Order-- the Senator from Plymouth and Bristol,
Mr. Brady, asks we consider no action
as having been taken on Amendment number 266.
Is there an objection?
The Chair hears none and it will be held.
Amendment number 267 is withdrawn.
Amendment number 268 is on hold.
Amendment number 269 authored by the Senator
from Essex, Mr. Tarr, the title of which the clerk will read.
Amendment number 269 by Mr. Tarr, employee vacation
and earned sick leave credit task force.
The Senator from Essex, Mr. Tarr.
Mr. President, we seem to this evening,
and throughout the latter part of the afternoon,
not been faring very well with attempts
to look at ways to be able to save money
and to be able to treat folks that
are employed in state government in a fair way
across various lines.
This particular amendment, Mr. President,
would create a task force to look at employee vacation
and earned sick leave time so that we could determine
the best way, number one, to make sure
that folks that are employed in all sectors of state government
are treated equally and fairly, and number two,
so that we could have a reasonable policy for how
earned sick time is earned, and importantly, how
it can be converted to a cash payment
at the end of someone's tenure in state employee.
Mr. President, these are the kind
of issues that continue to plague the budget for lack
of attention so that we are spending money
that we don't necessarily need to be spending.
Not that we should not have these types of benefits,
but that we should make sure that they
are reasonable and appropriate.
And if we continue to ignore issues like this one,
then we will continue to face the consequences of not having
adequate resources for the other spending priorities
that we all share.
Mr. President, this is a task force to begin looking at this.
And Mr. President, I hope the amendment is adopted.
-- the amendment, all those in favor, say aye, opposed, no.
The nos have it.
The amendment is not adopted.
Number 278, redrafted amendment by the Senator
from Middlesex, Mr. Barrett, the title
of which the clerk will read.
Amendment number 270 by Mr. Barrett, disabled persons
protection commission.
The question comes on the adoption
of the amendment, the Senator from Essex, Mr. Tarr.
Thank you, Mr. President, and through you, the members.
Mr. President, my scan of the chamber
does not reveal the presence of the sponsor of this amendment.
But I know that he has been outside.
I believe he just concluded working the redraftatron.
I hope he unplugged it so that we can conserve energy,
if it's not in use.
But I'm hoping that we can understand
the results of the redraftatron with regard
to this redrafted amendment, relative to a very
important subject, the DPPC.
I look forward to his explanation,
and I thank you, Mr. President.
Recognizes the Senator from Middlesex, Mr. Barrett.
Mr. President, I want to congratulate the minority
leader and his sagacity.
Not only did he ask a very good question of me,
but he is the co-sponsor of this amendment.
And so he may perhaps know what I'm about to say.
I'm grateful to him for that.
I'm grateful to minority [INAUDIBLE]
and a number of my Democratic colleagues
as well, for boosting funding for the Disabled Persons
Protection Commission.
There are a number of complaints that
come in involving allegations of mistreatment
of people with disabilities and state agencies.
DPPC has been chronically underfunded.
This modest amendment increases the amount of funding,
Mr. President, available to the DPPC by $100,000.
It will help the commission hire staff, eat into its backlog.
In every case, the commission attempts
to resolve difficulties involving
those with disabilities and their encounters
with both private parties and state agencies.
So I hope this amendment is adopted
and I want to thank the minority leader for his support.
The Senator from Essex, Mr. Tarr.
To the gentleman who just spoke, I
do want to congratulate him on this amendment
and thank him for it.
I would point out that I was pleased to be a co-sponsor
to offer my support.
However, I was not in the room as the redraftatron
was in operation at some remote part of the statehouse.
Hence, I wanted a further explanation.
Having obtained that further explanation,
I hope the amendment is adopted.
Senator from Middlesex, Mr. Barrett.
--Tease him about his co-sponsorship.
I actually wanted to sincerely thank him.
Hadn't been aware though that I had failed to tell him
that a compromise had been struck,
so the amount involved was $100,000.
My apologies to him.
Very pleased to have had his help.
And I think my colleagues as well.
Mr. Tarr.
Thank you, Mr. President, no apologies necessary.
The great light of compromise rises
like sunshine over this chamber whenever we can find it.
And I'm happy that we can capitalize on it right now.
Thank you, Mr. President.
The next amendment is-- oh, excuse me,
we have to vote on this.
The question comes on adoption of this excellent amendment.
All those in favor, say aye, oppose, no.
And the ayes have it.
And the excellent amendment has been adopted.
Number 272 is authored by the senator from Hampden,
Mr. Welch, and amendment, the title of which the clerk will
read.
Amendment 272 by Mr. Welch, Springfield Central's
cultural district.
The question comes on adoption--
yes, the Senator from Essex, Mr. Tarr.
Thank you, Mr. President, and through you to the members.
Mr. President, I know that recently on our listening tour
we actually visited the city of Springfield
and visited a number of sites that offer
a lot of exciting projects.
I'm not sure if they are in the cultural district
and I'm hoping that the gentleman from Springfield
will be able to explain that.
And in addition to that, explain to us
what exactly this amendment does.
But I know that we're all very enthusiastic about the things
that are happening in this part of Springfield,
if it's the part that I'm referring to.
And if it's not, I hope he'll have a chance to excite us
about the other parts of it.
Thank you, Mr. President.
The chair recognizes the Senator from Hampden, Mr. Welch.
Thank you, Mr. President.
I think the leader for his question
as I always love the opportunity to express
all the great things that are happening
in the City of Springfield.
This amendment would provide funding, $25,000,
to enhance the efforts of the Springfield Cultural District
and the organization that basically
does the work in promoting the Springfield Cultural District.
And as we all know, Springfield is currently
encountering a Renaissance.
We have MGM on one end, in the south end of Springfield.
We have Union Station just outside of downtown.
We have Chang Chung Railroad Company,
which is being built in the east Springfield area.
All very large projects, and we are
trying to enhance our cultural downtown area to make sure
that when people do come down and walk around downtown,
that there are nice, cultural activities for them to partake
in.
And this funding will go a long way to doing that.
Thank you.
--aye, opposed no.
The ayes have it.
The amendment is adopted.
The next is 273, authored by the senator from Essex,
Mr. Tarr, the title of which the clerk will read.
Amendment number 273 by Mr. Tarr, Massachusetts Information
Technology Center.
The Senator from Essex, Mr. Tarr.
Thank you, Mr. President, and through you to the members.
Mr. President, this item is one which
contributes to the imbalance on the balance beam of imbalance.
And it is one of those items that
is symbolic and emblematic of why we may have difficulties
down the road with the budget that we are currently debating.
Mr. President, this is a $500,000 item.
It was included in House One and the House in Gross budget,
and that is because it is an obligation
that we have to fulfill.
The Mass Information Technology Center
has historically been under the Secretary
of Administration and Finance.
This is the first year that its directly
allocated to the Department of Capital Asset Management,
and this is an annual impact fee, Mr. President,
that's paid to the City of Chelsea,
pursuant to a 1993 agreement with DCAMM regarding
the construction of the Mass Information Technology Center.
The term of that agreement, Mr. President, is 30--
The Chair apologizes for interrupting the gentleman,
but again the number of conversations
and the volume of the conversations
continues to grow, making it impossible for those
who are listening to the debate, never
mind the person who's offering the debate.
So the Chair would respectfully ask all members, all members,
even those cutting deals, to please
subdue their conversations, use your indoor voice, please.
The Senator from Essex, Mr. Tarr.
Some days it's hard for me to find my indoor voice.
But Mr. President, I appreciate your
bringing the Senate to order so that we can properly understand
that the subject of this amendment
is reflective of a commitment made to the City of Chelsea
for 30 years to compensate for the impact of the creation
of the Massachusetts Information Technology Center.
If we do not fund this, then the center
will certainly have to meet its commitment
to the City of Chelsea, and as a result
the loss could occur of 10 of the full-time employees
at the Mass Information Technology Center.
So, Mr. President, this is a 24-hour a day facility.
We know how important information processing
and technology is.
This is a commitment that we've made.
It's a 30-year commitment.
It was funded in House One, it was funded in a House Final.
And Mr. President, it is mysteriously and conspicuously
absent from the Senate Ways and Means version of the budget.
And this is one of those items, as I mentioned earlier,
before you brought the Senate to order, Mr. President,
and only you and I knew what I was talking about,
this is one of those items that if not funded,
contributes to the internal imbalance of the present budget
document.
So Mr. President, I hope the amendment is adopted.
The question comes on adoption of the amendment.
All those in favor, say aye, opposed, no.
The nos have it.
The amendment is not adopted.
The next to 274 authored by the Senator
from Hampden, Mr. Welch, the title
of which the clerk will read.
Amendment number 274 by Mr. Welch,
working with all prescribers.
The question comes on adoption of the amendment.
The Senator from Essex, Mr. Tarr.
Well, hello, Mr. President.
This amendment is ambitiously titled
working with all prescribers, which is of course, something
we should be doing.
And so I'm hopeful that the distinguished gentleman
from Springfield can help us understand
by virtue of explaining this amendment how, in fact, we
can work with all prescribers.
And I saw he just ripped from his copious notes
a selected explanation so that it certainly seems
that it's in summary form.
And I always look forward to his explanations, and no less so
with this one that was just ripped
from the Manual of Health Care Finance that sits on his desk.
Thank you, Mr. President.
The Senator from Hampden, Mr. Welch.
[INAUDIBLE],, and I thank him for his interest in podiatry.
This amendment would make a minor change
to the academic detailing authority
given to the Health Policy Commission in outside Section 6
of the budget.
That minor change is to specify that podiatrists
who have the authority to write prescriptions
would be included in the development
and implementation of any academic detailing programs.
If the HPC were to invest in developing
an academic detailing program, it
should be as comprehensive as possible
to ensure that all practitioners that write prescriptions
can be supported with the best available information
on the comparative effectiveness of different drugs.
Thank you for your consideration.
And I appreciate the leader's question
as this is a very important issue
to make sure that we are getting a well-rounded commission.
Thank you.
Question [INAUDIBLE] adoption of the amendment.
All those in favor say, aye.
Opposed, no.
The ayes have it.
The amendment is adopted.
Number 275 has been withdrawn.
Number 276 offered by the senator
from Middlesex, Mr. Lewis, the title
of which the clerk will read.
Amendment number 276 by Mr. Lewis--
Government Efficiencies Commission.
Question comes on the adoption of the amendment.
All those in favor say, aye.
Opposed, no.
The nos have it.
The amendment is not adopted.
277 offered by the senator from Norfolk, Bristol,
and Middlesex, Mr. Ross, the title
of which the clerk will read.
Amendment number 277 by Mr. Ross--
Pension Fund Performance and Accountability.
Question comes on adoption of the amendment.
The senator from Essex, Mr. Tarr.
[INAUDIBLE] move the Senate to be in a brief recess?
The Senate will be in a brief recess.
--be in order.
The question comes on adoption of the amendment.
All those in favor say, aye.
Opposed, no.
The nos have it.
The amendment is not adopted.
Number 278 is offered by the senator from Worcester
and Norfolk, Mr. Fattman, the title
of which the clerk will read.
Amendment number 278 by Mr. Fattman--
DCAMM JOC.
The senator from Worcester and Norfolk, Mr. Fattman.
Thank you, Mr. President, and through you to the members.
This amendment is relative to job order contracting, a pilot
program that was created back in 2011.
I filed this upon request of the Division of Capital Asset
Management and Maintenance.
Basically, the program was established
to figure out how to save costs for small dollar
contracting of $100,000 or less, understanding that contractors
would agree in advance to perform
specific types of maintenance repair, alterations,
or similar projects at a fixed cost to the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts.
This proposal existed in House One,
in the House Budget, the final version.
And it would extend the pilot program out
to 2019, December 31, 2019, about two and a half years.
DCAMM is responsible for reporting
the results of the analysis to the Committee
on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight.
They would like a little bit more time so
that they can make the most appropriate recommendations
possible.
I hope the amendment is adopted.
Question comes on adoption of the amendment.
All those in favor say, aye.
Opposed, no.
The nos have it.
The amendment is not adopted.
Number 279 offered by the same senator, the title
with which the clerk will read.
Amendment number 279 by Mr. Fattman--
[INAUDIBLE] Program.
Question comes on adoption of the amendment.
All those in favor say, aye.
Opposed, no.
The nos have it.
The amendment is not adopted.
Number 280 offered by the same senator, the title
of which the clerk will read.
Amendment number 280 by Mr. Fattman--
Sick Time Reform.
The senator from Worcester and Norfolk, Mr. Fattman.
[AUDIO OUT] place this amendment on hold.
Gentleman requests that this amendment be placed on hold.
Amendment number 281, the senator from Norfolk, Bristol,
and Middlesex, Mr. Ross offers this amendment.
Amendment number 281 but Mr. Ross--
Sick Leave [INAUDIBLE].
The senator from Norfolk, Bristol, and Middlesex,
Mr. Ross.
That's which one?
[AUDIO OUT]
--comes on adoption of the amendment.
All those in favor say, aye.
Opposed, no.
The nos have it.
The amendment is not adopted.
The senator from Essex, Ms. Lovely
offers number 282, the title of which the clerk will read.
Amendment number 282 by Ms. Lovely--
DCAMM Government Center Operations.
Question comes on adoption of the amendment.
All those in favor say, aye.
Opposed, no.
The nos have it.
The amendment is not adopted.
Number 283 offered by the senator from Worcester
and Middlesex, Ms. Flanagan, the title
of which the clerk will read.
Amendment number 283 by Ms. Flanagan--
Inspector General Bureau of Program Integrity and Internal
Special Audit Unit.
The senator from Worcester and Middlesex, Ms. Flanagan.
Thank you, Mr. president, and through you to the members.
This amendment increases the bottom line
for the inspector general's Bureau of Program Integrity
line item.
The BPI focuses on eligibility processing and fraud controls
and public benefit programs administered
by the executive office of Health and Human Services.
The bureau has been closely monitoring
the department transitional assistance implementation
of welfare reform and is involved
in the creation and implementation of DTA's fraud
detection program.
They've also started focusing on other areas
within EOHHS including the Department of Developmental
Services and veterans issue.
To enhance its oversight, BPI needs another policy analyst.
The [?
ISAU ?] focuses on monitoring the quality, efficiency,
and integrity of Mass DOT's operating and capital programs
and preventing, detecting, and correcting fraud, waste,
and abuse in the expenditure of transportation funds.
Due to the volume of contracts, ISAU
will be required to review.
The unit needs at least one additional auditor.
Mr. President, I hope this amendment is adopted.
Question comes on the adoption of the amendment.
All those in favor say, aye.
Opposed, no.
The ayes have it.
The amendment is adopted.
Number 284 offered by the senator
from Essex, Mr. Tarr, the title of which the clerk will read.
Amendment number 284 by Mr. Tarr--
Quarter Point.
The senator from Essex, Mr. Tarr.
Thank you, Mr. President.
This is another example of an obligation of the Commonwealth
that, again, is not reflected in the current Senate ways
and means budget proposal.
This, Mr. President, is a reserve
of a little bit over $8 million.
And it pays for contractually negotiated benefits
for unionized state employees.
So this particular amount of money
would pay for benefits that have been agreed
to, that are part of collective bargaining, that are ratified
by the general court, and Mr. President,
pay for things like employee training and development,
appropriate shift differentials, increase
for targeted positions at key agencies like the Department
of Children and Families and the Department of Mental Health,
and appropriate classification or compensation adjustments.
So Mr. President, this, again, is part of the budget process.
These are negotiated benefits for unionized state employees
for purposes that are very laudable.
And that's why they are included in the collective bargaining
agreements.
So Mr. President, by failing to recognize this obligation
in our version of the budget, we are once again
contributing to the budget beam of imbalance--
or the balance beam of imbalance--
because these are things that we will have to pay for.
So if we do not include these now and reflect them
in the budget, that means that $8 million
of other things that are in the budget
are at risk either for a subsequent 9C cut
or for failure to be funded for lack
of a supplemental appropriation, in which case
we wreak havoc with our collective bargaining
agreements, which are and must be negotiated in good faith.
So Mr. President, I know that the chart is here.
And again, for every one of these items--
and the gentle lady from Salem just
had one-- there was also the subject of an amendment--
for every one of these that we don't do,
we push down on the budget beam of imbalance.
And we make the target of balancing
internally the budget much harder to do,
if not impossible.
Mr. President, I hope the amendment is adopted.
The question comes on adoption of the amendment.
All those in favor say, aye.
Opposed, no.
The nos have it.
The amendment is not adopted.
The same senator offers number 285, the title
of which the clerk will read.
Amendment number 285 by Mr. Tarr--
A&F IT Administration.
Question comes on adoption of the amendment.
The senator from Essex, Mr. Tarr.
Thank you, Mr. President.
Here we go again.
Failure to adopt this particular measure
puts us further away from the target
of having an internally balanced budget.
I hope the amendment is adopted.
Question comes on adoption of the amendment.
All those in favor say, aye.
Opposed, no.
The nos have it.
The amendment is not adopted.
Number 286 is authored by the senator from Middlesex
and Norfolk, Ms. Creem, the title
of which the clerk will read.
Amendment number 286 by Ms. Creem--
CPA Trust Fund Increase.
The senator from Essex, Mr. Tarr.
Can I move for the Senate to be in a brief recess?
The Senate will be in a brief recess.
--in order. amendment number 286 is on hold.
We're now on amendment number 287
offered by the senator from Hampden and Hampshire,
Mr. Lesser, the title of which the clerk will read.
Amendment number 287 by Mr. Lesser--
Woman's Fund of Western Massachusetts.
Question comes on the adoption of the amendment.
The senator from Essex, Mr. Tarr.
Mr. President, [AUDIO OUT] --from the gentleman
who previously offered us a brief unanimous consent
statement.
[INTERPOSING VOICES]
--Young Women's Initiative.
This project will leverage resources
from other non-profits throughout the Springfield area
to address structural issues that keep low income
women from experiencing robust health, economic security,
personal safety, and leadership opportunities.
The Women's Fund of Western Massachusetts
is going to join with eight other women's organizations
from across the country who are also
active in Western Massachusetts to create a unified
effort and a unified focus, specifically
on lifting capacity among young women and girls.
These efforts are intended to identify
the types of roadblocks young women face, including
the lack of access to health care, to economic security,
to opportunity, and to break those roadblocks down.
On a local level, in Western Massachusetts,
the Young Women's Initiative is going
to work to address these issues specifically
among young low income women of color.
Through membership in the Young Women's Advisory Council, which
will be created through this initiative,
young women ages 12 to 24 will participate
in a year-long leadership development
and civic engagement program.
They're going to be mentored by leaders from Springfield's
business, philanthropy, education,
and government sectors who are going
to help them examine problems, explore solutions, and make
recommendations for policy change
and other improvements that directly affect their lives.
It's important to point out this is a public-private partnership
that leverages private investment
in this program, nonprofit investment,
and public investment through the taxpayers as well.
The Women Fund was launched in partnership--
this specific initiative was launched in partnership
with the Mass Mutual Foundation and enjoys the support
of the City of Springfield as well as the treasurer's office.
So why is this important for girls in Western Massachusetts
in particular?
It's going to bring the national expertise and resources
of these partnering organizations
to Western Massachusetts to support the workforce
development of our young women.
It will engage young women in civic participation,
educating the next generation of leaders, an important effort
that our Senate is now examining through several civic and
citizenship initiatives and bills that are
pending before us right now.
It also is going to empower young women
to address the barriers they face,
mentoring them to identify obstacles to prosperity,
and to propose solutions.
Finally, this program is going to put Springfield and Western
Massachusetts on a national stage on par
with other cities across the country that
have done similar partnerships.
And this amendment is going to support these efforts
by allowing the Women's Fund to provide stipends
to these young women.
And it will help fund the cost of the leadership
and civic engagement curriculums that these young women
will experience.
I strongly believe that this investment will demonstrate
our commonwealth's commitment to elevating
the voices of under-resourced young women
in the greater Springfield area.
And again, this isn't just a program
our commonwealth is supporting alone.
The program has already received $300,000 and commitments
from other stakeholders.
And this same program receive recognition
from the Obama administration just a few years ago
for their innovative, exciting program,
and the transformative impact that's
happening in our community.
You know, so much research has been
done about the lack of women involved in elected office
and in public life.
This is a well-tailored, highly successful program
aimed at addressing that gap and solving that deficiency.
So I hope this amendment is adopted.
Thank you.
[AUDIO OUT] the amendment.
All those in favor say, aye.
Opposed, no.
The ayes have it.
And it is adopted.
The next amendment, number 288, is a redrafted amendment
offered by the senator from Norfolk, Bristol,
and Middlesex, Mr. Ross, the title
of which the clerk will read.
Amendment number 288 by Mr. Ross--
Commission on the Operation of Chapter 21 J.
Mr. Ross.
Than you very much, Mr. President,
and through you to the members.
Amendment 288 is the underground tank storage cleanup fund.
And it was created to expedite environmental cleanup actions
providing owners and operators of underground storage tanks
with partial reimbursement for any costs associated
with the cleanup of the spills.
This could [INAUDIBLE] maybe someday.
Unfortunately, due to budgetary constraints,
the fund has been reduced.
[INAUDIBLE] claims that have been approved, but not
yet paid.
Such significant delays and reimbursement
defeats the purpose of the fund and create significant burdens
to storage tank owners and operators
that are relying on that reimbursement
to support their businesses.
I'm sorry.
Made me laugh.
This amendment would create a special commission
to study the way the fund operates,
including reviewing how reimbursement claims are
approved and issued.
The commission will examine the extent of the delay
in reimbursement that fund operating under--
to what extent impacts the effectiveness of the fund.
The commission also would explore new methods for owners
to recover their costs that may be
more effective than current reimbursement methods.
This is an important state program
not only to protect the environment,
but also to businesses and jobs that it
helps to create state-wide.
It's important to ensure it's operating the most
effective way possible.
I hope this amendment passes.
Question comes on adoption of the redrafted amendment.
All those in favor say, aye.
Opposed, no.
The ayes have it.
And it is adopted.
Amendment number 289 is on hold.
Amendment 290 offered by the senator from Plymouth
and Barnstable, Mr. deMacedo, the title
of which the clerk will read.
Amendment number 290 by Mr. deMacedo--
HRD Health and Welfare.
Question comes on adoption of the amendment.
The senator from Plymouth and Barnstable, Mr. deMacedo.
And I'll be very quick on this particular amendment.
It's simply here.
It's the health and welfare account fund
that the state contributes to dental and vision
insurance per certain collective bargaining agreements.
In the FY 18 House One recommendation,
it increased his account to fund the $760,000
payment to [INAUDIBLE],, which is contractually mandated.
Simply, this restores that since we
have a contractual obligation to fund this.
And so it is my hope that this amendment 290 would be passed.
Thank you, Mr. President.
The question comes on adoption of the amendment.
All those in favor say, aye.
Opposed, no.
The nos have it.
The amendment is not adopted.
Number 291 offered by the senator
from the Berkshires, Mr. Hinds, the title
of which the clerk will read.
Amendment number 291 by Mr. Hinds--
Municipal Procurement.
Question comes on adoption of that amendment.
All those in favor say, aye.
Opposed, no.
The nos have it.
The amendment is not adopted.
Number 292 is offered by the senator from Plymouth
and Barnstable, Mr. deMacedo, the title
of which the clerk will read.
Amendment number 292 by Mr. deMacedo--
HRD Administration.
Question comes on adoption of the amendment.
All those in favor of hearing comments
from the gentleman from Plymouth and Barnstable, Mr. deMacedo,
please smile.
The chair recognizes the senator.
Thank you, Mr. President.
This one is even smaller than the last one.
So I can understand why most likely this will pass.
This is a reduction of-- it says a reduction of $100,000
would require HRD to reduce its workforce by two FTEs.
To achieve this HRD would be required
to forego one vacant position in the Office of Diversity
and Equal Opportunity and lay off
an additional administrative FTE.
Now, I know nobody here wants that to happen.
And so simply by funding this, HRD
can reduce other-- we can take care of this problem.
HRD cannot reduce other administrative costs at this
account because it has required $708,000 for mandatory
training.
So it is my hope that this amendment is adopted.
Question comes on adoption of the amendment.
All those in favor say, aye.
Opposed, no.
The nos have it.
The amendment is not adopted.
Amendment number 293 is before us offered by the senator
from Essex and Middlesex, Mr. Tarr.
However, there is a further 2.93.1
offered by the senator from Plymouth and Barnstable,
Mr. deMacedo, the title of which the clerk will read.
2.93 by Mr. Tarr is Support for Cities and Towns.
2.93.1 by Mr. deMacedo is Municipal Regionalization
and Efficiency Initiatives.
Chair recognizes the senator from Plymouth and Barnstable,
Mr. deMacedo.
Thank you [AUDIO OUT] Again, I'm going to speak specifically
to the 2.93.1.
And then my good friend here from Gloucester
is going to talk to you about the totality of the underlying
budget amendment.
Mine simply says that we have had this community compact
that we have been doing.
It's been a very successful program, a $3.5 million program
around the commonwealth.
We have being engaging our communities in best practices.
We've been assisting them.
The state has been assisting these communities
and helping them.
It has been wildly successful.
I believe we have over 281 of the 351 communities who
have adopted the community compact, working together
with the administration to find ways to save money and help
the communities hand in hand.
So we're very excited about that.
One in this particular moment, which
is my further amendment, what it does
is it allows not only cities and towns, but allows counties.
We have counties within the commonwealth
that have helped us in so many ways in regards
to regionalization.
And oftentimes, we get these economies of scale
when we regionalize.
And so thus, it makes sense for all of us.
And what we're saying is this resource that we give
to our cities and towns through the community compact
would also be available to our counties that are functioning
and operating in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
and work as, basically, as governments as well.
So that's my end to that amendment.
And now my colleague from Gloucester
is going to share about the entirety
of underlying amendment.
The chair recognizes the senator from Essex, Mr. Tarr.
Thank you, Mr. President.
That's one of the more interesting introductions
I've had in a long time.
Mr. President, I'll do my best to meet the expectation
that my good friend from Plymouth just created.
So in a nutshell, Mr. President, this amendment
encapsulates a number of different programs
by which we assist cities and towns with local initiatives.
One of those, as you just heard, is the Community Compact
Program, which has been a partnership
between the administration and cities and towns
throughout the Commonwealth to respond
to the self-identified priorities of the communities
that enter the compact.
So far from being a top down program, which
oftentimes we hear criticism of, this, Mr. President,
is a bottom up program.
And the parties meet in the middle
with a partnership between state government
and municipal government.
In addition to that, Mr. President,
this particular amendment would also
restore funding for the District Local Technical Assistance
Program, again helping cities and towns
to modernize, to meet the many challenges that they're facing,
and to do it with a very modest investment of about $2.8
million.
And then in addition to that, Mr. President,
encapsulated in this amendment is $2 million
for efficiency and regionalization.
That program, Mr. President, has provided
funding for 30 grants covering more than 120 communities
and school districts.
And they're now benefiting from the funds in a way that
helps them capture efficiencies through regionalization
and through other constructs that, Mr. President,
ultimately also worked to benefit
the commonwealth through the savings
that those things achieve.
So Mr. President, as we've talked
about on a number of occasions throughout this budget debate,
these are the kind of programs that historically we
have been funding.
And the absence of them from this budget
not only creates a problem if we hope
to continue our partnership with cities and towns,
but it also creates a problem if we're
going to try to fund these things at some future point.
Because our partners in municipal government
have a reasonably founded expectation
that we will continue to work with them
on these types of initiatives.
So Mr. President, I hope that the further amendment
is adopted.
I hope that the underlying amendment is adopted.
And I hope I've satisfied the expectation that
was created by my good friend from Plymouth.
The first question comes on the further 293.1.
All those in favor say, aye.
Opposed, no.
The nos have it.
And the further is not successful.
Now we go to the underlying amendment, 293.
All those in favor say, aye.
Opposed, no.
The nos have it.
And the underlying amendment is not approved.
We're now on amendment number 294
offered by the senator from Hampden and Hampshire,
Mr. Humason, the title of which the clerk will read.
Amendment number 294 by Mr. Humason--
Tax Expenditure Review.
Question comes on adoption of the amendment.
All those in favor say, aye.
Opposed, no.
The nos have it.
The amendment is not adopted.
Amendment number 295 is on hold.
The Senate will be in a very brief recess.
Let me find out.
[AUDIO OUT]
Senate will be in order.
Senator L'Italien is coming to the rostrum
for the purposes of offering a memorial recess order.
And the chair would ask all members, staff, and guests
to rise.
OK, you don't mind if I read this.
I know you've--
[INTERPOSING VOICES]
Please do.
But I wanted to--
yeah.
We are recessing [INAUDIBLE].
Just did you want me to read it?
No, I would prefer if--
Yeah, your choice.
I would like to if you don't mind.
OK.
So I just start?
OK.
So we're going to be recessing in honor of my mother Claire
Dorothy Sullivan L'Italien of Andover.
Claire Dorothy Sullivan L'Italien, 92,
of Andover passed away peacefully
surrounded by her children at Ashland Farm
in North Andover, Mass.
on April 3, 2017.
Born on November 10, 1924 in Lawrence
to James Henry and Alice Ada Lynch Sullivan,
Claire was the youngest of seven siblings, raised
on Swan Street in Methuen.
Claire attended St. Lawrence O'Toole Grammar School,
Edward F Searles High School in Methuen, and Lesley College.
Upon graduation, she returned to Methuen
where she taught the first and second grades
at the central school for five years.
She met her future husband Rudolph Rudy
L'Italien at Old Orchard Beach.
And after a two year courtship, they were married in 1951.
Soon after the wedding, they started off
on an adventure that began when Rudy
accepted a job with the FBI.
His 28-year career brought them to seven homes in five states
and blessed them with eight children affectionately
referred to by Claire as her beauties.
After 16 years on the road, Claire and Rudy
returned home settling in Andover in 1967.
As mom, she did it all.
She was the taxi driver, diaper changer, referee, dishwasher,
boo-boo kisser, grocery shopper, and queen of the laundry.
And through it all in that chaotic house of 10,
there was laughter, family, and love.
She always saw the good in people, her positive attitude
and humor sustaining everyone around her.
She was devoted to her siblings--
Mary, James, Daniel, Alice, John, and Edmond, and
spent many happy times with them.
Claire was also devoted to caring for them
in their twilight years.
Once the kids grew up, Claire enjoyed
going to art and creative writing
at the end of her senior center, rediscovering a love of art,
and making new friends.
Following Rudy's passing in 1988,
she was comforted by her dear niece Maureen Blanchette
Pekarksi.
She fully enjoyed her role as Nana to 20 grandchildren,
spending winters in Florida, and Summers in Maine,
also serving as an officer of the Lawrence Garden Club.
In 1994, Claire swapped her empty nest for a blended family
with her daughter Barbara, her husband Kevin, and their four
children.
Nana was a second mother to her kids.
And it kept her young in spirit.
She was able to age gracefully at home for the next 21 years.
Claire's family would like to express their gratitude
and thanks to the three workers--
Shelley, Renee, Paula-- that took
care of her in Barbara's home, the memory care unit at Ashland
Farm North Andover, and Spectrum Adult Day
Health for all they did to help her over the last four years.
She was predeceased by her husband Rudolph Joseph
L'Italien in 1988 and an infant son John Rudolph L'Italien
in 1955.
Claire is survived by her children
James L'Italien of Chicago, Illinois;
Claire Cruwys of Lowell, Mass.; Mary Anne Waisanen
and her husband Waino of Hampton Beach, New Hampshire;
Joseph L'Italien and his wife Joanne of North Andover;
Barbara L'Italien and her husband Kevin Hall of Andover;
Patricia Rybolt and her husband Terry of Danvers;
Edmond L'Italien and his wife Elaine of Parkland, Florida;
and Susan Quinn and her husband Bruce of Jupiter, Florida.
Her beloved grandchildren are Kaitlin Ross;
Jason and Karissa L'Italien; William, Jennifer, Timothy,
and Jessica Cruwyz; Ryan and Kara L'Italien;
Rudolph, Alexandra, Samantha, and Andrew Hall;
Olivia and Hannah Rybolt; Se Sean L'Italien;
and Nicholas, Parker, Zachary, and Angelina Quinn.
Claire had 12 great-grandchildren
and one great-great-grandchild.
She's also survived by her brother-in-law Richard
L'Italien of Tewksbury, her niece Patricia L'Italien
of North Andover and many nieces and nephews.
All those in favor say, aye.
Aye.
Opposed, no.
The ayes have it.
And the motion prevails.
Chair would ask for a moment of silent reflection.
--be in order.
We are now on Amendment number 219
offered by the senator from Middlesex and Suffolk,
Mr. DiDomenico, the title of which the clerk will read.
Amendment number 219 by Mr. DiDomenico--
Child and Youth Readiness Cabinet.
Chair recognizes the senator from Middlesex and Suffolk,
Mr. DiDomenico.
Thank you, Mr. President.
[AUDIO OUT] --the Child and Youth Readiness Cabinet
to coordinate efforts to enhance cooperation and collaboration
across state departments and agencies
that serve the commonwealth's children, youth, and families.
In 2008, the Child and Youth Readiness Cabinet
was established through executive order
by then Governor Patrick to streamline
state efforts to improve services
for our children and our families.
The cabinet, chaired by the Secretaries
of Education and Health and Human Services,
worked to break down silos and provide a multifaceted approach
to increase collaboration to close the achievement gap
and ensure that children and youth of our commonwealth
have the needed tools to succeed.
While the achievement gap is commonly
viewed through an educational lens,
many other factors prevent the child
from succeeding in school.
By creating a dedicated cabinet as voted
through cross-secretariat coordination,
these other factors such as hunger, housing, health care,
mental health, and others can be tackled
through a coordinated policy approach.
During its meetings, the cabinet make strong steps
to create a better collaboration through data sharing
and integration.
However, in recent years, the cabinet
has not been meeting regularly.
As part of the Senate's Kids First Initiative,
we are codifying the cabinet and requiring this collaboration
to continue.
By ensuring this collaboration, we will help our children
and our youth succeed.
Thank you, Mr. President.
When a vote is taken, I ask it taken
by call of the yeas and nays.
Gentlemen asks that the vote [INAUDIBLE]
be taken by call of the yeas and nays.
Those joining with him, rise and be counted.
A sufficient number having arisen when the vote is taken,
it will be taken by call of the yeas and nays.
The clerk will call the roll.
Joseph A. Boncore.
Yea.
Yes.
Michael D. Brady.
Yes.
William N. Brownsberger.
Yes.
Harriette L. Chandler.
Yes.
Sonia Chang-Diaz.
Yes.
Cynthia Stone Creem.
Yes.
Julian Cyr.
Yes.
Viriato M. DeMacedo.
Yes.
Sal N. DiDomenico.
Yes.
Eileen M. Donoghue.
Yes.
James B. Eldridge.
Yes.
Ryan C. Fattman.
Jennifer L. Flanagan.
Yes.
Linda Dorcena Forry
Yes.
Anne M. Gobi.
Yes.
Adam G. Hinds.
Yes.
Donald F. Humason, Jr.
Yes.
Patricia D. Jehlen.
John F. Keenan.
Yes.
Eric P. Lesser.
Yes.
Jason M. Lewis.
Yes.
Barbara A. L'Italien.
Yes.
Joan B. Lovely.
Yes.
Thomas M. McGee.
Yes.
Mark C. Montigny.
Yes.
Michael O. Moore.
Yes.
Patrick M. O'Connor.
Yes.
Kathleen O'Connor Ives.
Yes.
Marc R. Pacheco.
Yes.
Michael J. Rodrigues.
Yes.
Richard J. Ross.
Yes.
Michael F. Rush.
Yes.
Karen A. Spilka.
Senator Spilka?
Yes.
Bruce E. Tarr.
Yes.
Walter F. Timilty.
Yes.
James T. Welch.
Yes.
Have all members been recorded?
Michael J. Barrett votes yes.
The senator from Middlesex, Ms. Jahlen.
Patricia D. Jahlen votes yes.
The senator from Worcester and Norfolk, Mr. Fattman.
[INAUDIBLE] yes.
Ryan C. Fattman votes yes.
The clerk will call the chair.
Stanley C. Rosenberg.
Yes.
On this matter, 38 having voted in the affirmative, none
in the negative, the amendment is adopted.
Which one are we doing now?
331.
Says it's on hold.
To read [AUDIO OUT]
--objection, we will take one amendment out of order.
It would be amendment number 331 offered by the senator
from Essex, Mr. McGee.
Is there an objection?
Chair hears none.
The clerk will read the title.
Amendment number 331 by Mr. McGee--
Annuity Payment for Gold Star Families.
Chair recognizes the senator from Essex, Mr. McGee.
Mr. President, and through you to the members.
In 2006, Jared Raymond of Swampscott, Massachusetts
was serving our country honorably
in the United States Army when he
was killed while traveling in a Humvee by an IED
during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Jared was just out of high school,
and he was only 20 years old when he and his mother
gave the ultimate sacrifice.
This past December, while meeting with her veterans
agent, Jared's mother learned that she had likely
been eligible for receipt of the gold star parent annuity
benefit since Jared's death over 10 years ago.
Upon learning this, she immediately applied
for the benefit and was approved for the 2016 calendar year.
She then applied for retroactive benefits
from Jared's date of death.
The statute as currently written however
provides the benefits are payable only from the date
that the parent or surviving spouse first
applies for the benefit.
Therefore, she was not awarded those retroactive benefits.
The language of this amendment was
developed in partnership with and supported
by the administration.
The change would allow retroactive benefits
to initial eligibility upon the death of a service member,
supporting those who may miss an application deadline
or be unaware of the benefit while grieving and supporting
their family after a loss.
The amendment extends the same retroactive payment provision
to parents and surviving spouses who have previously applied
and currently receiving benefits like Jared's mother.
As a commonwealth, we must stand firm with our allegiance
to our service members, veterans, and their families.
I ask your support on this amendment.
And I would ask that a roll call be called
by a call of the yeas and nays.
[INAUDIBLE] yeas and nays.
Those joining with him, rise and be counted.
A sufficient number having arisen, when the vote is taken,
it will be taken by a call of the yeas and nays.
The chair recognizes the senator from Essex, Mr. Tarr.
[AUDIO OUT] Mr. President, I rise
in support of this amendment.
I want to thank the gentleman from Lynn for bringing this
to our attention.
Obviously, this is an important benefit.
And it should not be diminished or curtailed
because someone didn't discover it early enough,
and therefore would otherwise be penalized
for the lateness of an application.
It is never too late to honor a veteran
or support their family.
And this amendment allows us to honor that proposition.
And I hope the amendment is adopted.
And I hope, Mr. President, that the vote on this
will be unanimous when a roll call is taken.
The senator from Norfolk and Suffolk, Mr. Rush.
Thank you, Mr. President , and through you to the members.
I stand here in support of Amendment 331.
And as the gentleman from Lynn and the minority leader
so eloquently pointed out, we can talk all the time,
and we can quantify the fact that the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts stands number one in the benefits
that we give to our veterans and their families.
And that's nothing short of the commitment
of every member of this state Senate
and our House of Representatives and our executive partners
through the governor's office.
We can quantify this.
This is the fact.
But the other fact is this.
There are loopholes that do exist in our law.
And the gentleman from Lynn adequately
pointed out that unfortunately, this
was a situation where a woman was
so distraught from the death of her son
that she couldn't think of anything more than his death.
A gold star mother so distraught to think that her son gave
the ultimate sacrifice.
When a service member dies, they are,
each and every one of them, are afforded
military honors graveside.
And the words said by the honor guide graveside
to that military member who dies-- many of them
are older veterans.
But the ones who are killed in action, the ones who
are part of our gold star families,
our gold star children, the ones who have fought and paid
the ultimate sacrifice, the honor guide stands graveside,
and they will look at the family members of this individual.
And they will sound Taps.
And they will fold the flag.
And they will present that flag to the family with the words
on behalf of a grateful nation, a proud military,
we offer you this flag of our country for your loved one's
faithful and dedicated service to our country.
And thank them for that sacrifice.
This is the ultimate sacrifice to continue
to ensure that the family who's left behind,
whose loved ones are killed, are honored
and that the memory of the individual who has been lost
lives on forever.
I ask that the amendment be adopted unanimously.
Thank you, Mr. President.
The clerk will call the roll.
Stanley C. Rosenberg
Yes.
Michael J. Barrett.
Yes.
Joseph A. Boncore.
Yes.
Michael D. Brady.
Yes.
William M. Brownsberger.
Yes.
Harriette L. Chandler.
Yes.
Sonia Chang-Diaz.
Yes.
Cynthia Stone Creem.
Yes.
Julian Cyr.
Yes.
Viriato M. deMacedo.
Yes.
Sal N. DiDomenico.
Yes.
Eileen M. Donoghue.
Yes.
James B. Eldridge.
Yes.
Ryan C. Fattman.
Yes.
Jennifer L. Flanagan.
Yes.
Linda Docena Forry.
Yes.
Anne M. Gobi.
Yes.
Adam G. Hinds.
Yes.
Donald F. Humason, Jr.
Yes.
Patricia D. Jahlen.
Yes.
John F. Keenan.
Yes.
Eric P. Lesser.
Yes.
Jason M. Lewis.
Yes.
Barbara A. L'Italien.
Yes.
Joan B. Lovely.
Yes.
Thomas M. McGee.
Yes.
Mark C. Montigny.
Yes.
Michael O. Moore.
Yes.
Patrick M. O'Connor.
Yes.
Kathleen O'Connor Ives.
Yes.
Marc R. Pacheco.
Yes.
Michael J. Rodrigues.
Yes.
Richard J. Ross.
Yes.
Michael F. Rush.
Yes.
Karen A. Spilka.
Yes.
Bruce E. Tarr.
Yes.
Walter F. Timilty.
Yes.
And James T. Welch.
Yes.
Have all members been recorded?
Yes.
On this matter, 38 having in the affirmative,
none in the negative, the amendment is adopted.
Senate will be in a brief recess.
Senate will be in order.
For the edification of the members,
we have two matters which we would
like to present to the members before we recess.
One of them is being third read as we speak.
And the other is ready for debate.
So if there's no objection, we're
going to return to amendment number
286 offered by the senator from Middlesex and Norfolk,
Ms. Creem, the title of which the clerk will read.
Amendment number 286 by Ms. Creem--
CPA Trust Fund Increase.
Chair recognizes the senator from Middlesex and Norfolk,
Ms. Creem.
Thank you, Mr. President.
And I'd also like to thank the minority leader for working
with me on this item.
We should be proud tonight that we adopt an amendment that
preserves a commitment our legislature made almost 20
years ago when we first voted for the Community Preservation
Act.
As you know, communities which adopt the CPA
assess a local property tax surtax up to 3%
in order to fund specific local priorities.
We all have them, most of us in our district--
historic preservation, affordable housing, open space,
and recreation.
Important promise that we made in 1999
was that state matching funds would
be distributed to support these locally determined projects.
And at the beginning, the state was
able to provide an important 100% match.
The CPA is very popular, so popular almost every senator
in this chamber represents at least one CPA community.
60% of the state population lives in a CPA community.
172 communities now draw on the state's CPA Trust Fund,
including 11 new communities this past November,
including Boston, Springfield, Holyoke, Pittsfield,
Chelsea, and others.
The state collects in matching funds
through a small fee at the registry of deeds.
It has been $20 since the year 2000.
And inflation has reduced the fee value by over $8.
Over time, the resulting match has declined.
And for the past several years, it hovered around 30%.
Now we have reached the point where CPA communities are
investing a combined $150 million
yearly, while the state contributes
last year was just $26 million.
What was designated as a state-local partnership
is no longer that.
DOR said that this year, the state match
will be at another all time low, just 15%.
And it could go down again to around 10%
when Boston and the new communities
get their first match in November of 2018.
That is why this amendment is so important.
What it does, what it's used for, particularly
in a time when we see a budget that is so low, that so many
of the things we care about--
affordable housing, and all of those other things--
won't be able to be done because of declining revenues.
This amendment provides for a $25 increase in the deed fee,
bringing it to $45, and $20 for a municipal lien certificate.
Voting for this will bring us back to just over 30%
match for all 172 communities in the fall of 2018,
and hopefully for several years after that.
It is time to increase the fee and stabilize the revenue
stream for the CPA to keep our promise to our CPA communities,
that the state will assist you with substantial matching
funds for your own municipal projects.
Thank you.
And I hope that this amendment is passed.
The senator from Middlesex and Worcester, Mr. Eldridge.
Thank you, Mr. President.
I rise in favor of this amendment.
I really want to praise the lady from Newton
for her vigorous advocacy throughout the day
for this amendment that would lead
to an increase in the state match for the Community
Preservation ACt.
I would also like to thank the chairwoman of ways and means
for her support.
And I would just say that of the 14 communities
that I represent, 10 of the 14 are CPA communities.
And I have seen how they have used money
to build affordable housing, including Habitat for Humanity
homes, protect literally hundreds
of acres of open space, and protect key historic buildings
and government buildings that really
speak to the historic nature of the district I represent.
So this is a big step forward that I
know a lot of advocates outside the state house
whether from affordable housing, open space,
or historic recreation backgrounds or advocacy groups
have been advocating for.
So I urge my colleagues to support this movement.
Thank you.
Question comes on adoption of the amendment.
All those in favor say, aye.
Opposed, no.
The ayes have it.
And the amendment is adopted.
Senate will be in a brief recess.
In order for the edification of the members,
we think we're about three minutes away
from having that final language on the final amendment
that we'll entertain this evening.
So thank you for your patience.
If you could just stand by for a couple more minutes.
Senate will be in order.
If there's no objection, we'll return
to amendment number 268, the first of two amendments
on a related subject.
The chair recognizes the senator from-- excuse me,
the chair asks the clerk to read amendment number
268, the title of which the clerk will read,
offered by Senator Brady.
Amendment number 268 of Mr. Brady--
GIC Out of Pocket Gap.
Chair recognizes the senator from Plymouth and Bristol,
Mr. Brady.
Thank you, Mr. President, and through you to the members.
I want to thank yourself, Mr. President, the gentle lady ways
and means chairwoman, and all of the members.
We worked diligently to help our constituents
and help the working people.
And Mr. President, I respect the body and the members
and all of us who have worked very hard today as we deal
with a very difficult budget.
As we talk about revenue predictions and balancing
budgets,
I would like to take you back to last week
when yourself, Mr. President, and Senator Pacheco
and some of our colleagues were kind enough
to join me in Brockton.
At the first annual Tom Kennedy award presentation,
there were many kind words spoken about Senator Kennedy
and what he spoke of.
But nobody talked about balanced budgets
and what budgets he voted for.
They talked about the work he did
and how much he helped people each and every day.
The first Tom Kennedy award was given to our good friend Archie
Gormley.
He is a Brockton firefighter.
And each and every day, he is fighting
for active and retired employees, their dependents,
and the survivors of deceased employees, fellow members
as well.
And firefighters, like many of our members,
put their life on the line every day.
These amendments are put in place
to help protect the rights of these employees.
And we know some of those rights in the past
have been taken away.
So we are doing our due diligence
to protect all of the working peoples'
rights of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
I thank you for your support on both of these amendments coming
before us today.
Thank you.
Question comes on adoption of Amendment number
268, a redrafted amendment.
All those in favor say, aye.
Opposed, no.
The ayes have it.
And the redrafted amendment is adopted.
We have 266 now?
OK, the Senate will be in a very brief recess.
Senate will be in order.
The chair would ask all the members to approach
the rostrum, please.
The senator from Bristol, Mr. Pacheco,
moves that the Senate stand in recess
until tomorrow at 10:00 AM.
All those in favor say, aye.
Opposed, no.
The ayes have it.
And the Senate stands in recess in memory
of Claire Dorothy Sullivan L'Italien of Andover
until tomorrow at 11:00--
10:00 AM.
At 10:00 AM.