| Seniors - Save the Date | At the end of February, I will be holding a town meeting on senior issues at the Cambridge Citywide Senior Center. The Secretary of Elder Affairs will be there to speak with you as well. The town meeting will take place 10:00am to 11:30am on Friday, February 26.
The Citywide Senior Center is located at 795 Massachusetts Ave. For more information, please call me at 617-722-2810, or my district office, 617-868-9653.
Representatives Walz, Toomey and Brownsberger are co-sponsoring this event. |
| House Approves Safe Driving Bill | Last Thursday, the House passed a Safe Driving bill that prohibits texting while driving, requires in-person driver's license renewal every five years - including a vision test - for those over the age of seventy-five, requires drivers to use hands-free devices when making phone calls, and bans junior operators from using a cell phone behind the wheel. I would have preferred requiring in-person renewal and vision testing for everyone, regardless of age, but am pleased that we are dealing with texting and other issues related to cell phone use while driving. We all need a reminder to keep both hands on the wheel and our eyes on the road! |
| Bridge Rehab Projects | The Governor has put in play an accelerated bridge renewal project to rebuild bridges that are in tough shape. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) is in the early stages of local bridge rehabilitation projects for the River Street, Western Ave and Lars Anderson bridges. The Weeks Bridge, run by the DCR, will also be refurbished. MassDOT is required to hold public meetings on its plans and has begun to do so. However, because MassDOT tried to schedule the public meetings to alternate between Allston and Cambridge, giving inadequate public voice to the planning process, Representative Walz and I have successfully pushed MassDOT to run meetings on both sides of the Charles River at each stage. There is a need to assure that pedestrians, bicyclists, and parkland receive careful attention in the design, construction phase and final project. |
Census 2010
| Be sure to fill out your federal census form when it comes. The number of people in the Massachusetts Census will determine how many seats we have in the U.S. House of Representatives. It will also decide what percent of $400 billion per year of federal money is allocated to projects, like new hospitals and schools, in the Commonwealth. The 2010 Census is one of the shortest and simplest in U.S. history. It asks just 10 basic questions and requires less personal information than a typical credit card application. For example, the 2010 Census does NOT ask about bank account information, salary or income, citizenship or immigration status, and never asks you for your Social Security number. Participating in the census is one of the most powerful ways of having a voice in the United States. To view some of the common privacy questions and answers, please click on this link: http://2010.census.gov/2010census/privacy/common-privacy-questions.php |
| Cambridge Street List | While we're on the census topic, remember to return your City of Cambridge street list census as well. That is how you remain on the voter list as an active voter. |
Tax Season
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No one likes doing their taxes, but the good news is that there is a range of resources available to help.
One is the Free File program, which provides free federal income tax preparation and electronic filing for eligible taxpayers. All taxpayers earning less than $57,000 can visit www.IRS.gov and use the industry's top tax preparation software for free. Users get the step-by-step help they need to prepare, complete and file federal tax returns online - all at no cost. To learn more, please visit www.freefilealliance.org or www.IRS.gov. Tax help is also available at the Cambridge Public Library. Students from Harvard Law School will provide free tax help on Fridays from noon to 5pm and Saturdays from 10am to 3pm in the Beech Room of the Main Library. This free program is open to everyone, but is targeted to the disadvantaged, the elderly, and those new to the country. |
| Education Legislation |
Recently, two school-related bills moved forward in the House. An education reform bill that highlighted responses to the achievement gap was signed into law by the Governor on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. It pushes restructuring of the Commonwealth's lowest performing schools. It also increases the cap on charter schools in some school districts. In addition, a school nutrition bill I sponsored was approved by the House at the end of January. It requires schools to provide healthy food and beverages in cafeterias. It also encourages schools to participate in farm-to-school programs.
Also at the end of last month, the Joint Committee on Higher Education held a public hearing on another important education bill-legislation to allow children of undocumented immigrants who graduate from Massachusetts high schools to take advantage of in-state tuition at our public colleges and universities. I testified in favor of the bill at the hearing. I feel passionately that this is the right thing to do for our young people, our communities, and our economy. It is controversial, nevertheless, making it a tough sell in an election year. |
Elder Affairs Bills Moving Forward
| The Elder Affairs Committee has advanced several bills, including two that address Alzheimer's disease and related dementias. One creates regulations for Dementia Special Care Units in nursing homes, and the other establishes a Silver Alert Program to protect seniors with Alzheimer's or dementia who wander. These are good public safety measures that don't cost the state much. Also included in legislation moving forward from Elder Affairs are bills that:
require that all elder service workers receive training in how best to provide services to LGBT elders, so that elder care providers are able to provide all elders with the dignity, respect and care they deserve; and enable cities to establish a senior citizen safety zone. This might, for example, require drivers to reduce speeds near a senior housing facility or hospital.
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Poll on Expanded Gambling
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The issue of expanded gambling in Massachusetts is likely to come up again in the near future, as legislators search for ways to create jobs and raise revenue. As we begin to reconsider this question, I would like to hear how you feel about this as a policy issue. Unfortunately, even as I ask your opinion, I cannot speak to the financial implications because conditions have changed so dramatically since the last time the House looked at this issue. At that time, I voted against establishing casinos, and the House voted the issue down.
As you know, the state has had many cuts in critical programs that serve our most vulnerable residents. In light of our inadequate funds for important human services, as well as our high unemployment rate, it is appropriate to assess this option again. There are serious concerns on both sides of the issue, from the serious disease of gambling addiction to the roughly 6 million visits made by Massachusetts residents to Connecticut casinos each year, exporting Massachusetts revenue to Connecticut.
If you would like to tell me your thoughts about the issue in detail, please click here; but first, vote by following this link.
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| | WELCOME |  | Dear Friends,
Welcome to my newsletter!
From time to time, I use these e-mail newsletters to keep in touch with you and keep you abreast of what is going on at the State House.
If you would like additional information on any of the issues mentioned in this newsletter, or if I can help in you in any way, please contact me! If you call, you might find my staff on the line.
Thanks for reading, and please keep in touch!
State House Office:
Tel: (617) 722-2810
Fax: (617) 722-2197
rep.alicewolf@hou.state.ma.us
State House, Room 167
Boston, MA 02133
District Office:
Tel: (617) 868-WOLF
Fax: (617) 497-7284
alicewolf@alicewolf.org
www.alicewolf.org |
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