
During the month of April, the Senate worked on foreclosure prevention legislation. On an almost weekly basis, I hear from constituents in my district who have lost or are about to lose their homes and will be forced out onto the streets. Our country is suffering from an economic tsunami like we have never experienced before and we do not know when it will recover. I am happy to have been part of passing legislation that helps people stay in their homes during this very difficult period. Senate Bill 2394, “An Act to Stabilize Neighborhoods,” includes several initiatives to protect renters. Tenants in foreclosed buildings can only be evicted for just cause, or if the building is purchased by a third party. Also, a lender cannot evict a tenant for failure to pay rent unless it has posted and delivered a written notice with critical information, including a contact number for the new owner. This does not prohibit a lender from evicting tenants for other valid reasons, such as interfering with the quiet enjoyment of other tenants, using a unit for illegal purposes, or refusing to allow the lender to enter the unit to make repairs. For homeowners, the legislation temporarily extends the 90-day right to cure period, enacted by the legislature in 2007, to 150 days. The 2007 law gave homeowners 90 days to come up with past due payments on their mortgage before the lender could require full payment of the unpaid balance. This was intended as a cooling off period for the lender and homeowner to work out a new payment plan to avoid foreclosure.
Finally, I would like to tell you about a piece of legislation that I filed that is near and dear to my heart. You may remember the tragic story of Christian Frechette, a four year old boy, who drowned while attending summer camp in Sturbridge in July 2007. In his memory and with the assistance of his parents, I filed Senate Bill 925, “An Act Relative to Public Safety in the Commonwealth,” also known as ‘Christian’s Law.’ Christian’s Law would require that summer camps provide life jackets to children in attendance at the camp. Keeping children safe is one of my top priorities and that is the reason I filed Christian’s Law. Losing a child is a parent’s worst nightmare. I had a brother who drowned at the age of 4 and the pain of his loss never left my parents for the rest of their lives. I pledge to continue to work hard for the safety of our children and for Christian’s memory. Christian’s Law was recently released with a favorable report from the Joint Committee on Public Safety and is currently being reviewed by the Senate Committee on Ways and Means.
Should you have any questions about these or any other bills pending before the Senate, please feel free to contact my new Legislative Director, Alicia Bandy, at Alicia.Bandy@state.ma.us or at 617-722-1540. I look forward to hearing from you.
2010 Walk of Champions
On May 2, 2010, I had the opportunity to participate in the Walk of Champions at the Quabbin Reservoir. This is an event that I have participated in annually. The Walk of Champions raises money to benefit the Baystate Regional Cancer Program at Baystate Mary Lane Hospital. As a person who was personally affected by this disease, I know how important is to raise money and awareness to fight cancer.
Brewer Office Offers Internships for Students
My Senate district represents parts of Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin counties, which stretches from the New Hampshire to the Connecticut border through the Central part of Massachusetts. Internships provide students with the opportunity to experience state government first hand and over the years, I have had the fortune of meeting and working with a number of highly qualified and motivated individuals.
Responsibilities and Requirements:
My office focuses heavily on constituent services. As such, interns will spend much of their time assisting in this regard.
Summer interns will have the opportunity to participate in a seminar series in the State House. While this is not required, it is encouraged.
Basic duties include assisting the Brewer Staff with daily office tasks, constituent work and projects as assigned.
Daily office tasks include filing, newspaper clipping, scanning and copying, answering phones and running errands.
Interns will be expected to assist with written correspondence and databasing.
Interns will also be expected to assist in special projects such as updating and creating office databases and providing support to any staff member who requires assistance.
Interns will have the opportunity to attend events and meetings within the State House, including formal and informal legislative sessions.
Interns are required to work a minimum of 15 hours per week.
Interested candidates should send a cover letter and resume to Alicia Bandy at alicia.bandy@state.ma.us. College students from Central and Western Massachusetts are encouraged to apply; however, all applicants will be considered equally.
Cover letters should include:
The date you are available to begin working;
The date your internship is expected to end;
The hours and days that you are available to work (the office is open from 9AM to 5 PM Monday through Friday);
Whether you are receiving college credit for your internship.
Please note that all internships are unpaid and in the Boston office. Positions will be filled on an as needed basis and are limited. All applicants will be required to participate in an interview in the Boston office before an offer can be considered for an internship.
Valuing Our Children Award
On April 1, 2010 I was honored to be presented with the Valuing Our Children Award from The Children’s Trust Fund of Massachusetts (CTF) for some of the work I have done on behalf of families in my district. A young family from the Town of Warren, located in the southern part of my district was able to attend the event. Erica Davis, 22, and Phillip Woodford, 19, of Warren, spoke about their participation in the CTF-funded Healthy Families Massachusetts home visiting program and the benefits to their son, Kasey, 2, and themselves.
The award was presented during CTF’s annual “Step Up for Prevention” event. Each year CTF lines up 700 children’s shoes to represent the average number of children abused each week, just in Massachusetts. It was truly humbling for me to receive this award. The children of this Commonwealth are our most valuable assets and as the Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, I am proud to work alongside the Children’s Trust Fund to promote services that protect our most vulnerable members of society.
CTF of Massachusetts leads statewide efforts to prevent child abuse and neglect by supporting parents and strengthening families. As an umbrella organization, CTF funds, evaluates and promotes the work of more than 100 agencies statewide. Supported by private, state and federal funding, the Children’s Trust Fund invests in Massachusetts’ most precious resource—children and their families. For more information about the Children’s Trust Fund, access www.mctf.org, send an email to info@mctf.state.ma.us or call toll-free (888) 775-4KID.
2010 Census
Have you filled out your 2010 Census? Census information is used by people from many walks of life to advocate for causes, rescue disaster victims, prevent diseases, research markets, locate pools of skilled workers and even determine the numbers of seats Massachusetts occupies in the U.S. House of Representatives.
If you have not filled out your census or did not receive it, there is no need to worry. As of May 1st, census takers began going door-to-door to roughly 48 million households that did not mail back their forms. They will also verify that housing units indicated as "unoccupied" by the postal service or others are indeed unoccupied and vacant.
You can also call the numbers below for additional information or to participate in the census by telephone:
Telephone Questionnaire Assistance (TQA)
- 1-866-872-6868
-
TDD (Telephone Display Device for the hearing impaired):
1-866-783-2010
Dennis Rindone Legislation Signed by Governor
On May 4, 2010, House Bill 1889, “An Act Designating a Portion of Route 2 as the Dennis Rindone Roadway,” was signed by the Governor. Rindone passed away at his home in Erving on March 1, 2009 at the age of 63.
Dennis’ death broke my heart; he had a way of making things happen, no matter how big or small. He was a great man – talented, capable and compassionate. I am proud to have called him my friend and am honoured to memorialize him in this way.
Dennis lived a life of public service. He had been the Town Administrator in Princeton for a decade at the time of his death and also served as a selectman for 9 years in his hometown of Erving. His work with the Route 2 Task Force helped secure $40 million to improve public safety along the road. A devoted and ambitious veteran, Dennis spent years cataloguing and documenting veterans’ memorials across the country. He was born in Winchendon, grew up in Athol and served in the Navy.
H1889 is now known as Chapter 93 of the Acts of 2010 and can be viewed online at http://www.mass.gov/legis/laws/seslaw10/sl100093.htm.
Veterans in Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin and Berkshire counties can set-up FREE meetings with lawyers in June
Visiting Lawyer Program, hosted by the Massachusetts Bar Association in Holyoke and
The Massachusetts Bar Association will offer a free Visiting Lawyer Program to veterans in Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin and Berkshire counties as part of its Serving Our Veterans in the Law initiative. The program will be held on June 17 at the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke. All veterans who reside in Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin and Berkshire counties are eligible for the free program on June 17. Veterans will be matched with attorneys based on their legal concerns. Each in-person meeting will last 15 minutes.
To participate, veterans can either call for an appointment or register online. The deadline for appointments is Friday, June 4. Walk-ins will not be accepted.To schedule an appointment, call:Massachusetts Department of Veterans Services Paralegal, Toll free 888-844-2838, Ext. 5782, or 617-210-5782. To register online, visit: www.mass.gov/veterans and click on the “Visiting Lawyer Program” button on the top right hand side of the page.
GRANTS
I am pleased to announce the following grant awards from the month of April. Please visit www.SteveBrewer.org to access the complete press releases.
Palmer – The Massachusetts Office of Small Business and Entrepreneurship (OSBE) awarded a technical assistance grant to stimulate and support entrepreneurial business growth to the Quaboag Valley Community Development Corporation (QVCDC) totaling $25,000 for the project.
Posted: Thu, May 6, 2010
Updated Thu, May 6, 2010