Third Term Report

         November 2005

                Below are some of my activities on your behalf during this third term of office. 

•  Voted to override the Governor’s veto of $42 million in pay raises for University of Massachusetts employees.
•   Voted to increase the property  value threshold from $400,000 to  $600,000 making  tens  of  thousands  of  additional  seniors  across  the  Commonwealth  eligible  for the annual state  income  tax  credit  of  up  to  $840.
•  Successfully advocated for new amendments to the Sex Offender Registry Law. The changes now require that sex offenders register before they leave prison and that all information and pictures of level 3 offenders are put on the internet.
• Filed three bills to: 
 o  amend existing law to require increased minimum mandatory sentences with life time intensive  parole for violent sex offenders;
 o  increase the penalty for government employees or contractors socializing with inmates and to   require  pre-release classification of inmates based on the severity of their crimes; and
 o  amend existing law to facilitate pre-release classification.
• Voted to override the Governors veto of $240,000 in funding for the Sex Offender Registry Board so the Board can hire more people to classify sex offenders more quickly. 
• Worked with Congressmen Delahunt and local citizens to stop the closing of Otis Air National Guard Base.  Is presently working to keep the 102nd fighter jets on that base.
• Is working with the Committee on Education to examine new sources of funding for Chapter 70 aid to education other than property taxes.
• Successfully amended the Supplemental budget to include research on stopping the Winter Moth/European Bud Worm.
• Voted to raise the rate a public defender receives for private  attorneys  who  represent  the  indigent  while  also  reforming  the  system  by  lowering  cap  on  number  of  hours  they  can  bill  taxpayers  for  compensation.
• Gained $100,000 funding to serve upper cape veterans at the Falmouth Free Clinic.
• Wrote a letter to successfully gain an agreement from the Secretary of Transportation to use the Town of Falmouth’s design criteria for the upgrade of Route 28 from Teaticket to Waquoit.
•  Pushed Bourne’s home rule petition through the House to facilitate the building of the new Bourne Elementary School.
• Fought successfully for double lining the entire length of Route 28 from the Falmouth border to the Mashpee rotary at the request of local residents.
• Gained $20.000 for the Town of Falmouth to implement a program called Blue Eyes/Brown Eyes in our schools to improve MCAS test scores and teach children about all forms of racism.  This program was taught in July 2005 and has been funded for a second round.
• Successfully amended the FY05 budget to include funding for Falmouth Family Planning which was slated to close in 2005.
• Restored $23 million the Governor vetoed for additional assistance to cities and towns.
• Restored $6.5 million the Governor vetoed for special education in the “Circuit Breaker” program, which reimburses expenses for our special need students.
• Fully funded home care services to provide health aides, home respite care, and other home services to senior citizens.
• Guaranteed $290 million to the Commonwealth’s nursing homes to ensure our districts nursing homes remain open for our sick and frail elders.
• Helped pass an Economic Recovery bill to stimulate our local and state economies by attracting manufacturing firms to Massachusetts and matching federal research grants to promote industrial growth in high technology.
• Worked to close corporate loop holes in our tax code.

            Legislative Initiatives            

             {For a complete list see Legislation on this website.}
 
• Refiled an Act to Establish Minimum Efficiency Standards for Appliances and successfully moved it through the legislature.  This bill in now Chapter 139 of the Acts of 2005.
• Filed legislation to protect our National Guard troops by requiring testing for Depleted uranium (DU) poisoning by DU ammunition
• Filed legislation to freeze property taxes for our seniors.
• Cosponsored the Military Family Relief Act that will place a check off on State income tax forms to donate to Military Families.   This legislation has now become part of “The Welcome Home” bill signed by the Governor on Veterans Day.
• Cosponsored and wrote provisions in the comprehensive HEAT energy legislation that will provide a $20 million dollar funding increase for fuel assistance; a tax credit for fuel bills of up to $800.00 for single persons if tax payer adjusted gross income is equal to or less than $50,000 or joint filers and single that qualify as head of households if tax payer adjusted gross income is equal to or less than $75,000; zero interest loan funding for weatherization, insulation, new heating systems, new water heaters and solar domestic hot water heaters and tax credits for the purchase of energy efficiency products.