April 30, 2010 ... Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, today announced that the Senate gave final approval to legislation that prohibits physical, verbal and written acts that threaten or cause harm to another student, including Internet “cyber-bullying.” The bill, which defines and bans bullying in schools, also requires that prevention and intervention plans be developed in every school across the commonwealth. The legislation was unanimously approved.

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April 29, 2010 ... Sen. Richard T. Moore’s (D-Uxbridge) office will hold two district office hours on Monday, May 10, 2010, from 1:30-2:30 p.m. at the Mendon Town Hall, 20 Main Street in Mendon, MA; and the Millville Senior Center from 3:00-4:00 p.m. at 40 Prospect Street in Millville, MA.

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April 29, 2010 ... As part of an awareness day of sports-related concussions and head injuries, Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, recently welcomed the Sports Legacy Institute of Boston to the Massachusetts State House. The organization was founded in 2007 by former WWE wrestler Christopher Nowinski, and neurosurgeon Dr. Robert Cantu, in reaction to new medical research indicating that brain trauma in sports has become a public health crisis. Sen. Moore was joined by (L-R) former Patriots linebacker Ted Johnson, a strong advocate of protecting against sports-related injuries and a principal member of the Sports Alliance, Rep. Paul Kujawski, D-Webster, Mr. Nowinski, and former boxing champ Micky Ward, in speaking in support of Senate Bill 796, which limits how soon a student athlete can return to play after suffering a concussion.

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April 28, 2010 ... Recently, Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, and Rep. Geraldo Alicea, D-Charlton, welcomed students from the Wells Middle School in Southbridge to the State House. Sen. Moore offered the students a brief history of the historic state capitol and fielded questions from the class. After meeting with Sen. Moore, students were brought on an official tour by a guide from the State House Tours office.

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April 27, 2010 ... Citing an opportunity for financial relief in pursuing an education in early childhood teaching, Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, recently announced that the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education has made its Early Childhood Educators (ECE) application forms available to interested residents. The ECE was funded as a pilot initiative by the Legislature for the purpose of increasing the quality and availability of teachers and care providers to work with young children and youth in inclusive settings including infant/toddler, preschool and school age programs.

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April 27, 2010 ... Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, was among several speakers at the 2010 Armenian Martyr's Day on Sunday, April 25, at the Soorp Asdvadzadin Armenian Apostolic Church of Whitinsville, recognizing the deaths of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Turks 95 years ago. Speakers at the program also included: Reverend Aram Stepanian, Pastor; Joseph Montevalvo and Charles Ampagoomian, Northbridge Selectmen. Selectman Montecalvo's 103 year old mother-in-law and a survivor to the tragedy was in the audience. Sen. Moore's statement follows:

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April 27, 2010 ... Recently, Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, announced that the Massachusetts Bar Association (MBA) will be hosting its annual Dial-A-Lawyer programming on Thursday, April 29. The program is dedicated solely to veterans’ legal questions and is part of the MBA’s “Serving Our Veterans in the Law” initiative. The program will take place via telephone from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. 

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St. Joseph’s Basilica, Webster, Massachusetts

(April 18, 2010) ..."All Polonia mourns this day, and all Americans—indeed all the World—joins with the people of Poland in solidarity over the tragic loss of their President, their First Lady, and the civic and military elite of the Polish Nation. We mourn the deaths of President Lech Kaczynski, First Lady Madame Maria Kaczynska, ninety-five other high-ranking executive and legislative branch leaders and the senior military, naval and air force commanders and we also remember their collective significant contributions to a strong and democratic Poland.

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Following the Money

By Senator Richard T. Moore

In the next week, the Massachusetts House will debate the Fiscal Year 2011 General Appropriations Bill – in other words, the state budget for the state’s financial year that begins on July 1, 2010. The Senate will consider the budget a few weeks later just before Memorial Day. Then, House and Senate negotiators work on bringing the two documents into line for a final vote and action by the Governor. It’s an annual process, but in recent years the debate is more about what to cut than what to spend because of the drop in state revenues as a result of the national economic recession. 

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School, municipal and town finance members attend session

By Donna Boynton TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

NORTHBRIDGE — State Sens. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, and Steven C. Panagiotakos, D-Lowell, met with local officials yesterday to discuss the state of local aid, days after cuts to that aid and other state programs were announced for fiscal 2011.

The meeting, attended by school, city and town finance officials from Mr. Moore’s district, was held at the GB & Lexi Singh Performance Center at Alternatives, where Mr. Moore and Mr. Panagiotakos, chairman of the Senate Ways and Means Committee, were peppered with questions about helping municipalities control health care costs and providing relief from Quinn Bill obligations that the state has stopped funding.

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Reforms based on Sen. Moore’s legislation

April 20, 2010 ... A plan intended to significantly improve the quality of health insurance available to Massachusetts public college students was announced this week by the Patrick Administration. The plan is based on work initiated by Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, Senate Chairman of the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Health Care Financing, and his efforts to push for reform.

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April 15, 2010 ... Alarmed by national reports of up to 90,000 deaths per year in U.S. hospitals when Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, became the Senate's Health Chair in 1999, the veteran legislator made patient safety one of his top priorities. Among the major steps in reducing patient deaths and saving money as well as lives, patient safety experts have long argued that hospitals need to focus on eliminating potentially deadly infections acquired by patients while in health care settings.

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April 14, 2010 ... Dr. Peter Smulowitz, an emergency physician and former health policy fellow in the office of Sen. Richard T. Moore, beat veteran state Rep. Lida Harkins, a former majority whip, by 140 votes in the Norfolk, Bristol, Middlesex district, according to unofficial tallies. The seat was previously held by U. S. Senator Scott Brown (R-MA). He will now face Rep. Richard Ross, a Republican, in the special general election on May 11, 2010.

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April 14, 2010 ... In a keynote address to business leaders today, Senate President Therese Murray, D-Plymouth, announced a comprehensive plan to provide immediate relief to small business health insurance costs. She said that reforming the small business health insurance market is essential to any successful economic recovery in Massachusetts.

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Federal Unfunded Mandate Relief Act recognized by Massachusetts State Senate

Sen. Moore, Senate colleagues call on Congress to strengthen landmark regulation on federal mandates

April 13, 2010 ... On March 22, 1995, the United States Congress welcomed the passage of the landmark Unfunded Mandate Relief Act (UMRA), which was intended to curb the practice of imposing unfunded federal mandates—provisions enacted by the government that impose a duty on a state or municipality without funding. Coinciding with the fifteenth anniversary of the signing of this important bill into law, Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, recently asked his colleagues in the Massachusetts Senate to join in not only commemorating the Unfunded Mandate Relief Act anniversary, but to ask Congress to tighten the restrictions on unfunded mandates.

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April 13, 2010 ... Citing a recent state by state report by the Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group (MASSPIRG) that gives Massachusetts an “F” in exhibiting openness in government spending, Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, has joined with his colleagues in the Legislature in supporting House Bill 2972, which establishes a searchable budgeting web site for public use. MASSPIRG, a state chapter of a nationwide interest group that advocates for citizens, found in their report, “Following the Money,” that 32 states are ahead of Massachusetts in openly publishing government expenditures. 

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April 12, 2010 ... As part of the National Conference of State Legislatures’ (NCSL) annual Spring Forum, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich recently met with those in attendance at the meeting of the nation’s premier bipartisan organization that serves the legislators and staffs of the nation's 50 states, its commonwealths and territories. Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, as President-Elect of NCSL, personally welcomed Gingrich to the day’s events in Washington, D.C. 

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Sen. Moore secures cost-saving initiative

April 8, 2010 ... Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, joined his colleagues in the Senate today in unanimously passing a major overhaul of the state’s network of agencies charged with developing business interests and economic activity in Massachusetts. The legislation creates a streamlined, cohesive model with built-in oversight and transparency measures to reduce redundancy and waste, and promote a more business-friendly environment that will ultimately help stimulate job growth in the Commonwealth.

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Sen. Moore encourages locals to nominate historic locales in Worcester & Norfolk District

April 7, 2010 ... April 7, 2010 ... Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, is inviting residents from the Worcester & Norfolk District to nominate their favorite places in the Commonwealth. The nominations will be considered for a final list of 1,000 Great Places in Massachusetts to be announced in May.  Sen. Moore is a member of the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Tourism, the Arts and Cultural Development, and represents most of the historic Blackstone Valley, traditionally cited as being the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution. 

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April 6, 2010 ... Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, recently announced that the Patrick Administration is awarding the Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce $20,000 as part of the Small Business Technical Assistance Grant Program. Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Greg Bialecki stated during the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations (MACDC) 2010 Lobby Day that the Massachusetts Office of Small Business and Entrepreneurship (OSBE) has awarded $600,000 in grants to 25 community-based, non-profit organizations throughout the state that provide assistance and advisory services to small businesses.

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By Senator Richard T. Moore

Last month, the President and Congress achieved passage of historic reform of our health care system. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act signed into law by President Obama will extend coverage to 32 million more Americans, prohibit the worst abuses of insurance companies from denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions, provide tax credits for small businesses, and lower costs for families that already have insurance—all while reducing the deficit by $138 billion over the first 10 years, and $1.2 trillion over the following ten.

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Worcester & Norfolk District to receive $4,126,994 

April 2, 2010 ... Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, recently announced that Governor Deval Patrick has designated $4.1 million for the Worcester & Norfolk District in state Chapter 90 funds to rebuild and repair local roads and bridges this year. This significant capital investment will create construction jobs, improve transportation and public safety and encourage long-term economic development across the Commonwealth.

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By Donna Boynton TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

The Massachusetts School Building Authority yesterday endorsed Uxbridge’s plan for a new high school, moving the project from the feasibility stage to the schematic design phase.

Authority members also agreed to fund $29.8 million of the proposed $53.9 million Sutton Middle/High School renovation and addition project.

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