Hello,

Welcome to the October edition of “The Donnelly Digest.” It has certainly been a very busy first eight months for me in the Massachusetts State Senate. In this newsletter, I will summarize the major accomplishments and challenges of the year so far, as well as look ahead to the issues that will likely dominate the fall season here on Beacon Hill.

I want to take a moment to pay tribute to Senator Kennedy, who tirelessly dedicated nearly 47 years of his life representing the Commonwealth in the United States Senate. His support of working families was unwavering, his understanding of the issues was deep, and his compassion was apparent in every decision he made.

On a personal note, as many of you know, I underwent surgery for prostate cancer in August. Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer in the United States, affecting one in six men. My surgery was successful and my prognosis is excellent, due in large part to early detection as part of my yearly checkup. If detected early, nearly 100 percent of all cases are cured after five years. I want to thank my constituents for their overwhelming support and well wishes, and I urge all men over 50 to take the time to be screened as part of their yearly checkups.

As always, I look forward to hearing your thoughts and opinions and encourage you to stay in touch with me. I can be reached via the contact form on my website, by telephone at (617) 722-1432, or by mail at Senator Ken Donnelly, State House, Room 416A, Boston MA, 02133.

In the District

Double Poles

On September 9th, I testified before the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy about a bill I filed, An Act Relative to the Failure to Remove Existing Poles.

This bill addresses the problem of telephone companies’ widespread practice of leaving old, unused telephone poles up after installing a replacement pole. This practice creates a public safety problem as the old poles deteriorate and fall down, and it also creates an eyesore. Telephone and distribution companies are already required by law to remove the old poles within a certain amount of time, but there is no penalty for noncompliance. This bill would add a stiff penalty, payable to the town, for failure to remove the duplicate pole within the specified time frame. I will continue to work on getting this bill passed.

Boston Street Bridge in Woburn

On June 19th, I joined Lt. Governor Tim Murray and State Representative Jim Dwyer in Woburn to tour the site where the new Boston Street Bridge will be built. This bridge will play an important role in stimulating economic development in the area and diverting traffic from busy neighborhoods. Congressman Edward Markey has sought funding from the federal government for the design stage of the project.

Joint Committee on Revenue Listening Tour Stop - Cambridge

On Thursday, November 5th, the Joint Committee on Revenue will be holding an event in Cambridge as part of a six-stop listening tour to encourage public conversation about possible revenue reform measures. The session will begin with a brief snapshot of the Commonwealth's current revenue structure and focus on citizens’ remarks on taxes and/or new ideas about how Massachusetts ought to be raising revenue. This event will be held from 6:00pm to 8:00pm at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government - JFK Jr. Forum. Please do not hesitate to call our office for more information.

Office Hours

Each month I visit the local Councils on Aging in the district to meet with constituents. No appointment is necessary, and I hope that you will drop by to share with me any thoughts or concerns you might have. To see when I will be visiting your town or city, please click here.

Recap of Legislative Session

While the downturn in the general economy seems to be leveling off, states are still seeing drops in revenues and increases in unemployment. Although Massachusetts has weathered the downturn better than other states, we are not immune to its effects. Revenues continue to fall below FY09 levels and further cuts may be needed this fall. Hopefully, we will remember the experience of having to make such drastic cuts as we craft future economic and revenue policies. To read more detailed information regarding the FY10 budget, please click here.

In addition to the budget, the Legislature passed three major pieces of reform legislation that have all been signed into law by the Governor – (1) pension reform, (2) ethics reform, and (3) transportation reform. I believe that these reforms are important first steps in restoring the public’s trust in state government.

Current and Upcoming Issues

Interim U.S. Senator

On Tuesday, September 22nd, I voted in favor of legislation that successfully authorized the Governor to appoint an interim U.S. Senator to represent Massachusetts until the special election is held on January 19th to fill the seat long held by Senator Kennedy. The Governor has appointed Paul Kirk to fill the seat for the next 4 months. Not only will the interim appointment ensure equal representation for Massachusetts in the U.S. Senate at a critical time, but it will also keep one of the best staffs in Washington and Boston working for our residents.

Education

As Senate Vice-Chair of the Joint Committee on Education, I am working hard with the Chairs of the Committee, the Governor’s administration, and education stakeholders as major pieces of legislation are considered this fall. On September 17th, the Committee heard two of the Governor’s education bills – the Readiness Schools bill and the Charter School “Smart Cap” bill – which are intended to address the achievement gap and access some of the competitive federal “Race to the Top” funds that could provide hundreds of millions of additional dollars to Massachusetts over the next three years. More information about these bills can be found on the Governor’s website.

The discussions regarding these bills provide us with a real and important opportunity to debate policies that will provide quality education for all the Commonwealth’s children. I hope to receive constructive feedback, especially from teachers, whose involvement is essential to the reform effort. While enacting meaningful reform is never easy, I am hopeful that we can pass effective legislation that will improve and strengthen the Commonwealth’s education system.

Pandemic Response

I have received a number of phone calls and emails from people who are concerned that the Department of Public Health (DPH) will require mandatory vaccination against the H1N1 virus. To be clear, this is NOT the case. There is no authorization for mandatory vaccination. Additionally, there is no legislation that would require vaccination. Senate bill 2028, which has been referenced in the press, does not mandate vaccination of any kind. If you wish to learn more about this legislation, I urge you to read a fact sheet on S. 2028 written by the bill’s sponsor. The bill is now before the Massachusetts House of Representatives.

For the most up-to-date, accurate information regarding H1N1and the Commonwealth’s response, please visit the Department of Public Health’s website.

Upcoming Issues

In addition to the issues described above, the Legislature is expected to begin a second round of pension reform. The Special Commission to Study the Massachusetts Contributory Retirement System, a commission on which I serve, submitted to the Legislature on September 1st a series of pension reform proposals under consideration. The Commission expects to release a final set of proposals once a cost analysis is complete. We expect the Legislature will use these items to develop additional pension reform legislation.

News You Can Use

On September 4th, the Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development launched an effort to notify residents who have suffered longtime unemployment about state resources and safety nets designed to help them during these difficult economic times.  Despite the Legislature’s success in preventing approximately 85,000 claimants from losing their unemployment benefits last July, it is estimated that 21,000 residents will ultimately exhaust their benefits by Thanksgiving.  The Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development and the Division of Unemployment Assistance are working now to compile information and gather resources for the residents who may be losing benefits in the future.  For more information, click here.

Hello!

Welcome to the first edition of “Donnelly Digest,” a monthly newsletter I’ve created to keep you informed about current and developing legislation as well as activities in the District that might be of interest to you.  In each newsletter, I will discuss some of the major concerns that I am hearing from constituents and how they are being addressed on Beacon Hill.

I also encourage you to visit my website, where you will be able to find more detailed information about issues and activities, events in the district and at the State House, and a variety of helpful resources that may be of use to you as residents of the Commonwealth.

As your Senator, I look forward to hearing your thoughts and opinions and encourage you to stay in touch with me.  I can be reached via the contact form on my website, by telephone at (617) 722-1432, or by mail at Senator Ken Donnelly, State House, Room 416A, Boston MA, 02133.

Budget and Revenue Forum

Please join me for an upcoming informational forum on June 2 to discuss the Massachusetts State Budget.  You can visit my calendar for more details on this event.

Economic News

It’s not surprising that the current economic downturn is at the forefront of all of our minds, and it is presenting the Commonwealth with unprecedented fiscal challenges. As of this writing, the state is facing a total revenue shortfall for the current fiscal year (2009) of $2.3 billion dollars and we are expecting that revenues in fiscal year 2010 will be between $4 and $4.5 billion less than our original FY09 revenue expectations.  Because revenues have continued to fall in recent months, the House budget that was passed on May 1st is likely out of balance by at least $1 billion, so the Senate budget had even less money to appropriate.  The cuts in services and programs will be across the board and very deep.  Our cities, towns, and schools will be directly affected along with programs that serve our elderly, veterans, children, and the most vulnerable in the Commonwealth.

I receive emails on a daily basis from constituents urging the Senate to restore funding for so many worthy human service programs and to protect the local aid that our cities and towns rely on for education and public safety.  As we wrestle with the enormous task of closing the budget deficit, difficult decisions will have to be made.  I believe that during economic downturns such as this, it is most critical to preserve vital safety net services that help Massachusetts residents navigate these uncertain times.  We also cannot lose sight of how essential local aid is to our cities and towns.  Saving money by laying off teachers and public safety personnel does a disservice to our communities and to our children.  We need to find new ways to fund these important programs and restore funding to our communities, but we cannot ask our hard-working taxpayers to shoulder the entire burden before we make significant reforms.  That is why I strongly agree with the Senate President’s edict of “reform before revenue,” and I am pleased that the Senate has already passed two bills this legislative session that would reform the Commonwealth’s transportation system and pension system.  Moving forward, I will do all that I can to see that cost savings and any additional revenues are achieved in a fair and equitable manner without cutting vital services, and that the sacrifice necessary to weather these turbulent times is shared by us all.

I’d like to hear your thoughts on the budget.  Please send me your ideas on how best to address the budget deficit, your priorities and your concerns.

News You Can Use

In an effort to provide you with the information to help during this time of economic uncertainty we have been researching programs that are available to the public through the stimulus package, government grants, and other funding mechanisms.  I would like to share some of that information with you.

Need help with your mortgage?

A number of constituents have approached me with questions regarding programs or services to help with mortgages.  The “Making Home Affordable” refinance and loan modification programs announced by the Obama Administration in March are two such programs.  To learn more about how they work and eligibility for these programs, we recommend that you visit www.makinghomeaffordable.gov.

If you need help navigating your mortgage options, www.makinghomeaffordable.gov also has a list of HUD-approved housing counselors in Massachusetts who are available to help you navigate your mortgage options free of charge.  Please be aware that companies advertising “mortgage foreclosure rescue” that charge a fee for counseling are part of a scam; the company will charge for a service without providing any help.  The above website has more information on these foreclosure rescue scams.

Have you been laid off and need help with health insurance?

If you have recently lost a job that offered health benefits, you may have received information about continuing your health insurance coverage through the federal law called COBRA.  What you may not know is that there is money from both Massachusetts and the federal stimulus act to help you pay your health insurance premiums if you opt to continue receiving the health insurance offered by your former employer.  This is being offered through the Premium Assistance Program, which can reimburse up to 93% of your COBRA premium when you combine both the state and federal funding.

If you do not have the option of continuing in a health plan offered by your former employer, there is also assistance available through the Division of Unemployment Assistance called the Direct Coverage Plan.  This HMO package includes office visits and screenings, wellness visits for infants and children, hospital care, treatment for mental health and substance abuse, and prescription drug coverage.

If you have questions about eligibility or the application process for these programs, please visit Health Care for All’s website, or the Division of Unemployment Assistance's website, or the U.S. Department of Labor’s website.

Additionally, you may call Health Care for All’s confidential hotline with any question about obtaining health insurance, whether you are employed or unemployed: 1-800-272-4232.

Federal Stimulus Questions and Answers

My office has received a number of inquiries regarding how the federal stimulus package is expected to help Massachusetts and its citizens.  While information regarding the specific allocation of federal funds is still forthcoming, we have put together a list of Frequently Asked Questions on our website that provides the most up to date information we have regarding the basics of the stimulus package.  We will post additional information as it becomes available.

Many of the inquiries we have received center around stimulus money available for education.  Based on estimates released by the U.S. Department of Education, Massachusetts is expected to receive nearly $1.9 billion through the federal stimulus bill (the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act) over the next two years to support education in the Commonwealth.  From formula-based funding to competitive grants, these funds are intended to spur reform and innovation, as well as to preserve and expand the resources available to our students and teachers. There is more information on my website.

Thank you for reading the first edition of Donnelly Digest!