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State Rep.
Thomas M. Stanley
State House, Room 167
Boston, MA 02133
(617) 722-2230
Thomas.Stanley@mahouse.gov
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At a recent meeting of the Waltham City Council, members voted to increase the affordable housing requirement for housing developments from 10% to 15%. Rep. Stanley was a sponsor and voted for the measure.
Rep. Stanley Britta McNemar, Program Coordinator of the Waltham Family School at its Showcase event last week.
Rep. Stanley attended the Voices for Change Breakfast in Arlington with WCI Deaf Supports.
Voices for Change breakfast
Rep. Stanley with the World Series Trophy. The Massachusetts House of Representatives officially celebrated the Boston Red Sox 2018 World Series Victor during the formal session on 6/5.
Rep. Stanley presented an award to Social Studies Teacher Jay Peledge's 8th grade civics class at Hanscom Middle School for their civics work on public policy issues.
The 8th grade class in the mock-Chamber of the EMK institute.
Rep. Stanley with the 2019 Stanley School Student of the Year,
Ryanne O'Connor. Congratulations!
Stanley Elementary School
5th Grade Celebration at The Stanley School
Rep. Stanley attended the Stanley School 5th Grade Celebration.
Rep. Stanley attended a hearing on sports betting legislation held by the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies.
Rep. Stanley listens to Rep. Bruce Ayers testifying to the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government on animal protection bills.
Rep. Stanley joined Rep. Kahn and Sen. Rausch to testify in support of a bill to license and regulate midwives at the Public Health Committee bill hearing.
Massachusetts Senior Care Association Lobby Day.
Students from the Gann Academy presented at the State House.
Rep. Stanley heard testimony at a Financial Services hearing. On the docket was legislation filed by Rep. Balser, Sen. Friedman and Rep. Stanley that would require commercial insurers to cover behavioral health emergency services provided by Emergency Service Providers (ESP).
Rep. Stanley heard testimony at
last week's Financial Services hearing. The Committee discussed a bill cosponsored by Rep. Stanley that would create a state infrastructure bank that would help cities and towns finance local projects.
Rep. Stanley attended a consumer outreach event at the Waltham Senior Center. Staff offered a presentation on telecommunications and cable service in the Commonwealth.
Rep. Stanley and Mayor McCarthy at the DESE Awards. Waltham's Stanley Elementary School was officially designated as a 2018 Schools of Recognition for their achievement gains at a ceremony at the State House.
Congresswoman Katherine Clark and Rep. Stanley with Lincoln resident Patricia Warner, recipient of a Congressional Gold Medal that was awarded to all members of the OSS during World War 2.
Spring has (finally) sprung.
Wildflowers
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2019 Council and Committee Calendar
To view the Waltham City Council and Committee 2019 calendar, click
here.
Primary Election will take place Tuesday, September 17th
This year's municipal primary election will take place on Tuesday, September 17th. The general election will take place on Tuesday, November 5th.
Students from Gann Academy help spread awareness about the history of the Fernald School
With Representative Khan, Rep. Stanley sponsored a presentation by the Gann Academy held on Tuesday, June 4th at the State House. The students from the Gann Academy have dedicated their year to learning about and teaching others about the community of people with disabilities who lived in the Fernald School, the Met State Hospital and were buried in the MetFern Cemetery in Waltham. Their goal is to spread awareness about the history of the Fernald School and to help individuals think more critically about institutionalized care for individuals with developmental disabilities.
Rep. Stanley presents award to 8th grade civics class
Last week, Rep. Stanley presented an award to Social Studies Teacher Jay Peledge's 8th grade civics class at Hanscom Middle School for their civics work on public policy issues at the "Activate Civics in Boston" event at the Edward M. Kennedy Institute. "Activate Civics in Boston" was sponsored by iCivics and supported by the NBCUniversal Foundation.
Lincoln Resident receives Congressional Gold Medal
On Tuesday, May 28th, Congresswoman Katherine Clark presented Lincoln resident Patricia Warner with a replica of the Congressional Gold Medal that was awarded to all members of the OSS during World War 2. Patricia Warner, formerly Patricia Fowler when she was in the OSS, served during World War 2 in Europe. The event took place at the Lincoln Public Library at 11 AM. Read the news article
here.
Rep. Stanley lobbies for health care coverage for the emergency psychiatric services
At a Financial Services hearing, Rep. Stanley urged passage of legislation filed by Rep. Balser, Sen. Friedman and himself that would require commercial insurers to cover behavioral health emergency services provided by Emergency Service Providers (ESP). House Bill H.909 requires health care coverage for the emergency psychiatric services. By requiring all commercial insurers doing business in Massachusetts to provide and pay for Emergency Service Providers (ESP) services, every person residing in Massachusetts who is having a psychiatric crisis will be able to get the care they need.
Community-based, recovery-orientated ESP services include behavioral health crisis assessment, intervention, and stabilization services for people with psychiatric illness. ESP teams have trained psychiatric clinicians who travel to where a psychiatric crisis is occurring, including home, school and community settings. ESP teams also feature certified peer specialists in addition to "Family Partners", parents of children who have utilized ESP services.
MassHealth covers ESP s but many people with private health insurance do not have access these vital services. H.909 would simply require commercial insurance companies to pay for behavioral health emergency services provided by ESPs around the state. Due to the mobility of ESP services and their ability to serve patients in their home, patients are able to avoid the long waits in hospital emergency rooms, saving them thousands of dollars in avoided ER trips and prolonged hospitalizations.
Financial Services Committee Issues Favorable Report on Rep. Stanley's Legislation to License Appraisal Management Companies
The Financial Services Committee reported Rep. Stanley's legislation (House Bill 1114) to license Appraisal Management Companies (AMCs) favorably out of committee. The MBREA (the Association for Valuation Professionals), appraisal management companies, the mortgage industry and real estate appraisers all support this legislation.
In 2010, the Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform Act was signed into law. Under the provisions of Dodd-Frank, states are required to enact licensing of AMCs by August 10, 2019. Forty-nine states currently license AMCs. The Dodd-Frank Act requirements will be satisfied with prompt passage of Rep. Stanley's bill, which has support in both the House and Senate.
Requiring the licensing of appraisal management companies is indirectly driven by consumer concerns. Appraiser independence requirements were established to halt the inordinate pressure from lenders that was placed upon appraisers to reach a pre-determined value - one that would make the loan work. The pressure came mostly in the form of threats to withhold payment for appraisal services and blackballing the appraiser from future work. As a result, lenders were compelled to establish a firewall between staff, compensated based on a loan closing, and appraisers. The firewall most typically employed was made by engaging third-party appraisal management companies to act as go-betweens the lender and the appraiser.
With more than 80% of all residential appraisal orders processed by AMCs, the mortgage industry will not change the way they manage appraisal ordering for the one state that fails to comply. Instead, much of the lending activity will be curtailed and consumers, the residential housing market, and the overall economy will suffer from a lack of competitive mortgage products.
Rep. Stanley requests additional funding for Head Start
Rep. Stanley cosigned a letter to Ways and Means leadership requesting that the Head Start State Supplemental Grant line item be increased to $12M, as proposed in the Senate budget. There are 29 Head Start and Early Head Start agencies serving more than 15,000 children across Massachusetts. The programs serve children from birth to age five and provide critical services such as early education and care, physical and mental health, nutritional services, and comprehensive family support and parent education. Head Starts works, in a study which compared Head Start attendees to other early education programs it found Head Start children scored better in all measured domains of cognitive and social-emotional development. Like so many other programs, Head Start is facing challenges obtaining and retaining qualified educators to fill their classrooms. This investment works to address the problem and would provide programs the opportunity to invest and increase educators' salaries.
Rep. Stanley asks Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture to advance environmental justice legislation
Rep. Stanley asked the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture to advance legislation he cosponsored, the Environmental Justice Act, which would make environmental justice a mandate for all state regulatory agencies to better protect the health of all communities, especially those at risk of being harmed by high-pollution industries. The Environmental Justice Act ensures all people are given equal protection and meaningful involvement in regards to the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws.
The Environmental Justice Act requires regulators to actively protect vulnerable communities from bearing an unfair and disproportionate share of pollution, environmental degradation, and risks to public health. Under these bills, state agencies are instructed to develop policies to ensure that low-income communities, communities of color, and immigrant communities have the right to participate in decision-making process when polluting industries want to move into their neighborhoods. One such policy is the requirements for state agency "environmental impact reports" to include consideration of public health impact and take into account environmental justice communities when siting dangerous fossil fuel infrastructure. The legislation also increases access to government by requiring multi-lingual outreach and consultation when projects undergoing environmental review are proposed in environmental justice communities.
To help environmental projects with financing, the Environmental Justice Act creates a Supplemental Environmental Project (SEP) bank. The SEP bank maintains an inventory of environmentally beneficial projects in communities with environmental justice populations. In lieu of paying penalties associated with the settlement of enforcement actions, violators would fund these projects.
Rep. Stanley cosponsors bill to license and regulate midwives
Rep. Stanley cosponsored H.1948/S.1332, legislation relative to out-of-hospital birth access and safety.
He joined Rep. Kahn and Sen. Rausch to testify in support of the bill at the Joint Committee on Public Health hearing on 5/28. The bill would require all midwives practicing in out-of-hospital settings to be licensed and carry the Certified Professional Midwife (CPM) credential, which is earned through an accredited educational program. It would also establish a Board of Midwifery under the Department of Public Health (DPH) to oversee licensure and regulation of the profession.
Currently, there is no state oversight of Certified Professional Midwives (CPMs), who provide out-of-hospital birth care to approximately 500 women and their families across the Commonwealth each year, a number that is growing annually. CPMs are authorized to practice in 35 states, including all of our New England neighbors except Connecticut. Several studies (including this one) have confirmed the benefits of midwifery care for mothers and babies, including fewer C-sections, fewer post-partum complications, fewer infant deaths, fewer preterm births, fewer low-birthweight babies, and higher breastfeeding success rates.
This bill is consistent with current national and international standards for midwifery education and training. It is endorsed by every major midwifery organization as well as numerous organizations dedicated to health care access, consumer safety, human rights, and women's rights. Ultimately, H.1948/S.1332 will give pregnant people choosing home birth in Massachusetts security in knowing that their care provider is regulated, properly credentialed, and integrated into the broader health care system.
This legislation is a modified refile from last session, which received a favorable report from the Public Health Committee in 2018. The changes for this session include mandating MassHealth coverage for midwifery care, which will dramatically increase access to these providers regardless of income, requiring two members of the Board of Midwifery to have expertise in racial health disparities, and creating a financial hardship fee waiver for CPM licensure.
Public health officials say tick season has arrived in Massachusetts
Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) officials recommend that residents be mindful of ticks while taking part in spring and summer outdoor activities, as tick season has arrived. Ticks are tiny bugs most likely found in shady, damp, brushy, wooded, or grassy areas (especially in tall grass), including backyards. The most common ticks are black-legged (deer) ticks and dog ticks which are found throughout Massachusetts and may spread different disease-causing germs when they bite.
The most common tick-borne diseases in Massachusetts are Lyme disease, babesiosis, and anaplasmosis. Other diseases that are rarer, but still occur, are tularemia, Rocky Mountain spotted fever, Borrelia miyamotoi, and Powassan virus. People should call their health care provider if they have been bitten by a black-legged tick, or have a rash or symptoms such as fever, headache, fatigue, or sore and aching muscles, especially after a tick bite.
Health officials recommend appropriate bug repellents on skin or clothing and remind parents never to use insect repellents on infants. For more information about ticks and tick-borne illnesses, visit the DPH website at
www.mass.gov/dph/tick.
Please send us your hometown photos for inclusion in the Stanley Report!
Love to take photos? We are looking to include your pictures of Waltham in The Stanley Report! Please email
Mark Phillips
in Rep. Stanley's office a picture of your hometown for inclusion in the report. Remember to leave your full name if you'd like to be credited! We look forward to seeing your pictures.
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Publish your events in The Stanley Report!
We want to hear from you! The Stanley Report is a great way to spread the word about an upcoming event. Please forward any community, civic or nonprofit upcoming events that you would like included in next month's Stanley Report. If interested, please email Mark Phillips, Rep. Stanley's legislative assistant, with information about your
event.
Highland Glee Club Recruiting Male Singers
The Highland Glee Club is looking for male singers to volunteer to join the club. All voices and all ages of men are wanted to join and sing. Please contact the club president, Ron Jantzen at 508-613-5450, with any questions. Rehearsals start after Labor Day. Click
here to learn more.
Upcoming Events at Stonehurst!
Stonehurst, the Robert Treat Paine Estate in Waltham, is hosting a variety of events in the upcoming months. On June 14th, in the in the spirit of the Suffrage Centennial, there will be an impassioned performance of Lucy Stone, a fierce leader in the fight for a woman's right to vote. Learn more about upcoming events at Stonehurst
here.
Learn about The Leland Home
The Leland Home provides a safe and affordable residence for persons age 62 and over who desire or need assistance in their daily living. The group helps to maintain the dignity and independence of our residents by offering a warm friendly and homelike setting. Learn more.
Communities against Abuse in Later Life
Communities against Abuse in Later Life (CAALL) is a partnership of agencies working to end elder abuse. REACH Beyond Domestic Violence is the lead partner joined by the Waltham Police Department, Waltham Council on Aging, Middlesex District Attorney's Office, Springwell, Inc., and the Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault Program at Newton-Wellesley Hospital. Please click here to learn more or call the 24-hour CAALL Helpline at 781.790.3966.
Volunteers needed to mentor vulnerable, aspiring Waltham High School students
The John Andrew Mazie Memorial Foundation's focus is on turning children at-risk into children of promise. The city of Waltham has joined many Waltham companies in supporting the Mazie Mentoring Program at Waltham High School. The Foundation selected Waltham High School as the venue for a second mentoring program in 2010, modeled after their successful program in Framingham High School, now in its 20th year. As the program grows, so does the need for volunteer mentors. To find out more about the Mazie organization please visit www.mazie.org.
About the Waltham Philharmonic Orchestra
Now in its 32nd season, the mission of the Waltham Philharmonic Orchestra is to provide the community opportunities to perform in and attend orchestral and chamber concerts of the highest quality. It provides a venue for musicians with a range of ages and abilities to enjoy the art and music making. It makes a long lasting impact to society by creating engaging programs that inspire, entertain and nurture the minds and spirits of its audience and members. Click here to learn more and see a calendar of events.
About Thom Charles River Early Intervention
Thom Charles River Early Intervention provides home visits to babies and toddlers who are delayed in their development or who are considered to be at risk of delay. Services include parents as partners in these visits. The dedicated clinicians who work with these families are to be applauded. Learn more about the orgranization. http://www.thomchild.org/charles-river.htm
Learn more about The Waltham Land Trust
The Waltham Land Trust is creating a legacy of land conservation in Waltham by promoting, protecting, restoring, and acquiring open space. To learn more about the non-profit group and their events celebrating Waltham's natural environment, visit walthamlandtrust.org.
Waltham Symphony Orchestra Concerts
For information on concerts and events at the WSO, click here.
Waltham Public Library Offers Events
The Waltham Public Library offers many events for residents of all ages. To view a calendar of events, click here.
Meals on Wheels program
The Waltham Council on Aging's Meals on Wheels (MOW) program delivers lunch to homebound seniors who are unable to provide their own meals, and who meet certain guidelines. Special dietary considerations are available for those with chronic health conditions such as diabetes and heart disease. This daily check in by a volunteer driver may be the only social contact an elder has and helps reduce the isolation often experienced by disabled seniors. Drivers are trained to identify and report observations or emergencies that might indicate a medical problem or the need for more intervention.
Learn more or call 718-314-3300.
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State Representative
City Council
Former City Council President
State Committees:
Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government
Joint Committee on Ways and Means
House Committee on Post Audit and Oversight
City Council:
Veterans Committee
License and Franchise Committee
Public Works and Public Safety Committee
Education:
Suffolk University (MPA), Bentley University (BS - Management), Mass Bay Community College (AS - Business Administration)
Community Involvement (Past & Present):
Waltham Boys & Girls Club, Waltham Youth Basketball Association, Basketball Plus Program, Central Middle School Basketball, Little Nippers Baseball, Warrendale Little League, Waltham Youth Soccer, Waltham Police Athletic League, CCD Teacher, St. Jude Church, Waltham Lions Club, Waltham Rotary Club, Reagle Players Board of Directors, Warrendale Little League Board of Directors, Waltham Partnership for Youth Board of Directors, Waltham Day Center (Homeless) Advisors Board, Waltham Family School Advisory Board, Waltham Safe & Healthy Schools YRBS Steering Committee, Reach Beyond Domestic Violence Advisory Board, Waltham Public Library Planning Committee, Waltham Sons of Italy, Middlesex Area Enough Abuse Campaign.
Work, Community, Independence - Human Service Advocate of the Year, 2008 COFAR - award recipient for support of people with mental disabilities, 2003 MassBay Community College Distinguished Alumni Award WATCH CDC - Housing Advocate Award, 2007 Minuteman Senior Services - Certificate of Appreciation, 2006 Boston Bar Assoc., Greater Boston Legal Services and MetroWest Legal Services - Pillar of Justice Award, 2003 Shining Star Award, Edinburg Center, 2019 Community Health Center Leader Award, The Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers
Personal:
Married to the former Kimberly A. Bayliss
Children: Ryan, age 25, Parker, age 16
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