Sen. Moore leading Senate sponsor of bill that paves way towards broader reforms

July 31, 2010 ... The Senate’s principal leader on health care, Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, joined his colleagues in the Senate today in approving a compromise conference committee report on legislation that will reduce small business health insurance costs and promote job retention and job creation.  The conference committee report reduces premium fluctuations in the market and requires insurers to offer affordable health plans. The conference report was filed last night and will await final action in the House of Representatives, having been unanimously approved by the Senate.

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Sen. Moore secures provisions in bill that promotes business-friendly environment; sales tax holiday approved

July 30, 2010 ... Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, joined his colleagues in the Senate in unanimously approving a conference committee report on economic development legislation that includes a sales tax holiday and promotes job growth, fostering a business-friendly environment and improving the ease with which Massachusetts businesses can operate in the markets they serve. The compromise bill filed today, overhauls the state’s network of business development agencies, establishing a streamlined, cohesive model with built-in oversight and transparency to reduce redundancy and waste. 

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Local legislator cites elimination of local control

July 30, 2010 ... Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, joined six of his colleagues in the Massachusetts Senate in voting against a conference committee report that eliminates local control over wind farm siting, potentially inflicting high costs to ratepayers in local municipalities. 

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Health care leader honored with “Public Health Pioneer Award” for championing bill that promotes healthier eating habits for schoolchildren

July 30, 2010 ... Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, joined Governor Deval Patrick today in signing into law legislation that ensures that foods that meet established nutritional standards are sold in public schools during school hours. The law, “An Act Relative to School Nutrition” (H 4459), also mandates that the Department of Public Health (DPH) create specific food guidelines through the regulatory process. 

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Sen. Moore chosen as NCSL President for 2010-2011

July 28, 2010 ... A widely respected and effective advocate for the interests of state governments and federal agencies, The National Conference of State Legislatures (NCSL) represents the nation’s 7,382 state legislators, as well as all state legislative staff of the fifty states, commonwealths and territories.

Meeting in Louisville, Kentucky this week, legislative members of the esteemed Conference unanimously elected Massachusetts State Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, to be President of the organization. Moore, who has served as President-elect for the past year, becomes NCSL’s 38th President for the 2010-2011 term.

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Sen. Moore champions bill that improves food choices at Massachusetts schools to help fight childhood obesity

July 22, 2010 ... One of the state's leading health care leaders, Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, was joined by his colleagues in the Massachusetts Legislature today in passing legislation that would ban the sale of unhealthy foods and drinks in Massachusetts public schools. 

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July 21, 2010 ... Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, is encouraging youths across his Worcester & Norfolk senatorial district to participate in the Governor’s Statewide Youth Council. Established by the Governor’s office in 2008, the Youth Council encourages the Commonwealth’s young people to become involved in their communities and to participate in planning and problem solving by taking on leadership roles.

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July 20, 2010 ... Sharing with one of the state’s chief health care leaders an innovative approach to modernizing health care technologies, the Worcester Polytechnic Institute’s Center for eHealth Innovation and Process Transformation (CeHIPT) recently met with Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, in an effort to reach out to key health care players and to promote their findings. CeHIPT conducts interdisciplinary research to help health care organizations successfully transform their care delivery processes towards electronic health records, electronic personal health records, and telemedicine and telehealth. 

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Sen. Moore highlights new federal tax credits for Massachusetts small businesses

Study shows nearly 75% of Massachusetts small businesses eligible for tax credits in federal health care law

July 20, 2010 ... Today, Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, highlighted a new analysis showing that 74.1 percent of small businesses in Massachusetts will be eligible for new health care tax credits in 2010, thanks to a key provision of the federal health care law enacted earlier this year. Sen. Moore is Senate Chairman of the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Health Care Financing and was a principal architect of the landmark Massachusetts Health Care Reform Law which served as a model for federal health reform.

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By Senator Richard T. Moore

Being elected to serve as a state legislator in any of the fifty states or U.S. territories is a special honor and it is also a significant responsibility. After the excitement and ego-enhancing experience of any election or re-election, state legislators need to work at understanding the will and mood of their constituents as well as to understand the many sides of key policy issues in their state. It’s also important to understand the arcane rules of procedure and how to get things done.

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July 19, 2010 ... Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, recently announced that the Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) is awarding a $48,000 grant to the Town of Uxbridge for the renovation of a trail along the Blackstone River in the Blackstone River and Canal State Park, as part of DCR’s Recreational Trails Grants Program. The initiative is part of the national Recreational Trails Program funded by the Federal Highway Administration.

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Sen. Moore votes against National Popular Vote initiative that confuses the will of Massachusetts voters 

July 16, 2010 ... After lengthy debate on significant proposals that affect local municipalities, families of deadly automobile crash victims, and the voters of Massachusetts, Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, joined his colleagues in supporting the majority of legislation at hand during a Thursday session, only voting against a National Popular Vote proposal that the veteran legislator described as “misleading, and likely to increase voter frustration.” Crowning the day’s proceedings however, was the enactment of a municipal relief package that establishes a statewide mutual aid agreement to allow cities and towns to share resources, permits municipalities to extend funding schedules for pension systems and allows for regionalization efforts among municipalities. The measure will give cities and towns across Massachusetts new tools for managing their budgets in these challenging fiscal times.

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Sen. Moore congratulates 29 local attractions on list published by the Massachusetts Office of Tourism and Travel

July 13, 2010 ... Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, recently announced that 29 locales in the Worcester & Norfolk District have been selected by the Massachusetts Office of Tourism and Travel (MOTT) as part of the 1,000 Great Places in Massachusetts initiative. Sen. Moore represents 14 towns in South Central Massachusetts, all of which have at least one location that was nominated by residents from all across the Commonwealth.

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July 13, 2010 ... Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, recently spoke to over forty Chinese senior health officials at the Massachusetts State House as part of a “health tour” of Boston, organized by the Harvard School of Public Health’s China Initiative. The group, which consisted of Chinese Ministry of Health officials at the director level and above, as well as hospital CEOs from major hospitals in China, has been hosted in Boston by the China Initiative for the past five years. 

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July 12, 2010 ... Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, recently held "Coffee with Constituents" at the All American Cafe in Webster, MA. Coffee with Constituents is regularly held by Sen. Moore at various locations throughout his Senatorial District. During the morning hours, usually 7am-9am, Sen. Moore will sit down with residents, buy them a cup of coffee, and discuss the latest issues of the day and how the Senator can assist constituents. The All American Cafe staff that graciously hosted Sen. Moore on Monday were (L-R) Linda Jarmolowicz, Rhoda Chamberlain, and Ron Oleski.

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By Senator Richard T. Moore

A survey conducted in Massachusetts and in the Worcester and Norfolk Senatorial District finds voters in Central Massachusetts are generally more pessimistic about the economy than those across the state as a whole. When asked if you believe the state is headed in the right direction or the wrong direction, 34.7% of the state’s voters believe we’re going in the right direction, while 48.2% saw us going in the wrong direction. Obviously, the months of negative state and national news stories about the deep and lingering national recession have nearly half of Massachusetts residents feeling especially concerned about the future.

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July 12, 2010 ... Commemorating the opening of Dudley's new Pearle L. Crawford Memorial Library on Saturday, July 10, Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, was joined by Rep. Paul Kujawski, D-Webster, Library Director Matt Hall, and Dudley local officials in ceremoniously cutting the ribbon to the new facility.  Citing the importance of our public library and education system, Sen. Moore presented the new Crawford library with a Joint Resolution from the Massachusetts Legislature, recognizing the momentous occasion.  Read the Worcester Telegram and Gazette's coverage of the event, and Sen. Moore's remarks below: 

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Funds will construct affordable housing units, community infrastructure improvements in Bellingham, Milford, Southbridge and Webster

July 8, 2010 ... Four towns in the Worcester & Norfolk District, represented by Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, have been awarded a total of $3,574,877 in Community Development Block Grants (CDGB) from the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD). Block Grants, which are annually awarded by the Governor, fund infrastructure improvement projects, boost social services and increase housing and business development opportunities. The communities awarded in Sen. Moore’s district are Bellingham, Milford, Southbridge and Webster.

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Delahunt of Massachusetts is lead sponsor in U.S. House

July 7, 2010 ... Continuing his push for Congress to approve the “Main Street Fairness Act,” a bill that would generate hundreds of millions of dollars for the Commonwealth from revenues that escape existing loopholes, Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, recently wrote to members of the Massachusetts Congressional delegation, urging for swift passage of the legislation.

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July 6, 2010 ... Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, and his wife Joanne, joined over 4,000 people that participated in celebrating the birth of America at Old Sturbridge Village during the holiday weekend. Joanne is a member of the Board of Overseers at Old Sturbridge Village.

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Senator again sponsors entry in 61st VFW Road Race

July 6, 2010 ... “Team Moore,” the running team sponsored by Sen. Richard T Moore, D-Uxbridge, was well represented in the 61st annual Leonide J. Lemire Post 6055 VFW Road Race on the Fourth of July. Sen. Moore has sponsored a team for the past decade in the nation’s second oldest July 4th road race.

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Veteran legislator cites cuts to measures that save money and lives

July 2, 2010 ... The state budget for the new fiscal year signed by Governor Deval Patrick on June 30 is a setback to the state’s ongoing efforts to contain rising health care costs, said the Senate’s top health policy legislator. Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, was critical of the Governor’s choice of budget reductions and vetoes, and equally critical of U.S. Senator Scott Brown, R-MA, for failing to support supplemental Medicaid funding that could have reduced the need for such drastic budget cuts.

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Sen. Moore secures landmark public health amendment 

July 1, 2010 ... The Senate on Thursday with a 25-15 vote passed gaming legislation authorizing three resort casinos in separate geographic locations of the state that could generate more than $350 million annually for the Commonwealth, 15,000 full-time permanent jobs and up to 9,000 immediate construction jobs. Joining those in support of the legislation was Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge.

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July 1, 2010 ... After winning 24 consecutive games in one of the best seasons of a State Division Two baseball team, the Northbridge Rams recently captured the State Championship title on Friday, June 18, against Duxbury. To celebrate the win, which came after a perfect season with the exception of one loss—the first game of the team’s season—Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, welcomed the Rams to the State House for a tour of the historic building, as well as a luncheon ceremony that honored the champs. Rep. George N. Peterson, Jr., R-Grafton, was unable to attend due to the funeral of his House colleague, the late Rep. Robert Nyman, D-Hanover.

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