Senator Susan Fargo

Construction to begin on new Connors Pool

The Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) will celebrate the start of construction on the new Connors Memorial Swimming Pool in Waltham on October 20, 2010, at the pool.

The Connors Memorial Pool complex was built in 1954 and closed in 2001 due to the unsafe, deteriorating condition of the bathhouse. Under the Patrick-Murray administration, DCR will create a new pool and bathhouse facility that is safe, accessible, and low maintenance, and that will directly benefit the health and recreation interests of area residents.

The construction celebration will be Wednesday, October 20, at 11 a.m. at the pool site, 330 River St., Waltham.

Providing the $6 million in funding for the Connors pool design and construction symbolizes the Patrick-Murray Administration’s commitment to revitalizing state parks and recreational facilities across the Commonwealth. It is one of many projects recommended for funding in the five-year, $1.7 billion environmental bond bill signed by Governor Patrick in August 2008.

“We are delighted to be starting the construction work at this facility,” said DCR Commissioner Richard K. Sullivan Jr. “The Connors pool has been closed for more than seven years. It is time to get it open again.”

The new pool will have a gradual beach entry, a separate lap area, a contained area for small children, and an open swim area for adults and older children.

The new bathhouse will include shower and toilet facilities, family changing spaces, offices for a pool manager and lifeguards, a first aid room, storage for lifeguard equipment, and a janitors closet. The bathhouse will also feature a central atrium with vending machines, drinking fountains, phones, and shaded benches.

Earlier this year, DCR contracted with Associated Building Wreckers of Springfield to demolish the existing bathhouse and part of the existing pool. The shell of the old pool will be used as a form for the new one.

“The families of Waltham have a real reason to celebrate,” said State Senator Susan Fargo. “In continuing Waltham’s history of innovation along the Charles River, this will be DCR’s first pool complex with fully integrated ‘green’ technology to save operating costs. Working with Commissioner Sullivan, Mayor McCarthy, Rep. Koutoujian and Rep. Stanley, Connors pool will be rebuilt and enjoyed by families for generations to come.”

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Lexington receives infrastructure grant to support Shire expansion

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Cubist Pharmaceuticals Expands In Massachusetts, To Create 58 Jobs

Governor Deval Patrick and Massachusetts Life Sciences Center President & CEO Susan Windham-Bannister today joined company employees and local officials at Cubist Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (NASDAQ:CBST) in Lexington to highlight the company’s expansion in Massachusetts.

The Governor participated in the company’s “Raising the Roof” ceremony, marking the beginning of a construction project that will add an additional 104,000 square feet of lab and associated administrative space to Cubist’s existing lab facility by early 2012.

The Life Sciences Center, charged with implementing the State’s ten-year, $1 billion Life Sciences Initiative proposed by Governor Patrick in 2007 and signed into law in June of 2008, awarded a tax incentive of $1.7 million to Cubist last year to facilitate their expansion plans in Lexington.

As part of the tax incentive agreement Cubist has committed to creating 58 new jobs this year.

Read more…

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Local politicians remember Kennedy

by Jen Judson – Daily News Tribune

WALTHAM —

Local politicians remembered Sen. Ted Kennedy’s power and compassion yesterday on the first anniversary of his death.

“He helped a lot of people in ways most people don’t know anything about,” said state Sen. Susan Fargo, D-Lincoln.

“It hardly seems like a year,” Fargo added, “and it must be a hard time for Mrs. Kennedy. She is wonderful.”

“He was such a large person,” she said, “in the best way possible.”

Fargo said Kennedy “moved mountains” when she came to him asking for help getting a man from Israel to the Bedford Veteran’s Administration Hospital to see his dying father, a Waltham resident.

Fargo had called the Israeli Consulate, but due to complications with a lost passport, the son could not get to the U.S. to say goodbye.

Then Fargo called Kennedy.

“The staff people were wonderful,” Fargo said, and the son was “here within 24 hours and got to say goodbye.”

Fargo also worked with Kennedy to prevent the closing of Hanscom Air Force base, which found itself on the short list during a base realignment and closure process.

The base, located in Bedford, is also a major research and development facility, said Don Siriani, Fargo’s chief of staff.

The closing of the base would have resulted in the loss of $2 billion to $3 billion a year in economy-boosting business, Fargo said.

“Kennedy was amazing in sticking to that effort from start to finish,” Siriani said.

“Ted led the fight because he knew how important that was,” Fargo said.

The base remained open.

“He has been missed,” said state Rep. Peter Koutoujian, D-Waltham. “It was incredible to have a senator that worked so hard and cared so deeply about individuals in Massachusetts and yet had such incredible power in the nation. … It’s very rare that you find that combination.”

“Ted Kennedy never forgot about people,” he added. “You could never dispute his deep compassion and empathy for people.”

Kennedy helped Koutoujian bring the Armenian Heritage Park to fruition on the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway. The ceremonial groundbreaking for the park will be Sept. 9.

Koutoujian said he remembers Kennedy noticing him at an Irish Immigration Center Awards dinner.

Kennedy came over and said, “in a Kennedy-esque accent, ‘I understand that on the Rose Kennedy Greenway we are going to be having an Armenian paahk (sic),’ ” Koutoujian said.

State Rep. Thomas Stanley, D-Waltham, said having lunch with Kennedy at Wilson’s Diner on Main Street a few years back was memorable.

The group at the diner had “a very nice conversation,” Stanley said. Kennedy told many old campaign stories at the lunch.

“The tone might be a little less divisive down in Washington” if Kennedy were still alive, Stanley said. “It seems like partisan politics has reared its ugly head.”

In reading Kennedy’s biography, “One of the things that is striking was his positive attitude throughout everything that he’d been through and that his family had been through,” Stanley said. “It is just amazing.”

“The relationships that he has built,” Stanley said, resulted in “the most impressive network I can think of.”

Jen Judson can be reached at 781-398-8004 or jjudson@cnc.com.

Copyright 2010 The Daily News Tribune. Some rights reserved

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Fargo Touts Reform Efforts

By Jen Judson – Daily News Tribune

WALTHAM —

State Sen. Susan Fargo, D-Lincoln, said she pushed for reform throughout the 186th formal session on Beacon Hill, which wrapped up at the end of July.

Reforming the pension system, ethics laws, the state’s transportation infrastructure and health care costs are among the issues on which Fargo worked.

In addition to working on various reforms, Fargo said she was active in the expanded gambling debate.

“One thing that had taken up a lot of our time at the end of the session,” said Fargo, “was the casino legislation.”

The debate took, “more time and energy than any other issue I can think of,” she said.

Fargo ultimately opposed the expanded gaming legislation, which made it to the governor’s desk only to be returned with amendments.

By creating an electronic newsletter this session more people were encouraged to respond to her office, Fargo said. Through the newsletter, Fargo polled constituents regarding the casino legislation, which influenced her vote on the bill before the Senate.

One of Fargo’s favorite moments, looking back on the session, was during the casino debate on the Senate floor, she said. She and a group of other senators had thoroughly researched Senate rules and created a strategy to steer the debate.

“We really had the leadership kind of on the ropes because we were organized and using the rules in ways we hadn’t used before,” said Fargo. “It was exciting.”

As part of the casino bill, Fargo added an amendment, adopted unanimously, that directs 1 percent of all gambling revenue to a property tax relief fund. The fund will provide property tax assistance to seniors.

Also working on issues close to Waltham, Fargo’s earmark in an environmental bond bill secured the funding for the $6 million Connors Pool renovation project, said Fargo’s legislative director, Tim Miley.

“The Connors Pool reconstruction is on target and on schedule,” said Fargo, “and the bids have gone out.”

Fargo also plans to meet with Mayor Jeannette McCarthy and the Department of Conservation and Recreation to talk about a study of the flooding problems at Beaver Brook and other parts of Waltham, she said.

Securing about $100 million for the reconstruction of Crosby’s Corner between Lincoln and Concord on Rte. 2 is another accomplishment of which Fargo is proud.

“It will create jobs and improve safety for everyone,” said Fargo.

Most recently, Gov. Deval Patrick signed into law Fargo’s bill improving school nutrition at the end of the formal session.

State Rep. Peter Koutoujian, D-Waltham, “deserves a lot of the credit as well,” said Fargo.

“It is a major effort against the obesity epidemic among children and it will put healthy food in school vending machines and cafeterias as well as set new nutritional standards,” said Fargo, who is chairwoman of the Public Health Committee.

Fargo received the Public Health Champion Award from the Massachusetts Public Health Association this year in honor of her work on the school nutrition bill.

Fargo said that although she is opposed to gambling in the state, she pushed an amendment through, as part of the expanded gaming bill, banning smoking from casinos.

The governor just signed an autism insurance reform bill, which Fargo cosponsored, and also a bill allowing for communication devices to be readily accessible in schools for children with communication impairments, said Miley.

Legislation to protect women, who are breastfeeding, from harassment, took effect this session, said Miley.

“This gives women a legal right to breastfeed anywhere they have a legal right to be,” said Fargo.

Fargo authored a budget amendment to help children of fallen veterans attend higher education in the state. The bill would waive tuition and fees to attend a state college or university for children with a parent killed in military action.

Fargo said she would like to continue working on health care reform focusing on gender disparities.

Although reform made four years ago to combat racial and ethnic disparities in providing health care has helped, said Fargo, “women are having problems finding access to affordable health care,” when addressing reproductive health.

“There is an awful lot of ground to cover,” regarding this issue, said Fargo, hoping to continue this work if re-elected in the fall.

In the Senate there is, “an awful lot of turnover with people retiring or running for other offices,” said Fargo, and it is important to have those in the Senate, “who know the ropes.”

“I feel especially after this last session that I have learned a lot,” she said.

Jen Judson can be reached at 781-398-8004 or jjudson@cnc.com.

Copyright 2010 The Daily News Tribune. Some rights reserved

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Senator Fargo Authors Amendment to Provide Higher Education Benefits for Children of Fallen Soldiers

Senator Susan Fargo authored an amendment to the FY 2011 budget that expands full cost waivers to state colleges and universities to children of fallen soldiers. The amendment passed unanimously.

“The Senate’s action today represents our solemn commitment to the education of children whose mom or dad died in the line of duty,” said Senator Fargo, author of the amendment. “Our state has always been at the forefront in providing benefits to service members and their families. The best way to honor our fallen heroes is to help provide their children with a good start in life by giving them the opportunity to seek higher education.”

“As we head into Memorial Day, we remember and continue to honor the brave men and women who have stood in harm’s way and paid the ultimate sacrifice. However, we must also remember that these service members, in keeping us safe, have left loved ones behind,” said Senate President Therese Murray. “Providing the opportunity for the children of our fallen service members to go to college is just a small way to continue to honor their sacrifice and service to the Commonwealth and the nation.”

The waiver would be available to a surviving child of a parent who died as a result of injuries sustained during active and full-time military service outside the United States while deployed in support of or in an armed conflict or hostility as a member of the armed forces of the United States or National Guard, occurring after 1989.

“For the children who have lost a mom or a dad in service to our country, this measure is a small way of saying ‘Thank You’ for the ultimate sacrifice paid by their families,” said amendment sponsor Senator Stephen Brewer (D-Barre). “No child of a fallen soldier should be denied the opportunity to seek educational advancement because their family is unable to afford it. I am proud that the Senate unanimously adopted this amendment that will ease the burden faced by these families.”

If the child meets the admission criteria to the college or university, the amendment provides a full waiver of charges for tuition, fees and room and board. The waiver does not extend to community colleges or if the child already holds a higher education degree.

Once the Senate completes debate on the budget, members of the Senate and House will work on a final compromise version of the FY 2011 budget. The 2011 fiscal year begins on July 1.

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Patrick in Waltham touts state health insurance program

by Jen Judson, Daily News Tribune staff

WALTHAM —

SuperLogics, a local business, said that it saved nearly $10,000 by using Business Express, a state program to help small companies that are struggling with rising costs of health insurance.

Gov. Deval Patrick yesterday paid a visit to the Third Avenue company that designs and assembles performance rackmount and touch panel computers, to hear firsthand how Business Express has helped the company.

SuperLogics President Matthew McGinity said the company of a dozen employees had received an announcement in the mail about three months ago explaining the company’s health insurance was going to go up by about 23 percent.

“We decided we owed it to ourselves and our employees and indirectly to our customers to try and seek out lower cost alternatives,” said McGinity.

At that time, the company received a mailer from Business Express, a part of the Health Connector of Massachusetts. It was launched in February in conjunction with Patrick’s small business jobs bill.

“Our new Business Express program makes it easier for small employers and brokers to shop and compare plans, and for the smallest employers it substantially reduces administrative costs,” said Patrick in a press release.

“We went to the Web site and it was very well organized and allowed us to quickly compare plans, in part because the benefits from each of those plans was standardized, so you could really easily do an apples to apples comparison from plan to plan,” said McGinity.

“We zoned in on the plan most similar to the one we had last year and we selected it and enrolled online so we could get right back to what we needed to do here, which is build computers for our customers,” he said.

McGinity said the company saved $9,300 as a result of shopping online at Business Express.

At SuperLogics yesterday, Patrick toured the company’s headquarters and peered curiously at computer “motherboards” that technicians Scott Streeter, 26, Yujin Vasquez, 20, and Michael Constantini, 32, were busy building in their workshop.

All three technicians are relatively new employees, having started work at SuperLogics four to five months ago.

“We need you to start hiring so that we can have a recovery and what I hear over and over again is the accelerating cost of health care is an obstacle to that hiring,” said Patrick.

“I am so delighted that through the Connector we can be able to offer you an option to be able to manage your costs down and give you some economic breathing room,” he said.

SuperLogics plans to move to a bigger location in Natick this summer. McGinity, who started the company in his basement in 1995, said the company needs more space.

“This company and companies like it are the backbone of our commonwealth,” said Patrick. He said 85 percent of businesses in the state are small businesses.

“They are just like this, filled with people of imagination, energy, of drive and focus, who, in small numbers, are making a difference,” he said.

Also in attendance, was the Health Connector Executive Director Jon Kingsdale, state Sen. Susan Fargo, D-Lincoln, whose district includes Waltham, and Eric Shultz, the CEO of Harvard Pilgrim.

Kingsdale said at SuperLogics yesterday that Business Express works because business owners like McGinity want to use it and because people like Schultz trust the program to present his product fairly.

“Early indications are very positive – small business owners are embracing this new alternative,” said Kingsdale in a press release.

More than 200,000 Massachusetts residents are currently enrolled in Connector programs, according to a press release from the governor’s office. Business Express already has 2,900 members.

“This is a case where the private sector and the public sector came together in a very fruitful partnership,” said Fargo of SuperLogics.

“I hope we can see this story replicated many, many times across the commonwealth as we work together to tackle the really big problems of health insurance costs,” said Fargo. “We will accomplish that.”

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Mass. Senate passes bill limiting junk food at schools

by Boston Globe Staff

The state Senate approved a bill today that bans the sale of junk food and sugary drinks in school vending machines and school stores.

Senators, who backed the measure in a unanimous vote, said they were motivated to act following a series of reports revealing the magnitude of the childhood obesity problem. One in three schoolchildren in Massachusetts were overweight or obese in 2008, up from one in four two years earlier, according to a report by the Massachusetts Health Council, a nonprofit nonpartisan advocacy group.

“Families in this Commonwealth deserve that their children be offered food that is healthly, wholesome, and safe,” said Senator Susan Fargo of Waltham.

(Click headline to read full story)

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Lawmakers renew calls to repeal ‘granny tax’

by Rita Savard – Lowell Sun

CHELMSFORD — Marion Gowdy and her husband made a promise to one another.

“We said that if we got too old to live on our own, we would never end up living with our kids,” said Gowdy, 97. “We didn’t think it would be fair to them and we didn’t think it would be fair to us. We were very independent.”

Gowdy’s husband, George, died in 1979. But the couple had scrimped and saved, and when Gowdy was no longer able to live alone, she moved into a nursing home.

But this year, Gowdy, along with about 8,000 other self-pay patients in the state nursing-home system, were hit with a hefty bed-tax hike that jumped from $11.59 to $19.17, causing many to worry about assets depleting faster and getting pushed onto the Medicaid rolls.

The tax increase, which was featured in Sunday’s edition of The Sun, has spurred a handful of Democrats and Republicans to come out swinging on the so-called “granny tax,” clamoring for a repeal.

But family members with loved ones in nursing homes, including Gowdy’s daughter, Connie Smith of Chelmsford, remain skeptical.

“This is a tax that’s been around for eight years now,” Smith explained. “Before the state increased it, the money was at least coming back to nursing homes to benefit the patients. Now a big piece of it is going to help balance the state’s budget at the expense of people who are old and frail and can’t fight for themselves. It’s not fair.”

Smith said she’s aware it’s an election year and fears the issue might just end up as fodder for political campaigns.

“I’m very skeptical unless we wake people up to the fact that perhaps this tax is going to touch them and their families someday,” Smith added.

Despite the steep tax increase, the state slashed federal reimbursement to nursing homes by about $23 million this year. At the same time, federal reimbursement for Medicaid, which usually covers half of the state’s expenditures, is the highest in years due to a boost from stimulus funds — nearly 62 percent in fiscal 2010.

“This is our money,” said Bob DiPalma, whose wife, Judy, is a resident at Sunny Acres Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Chelmsford. “I’m paying this money to give my wife a better life, but politicians seem to see this as a pot of gold to do as they please.”

The nursing home user-fee program was enacted in Massachusetts in 2002 to help fix the state’s beleaguered nursing homes. The tax was issued to fewer than 10,000 patients who pay for their own care to help prop up the entire nursing-home system of about 42,500 patients. It also helped save Massachusetts millions in annual Medicaid costs.

According to Scott Plumb, vice president of the Massachusetts Senior Care Association, only $15 of the patient’s $19.17 tax is going back into nursing homes.

A series of bills filed to repeal the tax by both Democrats and Republicans haven’t managed to create any waves to date.

Sen. Susan Fargo, D-Lincoln, was the first to file a bill to repeal the bed tax, in 2002. But Fargo’s Senate Bill 385, which was co-sponsored by former Senate minority leader, Republican Brian Lees, fell flat.

So did several others that followed, including Senate Bill 305 filed in January 2009 by former state Sen. Scott Brown, R-Wrentham, now U.S. senator. Senate Minority Leader Richard Tisei wrote a letter to the Joint Committee on Elder Affairs Monday, asking for support of the bill.

The problem, said Fargo’s legislative aide, Don Siriani, is that the majority of lawmakers’ constituents fall into the 80 percent of patients who can’t afford their own care. Still, Fargo will try to continue repealing the tax because it isn’t fair for “people who scrimp and save to pay their own way to become burdened with carrying not only other patients, but the state,” Siriani said.

Tisei also called the tax an injustice.

“Their money is being used to fund other operations of government,” said Tisei, a Wakefield Republican. “Bottom line, it not only wasn’t the right policy in the first place, but the governor reneged on putting the money back into their care. We need to take a look at the whole way we fund nursing homes in this state.”

Former acting Gov. Jane Swift implemented the tax in 2002. In 2003, Gov. Mitt Romney had every opportunity to reject it, “but he put his foot on the throttle and his administration advanced it,” Siriani said.

The Republicans, he added, could have asked for a roll-call vote at any time so constituents could see exactly where their legislators stand on the issue. But no roll-call vote has been taken.

“Republicans and Democrats have worked together to repeal this issue in the past,” Siriani said. “But it’s only been Susan and a select few who have strongly opposed it. Hopefully, that will change because if the state is using this fee for its own purpose, that’s something we’d all want to know.”

Smith said every legislator should know where taxpayers’ dollars are going.

“We elect them to look out for us,” Smith said. “When our frailest residents are getting struck by all sides, it’s hard to keep faith in the system.”

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State increase in rates leaves patients in dire straits

by Rita Savard – Lowell Sun

Judy DiPalma keeps the wedding photo on her window sill.

It’s the first thing she sees when she opens her eyes in the morning. Her best memory.

It takes her back home.

Judy, and her husband, Bob DiPalma, never believed this would happen to them. But when an illness began taking control of Judy’s body, Bob was no longer able to give his wife the 24/7 medical care she required. The couple faced a hard choice.

“It was an awful decision,” Bob said. “One we never imagined we’d have to make.”

Judy, 65, went to live at Sunny Acres Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Chelmsford in November. Bob, a retired elementary school teacher, has been cutting deep into his savings to keep Judy comfortable in a private room, costing $340 a day.

Until January, when the nursing-home bed tax jumped from $11.59 a day to $19.17 per day — adding hundreds to his monthly bill. Despite the soaring tax increase, the state slashed federal Medicaid reimbursement to nursing homes by about $23 million this year, leaving many elder-care facilities unable to cover the costs of daily care and forcing some self-pay patients into the Medicaid system.

Bob said his limited savings would not have kept Judy in the private pay system for the rest of her life, but the increased bed tax leaves the couple no choice but to place Judy into the Medicaid rolls sooner, and into a smaller room where she’ll have one or more roommates.

“I’m paying for my wife’s care and by doing that, I’m saving the state a lot of money,” Bob said. “In return, the state has penalized me for doing that by taking my money for my wife’s care and putting it in a place that doesn’t benefit my wife at all.”

About 80 percent of the nursing home system is publicly financed by Medicaid and Medicare. The “nursing home user fee,” or patient bed tax, was implemented by the state to save millions in annual Medicaid costs.

Enacted in Massachusetts in 2002, the “nursing home user fee program” began taking money from an estimated 8,000 nursing-home patients who pay for their own care, and used it to help foot the bill for all Medicaid patients in the system.

The private-payer money was used to leverage federal tax dollars to shore up the state’s ailing nursing-home system, including strengthening a largely underpaid, underdeveloped work force and conducting major repairs on several neglected facilities. Before the tax, an average of 20 to 30 nursing homes were closing annually from 1998 to 2002, according to Scott Plumb, senior vice president of the Massachusetts Senior Care Association.

The fee, Plumb said, wasn’t an ideal solution to the problem, but it helped turn around a nursing home system that was in “dire straits.”

Here’s how it works:

The state assesses each nursing home $19.17 a day for each non-Medicaid patient, generating an estimated $220 million. In the past, the state took about $145 million raised from the user fee, doubled it and funneled it all into nursing homes throughout the Medicaid program. Since the federal government pays half of Medicaid expenditures, the state was reimbursed $145 million.

On a net basis, nursing homes received an infusion of $145 million from federal taxpayers and those nursing-home patients paying for their own care. And the state pays nothing more.

Last September, the state increased the user fee by $75 million. But unlike the previous program, Gov. Deval Patrick’s budget failed to fully pay the fee for Medicaid residents, Plumb said.

Basically, out of the $19.17 bed tax, only $15 comes back into the system. This means nursing homes are falling back to the levels they were at in 2002, before the patient bed tax was instituted.

“Our position here, is we came up with a way to improve care in nursing homes and it worked,” Plumb said. “Now it’s in danger. The fee was raised but the state decided to use a portion of it and apply it elsewhere to solve their budget problem. Now we’re worried the result will be another decline in services and more nursing homes closing.”

The state’s Department of Health and Human Services, which was contacted Monday, was unable to supply the information requested on the nursing-home user fee before deadline. Spokeswoman Cayenne Isaksen said the information request was taking longer than usual to compile. Calls to the governor’s office were also not returned Friday.

State Sen. Susan Fargo, D-Lincoln, who voted against the user fee in 2002, said she was “horrified” to hear the fee increased by nearly $8 in the wake of less Medicaid reimbursement.

“The real story is that everyone gets the money back except those people who pay their own way without relying on government programs,” Fargo said. “By adopting this policy, it made our budget better but it’s hurting the people who were singled out to bear the brunt of this tax.”

Fargo said she also wrote legislation to have the user fee studied to measure long-term effects on the state’s nursing-home system. But former acting Gov. Jane Swift vetoed it, Fargo said.

By the end of the summer, DiPalma anticipates his retirement fund will be virtually depleted due to Judy’s health-care costs. He worries about how she’ll fare in a smaller room, bunking with a stranger, away from the comforts of home after 44 years of marriage.

Judy doesn’t worry as much.

“Bob’s the greatest,” she said. “I’ve just been so lucky to have married my best friend. He takes really good care of me.”

Bob visits Judy daily and on Sundays, he takes her home.

“I hate bringing her back to the nursing home, even though the staff is wonderful here,” Bob said. “It really tears me up. I wish she could stay with me.”

Bob said a Senate bill under consideration that could change the course of the user fee, but if it ever does pass, it will be too late for Judy. Still, he vows to continue making calls and writing his legislators. There will be other couples, he said, that will find themselves someday standing at the same crossroads.

Wherever Judy ends up at the end of the summer, when she joins the legions of seniors on Medicaid, she’ll still wake up to a black-and-white photo of her and Bob smiling on their wedding day. And she said she’ll find home.

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Fargo heads state budget meeting

by Richard Conn – GateHouse News Service

A leaner budget for health and human service programs could be buoyed by an unexpected $132 million windfall in federal stimulus money, state officials said last week.

The state Legislature’s Ways and Means Committee, led by state Sen. Susan Fargo, D-Lincoln, convened at Waltham High School Feb. 19 to hear testimony about spending on health and human service programs as part of Gov. Deval Patrick’s $28.2 billion fiscal 2011 state budget.

Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. JudyAnn Bigby told the committee that the state would receive $132.7 million in federal stimulus money that would be used to help the state offset costs for Medicare prescription drug coverage.

“We will receive about $100 million of that money very soon,” Bigby said, noting the funding is retroactive to Oct. 2008 and could be put in the state’s coffers this fiscal year.

Fargo, who presided over Friday’s hearing, said she was concerned about the proposed elimination in the fiscal 2011 budget of restorative dental services for adults who are members of MassHealth, the state’s health insurance program for low-to-moderate-income residents.

While the Patrick Administration said the move would slice $56 million from the budget, Fargo said by eliminating the services, those who have problems that require major dental work may have no other alternative than to consider extractions.

Bigby said the restorative dental services will still be available at community health centers through a Health Safety Net program.

Bigby said the proposed budget also includes a one dollar increase in co-pays for some prescription drugs, but not those that treat heart disease, diabetes and hypertension.

Fargo also quizzed Bigby on plans for closing the Walter E. Fernald Developmental Center, which is the nation’s oldest publicly funded institution that serves the developmentally disabled.

Because functions like plumbing and heating are tied in to a central system, Bigb told the committee that the state will have to maintain some buildings until the Fernald Reuse Committee’s plan for the property is set in stone.

Already set to remain open are the Eunice Shriver Center, a UMass medical facility that operates several programs related to mental retardation and developmental disabilities, the Marquadt Skilled Care Nursing Facility and Malone Park, which is a collection of group homes.

The Patrick Administration has said it will close Fernald by July 1.

Bigby said residents there with developmental disabilities are still being moved to community settings or other institutions.

“For us, closure means there is closure about the residential status for those individuals,” Bigby said.

Richard Conn can be contacted at 781-398-8004 or rconn@cnc.com.

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Ways and Means Hearings on State Budget Set for Fargo’s District

Governor Deval Patrick has proposed a $28.2 billion state budget that will be the subject of a hearing by the Legislature’s Ways and Means Committee in Waltham on Friday. The hearing, the first of six that will take place across the Commonwealth, will probe the Governor’s request for spending on health and human service programs.

Waltham’s state Senator Susan Fargo will preside over the session. Governor Patrick’s Executive Office of Health and Human Services Secretary JudyAnn Bigby, and other top officials from the following state agencies will testify:

Executive Office of Health and Human Services

Office of Medicaid

Dept. of Public Health

Dept. of Mental Health

Div. of Health Care Finance and Policy

Elder Affairs

Veterans Affairs

Soldiers Homes

Fargo, chairman of the Public Health Committee, is pleased that two of the six state-wide hearings will take place within her Senate district. The other hearing will occur in Sudbury on Tuesday, February 23 at the Sudbury Town Hall.

Friday’s session will take place at Waltham High School, Cannon Lecture Hall, 617 Lexington Street, Waltham.

The 10:00 AM hearing is open to the public.

For more information, please contact Senator Susan Fargo’s State House Office at 617-722-1572.

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Sen. Fargo talks about Circuit Breaker Tax Credit

by Chris Klingenberg – Bedford Minuteman

Bedford, Mass. —

Sen. Susan Fargo, D-Lincoln, and Brian Lynch from the Massachusetts Department of Revenue visited the Bedford Council on Aging on Jan. 29, to speak to seniors about the potential of receiving money through the Senior Circuit Breaker Tax Credit.

Below are some of the questions that were answered by Fargo and Lynch.

What is the Senior Circuit Breaker Tax Credit?

The Senior Circuit Break Tax Credit is triggered when your annual payments of your allowable residential property taxes plus 50 percent of your eligible municipal water and sewer charges exceed 10 percent of your total income for the same period. You can receive a credit up to $960 for tax year 2009. Renters can also take advantage of this tax credit. If 25 percent of your annual rent paid exceeds 10 percent of your total income for the same period you can also receive a tax credit up to $960 for tax year 2009.

Who is eligible for the Senior Circuit Tax Credit?

You or your spouse, if filing jointly, must be a Massachusetts resident age 65 or older as of Dec. 31, 2009. You also must own or rent residential property in Massachusetts, which you occupy as your primary residence. You’re annual “total income” gross under the Department of Revenue guidelines must be $51,000 or less for a single filer who is not the head of a household, $64,000 or less for a head of a household filer and $77,000 or less for joint filers. Your residence that you own must have an assessed value, before exemptions and after abatements on Jan. 1, 2009, of $788,000 or less.

Who is not eligible for the Senior Circuit Tax Credit?

Married people who file separately, dependents of other filers and renters who receive a government rent subsidy directly, or those who are in a property tax exempt facility.

How long will it take to get the money after you apply for the Senior Circuit Tax Credit?

If you are eligible to receive money, you should see the money within a week. The processing time is usually two to three days. Right now, more than 60 percent of the people are filing their taxes on the computer, which allows for a quicker turn around

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Waltham legislators asking state to help pay for special election

by Richard Conn, Daily News Tribune

WALTHAM —

Two members of the city’s legislative delegation are asking fellow lawmakers to support a $10 million appropriation to pay back cities and towns for holding the special U.S. Senate election.

State Rep. Thomas Stanley, D-Waltham, and state Sen. Susan Fargo, D-Lincoln, have authored a letter to Gov. Deval Patrick, House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Therese Murray asking that the money be put in a reserve account to reimburse communities.

“The expenses of holding an election can be a heavy burden for many communities, so settling upon adequate appropriations should be done as soon as possible,” the letter said.

Stanley said he and Fargo are trying to get other lawmakers to sign onto the request.

As of this afternoon, more than 30 other House and Senate members had done just that.

In September, state Auditor Joseph DeNucci declared the special Senate election an unfunded mandate that should be repaid by the state. He estimated it would cost cities and towns about $7.2 million to hold the election.

However, that estimate did not include the costs associated with certifying nomination papers, printing voting lists, processing absentee ballots, programming voting equipment, setting up and breaking down polling places and rental expenses.

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Waltham’s Connors Memorial Pool to get sorely needed fix

By Richard Conn/Daily News Tribune

WALTHAM —

Given the sloppy mess of snow and rain that blanketed the area yesterday, taking a dip in a swimming pool maybe the last thing on most people’s minds.

Residents though can begin to think ahead to a cool summer swim, now that the Patrick administration has set aside $6 million for the reconstruction of the Connors Memorial Pool at Newton and River streets.

The pool complex, which was built in 1954, has been closed since 2001 because the state did not have the money to fix structural problems with the bathhouse.

Since then, city officials and local state legislators – state Rep. Peter Koutoujian, state Rep. Thomas Stanley and state Sen. Susan Fargo – and neighborhood advocates have all fought to see the pool renovated.

Last year, money for the pool’s renovation was included in a $1.7 billion environmental bond bill that passed through the Legislature. Now the governor has put that money in motion.

“We are delighted that this funding has been made available, allowing (the Department of Conservation and Recreation) to begin design work on this new facility and plan for its construction,” said the department’s Commissioner Richard K. Sullivan Jr. in a press release. “The Connors pool has been closed for more than seven years. We thank the community very much for their patience as we move forward with this project.”

Construction is expected to begin this spring and the pool is scheduled to open in the summer of 2011.

The new pool will have a gradual beach entry, a separate lap area, a separate section for small children, and an open swim area for adults and older children.

Earlier this year, the existing bathhouse and part of the existing pool were demolished. The shell of the old pool will be used as a form for the new one.

Graham Meus Inc. Architects of Boston was awarded the $342,500 design contract.

The new bathhouse will include showers and toilets, family changing spaces, offices for a pool manager and lifeguards, a first aid room, storage for lifeguard equipment, and a janitors’ closet. The bathhouse will also feature a central atrium with vending machines, drinking fountains, phones, and shaded benches.

Mayor Jeannette McCarthy said she was glad to see construction was ready to finally get under way.

“I’d like to thank everybody that made it happen,” McCarthy said. “This now enables the project to go forward.”

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State Sen. Susan Fargo returning to work after hip surgery

by Ben Aaronson/GateHouse News Service

Lincoln —

Sen. Susan Fargo, D-Lincoln, was released from Emerson Hospital last week after successful hip replacement surgery.

According to Fargo’s Chief of Staff Don Siriani, the senator rescheduled the surgery so she could attend two of the final three days of formal session on Beacon Hill. Fargo was absent on Nov. 18, however, resulting in 20 missed roll call votes.

Siriani said Fargo has remained very active up through the surgery, even as she has been dealing with physical pain, often using a wheelchair to traverse the long hallways of the State House.

“It’s been physically demanding,” he said. “She’s been really tough.”

Fargo had previously had her hip operated on in July, causing her to miss three days of the legislative session.

According to Beacon Hill Roll Call (BHRC), a news service that records voting and attendance records for both the House and the Senate, Fargo missed 40 votes over the summer, 39 of which were during the three-day medical absence for her first hip surgery. Fargo also missed three votes on Oct. 20 and four votes on Nov. 10, according to BHRC.

With 67 total votes missed, BHRC tabulates Fargo’s 2009 roll call attendance record at 63.7 percent.

No more roll call votes are scheduled for this year. There will only be informal sessions until the 2009 legislative session officially ends on Jan. 5.

Siriani said legislative hearings would continue through the end of the year. The Senate Ways and Means Committee, of which Fargo is a member, is planning a series of joint budget hearings with the House Ways and Means Committee in the coming weeks. The hearings will be held all around the state, with Fargo’s staff pushing to have at least one hearing in the senator’s district, likely centered around public health and human services as Fargo chairs the Joint Committee on Public Health, Siriani said.

Fargo is also advocating for another Local Aid Lobby Day at the State House in early 2010, Siriani said. The last Lobby Day led to productive discussions around changing the formula for Chapter 70 education funds as well as how lottery funds are distributed to cities and towns, he said.

“We see a lot of pressure on cities and towns,” Siriani said. “That’s where most people experience government — right in their neighborhoods.”

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Concord S.A.F.E. Program earns state grant

Concord – State Rep. Cory Atkins, D-Concord, and state Sen. Susan Fargo, D-Lincoln, announce that Concord is the grant award recipient of $2,392 for the Student Awareness of Fire Education (S.A.F.E.) Program.

“We are extremely grateful for safety efforts of our local fire departments and commend their commitment to fire education programs,” said Atkins.

Fargo praised the state program, noting that it has been a great success for more than a decade.

“The Student Awareness grants enable students to recognize the dangers of fire so that they can take action,” said Fargo. “Investing in fire education and prevention saves money and lives. I applaud the Concord Fire Department for its ongoing student outreach efforts.”

While this year’s awards were reduced by about 40 percent through 9C budget cuts, the maintained level of funding will help to keep down the number of children in Massachusetts who die in fires each year.

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Chelmsford Earns Federal Stimulus Grant

by GateHouse News Service/Chelmsford Independent

Chelmsford —

The Patrick administration and Chelmsford’s legislative delegation announced Monday that Chelmsford will receive nearly $173,000 in funds to rehire or retain fire fighters.

$11.6 million will be shared among only 85 fire departments across the Commonwealth. The money is intended to help stave off budget cuts that have resulted in lower public safety staffing levels.

“When we think of vital public services that we all want, protecting our safety is at the pinnacle of the list,” said Chelmsford’s state Sen. Susan Fargo. “$173,000 can go a long way in putting people back to work for the good of all of us.”

Representative Thomas Golden noted the significance of the federal assistance. “This is just another example of how federal stimulus funds are working to preserve public safety.”

The announcement marks the second round to fire departments from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA). Because the ARRA program does not include staffing grants for fire departments, the Governor set aside funds specifically to retain and rehire fire fighters

“I am thankful the administration has selected the town of Chelmsford to receive these stimulus funds, which will undoubtedly prevent further layoffs and ensure the Department continues to provide the highest quality of care and safety to the residents of Chelmsford,” state Rep. Dave David Nangle said.

“Hiring firefighters will keep our families safer and keep people employed. I would like to thank my colleagues in state and federal government for securing this funding,” said Rep. Cory Atkins.

“It is great news for the Chelmsford Fire Department that they will be able to hire three new firefighters for the department. The much need funds will relieve some of the budgetary and personnel pressure on the department, and by extension the entire town. Every extra dollar makes a difference in these tough economic times.” said state Rep. James Arciero who represents three precincts in the western and northern sections of Chelmsford.

Chelmsford Town Manager Paul Cohen expressed gratitude for the award.

“The town is pleased to receive these funds for additional fire fighters during these difficult times so that we can improve public safety in the community,” said Cohen.

Health Disparities Legislation Moves Forward

The Disparities Action Network (DAN) is pleased to announce that the Joint Committee on Public Health favorably reported its two priority bills on Wednesday. S. 810 and S. 811 provide Massachusetts with a comprehensive health disparities strategy by codifying the EOHHS Office of Health Equity and supporting community based agencies to implement disparities programs in local communities. The legislation was heard at a successful hearing by the committee in June.

The DAN and Health Care For All thank the Public Health Committee Chairs, Senator Susan Fargo and Representative Jeffrey Sanchez for their commitment to health equity, and leadership on this legislation. Special thanks also extend to the legislation’s lead sponsors Senator Susan Fargo and Representative Byron Rushing.

Stay tuned to the HCFA blog for more developments on this important health disparities legislation.

- Camille Watson

Health Care for All

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House OKs $$ for swine flu reserve fund

(Click link to read story)

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More money received for renovations

by Susan Ellis/Bedford Minuteman

Bedford, Mass. -

This summer, more building has been done outside the renovated Bedford High School.

The original projected budget of $50.9 million was introduced at a time when the state’s pledged funding programs for school projects was in transition. Although no one doubted there would be funding available at some point, approving the project meant grappling with uncertainty over the amount and the timing of any payments that might come.

Property owners held their collective breath as everyone waited for the state to sort out the new Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) that was coming into being in 2006 just as construction was set to begin at Bedford High. The new authority would decide not only how much it would reimburse towns that took on building projects, but also when it would award any money.

Now, thanks to the diligence of State Rep. Charlie Murphy and Sen. Susan Fargo, and the help of MSBA Executive Director Katherine Craven, the board chair, and Treasurer Tim Cahill, Bedford has been approved for reimbursement of project costs at a rate of 47.79 percent. What’s really impressive about this is that the reimbursements were granted sooner than expected, which has meant a substantial savings on interest already, and will mean continued savings into the future.

“We’ve done really well with everyone working together,” said Noreen O’Gara, who is a former School Committee member. “Also, Charlie Murphy pushed so we could get the money from the state before the bond issue which really saved the town a lot of money.”

The Strategic Communication Task Force mattered as well. This is a group comprised of members from the School Committee, the selectmen, the Finance Committee, the town manager and the superintendent. Created in 2005, the group works to identify ways to increase federal and state funding for Bedford relating to costs associated with Hanscom Air Force Base.

“Typically more well-to-do towns like Bedford would not be reimbursed at such a high rate, but (Strategic Communications Task Force Member Ann Bickford) really dug for the numbers to show that Hanscom students do go to Bedford High and that should matter when it came to reimbursing us for the project,” said O’Gara.

Beyond the reimbursement and timely award, Bedford benefited from the success of the project itself, which was completed ahead of schedule and well within budget.

“The day-to-day project management was handled extremely well,” said School Committee member Ed Pierce. Facilities Director Richard Jones, Ken Lord, and the contractor Brait Builders all did an exceptional job.”

Pierce also credits Brian Regan who worked on the project before Lord handled logistics, Project Manager Peter Cox, and High School Principle John Sills, all of whom he says played a role in helping to overcome initial delays, and did their part in helping the project run smoothly and minimize disruptions to students even while classes were in session..

Another factor O’Gara believes was important to the high reimbursement rate was the approach Bedford took to its high school building project.

“We used the building we had, improved the flow and safety of the school, and did it in a cost-effective way that I think the state recognized and appreciated,” said O’Gara.

Pierce says all of Bedford’s school construction projects have been run with similar thoughtfulness and efficiency that has led to their success. Still, he concedes that there is some overcrowding at Davis and Lane schools at the moment.

“We’ve commissioned a formal analysis of enrollment to see whether the trend will stay up and if so what we can do with the existing buildings to accommodate increased enrollment,” said Pierce.

“The state limits the time and factors you can consider when making enrollment projections,” said O’Gara. “Also, the growth in enrollment can be a bubble that will go down after a short time, particularly given the down economy when historically you see lower birthrates.”

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Officials announce reimbursement for high school budget

Special to the Bedford Minuteman

Bedford, Mass. -

Town of Bedford officials recently announced the approval of Bedford High School’s budget and scope by the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA).

The Massachusetts School Building Authority Board of Directors voted to execute the project funding agreement of approved, eligible costs, up to a maximum total grant of $22,662,684. With the total approved project cost of $47,421,394, the reimbursement rate is 47.79 percent.

Bedford High School’s funding agreement represents one of the first and largest projects the MSBA has approved since lifting the moratorium on school construction and the issuance of their new regulations went into effect. The total approved reimbursement rate of 47.79 percent is almost eight percent higher than the Town of Bedford originally projected. A portion of this higher reimbursement rate is aimed to take into effect the impact of students attending the school from Hanscom Air Force Base as requested by the Bedford Strategic Communications Task Force.

Bedford’s early projections had assumed a minimum 40 percent reimbursement rate provided that the MSBA approved the Bedford High School Project. Town officials indicate that the 47.79 percent reimbursement rate will save taxpayers approximately $17.4 million.

“We are very pleased with the Board of Directors vote and extremely appreciative of the help from MSBA Executive Director Katherine Craven, the Board Chair, Treasurer Tim Cahill, Representative Charley Murphy and Senator Susan Fargo. This higher reimbursement rate will directly result in lower tax payments for Bedford taxpayers,” Superintendent Maureen LaCroix said. “We are continuing to work with the MSBA on details of the reimbursement funding but we applaud the Board of Directors for their vote and thank them for their continued support.”

“The vote by the MSBA to raise our reimbursement rate is directly related to the strong support we received from Representative Charley Murphy, Senator Susan Fargo, the professional way that the project was run and completed and in the strong case that Bedford’s Strategic Communications Task Force made to the MSBA,” Town Manager Rick Reed said.

In 2006, the Town of Bedford began a long-overdue $50.9 million renovation to Bedford High School. One of the factors in approving the renovations was that Bedford High School risked losing its accreditation if significant improvements to the building were not made. Voters in Bedford approved a debt exclusion for the funding of the High School renovation, even though at the time the status of funding reimbursement from the state was uncertain, and the state had placed a moratorium on the award of any new school construction funding until July 2007. In October 2007, through the work of Town officials, including its Strategic Communication Task Force, Bedford High School was selected by the MSBA as one of seven projects statewide that most desperately required immediate attention.

The high school renovations were completed in September 2008.

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Chelmsford wins big grant for energy project

By Jesse A. Floyd, Chelmsford Independent

Chelmsford – A solar energy plant for the Chelmsford Water District, under discussion and consideration for more than a year, will be built using $3,783,000 in federal stimulus money.

The plant, to be built at the Crooked Springs treatment plant, will generate about 500 kilowatts of electricity, which will be used to run the pumps and other gear.

According to Todd Melanson, environmental compliance manager for the water district, the Crooked Springs site is perfect for solar energy: It’s relatively flat, the land is cleared and the site will enjoy southern exposure.

The grant, announced by state Sen. Susan Fargo’s office Friday afternoon, will cover the cost of installing the 2,400 panels, Melanson said.

Neither the town nor the district will have to pay the money back because it is coming to the district as a grant not a loan. Melanson was not sure when the work was to begin.

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Town receives funding for high school project

From the Bedford Minuteman

Bedford, Mass. – Town of Bedford officials announced a major funding success for the Bedford schools.

Earlier this week Bedford received the next partial payment of $8 million from the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) as a down payment on the Commonwealth’s reimbursement for the renovations to Bedford High School that were completed last year. This comes on top of an earlier $10 million payment received from MSBA last year.

As a result of receiving the next MSBA $8 million payment, in conjunction with the beneficial interest rate secured by Bedford due to its AAA Bond rating, it is estimated that Bedford taxpayers will save more than $961,000 in reduced short term interest costs from the original projections made by the Town during the planning stages of the project. The early MSBA payment effectuated $400,000 of this reduced interest costs. The interest savings and MSBA payment convert to a savings of approximately $79.65 in FY2011 for a typical $500,000 single-family residence.

“Saving Bedford taxpayers money is one of our goals and this payment will go a long way to achieving that goal. MSBA’s next partial payment reduces our short-term debt service obligations. We owe MSBA Executive Director Katherine Craven a debt of gratitude,” Superintendent of Schools Maureen LaCroix said. “Coming on the heels of the first $10 million reimbursement from 2008, this next partial payment continues to reduce the Town’s long-term debt payments which start in FY 2011. Additional reimbursements from the MSBA are in discussion but during this year of record budget shortfalls, an $8 million payment is a win for the taxpayers of Bedford.”

With a total of $18 million in MSBA reimbursements to date, earlier this month Bedford was able to go to the financial market with bond sale including $14,725,000 for long-term bonds for its high school project. Although original projections were based on a 6 percent interest cost, the final rate secured was a net amount of 3.175 percent. This reduced interest rate will save Bedford taxpayers $4,533,000 over the life of the bonds from original projections.

In 2006, the Town of Bedford began a long-overdue $50.9 million renovation to Bedford High School. One of the factors in approving the renovations was that Bedford High School risked losing its accreditation if significant improvements to the building were not made. Voters in Bedford approved a debt exclusion for the funding of the high school renovation, even though at the time the status of funding reimbursement from the state was uncertain, and the state had placed a moratorium on the award of any new school construction funding until July 2007.

In October 2007, through the work of Town officials, including its Strategic Communication Task Force, Bedford High School was selected by the MSBA as one of seven projects statewide that most desperately required immediate attention. Due to Bedford’s status as one of these projects, the MSBA was closely monitoring the Bedford situation and was able to grant an early payment.

Senator Susan Fargo (D-Lincoln) issued this statement: “This round of funding is the direct result of many Bedford officials and citizen volunteers giving a great effort to work with state officials and get the money where it belongs,” said Fargo. “We know that the School Building Authority has to set rigorous standards to make sure tax dollars are being used well, clearly Bedford exemplifies the standard.”

State Representative Charles Murphy (D-Burlington) also weighed in: “The economic crisis is having a tremendous impact on the budgets of cities and towns,” said Murphy. “This next partial payment for the High School renovations provides Bedford some much needed relief during an extraordinarily difficult period. I am proud to be working along side Senator Fargo, Bedford’s Strategic Communications Task Force, and the Massachusetts School Building Authority on this very worthwhile reimbursement effort.”

Bedford Selectmen Chair Mark Siegenthaler praised State Representative Charles Murphy (D- Burlington) and Senator Susan Fargo (D- Lincoln) for their assistance with helping Bedford secure the next partial payment saying, “Getting this money represents a major success. This next partial payment has released us from the need to borrow $8 million for our continuing debt payments. We are very grateful for Rep. Murphy and Sen. Fargo for their attention to this issue, their assistance was invaluable.”

The high school renovations were completed in September 2008.

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Local legislators propose several bills

by Richard Conn – Daily News staff

WALTHAM —

The city’s legislative delegation is working on a host of bills, including ones that would make it easier to fund parking expansions at libraries, make physical education mandatory in schools, and allow cities to charge impact fees to 40B developers.

Also, state Rep. Peter Koutoujian, D-Waltham, is looking at legislation that would require both the state and school districts to have a policy to deal with incidents of teen dating violence.

Koutoujian said he’s seen figures that show 1 in 5 teens are victims of dating violence.

“The numbers are staggering,” Koutoujian said.

Koutoujian also has filed a bill that would mandate that students receive a minimum number of hours of physical education each week.

Another piece of legislation filed by Koutoujian would allow state colleges to become universities. Students would have greater educational options through a university, Koutoujian said.

Koutoujian said, among other benefits, the bill would allow the state’s prospective university students to remain at schools in Massachusetts, thereby saving them money on room and board.

Meanwhile, state Rep. Thomas Stanley, D-Waltham, is working on legislation that would allow money doled out for public libraries to be used for parking and other structural upgrades.

Stanley said he had the Waltham Public Library in mind while crafting the bill.

“I think it’s critical in Waltham and a number of other places as well, for people to have access to libraries, especially in a down economy,” Stanley said.

Among the other bills that Stanley is working on, is legislation that would give stay-at-home care-givers a $3,500 tax break. Stanley said the bill is aimed at helping those who have to stay home to care for family members who are ill.

Stanley also would increase the punishment for “reckless or negligent” driving, allowing judges to hand out a prison sentence of no less than 2<+>1<+>/<->2<-> years, but no more than five years, and would also impose a minimum fine of $1,000, but no more than $10,000.

“It leaves a lot of discretion up to the judge,” Stanley said.

Stanley said the impetus for the bill came after a friend of his from high school was injured in a car accident where the other driver involved was traveling at night with his headlights off.

State Sen. Susan Fargo, D-Lincoln, meanwhile has filed legislation seeking to repeal the nursing home tax, the fee that’s assessed to nursing homes that care for seniors who are not on Medicare.

Another bill proposed by Fargo would allow cities and towns to charge developers impact fees for infrastructure improvements related to Chapter 40B affordable housing projects.

The state’s 40B laws allows local zoning boards to approve housing developments under flexible rules if at least 20 to 25 percent of the units are considered affordable.

Don Siriani, Fargo’s chief of staff said the state’s inspector general found that cities and towns have lost $100 million to developers because of lack of oversight of the state’s 40B laws.

“The books have been cooked,” Siriani said.

Fargo has also crafted legislation that amends the current law that allows Massachusetts Turnpike toll payers to receive a gas tax rebate of 21 cents per 15 miles traveled on the Pike.

Fargo’s proposal is designed to make the rebate process easier by extending the period of time between when a motorist traveling the Pike buys gas and when they can apply for reimbursement for travel on the Pike from the current three days to 14 days. The bill also amends the law by allowing those who travel the Pike to file for the reimbursement quarterly in a calendar year.

Richard Conn can be reached at 781-398-8004 or rconn@cnc.com.

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Ethics bill met with approval from local lawmakers

by Richard Conn, Waltham Daily News Tribune

WALTHAM — Local lawmakers said a comprehensive ethics reform bill signed into law by the governor yesterday was crucial in helping to restore public trust in government following several scandals that have rocked Beacon Hill.

The sweeping legislation bans gifts to public officials, increases penalties for violations of ethics laws, and expands the power of various state authorities to investigate and prosecute ethics violations.

“This legislation, I believe, is one of those once-in-a-generation opportunities, of which I believe we’ve taken advantage,” said state Rep. Peter Koutjoujian, D-Waltham.

State Rep. Thomas Stanley, D-Waltham, who was one of seven House Democrats who in January refused to reelect House Speaker Sal DiMasi, said passage of the legislation was long overdue.

DiMasi and three associates last month were indicted on federal charges alleging they conspired to help a software company win $20 million in state contracts and conceal money they got from the company.

“In light of events on Beacon Hill during the past year, passage of the ethics reform bill is imperative to begin to restore public trust,” Stanley said in an e-mail. “The consensus bill bans all gifts to public officials, imposing a hefty civil violation for gifts up to $1,000 and making it a felony for anything with value greater than $1,000. In addition, it increases the authority of the Ethics Commission to investigate and prosecute alleged ethics violations.”

State Sen. Susan Fargo, D-Lincoln, said in a statement after the House and Senate passed the ethics reform bill last week that the legislation “a major step forward in restoring public trust at a time when we must have transparency, integrity and clarity in all levels of government.”

Koutoujian said the bill is also important because it tightens and better defines lobbying laws.

Richard Conn can be reached at 781-398-8004 or rconn@cnc.com. Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.

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Fernald study is left off state budget

by Richard Conn, Waltham Daily News Tribune

WALTHAM — An amendment that would have at least temporarily blocked the closing of the Walter E. Fernald Developmental Center and three other state institutions for the developmentally disabled was left out of the fiscal 2010 state budget.

The House and Senate had each earlier approved amendments that required the state to perform a cost-benefit analysis of closing Fernald as well as the Glavin Regional Center in Shrewsbury, the Monson Developmental Center in Palmer and Templeton Developmental Center.

The legislation also required the state to look at the quality of care offered at the institutions.

That provision seemed to stymie the Patrick administration’s plans to close the four institutions, with Fernald the earliest to be shuttered in July 2010.

However, the amendment didn’t make it into the final Conference Committee budget last week.

State Sen. Susan Fargo, D-Lincoln, had included the legislation requiring that a study be performed for Fernald in the Senate version of the fiscal 2010 budget that was passed last month. Fargo’s chief of staff, Don Siriani, said Fargo was disappointed the amendment was left out of the final version.

“It was certainly one of the factors in Sen. Fargo voting ‘no’ on the budget,” Siriani said.

State Rep. Thomas Stanley, D-Waltham, who supported the amendment for Fernald in the House version of the budget, said he was not surprised by the legislation being left out of the budget.

“I’m disappointed, but I’m not surprised,” Stanley said. “I just think it’s the direction the state leaders are going in.”

Stanley said he voted against the Conference Committee budget because too much had been cut in local aid to cities and towns. He said he also voted “no” on the budget because the Legislature had yet to pass ethics reforms and because he was concerned about how the sales tax increase would affect small businesses and consumers.

The Patrick administration plans to transfer residents at Fernald and the three other institutions to either community settings or two remaining state institutions.

Meanwhile, Mayor Jeannette McCarthy said a committee formed to determine a reuse plan for the Fernald property would meet again in September. The mayor said she hopes the reuse plan would be finalized by December.

Richard Conn can be contacted at 781-398-8004 or rconn@cnc.com.

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Fargo votes for sweeping ethics reform

from the Concord Journal

The Senate and House on Thursday passed wide-ranging legislation that strengthens current ethics, lobbying and campaign finance laws, enhancing the integrity of the political process and helping to restore public trust. The ethics bill is the third major governmental overhaul passed by the legislature this year, which includes the recent approval of landmark pension and transportation reforms.

State Sen. Susan Fargo, D-Lincoln, called the ethics bill, “A major step forwarding in restoring public trust at a time when we must have transparency, integrity, and clarity in all levels of government.”

The bill not only bans gifts to public officials, but also increases the authority of the Ethics Commission to investigate and prosecute alleged ethics violators.

“This ethics reform includes the best provisions of all three original proposals from the Senate, House and governor,” Senate President Therese Murray said. “It sends the message that we are serious about ethics reform, and that violations of ethics and campaign finance laws come with steep consequences. Our intention has always been to craft a strong bill with input from a variety of stakeholders and constituents, and that’s what this final legislation does.”

The bill is backed by the attorney general, the state Ethics Commission, and the Office of Campaign & Political Finance.

The legislation bans all gifts to public officials, imposing a hefty civil violation for gifts up to $1,000 and makes it a felony for anything with value greater than $1,000. The felony charge for gifts greater than $1,000 would carry a penalty of 5 years in prison, a $10,000 fine, or both, and would apply to both the recipient of the gift and the giver.

The consensus bill also provides the Ethics Commission with greater investigatory power to do its work, including enhanced subpoena power, expanded regulatory authority and an increased statute of limitations. Additionally, the bill allows the commission to impose heftier civil sanctions by increasing penalties for all ethics laws violations.

A new lobbyist classification redefines and clarifies lobbying activities and captures actions that seek to wrongly influence official government activity.

The legislation defines “lobbyist” as anyone paid to promote, oppose or influence, or to attempt to influence the decision of any officer or employee of the executive or legislative branch. It also requires strict performance rules for lobbyists, including registration with the secretary of state, annual training and detailed reporting. The bill also closes the “success fees” loophole that awards lobbyists for a specific accomplishment.

The bill also target reforms of the state campaign finance system, eliminating all “special committee” arrangements between a state political party and an elected official, allowing only individual contributions up to $5,000 to a political party.

Additionally, the bill requires the disclosure of expenditures and funding for “electioneering communications” (those third-party mailings and ads that support or criticize a candidate or campaign). Furthermore, the bill prohibits individuals from making committee checks payable to themselves.

The bill also does the following:

Gives the secretary of state subpoena power;

Expands the revolving door restrictions on lobbying to the executive branch, establishing a one-year waiting period the same as the Legislature;

Increases late filing penalties for lobbyists to $50 per day for the first 20 days and $100 per day thereafter;

Increases criminal penalties for lobbyist registration violations to 5 years imprisonment, a $10,000 fine, or both;

Increases penalties for late-filed campaign reports from $10 per day and not more than $2,500 to $25 per day and not more than $5,000;

Increases the number of campaign reports filed by political candidates to twice in non-election years and three times in election years;

Requires that income derived from bribes, corrupt gifts and illegal activity counts as gross income for tax reporting purposes; and

Gives authority to the attorney general to regulate and enforce the Opening Meeting Law.

The bill is expected to be signed into law by the governor.

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Tolls on table down the road

by Hillary Chabot, Boston Herald

Even as lawmakers scramble to resolve a $100 million Turnpike operating shortfall with either a toll hike or new taxes, Beacon Hill observers and insiders note that toll hikes are inevitable down the road thanks to the agency’s massive debt load.

“It wouldn’t be enough,” fiscal watchdog Michael Widmer said of separate state plans to hike a sales or gas tax and implement reforms. “The only way you could address it is additional revenues.”

Gov. Deval Patrick and legislative leaders continued to battle yesterday over a pending toll hike on the Massachusetts Turnpike.

Senate President Therese Murray (D-Plymouth) accused Patrick of using “scare tactics,” and vowed to prevent the July 1 hike. Meanwhile, Patrick himself said he believes that thanks to expected Pike reforms and state tax hikes, this year’s toll hike may not be necessary.

“We’re not going to have a tax increase and the tolls. Nobody wants that, I certainly don’t want that,” said Patrick yesterday. “What we need . . . is a dedicated and reliable revenue source for transportation.”

Toll hikes are scheduled every six years to pay off the escalating $2.4 billion debt service payments on bonds the agency floated in 1997 to help pay for the Big Dig.

A legislative plan for a 25 percent sales tax increase or Patrick’s proposal for a 19-cent gas tax boost would prevent the July 1 toll hike, but neither will stave off another hike – estimated at about 20 percent over current tolls – in 2014. There is no formal plan on the table for a tax hike that would avert that.

“There’s no guarantee they won’t raise tolls,” said Pike user Sen. Susan Fargo (D-Lincoln). “The Authority responds to the need of the bond holders, but what about us toll payers and taxpayers? Shouldn’t they be accountable to us?”

Tolls could even increase despite plans to abolish the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority, said Pike board member Mary Connaughton. “As long as there are toll booths, there are going to be toll hikes. To say any fix right now will prevent toll hikes in the future is irresponsible,” she said.

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First Lap of Connors Pool Construction to Begin

By Richard Conn/Daily News Staff

WALTHAM -

Demolition of the old Connors Memorial Pool on the corner of Newton and River streets should begin next week, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Conservation and Recreation said yesterday.

The state has hired Associated Building Wreckers of Springfield to tear down the bathhouse and part of the existing swimming pool. Design work is expected to begin soon on the new bathhouse and pool.

“Construction is expected to start next spring and the pool will open in 2011,” said Wendy Fox, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Conservation and Recreation.

The pool complex, which was built in 1954, has been closed since 2001 because the state did not have the money to fix structural problems with the bathhouse.

Since then, state and local officials as well as neighborhood advocates have fought to reopen the pool.

Funding for the new pool came through a $6.3 million earmark secured through state Sen. Susan Fargo, D-Lincoln, that was included in a $1.7 billion environmental bond bill. That bill was signed by Gov. Deval Patrick last August.

A groundbreaking ceremony to celebrate the start of work was originally scheduled for Monday but because of rain, has been rescheduled for Friday, April 17, at 3 p.m., Fox said.

According to the Department of Conservation and Recreation, the new pool will have a gradual beach entry, a separate lap area, a contained swimming area for small children and open sections for adults and older children.

The shell of the old pool will be used as the form for the new pool. City Councilor Sarafina “Sally” Collura, who is one of the many local officials who has tried to get Connors Pool reopened, said the pool “means everything” to the surrounding neighborhood.

Collura said she remembered as a kid paying a nickel to swim at Connors during the summers.

”That was how we spent our summer; that was our recreation,” Collura said. “We were city kids.”

At times, she said, the pool drew so many people during the sweltering summers that anyone who got in the water was lucky to find enough room to swim.

“It was really, really the place to go,” Collura said.

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Sen. Susan Fargo reads to Northeast Elementary School fifth-graders

By Jeff Gilbride, Daily News Staff

WALTHAM -

It was only supposed to be a classroom reading, but Northeast Elementary School students got to know state Sen. Susan Fargo on a personal level.

Fargo, D-Lincoln, read Gloria Houston’s “My Great-Aunt Arizona,” to Ryan Hoyt’s class yesterday afternoon. The story is story about a girl who grew to be a teacher and taught in the same school she once attended.

Fargo told students she was once a teacher at a former junior high school in Newton.

“Much of what I still do is about educating people. You can take the teacher out of the classroom, but you can’t take away the teacher,” she said. “The best part of my job is meeting people and listening to people.”

Fargo answered dozens of questions yesterday about her personal life, career highlights and day-to-day activities.

That question-and-answer time reached 10-year-old Sarah Cole.

“I liked the story and I like the way Sen. Fargo added some things and her opinions to it,” she said. “I liked that she was willing to talk about her work and was willing to answer our questions.”

Anthony Cole, 11, agreed.

“I liked hearing about how she had many jobs and enjoyed being a senator the most,” he said.

One student asked Fargo what the toughest conversation she’s had working as a senator, to which Fargo replied the issue of gay marriage in Massachusetts.

“People had very strong opinions on either side,” she said. “Our system of government is so good that we survived these confrontations. The Massachusetts state constitution, it’s the oldest written. Within that framework, we can take on hot issues and come to a resolution.”

The reading was in honor of the national Read Across America day. Fargo was originally supposed to read at the school on March 2, but had to reschedule because of a snowstorm.

“I think reading is a basic component of learning,” Fargo said. “I’ve been a life-long reader and it has given me so much pleasure.”

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Lung Cancer Alliance Hails Massachusetts State Senator for Taking Lead on Lung Cancer

BOSTON, Jan 15, 2009 /PRNewswire-USNewswire via COMTEX/ — For Second Straight Year, Legislation Introduced to Fund Lung Cancer Research

Today, Lung Cancer Alliance (LCA) hailed Senator Susan Fargo (D-3rd Middlesex), the Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Public Health, for once again introducing comprehensive legislation that creates a trust fund for lung cancer research.

“Now is the time for positive change for lung cancer in Massachusetts,” said Joanne O’Connor, LCA-Massachusetts (LCA-MA) Co-chair. “On behalf of those touched by lung cancer in Massachusetts, we thank Senator Fargo for her continued leadership in addressing the critical need for increased lung cancer research.”

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths nationally and in Massachusetts. Lung cancer claims more lives each year than breast, prostate, and colon cancers–combined. In 2008, an estimated 4,930 Massachusetts citizens were diagnosed with lung cancer and 3,600 were lost to the disease. Over 70% are diagnosed at a late stage accounting for the low 15% survival rate.

“There are too few opportunities for the research community to tackle lung cancer and make an impact on survival rates,” said Senator Fargo. “This legislation is intended to drive lung cancer research forward in many different areas as well as to allow researchers to find innovative new methods of diagnosing and treating the disease.”

“This bill provides the funding needed to institute innovative lung cancer screening programs for those at high risk throughout the state, especially rural and underserved populations,” said Diane Legg, lung cancer survivor and LCA-MA Co-chair. “In addition, the bill enhances research that has been lacking on targeted therapies, chemoprevention, and disparities.”

The bill, introduced this week, establishes screening programs for the high risk population, promotes the development of new diagnostic and screening technologies for lung cancer, supports research into the disparities surrounding lung cancer incidence and mortality rates, and supports research to discover cures through the development of chemoprevention and targeted therapies.

“I commend Senator Fargo for her work in raising awareness of lung cancer as an under-recognized and under-funded health priority,” Yolonda Colson, MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Surgery, Division of Thoracic Surgery and Director, Women’s Lung Cancer Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

“We are committed to working with Senator Fargo, other members of the state legislature, public health organizations and all who share our goal of reducing lung cancer’s mortality rates through increased research funding,” O’Connor said.

Lung Cancer Alliance (www.LungCancerAlliance.org) is the only national non-profit organization dedicated exclusively to patient support and advocacy for those living with or at risk for lung cancer. Lung Cancer Alliance is committed to leading the movement to reverse decades of stigma and neglect by empowering those with or at risk for the disease, elevating awareness and changing health policy.

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Breastfeeding Babies and Mothers Protected by Law

January 9, 2009

BOSTON- Babies will enjoy a healthier new year thanks to a law signed today by Governor Deval Patrick that protects nursing mothers when they choose to breastfeed. “No longer will we keep company with West Virginia and North Dakota as the only states without a breastfeeding law,” said Senator Susan Fargo, Public Health Committee Chairman.

The bill, “An Act to Promote Breastfeeding,” originated from legislation filed by Senator Fargo and Representative David Linsky. “Breastfeeding has significant health benefits for children, mothers and our state,” said Fargo. “And, breastfeeding is healthy for our pocketbook.”

Healthier children can result in fewer expensive doctor visits, prescriptions and hospitalizations – costs that are often paid by health insurers and families. “Breastfeeding helps to reduce health care costs across the state, and that affects all of us,” Fargo said. Lower health care expenses means the state will spend less on healthcare and families will see fewer lost paydays.

“Given the public health benefits, it is important to protect a mother’s right to nurse her child in public places,” said Linsky.

Health benefits of breastfeeding are well documented. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, breastfeeding reduces the risk of childhood obesity, diabetes and decreases a child’s risk of contracting many infectious diseases and respiratory illnesses. Further, a mother’s risk of developing breast and ovarian cancers can be decreased by breastfeeding.

“This is a great victory for public health given that we have an epidemic of obesity in the state,” said Dr. Melissa Bartick, Chair of the Massachusetts Breast Feeding Coalition.

Massachusetts was one of only three states without a law that protects or promotes the breastfeeding of children in public settings. The new law will prohibit people from harassing or restricting women who nurse in public places such as stores, restaurants and parks.

The new law protects women who breastfeed their children in public from being forced to register as sex offenders if prosecuted for indecent exposure or lewd conduct. “I’m incredibly glad to have the support of the Governor and my colleagues in the House and Senate to finally sign this bill into law,” Linsky said. “The law will safeguard this important right for nursing mothers.”

Passage of the law was supported by the Massachusetts Medical Society, Massachusetts Hospital Association, Massachusetts Chapter of the Americans Academy of Pediatrics, Massachusetts Breastfeeding Coalition, Massachusetts Women’s Bar Association, League of Women Voters of Massachusetts and others.

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Breastfeeding bill passes Legislature

December 31, 2008

By Globe Staff

Mothers who want to breastfeed their children in public would get legal protection under a bill that received final approval from the Legislature today.

The bill, “An Act to Promote Breastfeeding,” is headed to the governors desk after being enacted by the Senate, said Senator Susan Fargo, the Lincoln Democrat who championed the bill.

Currently, women who breastfeed their children in public could be prosecuted for indecent exposure or lewd conduct. If convicted, they could even be forced to register as sex offenders, Fargo said. The legislation authorizes breastfeeding in public places and makes it clear it is not illegal.

Massachusetts has been one of three states in the nation without such a law on the books.

“For something that’s so healthy and so natural and supported by so many health groups, it just makes so much sense” to pass the protections for breastfeeding, Fargo said.

“No longer will mothers be forced to feed their children in the restroom of a restaurant or mall. … Women who nurse should not be treated as second-class citizens,” Representative David P. Linsky, a Framingham Democrat who pushed for the bill in the House, said in a statement.

Proponents say breastfeeding is healthier for kids and thus reduces healthcare costs.

The bill now heads to Governor Deval Patrick’s desk. Fargo said she was confident he would sign it. No one answered the telephone this afternoon at the governor’s press office.