MA House, Senate finish session by moving finish line past midnight

 

"The Massachusetts Legislature on Wednesday morning passed long-awaited agreements on a $627 million economic stimulus bill and a multibillion-dollar transportation borrowing package, but only after bending its own rules — and the calendar — to finally get the proposals to Governor Charlie Baker’s desk.

        Despite giving themselves five extra months to hash out major bills, lawmakers toiled until 4:42 a.m. in a chaotic end to their two-year session. It came well past what was supposed to be a deadline of midnight Tuesday to complete their work, and hours into the same day the new legislative class will be sworn in.

        The last-minute deal on the economic development package featured a measure Baker has long sought to help speed housing production, and it would unlock hundreds of millions in borrowing, including relief for businesses battered by the COVID-19 pandemic, lawmakers said. The 101-page bill did not include, however, language legalizing sports betting that had passed the House but ran into opposition in the Senate."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)  https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/01/05/metro/last-gasp-major-bills-remain-limbo-with-legislature-barreling-toward-end-session/

 

 

"WITH SOME LEGISLATIVE sleight of hand, the House and Senate extended their sessions from Tuesday night into Wednesday morning and succeeded in passing most of the major pieces of legislation still pending on Beacon Hill.

A trimmed down transportation bond bill, an economic development bill without sports betting, legislation dealing with college campus sexual violence, and a handful of other measures all made it to the finish line by moving the finish line from Tuesday at midnight, when the legislative session was scheduled to end, to the wee hours of Wednesday morning."

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/transportation/house-senate-finish-by-moving-finish-line/

  

75 Historic Women Trailblazers of MA

visitMA (@VisitMA) tweeted on Tue, Jan 05, 2021:

Looking to get inspired for the #NewYear? Read about 75  Historic Women Trailblazers of #Massachusetts, who helped shape our state and nation.  #mylocalma @newenglandvisit  

Link to PDF and visitor guide = https://t.co/hseTNdc4rx 

Shared from Twitter = https://t.co/LpsdRTEzyi

75 Historic Women Trailblazers of MA

Franklin, MA: Board of Health Meeting - Agenda - Jan 6, 2021

Franklin Board Of Health

Duly Scheduled Meeting And Public Hearing 

Wednesday, January 6, 2021, 5:00 PM

 

 

AGENDA

1)    Reading and Acceptance of December 2, 2020 meeting minutes

2)    OLD BUSINESS

3)    NEW BUSINESS

• Dashboard update
• Discussion of COVID-19 Vaccine for first responders
• Virtual PIC training grant update
• Messaging grant update
• Local upgrade approval for 441 Maple Street
• Approval of BOH monthly meeting dates for 2021 Chairman opens the floor for any other new business

4) CITIZENS COMMENTARY

5) ADJOURNMENT
 

The agenda doc contains connection info

https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/agendas/agenda-1-6-21.pdf

 

Franklin, MA: Board of Health Meeting - Agenda - Jan 6, 2021

Community Preservation Committee seeks At-Large Candidates

Community Preservation Committee seeks At-Large Candidates

The Town of Franklin seeks interested residents who wish to be a member of the inaugural Community Preservation Committee (CPC). The Town voted overwhelmingly to approve the adoption of the Community Preservation Act at the November 2020 election. The Town Council established a Community Preservation Committee(CPC) in December and is seeking applicants for the four At-Large seats. 

We have opened the application period for the four (4) At-Large resident vacancies. If interested, please fill out the form and required information below. Resumes are optional but preferred and helpful. Application period: Monday, January 4, 2021, through Sunday, January 24, 2021.

If you are interested in serving please apply here:
http://franklinmaboards.vt-s.net/newcaf.php

The new Town bylaw can be found here:
https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/uploads/signed_cpc_bylaw_20-864.pdf

For more information on Community Preservation visit the town website, which will continue to evolve as the program gets active:
https://www.franklinma.gov/community-preservation-committee
https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/uploads/cpc_vacancy...

Shared from the Town of Franklin page  https://www.franklinma.gov/home/news/community-preservation-committee-seeks-large-candidates
 

Community Preservation Committee seeks At-Large Candidates

Franklin High School Boys Basketball Team fund raiser

The Franklin High School Boys Basketball Team is hosting a virtual raffle to raise money for the program this year. Some of the prizes also support local businesses, so it's a win/win! Please consider donating.

 

Prizes are: 

• $200 Franklin First Gift Card*

• $100 Franklin First Gift Card*

• $100 New England Country Club Gift Card

• Pair of Red Sox Tickets - September 5th vs Cleveland Indians

• $50 Visa Gift Card

 

If you live out of town, a Visa card can be substituted for the Franklin First Gift Cards. Thanks for the support! #snapraise

https://www.snap-raise.com/v2/fundraisers/franklin-boys-basketball-booster-club-2020#/

 

Franklin High School Boys Basketball Team fund raiser

 

The Guardian: "How the 'shecession' will cause long-term harm for women in the US"

"For the first time in history, the US is in a “shecession” – an economic downturn where job and income losses are affecting women more than men. The term was coined by C Nicole Mason, president and chief executive of the Institute for Women’s Policy Research (IWPR), a thinktank.

Mason put forward the term to highlight the disproportionate impact of this economic downturn on women. More than 11 million women have lost their jobs and another 2.65 million have left the workforce since February, according to an IWPR analysis of labor department data.

Mason spoke to the Guardian recently about what needs to change to get an equitable economic recovery."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2021/jan/04/shecession-women-economy-c-nicole-mason-interview

Direct link to the Institute for Women's Policy Research "Building the Future" report https://iwpr.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/Policies-for-a-Gender-Equitable-Recovery-Finalsm2.pdf

FHS' Quaile, Quinn selected as "Top Ten Players to Watch"

As part of the HockomockSports.com preview of the high school girls basketball season, they share the Top Ten Players to Watch.  We share the Franklin info here and provide the link to the page with all the Hockomock League "Players to Watch." 

 

Erin Quaile, Senior – Franklin
It isn’t often that a player can change a game without scoring, but Quaile was a critical piece in Franklin’s perfect season while only rarely looking for her own shot. The two-time Defensive Player of the Year controlled the action on both ends of the floor for the Panthers. She regularly locked down the opposition’s best perimeter player and also ran the offense, getting Franklin into its sets, handling pressure with composure, and limiting turnovers. It is on the defensive side of the ball that Quaile has made her mark. She is tenacious, using her quickness to stay in front of the player she is guarding and willing to take the contact to draw a charge. Last season, Quaile had 45 steals, 54 deflections, and 55 defensive rebounds. Although not the tallest guard in the league, Quaile had the strength to matchup with bigger players and never lost the aggression regardless of the type of player she was guarding. This season, Quaile will be counted on to look for her own shot a little more but it will be her ability to run the show on both ends of the floor that puts Franklin in position to retain its Kelley-Rex title.
 

Olivia Quinn, Junior – Franklin
Franklin put together a historic season in 2019-20, going undefeated and bringing home the program’s first state championship. Having Ali Brigham in the middle certainly didn’t hurt, but it was Quinn’s emergence as one of the league’s top players that took the Panthers to another (unbeatable) level. Quinn was second on the team at 15 points per game, shooting 56 percent from the field and 36 percent from three. The 5-foot-11 forward used her size to shoot over the top of smaller players and her quickness off the dribble to blow past defenders that closed out on the three-point line. She showed off a range of offensive skills, from scoring in the paint to running off screens and knocking down jumpers. Quinn also developed an eye for a pass, driving into the lane and kicking out to open shooters or hitting cutters at the basket, and developed into a solid defender who used her length and quickness to guard multiple positions. She stepped up in the clutch for the Panthers, having some of her biggest games against title challengers King Philip and Oliver Ames and scoring 16 points in both the D1 Central final and state semifinal. As the Franklin offense adapts without Brigham in the middle, Quinn will get the chance to use her wide range of skills to try and earn another title for the Panthers.

 

Hockomock League "Players to Watch"  https://hockomocksports.com/girls-basketball-ten-players-to-watch-in-2020-2021/

FHS' Quaile, Quinn selected as "Top Ten Players to Watch"

What will the Beaver St Interceptor project cost?

In the list of agenda items for the Town Council meeting, Jan 6, 2021, one item is the approval for the Beaver St Interceptor project.

10b. LEGISLATION FOR ACTION

Resolution 21-02: Authorizing the Borrowing of Money to Pay Costs of the Beaver Street Interceptor Replacement Project (Motion to Approve Resolution 21-02 - Two Thirds Majority Vote)  https://www.franklinma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif591/f/mai/files/10b._21-02_beaver_street_interceptor.pdf

 

The project was discussed during an October 2020 Town Council meeting. You can listen to the audio for that part of the meeting here

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/10/fm-372-town-council-mtg-102120-part-2.html

 

The Finance Committee also received an update (a shorter version of the October presentation) at their November 2020 meeting

https://www.franklinmatters.org/2020/11/finance-committee-meeting-recap-nov-17.html

key slide shows the gravity flow of the sewerage along with the depth of the service access points

HMEA Giggles for Good - Feb 12, 2021

View as webpage  https://myemail.constantcontact.com/HMEA-Giggles-for-Good.html?soid=1114254466392&aid=rGFBch4ERz0

Virtual Comedy Show

View as Webpage Friday, February 12, 2021 7:00 - 8:00 PM 8:00 PM Raffle Winners Announced (You do not need to be present to win) 2 Family-Friendly Comics Cyrus Steele America's Clean Comedian! Cyrus Steele was selected by HBO for the Comedy Wings Competition, as part of the American Black Film Festival. Growing up in Savannah, Georgia, Cyrus moved to Atlanta in 2005, quickly establishing himself as one of Atlanta's top comics and a master impressionist, imitating everyone from Seinfeld to all the presidents!  Cyrus most recently has performed on FOX and NBC's "America's Got Talent". Jason Love One of today's hardest-working comedians, Jason Love has appeared on HBO, Comedy Central, and America's Got Talent. Says L.A. Weekly, "Jason Love is comedy that brings people together." Funny. Clean. Relevant. Jason performs at clubs around the country, from the Laugh Factory in Hollywood to Caroline's on Broadway, for the troops and on the seas for cruise lines. CLICK HERE TO GET TICKETS CLICK HERE to invite your friends and family through our Facebook event.

HMEA | 8 Forge Park East, Franklin, MA 02038 Try email marketing for free today!

Legislature Passes Landmark Climate Change Bill

Senate President Karen Spilka (@KarenSpilka) tweeted on Mon, Jan 04, 2021:

Today, we took a historic step in the fight against climate change, putting Massachusetts on the path to creating a cleaner, greener and healthier future for the next generation! 1/4 https://t.co/X2hlYg3BXM

The Massachusetts Legislature today passed breakthrough climate legislation that overhauls the state’s climate laws, drives down greenhouse gas emissions, creates clean energy jobs, and protects environmental justice communities.

The bill, An Act Creating a Next-Generation Roadmap for Massachusetts Climate Policy (S.2995), sets a 2050 net-zero greenhouse gas emissions limit, as well as statewide limits every five years; increases the requirements for offshore wind energy procurement bringing the statewide total to 5,600 megawatts; requires emission reduction goals for MassSave, the state’s energy efficiency program; and, for the first time, establishes the criteria in statute that define environmental justice populations. The legislation also increases support for clean energy workforce development programs including those targeting low-income communities and improves gas pipeline safety.

“This legislation takes a historic step in the fight against climate change, putting Massachusetts on the path to creating a cleaner, greener and healthier future for the next generation,” stated Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). “I am thrilled to see this legislation codifies our shared goal of reducing harmful carbon emissions to zero by 2050, and creates new energy initiatives and standards to help us reach that target. I want to thank Senator Barrett, Representative Golden and their fellow conferees for their advocacy and hard work, as well as Speaker Mariano and former Speaker DeLeo for their partnership in seeing this bill through to fruition. I’d also like to note how much the Senate has been inspired to action by the energy and determination demonstrated by the young people of this Commonwealth. Your commitment to protecting our planet is inspiring and I welcome your continued collaboration as we move forward together in addressing our climate crisis.”

“This legislation represents a major piece of climate legislation that will set the course of the Commonwealth for the next three decades,” said House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano (D-Quincy).  “Today we send a message loud and clear that Massachusetts will empower our environmental justice communities, achieve net zero emissions by 2050, continue to lead on offshore wind, increase equitable access to our clean energy programs, and create pathways to clean energy jobs for underserved and low-income communities.”

“Amid the unprecedented public health and economic challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, I’m proud of the Legislature’s ongoing commitment to protecting our environment,” said former House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo (D-Winthrop). “The actions the House and Senate took today will keep Massachusetts on-track to lead the nation in clean energy and environmental policies. Thank you to Speaker Mariano, Chair Golden and my colleagues in the House for their commitment to legislation that will help to grow our clean energy economy, address environmental justice concerns, and bolster our efforts to address the effects of climate change.”

“This bill steps up the pace of our collective drive to contain climate change,” said Senator Mike Barrett (D-Lexington), Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy.  “It’s the strongest effort of its kind in the country.  With the tools the Legislature assembles here, we’re constructing the response we need and providing a blueprint to other states.”

“It has been a pleasure to work with my House and Senate colleagues on the conference committee on this historic climate bill,” said Representative Thomas A. Golden, Jr. (D-Lowell), Chair of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy.  “I owe a special debt of gratitude to Speaker Mariano for his invaluable mentorship over my six years as House energy chair.  It is his long-standing recognition of Massachusetts’ opportunity to play a leadership role in offshore wind and his fearless commitment to push forward when others hang back that have led us to advance legislation as ambitious as the Next Generation Roadmap bill.”

“This bill continues our commitment to reducing harmful carbon emissions, and enacting policies of environmental equity. We have made sure to include enforceability and compliance rules, so we reach our net-zero goals,” said Senate Majority Leader Cindy Creem (D-Newton).  “I am so pleased that we also require public hearings on whether classifying biomass as renewable can actually be scientifically justified. And I am proud we will now regulate natural gas as the damaging fossil fuel that it is and strengthen policies to prevent gas leaks and encourage renewable geothermal alternatives.”

“As the birthplace of the offshore wind industry in the United States, Massachusetts sets an example to the nation for its leadership on climate policy and today’s action by the legislature further cements that legacy,” said Representative Patricia Haddad (D-Somerset). “The House, along with our colleagues in the Senate, took steps today to increase the use of renewable energy, cut greenhouse gasses and create clean energy jobs in Massachusetts. I thank Speaker Mariano, former Speaker DeLeo and Chair Golden for their leadership and work on these important issues.”

“This is an historic day for Massachusetts. We have long been one of the clean energy leaders in our country, but today, we’ve strengthened the foundation that we have built upon and chart a course that has been long discussed but never codified or fully implemented,” said Senator Patrick O’Connor (R-Weymouth). “Climate policy can’t wait – that’s why this bipartisan legislation sets aggressive and practical goals in the areas of emissions reduction, green energy, environmental justice, and grid modernization. I am proud to have served on this conference committee and thank my colleagues for their hard work and collaborative spirit in crafting this legislation.”

“The climate change bill takes a comprehensive approach to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, including recognizing how forests and other natural and working lands can be used to promote carbon sequestration and help Massachusetts reach its goal of net-zero emissions by 2050,” said House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. (R-North Reading). “It also incorporates municipal lighting plants as partners in these efforts by setting greenhouse gas emissions standards and establishing an equal playing field for these facilities. I’m proud to have served on the conference committee that produced this historic bill which reaffirms Massachusetts’ role as a national leader on clean energy issues.”

The legislation includes, among other items, the following provisions.

 -   Sets a statewide net zero limit on greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 and mandates emissions limits every five years, as well as limits for specific sectors of the economy, including transportation and buildings.
 -   Codifies environmental justice provisions into Massachusetts law, defining environmental justice populations and providing new tools and protections for affected neighborhoods.
 -   Requires an additional 2,400 megawatts of offshore wind, building on previous legislation action and increases the total to 5,600 megawatts in the Commonwealth.
 -   Directs the Department of Public Utilities (DPU), regulator of the state's electric and natural gas utilities, to balance priorities going forward: system safety, system security, reliability, affordability, equity, and, significantly, reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.
 -   Sets appliance energy efficiency standards for a variety of common appliance including plumbing, faucets, computers, and commercial appliances.
 -   Adopts several measures aimed at improves gas pipeline safety, including increased fines for safety violations and regulations related to training and certifying utility contractors.
 -   Increases the Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) by 3 percent each year from 2025 – 2029, resulting in 40 percent renewable energy by 2030.
 -   Establishes an opt-in municipal net zero energy stretch code, including a definition of “net zero building.”
 -   Prioritizes equitable access to the state’s solar programs by low-income communities
 -   Establishes $12 million in annual funding for the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center in order to create a pathway to the clean energy industry for environmental justice populations and minority-owned and women-owned businesses.
 -   Provides solar incentives for businesses by exempting them from the net metering cap to allow them to install solar systems on their premises to help offset their electricity use and save money.
 -   Requires utilities to include an explicit value for greenhouse gas reductions when they calculate the cost-effectiveness of an offering of MassSave.
 -   Creates a first-time greenhouse gas emissions standard for municipal lighting plants that requires them to purchase 50 percent non-emitting electricity by 2030 and “net zero” by 2050.
 -   Sets benchmarks for the adoption of clean energy technologies including electric vehicles, charging stations, solar technology, energy storage, heat pumps and anaerobic digestors.

The bill is now with the governor.

 

Direct link to the legislation text https://malegislature.gov/Bills/191/S2995

 

a historic step in the fight against climate change