With the New Year upon us, I wanted to take a moment to share with you my thoughts on the work to be done by the Massachusetts Legislature this year, and to let you know about some of the bills I will be prioritizing in my own work over the coming months.
Although the economy seems to be slowly rebounding and revenue numbers have finally started to hit benchmark levels, the fact remains that we face a serious budget gap this year of several billion dollars. As a result, the budget process will dominate the legislative agenda for much of the spring, as we make the hard choices as to which priorities we will continue to fund, what will be cut, and what new revenue, if any, we will seek out.
During the budget process, my priorities will be:
1) Protecting local aid (including Chapter 70, lottery aid and regional school transportation) to cities and towns.
2) Maintaining funding for vital social safety net services (programs to help the homeless, low-income families, at-risk children, those with disabilities, the elderly, etc.).
3) Advocating for a fair, adequate and stable tax system that will raise sufficient revenue to support our state’s goals and priorities.
4) Promoting budget transparency and accountability, particularly around the issue of tax credit transparency, so that we can be sure that every penny of the public’s money is being spent effectively.
5) Preventing deeper cuts in spending on environmental protection, stimulating economic development, and investing in transportation.
Approving the annual budget is one of the Legislature’s most important jobs. Please be in touch to let me know your priorities for funding in the coming fiscal year.
The Legislature, working in partnership with Governor Deval Patrick, has made government reform a priority over the past year, passing sweeping reforms to our pension, lobbying and campaign finance, and transportation systems last spring. I expect we’ll continue in that vein this year, starting with passage of a final education reform bill this week, as we look for reforms that can help improve the functioning of government and other no-cost policy proposals that can make a positive difference in the lives of people all across this Commonwealth.
Issues I expect will come before the Legislature this year include:
Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) and Sentencing Reform: I was pleased to support a comprehensive CORI and Sentencing reform bill, which passed the Senate last fall. This bill will help reduce recidivism among ex-offenders and lower criminal justice costs, saving the state money while promoting public safety at the same time. Read my testimony in support of CORI reform here.
Health Care Cost Control: Although Massachusetts is a national leader in expanding access to health insurance, health care costs continue to spiral out of control. Members of the Senate are currently working on legislation to address the health care cost problems, which I expect will come before members sometime this year.
Safe Driving Bills: Texting while driving and the issue of re-testing for elderly drivers are two issues that received a lot of attention last year, following a string of fatal accidents. I support a ban on texting while driving and hope to see it come before the Legislature quickly. I also support efforts to require retesting for drivers over a certain age, along with policies that would permit doctors who have patients with cognitive disabilities, of any age, to recommend them to the Registry of Motor Vehicles for retesting. Thinking long term, of course, it is also important to remember that if Massachusetts places additional restrictions on senior drivers, we will need to give seniors additional options for getting around town so they can run their errands and remain involved in their communities.
Expanded Gambling: It seems possible that the question of expanded gambling in Massachusetts will come before the Legislature this fall. I am strongly opposed to bringing casinos, slot machines, or “racinos” to the Commonwealth, and I will be working hard to try and defeat these proposals this session. Learn more about my position on expanded gambling here.
Foreclosure: The growing foreclosure crisis is an affordable housing issue that has had a serious effect on our district, and the Commonwealth as a whole. I’m supportive of legislation that would increase neighborhood stability by creating protections for tenants in foreclosed properties and requiring banks and financial institutions to ensure proper upkeep and maintenance of foreclosed properties, and I hope to see this issue addressed by the Legislature this spring.
Transgender Nondiscrimination Bill: Representative Carl Sciortino’s bill adding gender identity and expression to the state’s nondiscrimination and hate crimes statutes is another piece of legislation that ought to pass this session. This no-cost bill, which has the support of a majority of the House and Senate and, according to polling, a strong majority of the public, would provide important protections for a group of people who often face discrimination. The bill is ultimate about equality, and I hope Massachusetts will take the next step forward on the path towards equality for all people by passing this bill this year. Read my testimony on the bill here.
Municipal Relief: As the Senate chair of the Joint Committee on Municipalities, I have been working hard on municipal relief bill, to provide cities and towns with new tools to respond to the ongoing fiscal crisis by managing limited resources more efficiently. I hope to see the bill brought before the Legislature this spring.
The bill will offer provisions for managing employee benefits more effectively, require each community to move all its eligible retirees to Medicare coverage, and provide some pension funding relief within fiscally responsible parameters. In addition, several provisions encourage and facilitate regionalization of municipal services and reform municipal procurement requirements, thus providing cost efficiencies without jeopardizing transparency or quality.
In addition to the above issues facing the Senate, I will also be working to advance (and, hopefully, pass) the legislation I have filed through the legislative process. You can view a full list of the bills I have filed this session here, but here a few highlights:
Asset Development Legislation: This bill would remove state-imposed barriers to asset development for low-to-moderate income residents of the Commonwealth who receive support through the Department of Transitional Assistance and will promote gainful employment and financial stability for low-income families. Although there is some initial cost associated with the bill, which may make its passage this year difficult, I believe that ultimately it would save the Commonwealth money in reduced need for services (over time) and reduced administrative costs. Watch my testimony on the bill here.
Massachusetts Freedom to Vote Bill: This bill comprehensively and fundamentally updates and improves voting in Massachusetts, and if enacted, would give Massachusetts some of the strongest voting laws anywhere in the United States. It is my hope that at least pieces of this bill – including Election Day Registration and pre-registration for 16- and 17-year-olds – can make it through the Legislature this session.
E-waste Bill: This bill requires producers of electronic waste (e-waste), – i.e. computers, televisions and printers – to be financially responsible for the proper disposal of their products. The bill aims to vastly reduce the amount of hazardous chemicals leaching into landfills from e-waste disposal by increasing public accessibility of e-waste recycling, while also taking the financial burden of collecting and recycling e-waste products off of municipalities and placing it instead on the manufacturers. We came very close to passing this bill last session, and I am working to see it signed into law this year.
Sustainable Water Resources Act: We know that when streams get too low, it has a serious impact on water quality and the aquatic habit. However, there are currently no minimum streamflow standards in place to safeguard the water levels in rivers and streams necessary for sustaining healthy ecosystems, fish, and other water-dependent wild.
This bill requires the Department of Environmental Protection to adopt regulations establishing standards for restoring and maintaining stream flow in the rivers and streams of the Commonwealth. In addition, the bill updates the state’s dam safety statute and allows for municipal water banking.
As always, I’d love to hear your thoughts about these issues, or any other concerns you may have. Please contact my office anytime to let me know your thoughts, or for answers to any questions you may have.
This past Friday, my staff and I spent the day at the Middlesex & Worcester district office in Marlborough, volunteering for the local Holiday Helper program. We arrived at the office prepared to sort toys — a task that seemed, when it was first assigned to us, rather straightforward and quick, but that ended up being a massive project.
Massive, because of the overwhelming generosity shown by Marlborough residents eager to give back to those less fortunate in their community. There were multiple truckloads of donated dolls, games, trucks, clothing and other gifts that needed to be unloaded, unpacked, and sorted into piles before being packaged up for children in the community who otherwise might not have presents this season. When I entered the room where all of these toys were being stored, there were literally thousands of toys ready to be sorted for needy children in the Marlborough area.
The work my staff and I did that day was just a small part of a much larger community-wide operation that takes place every year, from identifying families in need to processing applications, soliciting donations, and distributing gifts to area children. We were honored to be a part of it, and I am so proud that my District Director, Peggy Ayres is one of the primary organizers of the effort every year.
The Marlborough Holiday Helper program began in December of 1988, when a local family, having suffered through a year of illness, job layoffs, and ultimately eviction, came to the Department of Human Services for help paying their rent. Even after receiving money from the Mayor’s Charity Relief Fund, it became apparent that the parents would not be able to provide Christmas presents for their three children. The Human Services Department reached out to the community to donate gifts, and was met with extraordinary generosity. The Holiday Helper Program was born to ensure that all children in the community would receive a gift during the holiday season.
Rosalind Baker, director of Marlborough’s Human Services Department, and Peggy from our office currently run the Holiday Helper program, processing applications from families who otherwise would not have gifts for their children during the holidays.
It’s a huge job, and they do amazing work. Last year the program received 500 applications, and this year many more are expected. No applications are denied, and although children may not receive every item on their wish list, the Holiday Helper program tries to ensure they receive at least one item a child specifically requests.
Spending Friday unpacking waist-high boxes of gifts, and filling bags for children with trucks, mittens and books soon to be tucked under Christmas trees and given during Hanukah this week, I was proud to represent a community that fosters such selfless kindness. The Holiday Helper program, as well as all of the many other similar holiday programs and food banks throughout the Middlesex & Worcester District, are such a success thanks to the strong community support they receive each year.
Despite all of the work put in by dozens of volunteers, including myself and my staff last week, there is so much work left to be done to make sure that every area needy child has a memorable holiday. If you have a day or even a few hours to help out, please contact Peggy at (508) 786-3040 or email her at Margaret.Ayers@state.ma.us for information on sponsoring a child or helping with the distribution process.
Wishing everyone a safe, happy Holiday Season!
Jamie
P.S. On another charity note, this past Monday I had the pleasure of being at the ribbon cutting of a new Marlborough-based program of Employment Options, called Furnishing Options, that collects surplus furniture and other household goods and provides them to low-income individuals and families to furnish their homes. If you or your family have household goods to donate, or would like to help support the program, please contact Diane Ring, Executive Director, at (508) 485-5051 extension 245, or visit www.employmentoptions.org/FurnishingOptions.
One Monday morning this past fall, a group of young, committed environmental activists came into my office. They were part of the Leadership Campaign, and they’d spent the past night sleeping on the Boston Common as part of a weeks-long event to raise awareness about climate change. My staff and I were impressed with this group’s passion and activism, and I wanted to share some information with you about what they are trying to accomplish.
The Leadership Campaign is a collection of students, environmental organizations, and other interested individuals who are calling for state government to address the effects of global climate change, with their dedication demonstrated by nightly sleep-outs on over twenty college campuses throughout the state and at Boston Common in protest of the dirty electricity used to power their college homes, apartments and dorms. With the UN Climate Change Convention talks starting today in Copenhagan, last night marked the group’s final sleep-out.
Their focus? Reducing carbon dioxide emissions, highlighting NASA climatologist James Hansen’s assertion that the current political consensus to stabilize carbon dioxide levels at 450 parts per million is an inadequate goal, and that the current 390PPM level must be brought down to 350 to prevent global destabilization.
In particular, they are pushing for passage of An Act to Repower Massachusetts, which calls for a complete overhaul of the Commonwealth’s current protocol for electrical generation. I was more than happy to sign on and support this forward-thinking legislation.
The bill would create a new RePower Massachusetts Emergency Task Force, which would be charged with creating a comprehensive plan by June of 2010 to achieve a 100 percent reduction of greenhouse gas emission levels by January 1, 2020. The recommendations and regulations of the Task Force will reflect careful consideration of the impact of the transition to a clean energy economy on low-income communities and will allow for a complete phase-out of coal-powered electricity by January 1, 2015. An Advisory Council will periodically review and adjust the legislation in order to ensure that it meet the overarching goal of 100 percent greenhouse gas emission reduction by 2020.
The global warming phenomenon has, in the past decade, become the greatest challenge to environmental security that we face here in Massachusetts, and indeed on a national and global level. While Massachusetts has proven itself a leader in efforts to diminish the effects of global warming through such legislation as the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative and the Green Communities Act, more needs to be done to address real threat that global warming poses to our state’s ecological, social, political and economic wellbeing.
There are many issues facing the Commonwealth, but it is clear there is no more important issue for the world than stopping global warming. It is so inspiring to see dedicated citizens like these young people putting so much effort into making a difference on this issue. Across the Middlesex & Worcester District, there are environmental activists, municipal officials, and everyday citizens who are doing their part, and I am equally committed to passing legislation to make a difference in stopping global warming as well.
I was recently asked to be a guest blogger for a fantastic local organization — Give US Your Poor: The Campaign to End Homelessness.
Go read it here.
Here’s a little more about this great group:
Give US Your Poor is a national public education campaign addressing homelessness. It is housed at the McCormack Graduate School of Policy Studies at the University of Massachusetts Boston. In 1999, Give US Your Poor began as a documentary film project looking at homelessness, and has grown into a wider education campaign utilizing networks, media, public support, and the latest research on homelessness. From the beginning, Give US Your Poor has existed not to compete with other homeless organizations, but rather to complement and work with them.
Crossposted at BlueMassGroup
There are two articles in the Boston Globe today, dealing with very different subjects but absolutely related, that we wanted to call your attention to.
First up: Budget Cuts will Imperil State’s Poor:
The state estimates that the children of 9,100 families with parents so severely disabled that they qualify for federal Supplemental Security Income benefits will lose their state cash assistance as a result of the $600 million in budget cuts that Governor Deval Patrick announced late last month.
And second, Disclose who benefits from special tax breaks:
A group of lawmakers wants to revive a proposed requirement under which state officials who administer so-called refundable tax breaks would have to identify the recipients, the number of jobs created, and the average salaries of those jobs. The rule is wise and well worth adopting.
Last summer, we wrote to update you on a measure in the budget that we, and a group of other legislators, have been pushing – a transparency provision which would require state agencies that administer refundable tax credits to report annually the names of recipients, the size of the credits, and the number of jobs produced, providing us with the information we need to effectively manage the public’s money and a measure of accountability as to the cost effectiveness of tax credits.
At a time of extreme budget cuts, this provision is even more important. Tens of millions of dollars go out in the form of refundable tax credits every year – and yet legislators, and the public, have no idea where the money is going or what effect it’s having.
How can we cut services, like those detailed in the first Globe article, to below the bone and still refuse to even look at the impact and effectiveness of the money we spend on tax credits?
During budget deliberations this year, we had many discussions on raising revenue. But it’s also important that we make sure we know how that revenue is being spent, particularly when it comes to tax breaks for corporations. These tax breaks might be effective; they might not. The truth is that right now, we simply don’t know.
We’ve spent the last few months talking to our colleagues, and we know there is support among many of them for tax credit transparency. But if this proposal isn’t brought up for a vote, then that support doesn’t matter. The Legislature’s last formal session of the year is tomorrow.
If you agree with us on this issue, we urge you to please contact your legislators and ask for their support. Then ask them to go a step further, and let House and Senate leadership know that this issue is important to them and they’d like to see it come up for a vote.
Sincerely,
Senator Jamie Eldridge & Representative Carl Sciortino
I’m happy to report I was discharged from Spaulding Rehabilitation Center on Tuesday, and am now recovering at home. Following are some thoughts I pulled together during my time at Spaulding:
After undergoing three surgeries at Mass. General Hospital, I was sent to my next ordeal: physical rehabilitation. In Massachusetts, patients are fortunate to have a number of excellent options of rehabilitation hospitals, including Spaulding, which is located right next to North Station in Boston. I was transferred to Spaulding almost two weeks ago.
Being in the Spinal Cord Injury Unit is an immediately sobering experience. About half of the patients here are permanently disabled, most of them young men who were either engaged in some reckless behavior or met their fate in a freak accident. While medical advances allow them to get around in hi-tech wheelchairs and the therapy they receive gives some of them a chance to someday be able to move their arms or more, their reality was incredibly depressing. It made me feel incredibly grateful my injuries are not permanent disabilities, and that I will recover from them within a few months.
To see the nurses, assistants, therapists, and other rehab team members work with the patients is incredibly inspiring. Their positive attitudes in working with patients who have such significant challenges is part of the reason, in my opinion, that patients do improve at Spaulding. The daily regimen is intense but fair, and it’s amazing to see how quickly the body can improve itself.
While the intensive therapy I received prevented me from really getting to know the other patients that well, the close living quarters and conversations with staff reveal very quickly that these dedicated men and women battle the U.S. health care system every day in trying to do the best for their patients.
One day I overheard a young, permanently disabled man outside my room inform a fellow patient that he was being discharged a week early from Spaulding. It wasn’t that his therapy team had decided he was ready to go to the next level – it was that his insurance company had determined that they would not pay for any further comprehensive therapy at Spaulding. He was headed home, and he really wasn’t sure what he would be able to do to improve his current physical limitations.
When I spoke with one of my nurses about this, she told me how things had changed in health care over the course of her twenty-three years at Spaulding. When she first started, a patient with such injuries could stay for 9 to 12 months. Today, insurance companies push for an early discharge, or simply include in their policies a cut-off date for paying for such services.
As an elected official, I hear stories like this often. But being there at the rehabilitation facility as a patient myself, and seeing these cruel policies implemented right before my eyes, really drove the point home. How is it that in the richest country in the world, this is how our health care system works? How exactly do the for-profit forces stop the rest of us from changing the system overnight, and ending this outrage?
There must be a way to provide for the full needs of every patient who is brought in on a wheelchair or gurney to this floor, and the thousands of other medical floors in this country where Americans are also suffering, and to improve their quality of life with enough attention and dedication from medical experts. I continue to believe that if we all came together on this national embarrassment, the changes that need to be made would sweep the country.
Yet clearly, as we have seen in the current debate on health care in Washington, D.C., change is an uphill battle. I do believe that the national health care reform that President Obama and the Democratic Congress are working on will improve the American health care system — yet I wonder if we, the people, will have the political will to make the changes in our system necessary to ensure that the patients at Spaulding can stay until they’re ready to go home.
On the morning of October 7th, 2009, I suffered a one-minute seizure that broke some of the bones in my back, strained my spine, and tore my right shoulder out of its socket. Given the seriousness of the injuries that I sustained, I was rushed to Mass. General Hospital.
I don’t remember any of the above — but I do remember being relieved that I was at MGH once I became aware of what was going on, because I knew that I’d be getting arguably the best medical care in the world to fix my injuries. Just taking in the scene of doctors and nurses looking after me, I felt extremely relieved to live in Massachusetts and have access to such excellent health care.
The reason I had access to this care was, of course, because I am lucky enough to have comprehensive health care through the state GIC, which would cover the three surgeries, extended care, and rehab necessary for me to recover from my injuries. It is impossible to overstate what peace of mind this gave me, my family and loved ones.
But what about those patients at MGH, and across the country, who don’t have health insurance as comprehensive as mine, or health insurance at all? What peace of mind is there for their families at an incredibly difficult time?
As a patient, I wanted to be sure I would receive the highest quality medical care possible, and that I would be able to enjoy the same basic quality of life I had before my injury. And of course my fellow patients at MGH, many of whom were less well-off than I was, had the same hopes and expectations.
But as I lay in bed, knowing that I was lucky enough to have excellent health insurance that would cover my treatment, I couldn’t help but thinking over and over about those who weren’t so lucky.
I’ve been a strong proponent of a “Medicare for All” health care system since first joining the Massachusetts Legislature seven years ago. I believe a single-payer system like this will best achieve the health care reform goals that many of us share, from providing health care coverage for the uninsured to improving coverage for current health insurance members, reducing health care costs, and simplifying the country’s health care delivery system.
But over the past month, as I have been focused on health care as a patient, rather than as an elected official, I’ve become more and more convinced that any health care reform we make – single payer or otherwise – must start with the agreement that access to quality health care should be a right in this country.
There is a basic quality of care we all deserve when we are sick or injured. Yet without establishing health care as a right, there is no guarantee that every other Massachusetts citizen would be treated like I have been. In fact, absence government intervention, there are strong market, financial, and societal incentives that make it highly likely that no basic standard of treatment will exist.
As a society, we all benefit when individual members have access to quality health care. In my case, had I not received the right treatment within a relatively short amount of time, my life would have been changed dramatically, limiting my ability to be the most productive citizen that I could possibly be, and my ability to contribute to society, .
It’s the same for anyone else in a similar situation: good health care improves productivity, and the lack of it worsens the quality of life for each of us.
In the United States, within the basic framework of positive and negative rights found in our U.S. or state constitutions, the establishment of a right ensures that regardless of a person’s background (economic circumstances, race, religion, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, etc.), he or she is able to freely access certain services from the government. In Massachusetts, this ranges from the right to free speech and assembly to the right to public education, with guaranteed equal treatment of all people by the government.
The facts that I have excellent health insurance, live in a state that has long prioritized health care towards its citizens and that is home to the best doctors and nurses in the country, and have a job that provides paid sick leave to allow me the time to properly recover without falling into deep economic insecurity all but guarantees I will make the best recovery possible (in my case, a full recovery). However, not every Massachusetts resident – and certainly not every American – is as fortunate as I am.
Until we define health care as a right, there will continue to be Americans like those I have met over the past month, whose lives will be irreversibly thrown off-track by an accident or illness, whose financial insecurity will lead to greater physical problems, whose lives will be changed forever because they lacked access to quality health care.
I can think of few other instances of government assistance that would have as dramatic an impact on people’s lives as a right to health care, and that would make every community richer.
Dear friends, family, constituents and co-workers,
I have now been discharged from MGH for six days, after successfully undergoing three surgeries to repair the damage from the seizure I incurred on October 7th. Since being discharged, I have been in physical rehabilitation at the Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital, next to North Station in Boston, and one of the best rehab facilities in the country.
Per the doctor’s orders, I spend about 3 hours a day on occupational and physical therapy, and the rest of the day resting from my injuries, making phone calls, responding to emails, and seeing visitors.
Since completing my three surgeries (a week ago from Friday), I’ve also been able to review State House mail, including cards and messages from constituents, co-workers, and family and friends. I am absolutely overwhelmed by the kind, appreciative and thoughtful correspondence that I’ve received, from everyday citizens to the state’s highest political leadership. I can’t thank everyone enough for your support and well wishes as I work to get back on my feet.
Your cards sustain me, keep me occupied when I’m not doing physical rehab, and get me excited to get back to work, and back to a normal life.
Until then, keep your messages coming, and please keep me in your thoughts and prayers. I am making great progress at Spaulding, and I believe part of the reason for that is the positive thoughts people are directing my way.
In addition, I am doing my best to get back to people who call me, email or write me, but it is taking time. If you haven’t heard back from me yet, my staff and family are helping me keep track of who has been in touch, and I look forward to re-connecting with you over the next couple of months.
Best wishes,
Today I testified in front of the Joint Committee on Education for one of the bills I’ve filed this session: H486, An Act Relative to An Act Relative to Enhancing English Opportunities for All Students in the Commonwealth.
The goal of this bill is to improve our system so that ALL students in the Commonwealth who are learning English have the opportunity to become proficient and perform at the level of their native English speaking peers.
As the number of non-native English speakers increases in my district and across the Commonwealth, it’s vitally important – both for the well-being of these students, and for the success of our overall economy – that we make sure these kids are learning English in our schools.
In a state where 14% of residents are foreign-born, a failure by Massachusetts public schools to teach English to the children of immigrants will have a chilling effect on the quality of life of thousands of young adults.
But the research on the state of our current system of teaching Limited English Proficiency (LEP) students is clear: we’re doing abysmally, and failing thousands of students.
LEP students have higher dropout rates than any other group (10.4% for LEP students, compared to 3.6% for non-LEP), and the performance disparity between LEP students and their native English-speaking peers is rising disproportionately.
Quite simply, our system as it stands is horribly ineffective at reaching its goals: helping students become proficient in English.
The bill I’ve proposed would give school districts the choice of what English language programs to offer and holds them accountable for their implementation and effectiveness.
It would increase program flexibility for English Language Learners (ELLs), which research clearly shows is the single best way to make sure students learn English. After all, not everyone learns in the same way, and our instructional system should reflect that. School districts would have the flexibility to choose appropriate instruction, including transitional bilingual education, two-way bilingual education, structured English immersion, English as a second language, or other innovative programs.
The bill would also increase accountability, by requiring that school districts collect data on English language learners and file reports on the programs and curricula that have been implemented to educate them, and the outcomes of these programs
Finally, it would increase the role of parents, by requiring that schools notify parents and guardians of the availability of these programs.
We can’t afford not to reform this failing system. Increasing dropout rates for LEP students affect not only those students and their families, but have a negative impact on the economy of the Commonwealth – particularly if those students never become proficient in English.
The idea that we as Massachusetts residents can look the other way, ignoring reality, while thousands of children move through the public schools to a bleak future is not only deeply cynical, but will have a powerful negative effect on quality of life, state revenues, and reliance on state social services. Massachusetts has always been a place of innovation, especially in the area of education, and it’s time for us to think more broadly, recognizing the diverse and complex makeup of school children in the Commonwealth.
It’s a broken system, and we need to fix it.
On Tuesday, September 15th, I testified before the Joint Committee on Children and Families on two of my high priority bills.
These bills came out of the work and recommendations of the the Asset Development Commission, which I’ve chaired for the past two years.
S. 37, An Act Removing Barriers to Financial Stability and Asset Development for Low-to-Moderate Income Families proposes to raise asset limits for people receiving different public benefits, in order to allow low and moderate-income families to save money so they can pull themselves out of poverty by going to college, buying a house, or starting a business. Too often, state policies serve to create more obstacles for poor families that prevent them from breaking the cycle of poverty, and S. 37 would serve to eliminate some of these financial barriers.
S. 38, An Act Relative to Worker’s Pathways for Self-Sufficiency, would allow these same families to better access Education Rewards grant that allow them to go to college or another educational institution, in order to gain the skills to get a better job and move out of poverty.
While I was pleased to testify on these bills, the most inspiring part of the hearing was all of the policymakers, activists, and residents of the Commonwealth who came to tell their stories.
Among the citizens testifying was a woman who had been able to attend Smith College through an Individual Development Account (IDA) program, allowing her to provide a better life for her family.
Another man, on the board of the Crittendon Women’s Union, talked about how his daughter, in part through the benefits of being raised in a middle-class family, has been able to move onto college and have a successful job while a young METCO student of the same age who the family had hosted ended up dropping out of college after graduating from high school because she couldn’t pay the tuition. There were also dozens of anti-poverty practitioners who talked about how asset development programs have made such a difference in the lives of their clients, and how increased flexibility in state asset limits could help even more families.
In my remarks to the committee, I made the observation that state government has passed legislation to invest in biotech companies, promote alternative energy, and attract film producers to Massachusetts, all in the name of economic development. The state needs to be equally vigilant in promoting economic development for those who are less well off in Massachusetts, so that all citizens have a chance to provide a better life for themselves and their children. I believe that removing asset limits from state policies is a critical part of encouraging this kind of economic development and self-sufficiency.
Campaign Constituent
I met with 2 constituents today in Marlborough, disgusted w/ influence of corp power in state & fed govt; we need campaign fin reforms NOW #
