|
 Senator Richard T. Moore, Senate Chairman of the influential Joint Committee on Health
Care Financing in the Massachusetts General Court, was among the principal architects
of the landmark Massachusetts health care reform law. He was among the principal
architects of the landmark Massachusetts health care reform law and served as Senate
Chairman of the Conference Committee that drafted the final legislation in 2006.
The
seven 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 currently leading the effort, with the Senate President, to enact
comprehensive legislation to improve the quality of health care and contain health costs.
Senator Moore also established MassMedline, 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. While serving at FEMA., Mr. Moore was a delegate representing
the United States of America to a United Nations Conference on Disaster
Reduction in Yokohama, Japan in 1995.
Senator Moore’s public service career includes service in local
government as well, as Selectman of Hopedale, Massachusetts for three terms
(1970-78) during which time he was elected by his peers statewide as
President of the Massachusetts Selectmen’s Association (1975-76). He also
served on the Governor’s Advisory Commission on Municipal Government
during that time.
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 member and Secretary of the
Massachusetts Health and Educational Facilities Authority, and holds
commissions as Justice of the Peace and Notary Public.
Senator Moore is a member of the Executive Committee of the National
Conference of State Legislatures and Chair of the NCSL Steering Committee,
member of the Board of the NCSL Foundation and Co-Chair of the Foundation’s
Trust for Representative Democracy; Co-Chair of the NCSL Task Force on
Emergency Preparedness and Homeland Security; Co-Chair of the NCSL Project
on Health Information Technology, member of the Board of Directors of the
National Legislative Association for Prescription Drug Pricing (NLARX since
2000), and 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.
In 2000, Senator Moore was among 40 state leaders from all branches of state government to be selected as a Henry Toll Fellow (a leadership development program) by the Council of State Governments.
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 representing the Northeast Region from 2002-2005; and past
member of the Board of the Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities.
He is also a Commissioner of the federal Blackstone River Valley National
Heritage Corridor Commission which manages one of the National Park Service’s
national heritage areas that includes portions of Massachusetts and Rhode
Island. He has been nominated for this post by Governors of both political
parties and appointed by the U.S. Secretary of the Interior. He served on
the commission (1987-94, and 1997 – present) and was the first chairman
of the commission 1987-90, and again in 2001-2003.
In addition to his participation at the United Nations Conference on
Disaster Reduction in Japan, Mr. Moore was part of a consulting team for
the National Park Service in an exchange with Great Britain’s Countryside
Commission. He also was a consultant on “reinventing government” for
the Stockholm, Sweden County Council. As a state legislator, he has
sponsored interns from Russia and Ireland.
Senator Moore represents the Central Massachusetts towns of Bellingham, Blackstone, Douglas, Dudley, Hopedale, Mendon, Milford, Millville, Northbridge, Oxford, Southbridge, Sutton, Uxbridge, and Webster in a district that stretches across the top of the Rhode Island and Connecticut borders.
He is married to the former Joanne Bednarz. They reside in Uxbridge.
|
