Senator Rausch: COVID-19 Update #9

CORONAVIRUS / COVID-19 UPDATE #9

Friday, April 3, 2020

Hi friends,

I hope you are staying well and practicing extensive social distancing.

Great news - the municipalities bill that I've been shepherding through the legislative process is now passed and signed into law! (Here's the final language.) The bill does a whole bunch of important things to ensure our local and regional governments keep functioning and providing services to Bay Staters:

1. creates significant budget flexibility, particularly important for towns that can't have Town Meeting right now to pass a Fiscal Year 2021 budget;
2. extends the time frame for holding Town Meetings;
3. grants extensions for permits, hearings, and other deadlines, including a temporary lift on any constructive approvals;
4. allows municipalities to extend the deadline for property taxes and waive penalties on any late payments of taxes or fees; and
5. contains an important equity provision that prohibits the termination of any essential municipal service – including water, sewer, and trash collection – for a resident who is unable to pay local taxes or fees. In this uncertain time of job loss and insecurity, the last thing our government should do is prevent vulnerable residents from washing their hands.

By the way, this bill also carried the income tax extension from April to July, and lets everyone order beer and wine as part of your takeout order from local restaurants! A great way to continue to help your local businesses stay afloat during these trying economic times.

In addition to my extensive and ongoing work as the Senate Chair of the Municipalities Committee, I've also been advocating for decarceration, a stay at home order (not an advisory), shutting down non-essential construction, medical privileges for clinicians licensed in other countries, robust protections for medical professionals and first responders who are fighting this thing on the front lines, and more. I'm hearing from constituents daily, and I am giving voice to our shared concerns and disappointment with the executive management of this crisis.

....

My team and I are all working overtime and are here for you. Call us at 617-722-1555 or email me directly at becca.rausch@masenate.gov and one of us will get back to you as quickly as we can.

Wishing you and your families strength, health, and resilience.

Yours in service,

Senator Becca Rausch

The newsletter was shorted for publication here, to view the full contents:
https://us20.campaign-archive.com/?u=09452b4d597ce95fe20563af4&id=71591a6e6a

Senator Rausch: COVID-19 Update #9

Franklin Latter-day Saints Invite Town to Watch Worldwide Broadcast on Peace

In a time of such uncertainty, random acts of kindness and neighborly love has and continues to be shown in abundance around the globe. A worldwide pandemic, such as the one we are facing now in COVID-19, has a way of uniting people of all denominations, races and beliefs. It's as if we are all brothers and sisters in an expansive global family. It just takes something as drastic as our current conditions to realize it.

Members of the local congregation of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Franklin would like to invite all to watch a global broadcast this weekend that aims to uplift, strengthen, and ultimately restore the sense of peace we all seek.

Saturday 12 PM, 4 PM, 8 PM
Sunday 12 PM, 4 PM

Broadcast Link:
https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/broadcasts?lang=eng

 

Franklin Latter-day Saints Invite Town to Watch Worldwide Broadcast on Peace

United Regional Chamber of Commerce on the COVID-19 Pandemic

The past three weeks have been nothing short of unbelievable and that adjective does not even seem adequate. The COVID-19 pandemic has undoubtedly challenged us --- our leaders, businesses, workers and economy. The severity of the very fluid situation changed hourly, shifting to daily. In a short period of time, the way we learn, conduct business and live our lives were all disrupted.

This has and will continue to be a challenging time. Business leaders had to reinvent their entire business models with little to no notice. Leaders face unchartered territory, shifting regulation, difficult decisions, and the fear of maintaining the livelihood of their business and retaining the jobs for their employees with fewer customers. Thousands of workers, who are like family, have taken pay cuts or have lost their jobs altogether for an unknown amount of time.

However, amid this time of uncertainty and change, I have seen resiliency, adaptation, ingenuity, compassion and unity in its truest, most authentic form. Locals have rallied around efforts to support our local businesses and non-profit organizations. Manufacturers have shifted their production to retain their talented workforce, while filling a critical need of personal protective equipment for medical professionals on the front lines of fighting this epidemic. Retailers, arts/culture organizations, restaurants, gyms/fitness businesses have taken a hard pivot into the digital space – offering online ordering, Facebook live sales, DIY at-home projects, educational content, and more. 

Local, state, and federal lawmakers have worked to create bipartisan legislation to provide much needed aid for hardworking Americans and businesses of all size. I have seen neighbors serving neighbors –providing food for students in need, displaying teddy bears or hearts in their windows as a sign of hope, and going to the grocery store for the immunocompromised and elderly.

These examples are a mere sampling of the adaptation and kindness that has occurred, but they are indicative of our very nature --- the definition of who we are as Americans. From the Miracle of Hickory during the devastating polio epidemic, to the Great Recession, within more recent memory, our community time and time again has pulled together, hunkered down, and has emerged bruised, but not defeated. The COVID-19 economic disruption will be no different.

www.unitedregionalchamber.org

Our communities’ health and well-being are our top priority. Our neighbors’ lives are at risk and we cannot afford to overwhelm our healthcare infrastructure. Our government leaders have had to make some tough choices to flatten the curve. We must withstand these temporary setbacks, all while doing our part to protect our families, co-workers, and neighbors.

It continues to be an honor to serve in this role on your behalf every day. Regardless of the IRS definition, I believe that all businesses are “essential:”

• You make up our local economy, bringing personality to our cities and towns
• You create a place to belong, to connect, to celebrate. and to cultivate a new relationship
• You are the familiar face mixing up our favorite cocktail or the server who makes you smile by remembering your name
• You are the retailer who pays attention to every detail --- from your front window display to your thoughtfully selected merchandise
• You provide opportunity, a second chance, a means of supporting a family, and the hope and promise of a better future
• You make and sell products that improve the lives of humanity across our region, country and the globe
• You have sacrificed for incremental growth, have faced tough decisions, and have seen seasons of success and set back
• You are stylists, therapists, and self-care professionals who have mastered your craft to provide needed rest, healing, enhanced confidence, or even a listening ear, to your clients
• You give our communities vibrancy, energy, and attraction
• You are essential …. and we need you

The United Regional Chamber of Commerce is your partner, sounding board, and advocate. We are in this with you.

Working for Business,

Jack Lank, IOM
President and CEO
The United Regional Chamber of Commerce
310 South Street
Plainville, MA 02762
Phone: 508-316-0861
www.unitedregionalchamber.org

Once Upon a Town: Depot Plaza - Franklin MA (video)

Join Eamon McCarthy Earls and Joe Landry to 

"Discover how the railroad and small businesses helped to create the Depot Plaza area by the downtown Franklin "Franklin Dean" train station"

Video link =  https://youtu.be/y48J4375SIc

350 Mass Greater Franklin Node Meeting, Thursday 4/2/20: Meeting Notes

Hello, everyone. Last night, Thursday April 2, we had an online Zoom meeting of our Greater Franklin node. Whether you were able to participate or not, we want to share with you our notes. 

We covered many topics including:

• Challenges and strategies for 350 Mass and other organizations --and their members -- to remain engaged and active during the current coronavirus crisis.
• Local, state-wide, and national issues and campaigns that we can all help promote through a variety of tools, such as contacting legislators and public agencies, signing petitions, and attending online webinars.
• Resources (articles, online materials) for learning more about these specific issues as well as climate concerns generally.

The overall message is that each of us can still take actions to promote the causes we care so much about. Our organization, 350 Mass, remains committed to stopping new fossil fuel infrastructure, building a clean energy economy, and creating a just transition that centers on economic and racial justice. We continue to partner with local, national and international organizations with similar goals. 

 

You can find the meeting notes here.  As you read them, you will see actions and links. Thank you for doing what you can. 
 

If you have difficulty with the online document or the links, reply to this email and we'll help you out.

 

We encourage you to join our meeting. For participants, this is more than a business meeting. It's a chance to socialize, to laugh, and to share stories and ideas for managing during this strange time. And dress is definitely informal. 

 

NEXT MEETING: THURSDAY, APRIL 16.  Look for the invitation earlier that week.

 

Be well.

 

Node co-coordinators,

Carolyn Barthel

508-473-3305 H

508-335-0848 C

 

Ralph Halpern

781-784-3839 H

339-203-5017 C

Meeting Notes: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1hyP1StO7eEiX-tUMlgyj3EvqxKhj1W3IwMmOcj3eonw/edit?usp=sharing
 

The FTC keeps attacking robocalls

The FTC keeps attacking robocalls by Lois Greisman, Associate Director, Division of Marketing Practices, FTC Have you noticed lately that you're getting fewer robocalls? Yes, way too many calls are still coming, and we're fully engaged on that issue. But we're seeing some promising developments. Some recent FTC actions might just have something to do with that. Read more  https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/blog/2020/04/ftc-keeps-attacking-robocalls  This is a free service provided by the Federal Trade Commission.

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In the News: Domestic violence victims are now at home with abusers; Area workers struggle with unemployment

From the Milford Daily News, articles of interest for Franklin:

Domestic violence victims are now at home with abusers

"Voices Against Violence, a local organization working to end sexual and domestic violence, has new resources that could make it easier for people now forced to stay home with abusive partners to get help.

Because people might not be able to find a safe place within their homes to call the organization’s usual help lines without being monitored or overheard, Voices Against Violence has created a chat service that allows victims to communicate with domestic violence advocates by typing in an internet browser.

The chat service, which can be reached by typing rc.chat/voices into an internet browser, is monitored by staff between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. from Monday through Friday."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200403/domestic-violence-victims-are-now-at-home-with-abusers-these-local-resources-could-help

For more about Voices Against Violence, visit them on the web 
 https://www.smoc.org/voices-against-violence.php


Area workers struggle with unemployment

"MetroWest and Milford area residents are among the record-breaking 10 million Americans to file unemployment claims the past two weeks.

A record-breaking 10 million Americans have filed unemployment claims in the past two weeks, including 6.6 million last week alone, amid the coronavirus crisis.

Workers in the region have not been immune to the surge in layoffs and furloughs. A record 181,062 Massachusetts residents filed initial claims during the week ending March 28, about a 22% increase over the prior week, according to advance non-seasonally adjusted data the Department of Labor published Thursday.

That new level immediately breaks the record set just one week earlier. During the week ending March 21, 148,452 residents submitted initial claims, roughly 20 times as many as the 7,449 who submitted claims the week earlier."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.milforddailynews.com/news/20200403/area-workers-struggle-with-unemployment-after-being-laid-off-during-coronavirus-outbreak

The mammoth US unemployment claims in their historical context. pic.twitter.com/UNDwhBMpZt

— Ben Riley-Smith (@benrileysmith) April 2, 2020