Last week, the House of Representatives debated the budget crafted by the House Committee on Ways and Means, of which I am a member. After months of formulating our budget, I strongly believe that this budget is a fair, balanced, and bi-partisan proposal, having passed by a 152-4 vote margin.
Local Aid/Education Funding
The House made an early commitment to no new taxes or fees in our budget and we stood by that commitment, adopting a budget that had neither. Even in the midst of a budget process that had no new revenue streams, the House was able to provide each district with additional funding in Local Aid and Chapter 70 (Education) funding. In total, the 30th Middlesex District, consisting of Woburn, Reading, and Stoneham, will collectively receive an additional $1,078,847 in funding from the Commonwealth. It is because our of stable tax policy, growing confidence in our state economy, and fiscal planning that we are able to deliver much needed additional local aid for our cities and towns.
Find out what's happening in Woburnfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Other initiatives and proposals that I supported which would save taxpayers money are as follows:
1) Exempting cities and towns from having to pay the gas tax for municipal fuel purchases. This would have saved over roughly $100,000 for our district. However, this proposal failed.
Find out what's happening in Woburnfor free with the latest updates from Patch.
2) Changing the way we tax cell phone purchases. Currently, if you purchase a cell phone as an upgrade at a discounted rate or if you bundle purchases at discounted rates, you pay the sales tax on the retail price, not the discounted price. I supported an amendment that would make the sales tax only applicable to the sale/discounted price. Unfortunately, this amendment failed as well.
Social Services
The House also took up an aggressive approach at reforming Electronic Benefit Transfer cards or EBT cards. Many of you may have been following the news of the egregious abuses of this transitional system. This abuse takes advantage of our hard working taxpayers and drains economic resources from deserving programs , such as programs that address those with developmental disabilities and early education programs, to name a few. However, this reform approach was approved on a bi-partisan way, leading to a strong 122-33 vote in favor of aggressive reforms. Going forward I am hopeful that the EBT system will be a cash free voucher system, thus hopefully eliminating the abuse's and restoring the integrity of the system.
Reforms that were implemented are as follows:
1) EBT cards will no longer be allowed to be used for lottery, tobacco, alcohol, manicures, firearms, entertainment venues, cosmetics, cruise ships, tattoos, jewelry, gaming establishments, and pornography.
2) Penalties for card holders that knowingly use their EBT to purchase any of the previously mentioned prohibited uses have been made more strict
3) Penalties for businesses that knowingly allow EBT card holders to violate the prohibit purchases have been made more strict as well.
4) A commission will be established to develop a cashless EBT program that creates a voucher system to lower the amount of cash that is available through the EBT program.
Illegal Immigration
Some several months ago, I joined with colleagues from both parties in supporting a comprehensive approach to immigration reform by co-sponsoring legislation known as An Act to Enhance Community Safety. During this budget process, I was joined by my colleagues in putting together a proposal that would include many of the measures from that bill. These are common sense reforms that will assist in making sure that the best interests, both fiscal and public safety related, are met.
Provisions that were included in the budget are as follows:
1) Implementing stronger verification measures on access to public assistance benefits, unemployment assistance payments, educational subsidies and public housing opportunities, thus assuring those who need assistance are deserving and warranted.
2) Increasing criminal penalties and fines for knowingly hiring or allowing unlicensed individuals to operate vehicles.
3) Increasing the penalty for operating without a license;
4) Closing the loophole that allows registration of an automobile without a social security or tax id number
5) Establishing new penalties and fines for making and distributing false licenses and identification cards.
6) Mandating that state law enforcement agencies analyze the cost factors, the involvement of state and local law enforcement efforts and the logistical requirements necessary to sufficiently prepare for the state’s mandatory participation in the Secure Communities program in 2013. Secure Communities provides for the sharing of information on the identity of persons who are in the custody of local law enforcement agencies, with the FBI and Homeland Security in order to conduct comprehensive background checks via a national database and allow those federal agencies to take into custody persons determined to be in the country illegally.
The above are common sense public safety measures that need to be enacted now.
Other initiatives in the budget that I supported are as follows:
1) The House passed an amendment that would create a transfer of credit system for Veterans seeking employment within professions that require professional licensure in the Commonwealth. Many returning Veterans have been trained in particular fields that have bearing on employment they are seeking in the Commonwealth that requires a license. The intent of this amendment is to look at the Veterans qualifications, and exempt the Veteran from having to take training courses or certification programs to gain a license, if there has been sufficient or similar training during his/her time in the military.
2) The House passed an amendment that would establish a cap on the amount of time that those in the HomeBASE program can stay sheltered in hotels/motels. This legislation caps the length of stay at 9 months. This will force the Department of Housing and Community Development to find a more permanent placement for those that are homeless.
3) The House failed to pass an amendment that would have allowed the Sheriff’s departments to charge a $5 per day fee to inmates incarcerated in their facilities. If an inmate is unable to pay the fee upon release and stayed out of trouble for two years after his/her release, the amount incurred by the $5 per day fee would be waived. This measure would have supported Sheriff’s re-entry programs, while preventing recidivism when it usually happens the most; months after release.
Next month’s office hours:
***PLEASE NOTE CHANGE….Office hours will be held each month, on the 3rd Monday of the month, at Woburn Senior Center at 1:30-2:30pm, and Woburn City Hall in the Committee Room from 3:00-4:00pm. (In the event of a holiday, office hours will be the following Monday). If you are unable to make office hours, but would like to discuss an issue or concern, please do not hesitate to contact me at my office at 617-722-2220 or via email at James.Dwyer@mahouse.gov
