BOSTON -With home foreclosures continuing to rise in the Commonwealth in spite of the improving economy, the Senate and House today sent final consumer protection legislation to the Governor that protects both homeowners and tenants from mortgage fraud and arbitrary evictions.
“The foreclosure crisis has had a serious impact on many communities in my district, hurting homeowners and tenants and destabilizing neighborhoods. Over the past year, it’s only grown worse, with the number of affected units in the district growing by 15%, according to the Massachusetts Housing Partnership. This legislation will help reduce foreclosures and keep people in their homes. It’s an important bill, and I was proud to support it,” said State Senator Jamie Eldridge (D-Acton).
The bill requires that tenants in foreclosed buildings can only be evicted for just cause. A lender cannot evict a tenant for failure to pay rent unless a written notice with proper contact information has been posted and delivered. It does not prohibit a lender from evicting tenants for valid reasons, such as using a unit for illegal purposes or not allowing 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.
The right-to-cure period can be reduced from 150 days to 90 days if the lender makes a good-faith effort to negotiate a commercially reasonable alternative to foreclosure.
These new provisions require at least one meeting or telephone conversation between the homeowner and the lender to discuss a commercially-reasonable alternative to foreclosure. The lender’s representative must have the authority to agree to the revised terms.
Additionally, this new provision expands the content of the notice of right-to-cure that banks must send to homeowners.
Further protecting homeowners, the legislation requires those who want to obtain a reverse mortgage on their home to meet with a counselor approved by the Executive Office of Elder Affairs.
In addition, the bill would criminalize residential mortgage fraud.
The bill also establishes a new local option property tax exemption that permits a charitable organization that acquires a foreclosed property, and plans to create low and moderate income affordable housing there, to be exempt from property taxes until it rents or leases that property, but not for more than seven years after purchase.
This bill now goes to the Governor for his signature.
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BOSTON - The Massachusetts State Senate passed two bills today designed to modernize our debt collection laws and provide important protections for those struggling with debt from unscrupulous debt collectors - An Act to Remedy Unlicensed Debt Collection Activity, sponsored by State Senator Jamie Eldridge (D-Acton), and An Act Further Regulating Debt Collection, sponsored by Senator Pat Jehlen (D-Somerville) and co-sponsored by Senator Eldridge.
“No one wants to be in debt — but more and more Massachusetts families find themselves in this situation as the economic crisis continues. Many of those who fall behind on payments are struggling with an unexpected event, such as a long illness, unemployment, or disability. In these difficult economic times, we need to do more to help financially-distressed families get on their feet, and these bills will help do that,” said Senator Jamie Eldridge.
An Act to Remedy Unlicensed Debt Collection Activity will help victims of unlicensed debt collectors to seek damages. By specifying that unlicensed debt collectors shall be liable to victims for restitution, the act ensures that victims of unlicensed debt collection are assured of a remedy and that violators will not profit from their unlicensed debt collection activity
An Act Further Regulating Debt Collection will update and modernize our general laws regulating debt collection by increasing the value of property, earnings and savings exempt from seizure during debt collection. Because our current debt exemptions are decades out of date, families struggling with debt are often left with almost nothing to live on - making it difficult for them to maintain a job to continue paying their debt. This bill would deal with the serious unintended consequences of the current law.
Key provisions of the bill including updating the law to allow a debtor to keep $2500 in a bank account (up from $500) at any one time - a provision of particular importance for seniors, who often receive their Social Security checks directly deposited into their bank account. It would also help debtors continue to be able to work by including child care in the definition of basic necessities and increasing the value of an exempt car from $700 to $7500.
In addition, it would increase a number of other living expense exemptions, such as raising the rent exemption from $200 to $2500 per month and increasing the utility allowance from $75 to $500 for month, so that no family has to choose between accumulating more debt and paying for heat.
“At a time when Massachusetts is facing significant budget cuts across the board, this is a rare bill that will provide much needed support, at no cost to the Commonwealth, to residents who are facing extraordinary economic hardships, often through no fault of their own,” said Eldridge. “I’m pleased to have been a co-sponsor, and I hope to see it passed into law this session.”
The bills now move to the House for that body’s approval.
(BOSTON) - The Massachusetts Legislature yesterday evening passed a municipal relief package that establishes a statewide mutual aid agreement to allow cities and towns to share resources, permits municipalities to extend funding schedules for pension systems and allows for regionalization efforts among municipalities. The measure will give cities and towns across Massachusetts new tools and encourage innovation in managing their budgets and in these challenging fiscal times.
“In these tough fiscal times, this bill will give municipal officials more tools to trim costs, to deliver services more efficiently through cooperation among communities, and to tackle administrative problems in innovative ways in order to govern as effectively as possible in this time of lean resources,” said Senator Jamie Eldridge (D-Acton), Senate chair of the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government and co-author of the bill.
The Municipal Relief bill was a combination of the best ideas suggested by the Municipal Relief Commission (co-chaired last year by Chairman Paul Donato and Senator Stanley Rosenberg), Governor Deval Patrick, local officials throughout the state, legislators, municipal advocacy groups, and private citizens. It was the culmination of an 18 month process, led by Senator Jamie Eldridge and Representative Paul Donato, chairs of the Joint Committee on Municipalities & Regional Government.
In an effort to save municipalities money, the bill establishes a statewide mutual aid agreement to allow municipalities to share fire services, law enforcement, emergency medical services, public works and other local services in the case of a public safety or public works incident.
In addition to mutual aid, the bill would allow regional school districts to join with municipal districts to share a superintendent that would represent the partnering districts. The bill also creates a commission to study efficient and effective strategies for regionalization to bring further cost savings to municipalities across the Commonwealth.
The bill also provides pension funding relief for cities and towns by extending their funding schedules to 2040. In addition, the legislation creates an optional early retirement program for municipalities. Participating employees would need at least 20 years of service to participate and municipalities would be required to limit the total number of employees who can take part in the program.
The legislation includes a renewable energy revolving fund and betterment program, which would allow municipalities to offer a loan program to property owners for renewable energy improvements. This would give towns interested in promoting energy conservation and green energy the legal mechanism to set up a revolving fund for this purpose, and encourage the use of solar panels and other renewable energy sources.
The legislation allows municipalities to lease public buildings for up to 30 years. Currently, cities and towns may only lease public buildings for up to 10 years. To relieve the tax burden on veterans and members of the National Guard, the bill expands property tax abatement to all veterans and establishes a 100 percent property tax abatement for active National Guard members and reservists on duty in a foreign country.
The bill also allows cities and towns to establish temporary tax amnesty programs under which municipalities may waive portions of the penalties and interest due on unpaid taxes as long as the taxpayer pays the principal amount owed and was not the subject of a criminal investigation for failure to pay taxes.
To help save costs, the bill allows school committees to offer a program to reimburse parents who voluntarily choose to transport their disabled child to an approved out of district placement. In order to offer such a program, though, the community must demonstrate that the program will result in cost savings.
The bill now goes to Governor Patrick’s desk for his signature.
BOSTON - The Senate on Thursday voted 28-10 to approve legislation that would automatically send the Commonwealth’s 12 electoral votes to the presidential candidate with the most popular votes nationwide, State Senator Jamie Eldridge announced today.
“This system will ensure that all votes count equally in a presidential election - which means that voters in Massachusetts would know that their votes mean just as much as votes from Ohio, New Hampshire or Florida, and that presidential candidates will focus on our state just as much as they do on battleground states,” said State Senator Jamie Eldridge, a strong supporter of the measure. “In passing this bill, we are helping strengthen the foundation of our democracy - the principle of one person, one vote.”
Senator Thomas P. Kennedy (D-Brockton), Senate Chairman of the Joint Committee on Election Laws, said: “Today, the Commonwealth took a large step to ensure that the person who assumes the most powerful office in the world - the Presidency of the United States - receives the majority support of the American voters.”
The bill is part of an interstate compact that would take effect only if enough states join to make the electoral votes of the states in the compact combine for at least 270, which is the number needed to decide who wins the presidential election.
With enough states in the compact, the electoral votes from each member state would automatically go to the candidate with the most popular votes nationwide, therefore making that candidate the winner.
Currently, five other states (Illinois, New Jersey, Hawaii, Maryland and Washington) have enacted the compact legislation.
Any state can withdraw from the compact up until six months before the end of the current President’s term.
In the case of a tie, the votes will return to a state-by-state Electoral College method.
The bill now goes back to the House for further action.
BOSTON-State lawmakers filed legislation today intended to counter a Supreme Court ruling allowing corporations and unions to pour unlimited amounts of money directly into political advertisements. Senator Jamie Eldridge, Representative Cory Atkins and Representative William Straus filed the Massachusetts Corporate Political Accountability Act to address the problems created by the Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United v. FEC.
“If left unchallenged, the Supreme Court’s reckless decision will allow corporate lobbyists and other powerful special interests to dominate the electoral process with unending negative campaign ads. As a result, the voices of ordinary citizens could be drowned out,” said Senator Jamie Eldridge (D-Acton). “The legislation we’re filing today is about protecting the integrity of our democratic system from the corrosive influence of profit-driven political spending.”
This past January, on a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court struck down bipartisan legislation that had limited corporations from spending their general treasury funds on political expenditures. In March, the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance ruled that the decision invalidated similar prohibitions in Massachusetts General Law.
The legislation filed today would require new levels of disclosure and transparency for corporate political spending, eliminating “pay-to-play” opportunities for state contractors, enshrining new protections for employees, shareholders and investors, and prohibiting foreign corporations from influencing elections in Massachusetts.
The legislation has also won the early support of Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin. “This legislation is a step closer toward ensuring that the public can know which corporations are spending what to influence elections and public policy and I wholeheartedly support this effort,” said Secretary Galvin.
“The Constitution begins, ‘We the people,’ not ‘we the corporations,’” said Representative Cory Atkins (D-Concord). “The Supreme Court made a terrible mistake by giving corporations unlimited power to influence elections. We demand that this ill-conceived notion be corrected as soon as possible. If passed, this legislation will help ensure that people, not companies, decide who wins elections.”
While several other states have passed smaller measures aimed at responding to the Citizens United decision, the legislation being put forward in Massachusetts is by far the strongest and most comprehensive. The legislation would require CEOs to appear in person in the ads that their companies pay for to take responsibility for the ad and inform the public that they “approve this message,” and require shareholder and director approval for corporate political spending.
The law would also require the top five contributors to the cost of ads covered under the new rules to be listed to prevent corporations from hiding their political contributions behind dummy organizations.
“This important legislation is needed to solidify our campaign finance laws,” said Representative William Straus (D-Mattapoisett). “Without its passage, future campaigns could be drastically altered, so much that foreign corporations could jump into state and municipal elections with their outside money and change the result.”
The state legislation comes just days after Congress was widely criticized by good government watchdogs for watering down the federal response to the ruling.
“Massachusetts should join a growing number of states and the federal government in addressing a potential tsunami of corporate political spending unleashed by the Citizens United case,” said Pam Wilmot, Executive Director of Common Cause Massachusetts. “This unfortunate decision essentially overturned laws across the country, like ours in Massachusetts that were passed 100 years ago. The Massachusetts Corporate Political Accountability Act cannot reverse the decision, but it can ensure that citizens have the facts in a timely manner and can ensure that shareholders have a say in whether such expenditures get made in the first place.”
The lawmakers also filed a nonbinding resolution calling on Congress to pass a Constitutional Amendment to clarify that corporations do not have the same rights as citizens.
“The American people have used the Constitutional amendment process over and over again to make our democracy work for everyone, and to correct the Court when its missteps threaten the American promise of self-government,” said Jeffrey Clements, general counsel of Free Speech for People, a national Constitutional amendment campaign launched in response to the Citizens United ruling. “The ruling in Citizens United that corporations have the same speech rights as people and can pour billions of dollars into our elections at every level is deeply wrong and threatens our democracy. Americans across the country now are working for a 28th Amendment to restore free speech and fair elections to the people. We are grateful for the leadership of Sen. Eldridge, Rep. Atkins and Rep. Straus in this effort, and proud that Massachusetts once again is taking a leading role to ensure government of, for, and by the people.”
ACTON- Friday, June 18, 2010 - As part of the Patrick-Murray Administration’s Massachusetts Works program promoting job growth long-term economic recovery, Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray and and State Senator Jamie Eldridge today announced funding to design a major expansion of the popular Bruce Freeman Rail Trail through Westford, Carlisle, Acton and Concord.
The $931,500 in capital funds will design the next two phases of the Freeman Rail Trail, the first of which will extend the trail south by an additional nearly five miles.
“This strategic investment in designing the expansion of the Freeman Trail will enhance the transportation and recreational infrastructure in the region, providing long term healthy transportation benefits to the residents of Acton, Westford, Carlisle and the many people in the surrounding communities who use and enjoy the Trail,” said Governor Deval Patrick.
“As part of our administration’s transportation reform we have committed to improve service within all transportation systems in the Commonwealth,” said Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray. “Today’s announced design funding for the expansion of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail is another example of infrastructure improvements that will offer our residents increased recreational and healthy transportation opportunities in the region.”
“As we continue under Governor Patrick’s leadership to make improvements to bicycle and pedestrian access, recreational trails such as the Freeman are an important part of our investment strategy to support healthy transportation options,” said MassDOT Secretary & CEO Jeffrey Mullan.
“The Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, the product of many years of work of local municipal staff, elected officials, and of course the Friends of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail, has been a popular destination for bikers and pedestrians alike, providing a scenic and safe alternate transit option for local residents. The additional funding announced today will help us take the next step forward in extending this project into Acton, Carlisle, Concord, and Westford, making it accessible for many more biking enthusiasts. In making this grant, the Patrick-Murray Administration continues to show its strong support for alternative transportation programs that increase the quality of living in all of our communities,” said State Senator Jamie Eldridge, D-Acton.
“This event marks over two decades of citizen and government partnership, hard work, and devotion to a trail that will help protect our environment from harmful emissions, encourage healthy lifestyles, and knit our communities together. What a proud day this is for us to share,” said State Representative Cory Atkins.
“This addition to the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail expands transportation and recreation opportunities for families in Acton and will benefit the community for generations to come,” said State Representative Jennifer Benson.
The funds will design the next two phases of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail from the end of the current trail through Westford and Lowell south through Westford, Carlisle, Acton and Concord, including construction of a 10-12 foot paved asphalt multi-use trail, construction of a pedestrian bridge over Route 2A/119, and rehabilitation of six existing rail bridges along the Trail. A segment of the trail crossing Route 2 will be designed with the Concord Rotary Project. In October 2009, the Patrick Administration awarded an additional $500,000 in “Transportation Enhancements” funding to support final design of phase 2A of the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail.
The estimated construction cost of the first phase of Trail expansion through Acton, Westford, and Carlisle is $7.7 million.
Together, investment in roads and bridges has grown from $515 million in FY 2007 to a projected $1.1 billion in FY 2010. The road and bridge construction program will support more than 10,000 jobs on 385 separate projects across the Commonwealth. Additionally, MassDOT has reduced the time from construction contract advertisement to construction start from 218 days in 2008 to 124 days in 2009 - a more than 43 percent drop in wait time. For ARRA projects, the timeline from construction contract advertisement to notice to proceed was reduced to 48 days, allowing MassDOT to put people to work on construction projects faster than ever before.
To learn more about Massachusetts Works, visit www.mass.gov/governor/massworks. For additional information on how the Patrick-Murray Administration’s agenda has led Massachusetts out of a global recession faster and stronger than the rest of the nation, visit www.mass.gov/governor/agenda.
MassDOT is the new, unified transportation organization created in 2009 under the historic reform legislation passed by the Legislature and signed into law by Governor Patrick. MassDOT’s four divisions are focused on delivering safe and efficient transportation services across the Commonwealth. For transportation news and updates, visit the MassDOT website at www.mass.gov/massdot, the MassDOT blog at www.mass.gov/blog/transportation or follow MassDOT on twitter at www.twitter.com/massdot.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 5/26/10
BOSTON - The Massachusetts State Senate passed an amendment to the FY11 budget today that would subject corporate sponsored political advertising to the same disclosure laws that apply to other political spending, and require CEOs to “stand-by-their-ads” by appearing in their ads to say they “approve this message.”
This amendment, written by State Senator Jamie Eldridge (D-Acton) and Secretary William Galvin, was proposed as an initial response to the United States Supreme Court’s ruling in the Citizen’s United case, which gave corporations a constitutional right to limitless independent expenditures and electioneering communications.
“This legislation is a first step towards a comprehensive solution — because at a minimum, corporations spending money in political elections should have to disclose those expenditures to the public,” said State Senator Jamie Eldridge. “When someone stands up to speak at town meeting, the first thing they say is their name and where they’re from. Corporations seeking to influence an election should at least be held to the same standard.”
Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin, who co-authored the amendment with Sen. Eldridge, praised the Senate action. “Voters deserve to know the precise source of funding of advertising designed to influence their vote,” Galvin said.
“This amendment will bring some amount of accountability to the corporate cash that will be unleashed by the Citizen’s United case in this fall’s elections. More needs to be done, but this is a great start, and I’m glad to see the Senate is taking this issue seriously,” added Pam Wilmot, Executive Director of Common Cause.
“This is an essential and critical first step — politics should be for people, not corporations. Kudos to the Senate, and especially to Senator Eldridge,” added Avi Green, Executive Director of MassVOTE.
Senator Eldridge is working with Common Cause, MassVOTE, and other legislators to craft a more robust and comprehensive response to the Citizens’ United decision, which they intend to file in the coming weeks.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 13, 2010
BOSTON - The Senate on Thursday unanimously passed a municipal relief bill that gives cities and towns new tools and local options to plan budgets, pool resources and save money, Senator Jamie Eldridge announced today. The legislation, which Eldridge has been working on for over a year, also includes new pension reform provisions that will generate millions of dollars in savings for local and state retirement systems.
“As our cities and towns face tough financial times, this bill will give municipal officials the new tools they need to operate more efficiently, capitalize on opportunities to streamline services, plan effectively for the future and, ultimately, save money,” said Senator Jamie Eldridge (D-Acton), Senate chair of the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government. “It’s a collection of small changes that, added up together, will make a big difference in the way our cities and towns serve local residents in this time of lean resources.”
“This bill removes unnecessary requirements that stand in the way of regionalization and other options that can help save money, giving municipalities added authority and independence to make decisions and structure local programs,” Senate President Therese Murray (D-Plymouth) said. “It also builds off of landmark pension reform legislation we passed last year, closing more loopholes in existing law and ensuring a more equitable retirement benefit system for all public employees.”
Senator Stanley Rosenberg (D-Amherst), Senate chair of the Special Commission on Municipal Relief, said: “Our commission did its work knowing that many of our cities and towns will simply be unable to provide core services unless new tools are provided and old, wasteful practices are abolished. This bill will help local government officials better meet the needs of their citizens during this fiscal crisis.”
The pension reform provisions are a unique aspect of the Senate municipal relief bill and will apply to all current and new employees to the extent it is constitutionally permissible.
The key provisions include:
In addition to pension reforms, the bill also establishes cost-saving efficiency measures specifically for local governments and gives municipalities the ability to enter into shared-service agreements free from collective bargaining requirements.
Several regionalization measures in the bill would allow cities and towns to establish mutual aid agreements between fire, police, EMS, public works and other local services; and allow school districts to share superintendents and enter into collaborative bulk-purchasing agreements.
Other initiatives benefiting schools include:
Additional money-saving local options in the bill establish an early retirement program for municipal employees with at least 20 years of service. The benefit would be capped at 80 percent of the employee’s salary. Municipalities would be limited to the number of salaries they could replace.
The bill also gives municipalities the option to use electronic billing, if approved by a board of selectmen or mayor, and establish temporary tax amnesty programs that would expire June 30, 2011.
A series of sound business practices in the legislation improves and streamlines the local bidding and procurement process, and allows municipalities to enter into cost-saving cooperative purchasing agreements.
Finally, the bill also increases the authorized term of municipal leases from 10 to 30 years, and it eliminates the need for legislative approval to rectify irregularities in town elections or town meetings if the secretary of state finds that procedural standards were met.
BOSTON - Thursday, State Senator Jamie Eldridge, along with his colleagues in the legislature, will enact a final bill aimed at preventing bullying in all its forms and providing clear structure for how school districts should respond. The bill, which defines and bans bullying in schools, also requires that prevention and intervention plans be developed in every school across the Commonwealth.
The final anti-bullying legislation was filed by a joint Senate-House conference committee, to which Eldridge was a Senate appointee, today. It defines and prohibits physical, verbal and written acts that threaten or cause harm to another student, including Internet “cyber-bullying,” and extends these prohibitions to all school facilities, school-sponsored functions, school buses and bus stops. It also requires all school districts, charter schools and non-public schools to develop prevention and intervention plans by December 31, 2010 that include procedures for investigating bullying incidents, notifying parents and determining appropriate disciplinary actions.
“Over the past few months, I’ve heard so many heartbreaking stories from constituents - both parents and children - who have strong concerns about bullying in our schools. The urgent need to act was clear, and I’m glad that we’re able to move this bill on to be passed as soon as possible,” said State Senator Jamie Eldridge. “This final bill is a strong step towards ensuring that every child, in every school in the Commonwealth, feels safe coming to school, and that our schools have the tools they need to create a safe school climate and put a stop to bullying.”
Age-appropriate instruction for students in each grade on bullying prevention will be incorporated into a public school’s curriculum, in addition to professional development for teachers and other staff to help them identify and prevent bullying. These changes will go into effect beginning for next school year. School districts will also be required to offer education to parents about bullying prevention. The Department will aid districts in identifying professional development opportunities that are either free or of little cost to the district.
If and when bullying occurs, the bill requires all school staff to promptly report bullying to the principal when they witness or become aware of it. A school principal or his designee must immediately investigate and take appropriate disciplinary action. The bill requires school principals to notify local law enforcement of bullying incidents if there is reason to believe criminal charges may be pursued, with regulatory input from the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education. Each school will be in charge of developing and implementing a plan of action that will meet several provisions outlined in the legislation.
The anti-bullying bill will go to the Senate and House for enactment Thursday and then to the Governor’s desk to be signed into law.
MARLBOROUGH - State Senator Jamie Eldridge (D-Acton) will host the 30th Annual Senior Conference in Marlborough on Thursday, April 22nd at Assabet Valley Regional High School located at 215 Fitchburg Street in Marlborough. The Conference - free for all seniors - will feature a wide variety of services, workshops, food, and entertainment.
The conference, an annual tradition in the district since 1979, provides vital information to seniors. This will be the second time that Senator Eldridge has hosted the longstanding event.
Workshops will cover a wide variety of topics such as: property tax relief, identity theft, estate planning, and reverse mortgages. In addition to workshops on serious issues facing seniors, the event offers a host of educational and entertaining presentations such as: belly dancing, travel, Shakespeare and the Battle of the Bulge.
New this year is a “brown bag” Medication Therapy Management multi-lingual drop in session sponsored by Rite Aid. Seniors are encouraged to bring in all of their medication - prescription, over-the-counter and supplements in a brown bag and sit one-on-one with a pharmacist to discuss drug and food interactions.
According to Senator Eldridge, “Given the current economic environment, it’s incredibly important that seniors in the district know what resources are out there and that our office is always available to handle constituent problems or concerns. This event provides them with crucial information and support in a fun and informative fashion..”
The event includes free coffee and donuts in the morning, a hot catered lunch, health screenings, entertainment by the Senior Strutters and many door prizes.
Senator Eldridge encourages all seniors to attend this great event and learn more about available resources. Senator Eldridge adds, “Throughout my years in public service, I have always been very committed to assisting the seniors I represent. I hope that this event shows the community that my office is accessible and that we are all more than ready to help any senior who asks for it.”
Free tickets are available at local Council on Aging offices or by contacting Senator Eldridge’s District Director, Peggy Schwarz Ayres at 508-786-3040.
Campaign Constituent
Economic Development & Small Biz Health Care bills have many details, but both share increased transparency that will lead to bigger reforms #
