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Senator Richard T. Moore
is Senate Chair of the influential Joint Committee
on Health Care Financing in the Massachusetts
General Court. In that capacity, and as Senate chair
of the legislative Conference Committee on health
care reform legislation this year, Senator Moore was
among the principal authors who crafted the landmark
Massachusetts Health Care Reform Law.
 Among the provisions
of that new law, Senator Moore is especially proud
of achieving $1 million for a Statewide Infection
Control Program, $5 million for e-prescribing and
electronic medical records, $500,000 for support of
the Betsy Lehman Center for Patient Safety, and
establishment of a new Health Care Cost and Quality
Council that will focus in large measure on patient
safety and quality.
The six-term senator
is constantly in the forefront of issues affecting
the health of the people of Massachusetts. His
imprint can be found on nearly every piece of health
care legislation enacted in Massachusetts since
1999. Widely acknowledged for his leadership in
state health care policy and his strong advocacy for
patient safety and reduction of medical errors,
Senator Moore is the principal sponsor of numerous
legislative initiatives including the establishment
of the Betsy Lehman Center for Patient Safety and
Medical Error Reduction, a state-based center for
research, education, and policy application focused
on evidence-based solutions to patient safety
issues.
He is also the prime
sponsor of An Act to Promote Safe Patient Care and
Support the Nursing Profession (Senate Bill No.
1260) that would address the nursing shortage and
evaluate nurse staffing using evidence-based nursing
sensitive measures of patient outcomes instead of
one size fits all nurse staffing ratios.
He initiated Mass
Medline, a toll free information service for access
to prescription drug coverage, access to the
state’s prescription assistance program, and a
clearinghouse for Medicare Part D information that
is operated by Massachusetts College of Pharmacy
under contract with the state. The program is
credited with giving senior citizens and handicapped
persons with over $11 million in free prescription
drugs.
In addition to his
leadership post as Chair of Health Care Financing,
Senator Moore is an active member of the Joint
Committee on Higher Education, the Joint Committee
on Bonding and Capital Debt, the Senate Committee on
Post Audit and Oversight, and the Senate Committee
on Bills in Third Reading.
Prior to his service
in the Senate, Senator Moore was a nine term member
of the House of Representatives and held the
chairmanship of three different standing committees
during his service in the House: Taxation, State
Administration, and Election Laws. He was also a
member of the 1992 Presidential Electoral College
from Massachusetts.
A former Associate
Director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency
in the Clinton Administration (1994-1996), Senator
Moore was presented the “Distinguished Service
Award,” the agency’s highest award, for his
service to the Nation in developing a strategy to
mitigate the damage caused by natural disasters.
Senator Moore is an
educational administrator and faculty member serving
currently as Visiting Assistant Professor in Health
Policy in the Masters in Public Administration
program at Bridgewater (MA) State College. He is a
former Associate Dean of Students at Assumption
College and former Assistant to the President of
Bentley College, a past trustee of Quinsigamond
Community College and current trustee of Nichols
College. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in History
from Clark University, Master’s Degree in Student
Personnel Administration from Colgate University,
and an honorary Doctor of Science degree from the
Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health
Sciences. He is a former charter member and
Secretary of the Massachusetts Health and
Educational Facilities Authority.
Senator Moore is a
member of the Executive Committee of the National
Conference of State Legislatures as well as NCSL’s
Health Committee, Health Chairs Project and Medicaid
Task Force. He is a member of the Board of the NCSL
Foundation, the Board of Directors of the National
Legislative Coalition on Prescription Drug Pricing,
and a member of the National Steering Committee of
the Campaign for Restoring the Civic Mission of Our
Schools chaired by retired Supreme Court Justice
Sandra Day O’Connor.
He is a trustee of
the Clara Barton Diabetes Education Center in North
Oxford, and a corporator of the Central
Massachusetts Chapter of the American Red Cross. He
is also past president of the Massachusetts Chapter
of the American Society for Public Administration
and served on the Society’s National Council for
the past three years.
Senator Moore
represents fourteen towns in South Central
Massachusetts, and he is married to the former
Joanne Bednarz. They reside in Uxbridge.
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