For more information on the federal stimulus in Massachusetts, email contact.stimulus@massmail.state.ma.us and a representative will get back to you. You can visit their office at the State House, Room 272, Boston, MA 02133.

Please feel free to send me an email or contact my office at 617-722-1432 with any further questions.

The stimulus provides a $25 increase in weekly benefits, a federal tax exemption on the first $2,400 of benefits, and a federal subsidy on COBRA premiums. For more information on unemployment programs available in Massachusetts, visit the Division of Unemployment Assistance.

(Note: due to rising unemployment, the DUA is currently dealing with an unusually large volume of claims. If you are having trouble receiving your benefits, please call our office and we will do all that we can to streamline the process.)

The stimulus provides a tax credit based on 6.2% of taxable wages in 2009 and 2010, up to a maximum of $400 each year for single taxpayers and $800 for married couples filing jointly. Instead of receiving a one-time payment, less tax will be taken out of your paycheck beginning by April 1, 2009, The credit begins to phase out for single filers with adjusted gross income in excess of $75,000, and $150,000 for married couples filing jointly. It disappears for single filers with AGI of more than $95,000, or $190,000 for joint filers.

Included within the stimulus bill is a provision for a one-time payment of $250 to Social Security recipients. The payment will be made by the end of May 2009. If you are a public retiree who does not qualify for Social Security, or if you have had your benefit eliminated by the Government Pension Offset, you may apply for a $250 refundable tax credit with your 2009 taxes.

No, it will be spent over a 27-month period.

No. While the legislature is looking at ways to speed up the review process, there is no intention to remove any disability or environmental statutes.

In total, Massachusetts is currently expected to receive over $8.7 billion that will be spent on education, public safety, transportation, clean energy and environmental initiatives, housing, technology and research, workforce training programs, and safety net programs such as unemployment insurance and Medicaid. As federal guidelines continue to be issued, Massachusetts’ estimated share of the stimulus and its allocation among various programs may be subject to change.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act is a piece of federal legislation that was passed in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House of Representatives in Washington, D.C. Senator Donnelly is a member of the Massachusetts State Senate and was therefore not involved in the crafting of the legislation or in its passage.

Yes, there is. President Obama’s Administration has set up a website at www.recovery.gov to help you track the funds, give feedback, and receive more information on the recovery plan. For information specific to Massachusetts, check www.mass.gov/recovery.

The text of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act can be found here.