Bringing Beacon Hill to You |
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From the Office of State Senator
John F. Keenan
Representing the Norfolk and Plymouth District:
Abington, Braintree, Holbrook, Quincy and Rockland
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As we enter another New Year in the shadow of COVID-19, let us take a quiet moment to remember all those we have lost over the last year, their families who are struggling with loss, and all those who have been impacted in so many ways by the pandemic. As we enter 2022, let us hope that the coming months bring health and happiness.
For the Massachusetts State Senate, much of what we have done during the first year of our two-year legislative session should help us move through the pandemic and improve the lives of people all across the Commonwealth.
This newsletter provides summaries of the legislation we have passed, as well as district updates and helpful information about services we provide. If you have questions about anything included, or if you need assistance of another kind, please do not hesitate to reach out to my office.
Thank you for taking the time to read this newsletter and for staying engaged. Stay healthy. Happy New Year!
Sincerely,
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Fiscal Year 2022 Budget
The House and Senate enacted a $48.1 billion fiscal year (FY) 2022 budget, based on projected state revenues being significantly stronger than what was anticipated just a year earlier.
With the higher than expected projected revenues, the Legislature was able to place $350 million into a trust fund supporting the historic Student Opportunity Act, which was passed in 2019. An additional $250 million was committed as a supplemental payment to the state’s unfunded pension liability, which will serve to reduce the state’s pension liability by $690 million over the next 15 years. The budget also increased funding for workforce development programs, which will be critical as we face a COVID caused shortage of workers.
The budget also commits substantial funds to the Commonwealth's stabilization (rainy day) account, with an expectation that by the end of the fiscal year the account could reach nearly $5.7 billion, significantly higher than the approximately $3.5 billion balance just a year ago. It is estimated that Massachusetts has the third highest rainy day fund in the country.
The Legislature was able to balance the budget without increasing taxes. The state budget makes targeted investments in housing, food security, and substance use addiction services, as well as in health services that provide COVID-related supports. It reflects the Legislature’s commitment to support municipalities as they meet their own challenges brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The budget includes over $120 million in local funding to the communities in the Norfolk and Plymouth Senate District. This money is used for schools, police, fire, public works, libraries, Veterans, and seniors, and to help offset local tax increases.
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Out and about in the District
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Abington
One Abington tradition that I always enjoy is the Veteran's Lunch at the Senior Center held each November. This past year, I had a great conversation with 100 year old Amelian Pastuszak, one of our community’s few surviving WWII veterans. Known to many as “Skinny,” Amelian engaged me at length about issues facing the Commonwealth and our communities and the challenges facing our children.
I could not help but ask his secret to longevity. First, he was so grateful for those he served with during WWII and the sacrifices they made. Second, he said he has always kept busy. And third, he has always tried to keep a positive outlook. Best wishes to "Skinny" for health and happiness in 2022.
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Braintree
Braintree came together as it always does when facing adversity, showing incredible support for officers Billy Cushing and Matthew Donoghue after they were shot in the line of duty in June.
The tragic death of Braintree PD’s K9 officer Kitt also saw Braintree turning tragedy into something positive, evidenced by the efforts of two young entrepreneurs who sold $1,000 of lemonade to benefit the Working Dogs Foundation. I attended the moving funeral service held for Kitt at Gillette Stadium - that service and the outpouring of support for the officers and K9 Kitt showcased how the best of humanity can spring from our darkest hours.
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Holbrook
With so many feeling dismay or apathy toward government, the young residents of the Town of Holbrook have continued to inspire me through their dedication and passion. I have worked closely with Holbrook students who have successfully advocated for stricter regulation on the marketing of tobacco products to teenage consumers. I had the honor of addressing Holbrook Middle High School’s graduating Class of 2021, and found myself getting emotional speaking of the inspiring character of these young students.
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Quincy
Quincy continued to show it knows how to meet a challenge this past year with its handling of the pandemic. Faced with the need to vaccinate its large population, the City partnered with Manet Community Health Center to quickly and efficiently vaccinate thousands over the course of just a couple of months. The spirit of volunteerism and commitment to others was inspiring.
Inspiring as well was the dedication of the spectacular new Generals Bridge and Park. These are monuments to the local men who rose to prominence as decorated military leaders, but they also serve as monuments to the rich history of civic service that Quincy residents display daily.
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Rockland
The forthcoming conversion of the former Holy Family school into affordable housing for seniors, which I supported in a letter to the Baker Administration, serves as a positive bellwether for Rockland. This project not only shows outside interest in investing in the community and proactiveness in addressing housing needs, but also demonstrates the community’s ability to work together. Rockland has shown again, like it did in rallying to build the Robert J. Nyman Senior Center, that it values its seniors.r c
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Legislature passes ARPA funding bill |
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Following final votes in December by both the Massachusetts Senate and House, Gov. Charlie Baker signed a $4 billion spending plan drawing on funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and state surplus revenues to mitigate impacts of the ongoing pandemic and support key local and statewide programs.
For nearly two years, far too many Massachusetts residents have struggled through the pandemic, and this legislation will bring them the relief that they need and deserve. This bill also marks the rare opportunity to invest in solutions to longstanding problems that the Commonwealth has lacked the resources to resolve.
Roughly $500 million in ARPA and surplus funding is allocated in the spending plan to replenish the Commonwealth’s Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund. Other investments tied to COVID-19 include $260 million to relieve financial strains facing community hospitals hardest hit by the pandemic, $200 million for local and regional public health systems, and $400 million to broaden mental and behavioral health resources throughout the Commonwealth.
As we rebuild many of the programs and institutions worn down by COVID, we also need to prepare for a post-pandemic future. Thanks to this legislation we can make investments now that will increase employment and improve housing, local infrastructure, and public-health outcomes for residents of the Norfolk and Plymouth District, the South Shore and throughout Massachusetts.
Outside of funding for pandemic recovery, healthcare supports, and local needs, the spending bill also dedicates significant funds for housing and economic development. As Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Housing, I worked closely with the Senate Ways and Means Committee to help frame the housing investments.
A total of $115 million will produce below-market value housing to expand the Commonwealth’s residential supply. Another $115 million will fund new and improve existing rental housing, $150 million will backstop permanent supportive housing, and $150 million will address longstanding infrastructure problems in public housing units.
Economic development investments include $100 million allocated for enhancing workforce training opportunities and $75 million in grant funding for small businesses.
I expect that the Legislature will invest additional ARPA funding throughout the course of 2022.
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Information on COVID-19 Boosters - Click the image below for the latest.
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Though pandemic relief was a major focus of the Legislature this past year, I continued to work on the more than 60 bills I filed and the 140 or so that I cosponsored thanks in large part to constituent advocacy. I continue to focus on health care, housing, education, and transportation in my work on Beacon Hill.
Drafted in response to rising co-pays, deductibles, and insurance premiums, I collaborated with Health Care For All to file this bill that, if passed, would greatly alleviate expenses for patients of color and members of our low-income communities by eliminating cost-sharing for treatments that disproportionally affect them, including: diabetes, asthma, hypertension, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure, opioid use disorder, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. This important bill will also help local small businesses by creating a reinsurance program to lessen expenses for business owners and expand coverage options for their employees.
For years, I have advocated on behalf of numerous constituents and other Massachusetts residents living with multiple sclerosis (MS) who express the disruptions in care they face when their insurance changes.
Nerve damage experienced through MS is permanent, leading to side effects that patients can struggle with for the rest of their lives. Access to medication can help, but changes in insurance formularies and plans can often take a patient off a working medication and force them to find a new one. Once passed, this bill would ensure MS patients are able to remain on helpful treatments regardless of changes in their insurance. My office interviewed several such patients last year, and I am grateful to them for sharing their stories, which I plan to post on my website in early 2022 as part of an effort to get this vital bill passed into law.
Frighteningly often, opioid addiction begins at the medicine cabinet. Thanks to the Commonwealth’s successful drug stewardship program, we have a mechanism in place to collect and properly dispose of unused medication, thus preventing them from falling into the wrong hands. A recent collection by the Quincy Police Department resulted in the eradication of more than 300 pounds of prescriptions.
Funding by drug manufacturers for this highly beneficial program would have ceased at the end of 2021, so I worked with my legislative colleagues to extend their funding responsibility for another five years. I will continue to advocate to make this program—and drug manufacturers’ responsibility—permanent.
As part of the continued fight against substance use disorder, I advocated for the creation of a Commission on Methamphetamine Use because we need to be proactive in understanding how this substance impacts our residents and treatment resources.
Getting this legislation approved marked a bittersweet occasion. On the one hand, the Commission will highlight many harsh new realities of addiction, but on the other hand the compilation of valuable addiction data will help us develop strategies for how best to tackle the rise in use.
While the road to recovery challenges those dealing with substance abuse disorder, the right people and programs can help make this undertaking easier. Numerous advocates have identified recovery coaches – healthcare professionals personally assigned to aid people in the recovery process – as measurably reducing relapses. Unfortunately, a lack of professional certification status for these professionals means they do not receive adequate wages.
Legislation I filed this session will allow for certification of these coaches, which, in time, will make this profession better paying and expand the number of recovery coaches available.
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All the towns in the Norfolk and Plymouth district are dealing with water quality and supply issues, and I have been working with each town to secure funding to address short-term needs, as well as funding to meet the larger needs of each community.
This welcome funding represents a small but meaningful step to addressing PFAS issues. I look forward to continuing to partner with my local, state and federal colleagues to come up with the additional funding needed for a comprehensive solution so that the residents of Abington, Holbrook, and Rockland can have full confidence in the quality of their drinking water.
Meanwhile, on the water supply front, the communities of Rockland and Abington were recently selected as the recipients of a combined $2.24 million in funding through the MassWorks Infrastructure Program, also funded by the Legislature, for improvements at the Abington-Rockland Joint Water Works Myers Avenue Water Treatment Plant. I continue to work with the towns of Braintree and Holbrook and state agencies to move the construction of the joint waterworks project forward.
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Serving as Senate chair of the Housing Committee for the first time, I have joined my colleagues in focusing this past year on rental assistance and the Commonwealth’s approach to evictions. The committee devoted the entirety of its August meeting to a pandemic-focused agenda including the COVID Housing Equity Bill, which I co-sponsored.
The committee formally met nine times last year and will hold its final hearing in January. During hearings this session, we reviewed more than 150 bills covering a broad range of issues such as affordable housing, production, and public housing.
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I took on new responsibilities with the Transportation Committee following the resignation of former Senate Transportation Chair Joseph Boncore earlier last year. As Senate Vice-Chair, I worked closely with House Transportation Chair William Straus to set agendas and run committee hearings. In total, the committee reviewed more than 350 bills over nine hearings since March.
We and the rest of our committee colleagues will have until February 2 to decide which bills to advance. Many of the bills deal with topics including funding, safety, and technology.
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All bills related to funding go through Ways & Means. In 2021, my committee colleagues and I rolled out major legislation budgeting nearly $48 billion for fiscal year 2022, which provides local communities with record levels of funding for schools and roadways, as well as the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) spending bill. Many of the items highlighted above came from these two bills. The Commonwealth still has remaining ARPA funds, and I look forward to working with constituents, communities, and colleagues to figure out the best ways to spend these resources.
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Constituent Services is Here to Help |
Since the beginning of the pandemic, my office has taken literally thousands of calls, many of which have been from constituents seeking help with their unemployment claims, trying to secure vital records such as birth or death certificates, looking to resolve RMV matters, or inquiring about food and housing resources.
I encourage constituents to continue to use my office as a resource for these types of services. If we can be of any assistance with any of these issues, or other needs such as taxes or navigating a state agency, please call my State House office at 617-722-1494 and we will be happy to assist you.
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Last spring I held virtual office hours, and then throughout the fall regularly met with constituents in the district at libraries, town halls, and senior centers to hear their concerns about local issues and to answer their questions. With the emergence of the Omicron variant, I will return to hosting virtual office hours. Check our social media and website for the latest virtual office hours. |
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I welcomed three new staff members and celebrated the promotion of an existing staff member in 2021. After working six months as communications director, Morgan Simko transitioned into her current role as Legislative Director, which has her working closely with our new Chief of Staff Mark Sternman. This summer also saw the hiring of new Legislative Aide Doug Newton and new Communications Director Peter Jasinski. Doreen Bargoot remains our Constituent Services Director. Learn about them here.
To improve constituent communications, my staff and I have reorganized my website (senatorjohnkeenan.com), streamlined much of the content, and increased focus on local programs available for addressing homelessness, food insecurity, unemployment, and behavioral health supports.
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We recognize that many people are looking for more ways to connect with our office, so we are keeping our Facebook and Twitter accounts updated with content about the district, new legislation, and COVID-19.
As a policy, we do not provide constituent services or engage in policy or issue discussions through social media. The best way to contact me about a constituent concern or to inform me of your thoughts on issues is by email at John.Keenan@MASenate.gov or by calling the office at 617-722-1494.
Similar to in-person office meetings or office hours at libraries and town halls, please be respectful of other people's views on social media, keeping language and tone civil and considerate. Thank you for your part in fostering a productive online community.
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Thank you!
It truly is an honor to serve you. Please know that working for those in my district and for much-needed policy change remain top priorities for me, every day.
Thank you for your continued civic engagement. Together, we will keep Massachusetts moving forward!
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Office of State Senator John F. Keenan | Website
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