Senator Tolman on the Issues
Request for Public Comment on the Health Technology Plan
Secretary of Health and Human Services, JudyAnn Bigby, and the Health Information Technology Council, are requesting public comment on the Massachusetts Draft Statewide Health Information Technology Plan. Legislation was passed in 2008 to promote cost containment, transparency and efficiency in the delivery of quality health care. The legislation also aimed to implement Electronic Health Records (EHRs) by the end of 2014. The legislation in question also created the Massachusetts eHealth Institute (MeHI), a division of the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative which is overseen by the Health Information Technology Council.
Public comment can be made until Tuesday, February 16, 2010 and can be made through their website.
http://www.maehi.org/HIT/plan.html
Tolman To Hold Office Hours in Cambridge
Senator Steven A. Tolman (D-Brighton) announced today that his office will hold open office hours on Wednesday, February 17, 2010 from 10:00am to 12:00am at the O’Neill Branch Library, located at 70 Rindge Avenue, North Cambridge.
Anyone who needs assistance with a state agency or who would like to discuss a legislative matter should stop by to ask questions or express their concerns. Those unable to attend the community office hours, but would like to contact the office on an issue, should feel free to call the Senator’s office at (617) 722-1280.
Local Census Office Accepting Applicants for Temporary Employment to Support U.S. Census Bureau’s Goal of a Complete Count
U.S. Census Bureau’s Boston North Local 2010 Census Office is recruiting applicants for temporary, good-paying jobs with flexible hours to help ensure the 2010 Census is a success. The Boston North Office serves most of Dorchester, South Boston, the South End, Back Bay, North End, East Boston, Charlestown, Beacon Hill, Allston, Brighton, East End, Chinatown and Downtown Boston. Boston enumerators’ hourly wage is $22.75.
Specifically, census takers, also known as enumerators, are needed to conduct in-person interviews with community residents who do not return census questionnaires. These positions need to be filled by individuals with flexible schedules as work may occur in evenings and on weekends. Some positions may involve shift work. All temporary census employees must be able to attend training, for which they will be compensated. Most training sessions are held during the day on weekdays; occasionally, a session may be held in the evening or on weekends.
Job applicants must be at least 18 years old, have a valid Social Security number, be able to pass a background check, and complete a 30-minute, multiple-choice, employment test that measures knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform a variety of census jobs. U.S. citizenship is required to work for the 2010 Census except in rare occasions when no qualified U.S. citizens are available.
Qualified applicants are encouraged to call 1-866-861-2010 to schedule an appointment to take the employment test and submit an application. TTY Callers should use 1-800-877-8339. A listing of acceptable forms of ID can be found at: http://2010.census.gov/2010censusjobs/application-material/approved-forms-of-identification.php. An online sample test can be found at: http://2010.census.gov/2010censusjobs/pdf/Practice_Test.pdf. Please note: applicants in Boston do not need to have a driver’s license or use of a car. More information is available at www.2010censusjobs.gov.
The University of Massachusetts Boston, a U.S. Census Bureau partner, is hosting testing sessions on campus Monday, 2/1/10 through Thursday, 2/4/10 on the 11th floor of the Healey Library. Pre-registration is recommended. To schedule an appointment for employment test/application session in your neighborhood please call 1-866-861-2010.
The U.S. Census Bureau’s goal is to count everyone, once and in the right place.
Massachusetts’ Smoking Cessation Program Receives National Attention
In 2006, as part of Massachusetts’ landmark healthcare reform effort the Massachusetts Legislature mandated that smoking cessation benefits be made available to all MassHealth subscribers. The inclusion of smoking cessation benefits in the healthcare reform bill, an effort led by Senator Tolman (D-Boston), recently received national attention and was pointed to as a model for what national healthcare reform should seek to achieve by several Senators in Washington.
“I strongly believe that Massachusetts is a model for what our country is capable of achieving should healthcare reform pass in Washington. Massachusetts’ healthcare system is not perfect, but the fact that 96 percent of our citizens have healthcare coverage speaks volumes about the success that the Commonwealth has had in making long overdue improvements to the healthcare system,” said Senator Steven A. Tolman. “In 2006, I filed an amendment to the healthcare reform bill to establish a smoking cessation pilot program because I believe support for preventative care is one of the best ways to decrease the runaway cost of healthcare.”
Many fail to realize that Massachusetts’ landmark healthcare reform bill and the subsequent reform efforts that the state has undertaken have done more than require residents to have health insurance. Massachusetts has also aggressively sought to contain costs, often by implementing common sense ideas such as providing smoking cessation benefits and supporting preventative care.
Massachusetts’ healthcare reform legislation provides MassHealth clients with barrier-free access to smoking cessation benefits and preventative care through the “Massachusetts Tobacco Cessation & Prevention Program” (MTCP). The MTCP program alone has been responsible for a dramatic 26% reduction in smoking rates among MassHealth clients in the two and a half years since its founding, representing millions of dollars in savings.
The powerful effect that MTCP has had in its short life was demonstrated by a recent study, which found that the previously discussed reduction in MassHealth smoking rates occurred at the same time as a 38% drop in heart attack hospitalizations and 17% decrease in emergency department visits for asthma symptoms, both among cessation benefit users. The fact that these events occurred simultaneously has led many to believe that the two are connected. With an average cost of $48,000 per heart attack hospitalization, the MTCP program has clearly affected healthcare costs in Massachusetts. Programs like MTCP have been integral to the success of healthcare reform in Massachusetts; prevention and innovation cuts cost, improves patient outcomes and, returns money to the taxpayers.
Tolman Votes to Protect and Improve Benefits for Veterans and Service Members
The Senate on Thursday approved legislation to enhance and protect benefits of Massachusetts’ veterans and servicemembers.
“The legislation which the Senate passed today is an acknowledgement and thank you for all that Massachusetts service men and women do,” said Senator Steven A. Tolman (D-Boston). “I am particularly proud of the section of the bill which allows Massachusetts residents serving overseas to vote absentee via electronic means in federal, state and local preliminary, primary and general elections. Doing this removes an impediment that has for too long been an obstacle for servicemen and women to exercise the most basic of American rights.”
The legislation, An Act to Provide Benefits for Veterans and Servicemembers, makes improvements in numerous areas, including voting rights, access to veterans’ services, employment and benefits.
“Our veterans and servicemembers make the selfless decision to stand between us and danger, and it is our job to recognize, remember and support their efforts,” Senate President Therese Murray (D-Plymouth) said. “This legislation will allow the Commonwealth to ensure that veterans’ and servicemembers’ rights are protected, service is acknowledged and benefits are accessible.”
Senate Ways and Means Chairman Steven Panagiotakos (D-Lowell) said: “The legislation passed today will help make a veteran’s return home easier and recognize the invaluable service that our soldiers provide. I am very pleased to see the added benefits and recognition that our veterans will realize as a result of the bill, including the guarantee that those brave men and women fighting to protect our democracy will have the ability to participate in that very democratic process back home via electronic voting.”
Senator Kenneth Donnelly (D-Arlington), Senate chairman of the Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs, said: “This legislation provides a set of new benefits to active servicemembers and veterans, and it is especially appropriate that at this time of year we acknowledge their service to our country. The bill will honor families of servicemembers killed in action, make it easier for active duty members to engage in the electoral process while serving, and add disabled veterans as a group for preference in public works projects. This bill speaks to the invaluable service of the men and women of the armed forces. We are a grateful commonwealth.”
The Senate’s version of the legislation:
· Allows Massachusetts residents serving overseas to receive and return absentee ballots via electronic means for federal, state and local preliminary, primary and general elections;
· Directs the Executive Office of Health and Human Services to study the Commonwealth’s current capacity to provide health care services to veterans, and assess the feasibility of expanding capacity at current soldiers’ homes or establishing additional soldiers’ homes;
· Authorizes state licensing boards to draft regulations exempting honorably-discharged veterans from requirements or credits towards licensure based on skills accumulated during their military service;
· Includes a preference in the General Laws for service-disabled veterans for public works projects;
· Amends the current Welcome Home Bill bonus program, where service members are currently able to obtain a $1,000 bonus for a single overseas deployment, to allow servicemembers who are deployed on multiple tours to apply for up to 50 percent of the bonus upon each subsequent return. This additional benefit will only be allowed while current funds remain available;
· Creates a Medal of Liberty for the governor to award to family members of servicemembers killed in action or who died of wounds received in action;
· Allows city and town clerks to provide the list of veterans to the Executive Office of Veteran Affairs and to local veterans’ service officers; And,
· Establishes a veterans’ hall of fame council to study the feasibility of establishing a veterans’ hall of fame in the Commonwealth.
The legislation now returns to the House of Representatives for further action.
Tolman Votes to Preserve Affordable Housing and Protect Low-Income Tenants
The Senate on Tuesday passed legislation to preserve the stock of publicly-assisted affordable housing units across the state and protect the rights of tenants by implementing earlier notification standards for property owners and establishing a non-partisan advisory board representing tenants, property owners, municipalities and preservation experts to work with the state in developing future regulations.
“In times such as these maintaining affordable housing is particularly important,” said Senator Steven A. Tolman (D-Boston). “The bill which the Senate passed will do just that by requiring earlier notification by an apartment owner’s if they intend to make a unit market rate, for example.”
“Affordable housing has always been an important part of keeping a viable workforce and quality of life in Massachusetts,” Senate President Therese Murray (D-Plymouth) said. “Now, with our current economic conditions, we have an even greater responsibility to make sure affordable housing stays available, and that’s what this bill does.”
The bill targets the state’s estimated 90,000 government-assisted rental housing units, including so called “expiring use” units whose affordability restrictions can end by owners prepaying their subsidized mortgages or not renewing their rent assistance contracts upon expiration. Massachusetts is at risk of losing more than 23,000 units by the end of 2012. Many of the residents in “expiring use” buildings are seniors or people with disabilities.
The Senate legislation establishes provisions that will help preserve as many units as possible. It requires owners who want to sell affordable rental property to offer a purchasing right-of-first-refusal to the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) or the local municipality where the property is located.
The bill implements a string of notification requirements also aimed at preserving affordability and protecting tenants. They include the following:
· Written notice must be given at least two years prior to the affordability restriction’s termination;
· Written notice of intent to complete termination must be given at least one year before termination;
· Owners must give notice of intent to sell the property; and
· Owners, upon notice of intent to sell, must make documents, including architectural plans, capital expenses and the number of vacancies available for review by DHCD to help determine property value and purchasing options.
The legislation further ensures the protection of tenants by preventing unfair rent increases for three years after the termination of affordability restrictions and forbidding no-fault evictions.
Finally, to oversee compliance with the bill and secure future safeguards, the bill gives DHCD authority to establish a 13-member advisory committee consisting of housing advocates, municipal representatives, developers and the real estate bar that will provide regulatory advice and recommendations.
The bill now goes to the House of Representatives for further action.