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May 25, 2006 – The Senate concluded debate today on the FY 2007 state budget. Senator Richard T. Moore (D-Uxbridge) sponsored several amendments to the Senate budget proposal that were approved.
During the budget discussions, Moore secured state funding for local amendments he strongly supported including money for the Webster lake sediment control program and for Blackstone to fund expenses incurred in response to water contamination in the town’s water facility in March.
“The citizens and communities of the Worcester and Norfolk District will benefit greatly from these provisions adopted by the Senate today,” said Moore. “I’m proud that once again the Senate is appropriating funds that will positively affect the towns in our district, and communities across the state.”
Moore noted that he was especially pleased that his amendment on the Mass BioTeach Program was adopted unanimously by the Senate. BioTeach aims to enable every public high school in Massachusetts to teach biotechnology by the year 2010 by enabling schools, empowering teachers, and inspiring students. Developed by MassBioEd, the educational foundation of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, BioTeach builds on the MBC's nine years of success with its Science Lab A wards program, adding biotechnology science and career components into the core biology curriculum
The Senate budget proposal contains several other provisions supported by Senator Moore including:
• Medical Devices: Section 29 is intended to limit Massachusetts hospitals’ access to safe, effective, low-cost, reprocessed medical devices. Section 29 will greatly increase costs for Massachusetts hospitals, and will have a significant detrimental effect on the state’s environment. This section has been stuck by the Senate.
• Blackstone Water Contamination: Provides $15,000 to the town of Blackstone for expenses incurred in response to the contamination of the town’s water supply in March 2006. Funds will cover costs associated with providing police and fire overtime as well as the cost of providing bottled water to residents in the immediate aftermath of the contamination.
• Webster Lake Sediment Control Program: Provides $168,000 for sediment control in Webster Lake. Funding will be used to bring the drainage areas surrounding Webster lake up to today’s standards.
• Registry of Motor Vehicles. Requires the RMV to operate a full-service branch in the towns of Southbridge and Milford.
• UMASS/Memorial Health Center Medicaid Supplemental Payments: Under the Medicaid State Plan, UMMHC qualifies as an Essential MassHealth Hospital, which permits the state to pay it supplemental payments, in addition to UMMHC's standard Medicaid payment. Medicaid supplemental funds provide additional revenue to the UMMHC health care system in recognition of UMMHC's relationship and obligations to the state's only public medical school and on account of UMMHC's payer mix.
• Community Health Centers: Adds $10,000,000 to fund Medicaid rate increases for Community Health Centers.
• Essential Community Provider Trust Fund: Provides $38,000,000 in relief for essential community provider hospitals and health centers to improve and enhance their ability to serve populations in need more efficiently and effectively, including, but not limited to, the ability to provide community-based care, clinical support, care coordination services, disease management services, primary care services, and pharmacy management services. Benefits all local community hospital in Southern Worcester County.
The Senate also passed a few items in the budget including:
• Suspension of the 21-cent gas tax over the summer;
• Expansion of Suffolk County-only Bunker Hill and Evacuation Day holidays statewide;
• Expansion of property tax relief for those over age 70;
• Gradually lower the income tax rate to 5 percent if local aid accounts hit 2002 levels;
• To permanently establish the sales tax holiday on the second Saturday of August;
• Approval of a veto override, restoration health benefits to legal elderly and disabled immigrants;
• Approval of an order creating a committee of lawmakers to examine disaster and flood recovery;
• Reduction of Internet-based cigarette sales to minors;
• Requirement State Police to detail where they're writing traffic citations;
Among Senator Moore’s FY 2007 budget priorities that were included in the Senate Ways and Means Budget proposal were:
• Massachusetts Alliance of Boys and Girls Clubs: $3,000,000 for matching grants to boys’ and girls’ clubs, YMCA and YWCA organizations, nonprofit community centers and youth development programs.
• Clara Barton Birthplace Museum Inc.: $100,000 for the museum.
• Uxbridge Youth Center: $50,000 for youth counseling, GED/School-to-Career-Program, drug prevention, and at-risk youth services at the Uxbridge Youth Center.
• Family Health Services: $9,406,787 to family planning clinics, rape crisis centers and primary care services for women and children. These appropriations will help fund family health services in Southbridge and Milford.
• Teen Pregnancy Prevention: $2,000,000 in total funding. The town of Southbridge will receive $50,000 for their teen pregnancy prevention services.
• School Health Services and School Based Health Centers: $16,730,544 to (1) strengthen the infrastructure of school health services in the areas of personnel and policy development, programming and interdisciplinary collaboration; (2) develop linkages between school health services programs and community health providers; (3) incorporate health education programs, including tobacco prevention and cessation activities, in school curricula and in the provision of school based health services; and (4) incorporate obesity prevention programs, including nutrition and wellness programs, in school curricula to address the nutrition and lifestyle habits needed for healthy development
• Business Retention Program: $75,000 for a business retention program in the town of Millville operated by the Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce.
• Draper Mill Re-Use Project: $25,000 grant to the Milford Area Chamber of Commerce to support the Draper Re-Use Project in the town of Hopedale.
• Tourism Grants: $100,000 for the Southern Worcester Development Corporation, $50,000 to the Claflin Hill Symphony Orchestra, $50,000 to the Polish Cultural Festival in Webster and $50,000 for an Irish Festival in Milford.
• Violence and Hate Crimes Prevention Pilot Program: $150,000 for a pilot program Southbridge for preventing violence and hate crimes in Kindergarten though grade 8.
• Workforce Development Initiative: $500,000 for the Massachusetts Nursing and Allied Health Workforce Development Initiative to develop and support strategies that increase the number of Massachusetts public higher education faculty members and students who participate in programs that support careers in fields related to nursing and allied health.
• Worcester County Sheriff: $43,645,877 for the operation of the jail, house of correction and any other facilities under the administration of the sheriff of Worcester County.
• Pharmacy Outreach Program: $600,000 for the operation of the pharmacy outreach program.
The Senate’s version of the FY 2007 budget now goes to a conference committee that will resolve the differences between the House and Senate versions. Once completed, the full Legislature will send the budget to the governor for his consideration.
For more information visit Senator Moore’s website at
www.senatormoore.com/budget
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