Monthly Archives: April 2013

State Report on Lyme Disease

Posted on April 4, 2013 | Comments Off on State Report on Lyme Disease

From Nancy Schiemer of the Lyme Disease Study Committee –

Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Lyme Disease in
Massachusetts
A Report Issued by the Special Commission
to Conduct an Investigation and Study of the
Incidence and Impacts of Lyme Disease

February 28th 2013
Members of the Commission
Commissioner of the Department of Public Health . . Dr. Catherine M. Brown (Designee)
Commissioner of the Division of Health Care Finance & Policy . Ms. Jen Gorke (Designee)
Director of the State Laboratory Institute. . . . Dr. Linda Han (until 9/13/2012)
House 1 . . . . . . . Representative David P. Linsky
House 2 . . . . . . . Representative Carolyn Dykema
House Minority Leader’s Appointment . . . . Representative Bradford R. Hill
Infectious Disease Specialist . . . . . Dr. Sam T. Donta
International Lyme and Associated Disease Society . . Dr. Sheila Statlender
Local Board of Health 1 . . . . . . Dr. Louis E. Fazen
Local Board of Health 2. . . . . . Ms. Joanne Martel, RN
Local Board of Health 3 . . . . . . Dr. Barbara Roth-Schechter
Lyme and Other Tick-Borne Diseases Organization 1 . . Ms. Patricia McCleary
Lyme and Other Tick-Borne Diseases Organization 2 . . Ms. Brenda J. Boleyn
Public 1 (Patient or Family Member of Patient) – Senate . . Ms. Kristen Alexander
Public 2 (Patient or Family Member of Patient) – House . . Ms. Lisa Donahue
Senate 1 . . . . . . . Senator Susan Fargo
Senate 2 . . . . . . . Senator Daniel A. Wolf
Senate Minority Leader’s Appointment . . . . Senator Richard J. Ross
State Epidemiologist . . . . . . Dr. Alfred DeMaria Jr.
Treatment or Research of Lyme Disease Expert 1 . . Dr. Sam Rountree Telford III
Treatment or Research of Lyme Disease Expert 2 . . Dr. Thomas N. Mather
Massachusetts House Post Audit and Oversight Committee Staff
Katelyn Kelly

TABLE OF CONTENTS
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY . . . . . . . . 1
GLOSSARY OF TERMS . . . . . . . . 3
TASKS WITH WHICH THE COMMISSION IS CHARGED. . . . 6
Massachusetts State Surveillance and Reporting . . . . . 7
Massachusetts Department of Public Health Lyme Disease Surveillance Activities . 7
Other Statewide Lyme Disease Surveillance Activities . . . . 7
Potential Benefits of Enhancing Lyme Disease Surveillance . . . . 9
Potential Activities for Enhancing Surveillance of Lyme Disease in Massachusetts . 10
Education and Awareness . . . . . . . . 13
Education for Prevention . . . . . . . . 13
Education for the Medical Community . . . . . . 15
Co-infections . . . . . . . . . 17
Critical Need for More Research . . . . . . . 17
Partnerships . . . . . . . . . 18
Implementation Advisory Committee . . . . . . 18
True Costs of Lyme Disease in Massachusetts . . . . . 18
Insurance and Liability . . . . . . . . 19
Prevention . . . . . . . . . . 24
Vaccination . . . . . . . . . 25
Environmental Interventions . . . . . . . 25
Education . . . . . . . . . 30
Funding . . . . . . . . . . 32
REFERENCES . . . . . . . . . 34

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In accordance with Section 181 of Chapter 68 of the Acts of 2011, the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts established the Special Commission to Conduct an Investigation and Study the
Incidence and Impact of Lyme Disease. The twenty-one member Commission was comprised of
individuals from a wide variety of backgrounds and was put in place in order to provide the most
comprehensive overview and insight into the various issues that surround this disease. The
members ranged from state legislators and state agency representatives to experts in treatment
and research to members of the public and Lyme disease activists. Upon the formation of the
Commission the members broke into five sub-commissions; State Surveillance and Reporting,
Education and Awareness, Funding, Prevention, and Insurance and Liability Issues in order to
address all tasks issued to the Commission under the Massachusetts General Acts of 2011. The
sub-commissions met on a regular basis and the full Commission came together once a month to
discuss each group’s findings. The following is a compilation of each sub-commission’s report
and it presents an overview of the Commission’s findings and recommendations for the state to
enact and enforce in order to ensure that the Lyme disease epidemic is controlled and that future
infections can be prevented.
The Commission discovered that the current state laboratory reporting is an obvious
strength for statewide surveillance in helping to gain a better idea of trends across the
Commonwealth. However, it fails to capture reports of Lyme disease for which laboratory
testing is not routinely reported or is not performed at the appropriate stage of the disease. The
Commission believes in the importance of enhancing current Lyme disease surveillance methods
in order to better determine disease burden, geographic distribution, risk groups, clinical features,
and changes in epidemiology over time, which then can be translated into data to assist the
Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) in targeting high-risk areas. The
recommendations of the Commission include evaluating the current laboratory-reporting
practices in order to gather more pertinent information surrounding the disease by updating the
current forms, as well as updating the reporting systems to an electronic format in order to
provide more easily presented and accessible data. Having school nurses provide surveillance
information regarding students would be another useful tool in surveillance. An all-payer claims
database analysis would also help determine the costs associated with the treatment of this
disease. Improved laboratory diagnostic methods are necessary in ensuring accurate diagnosis
and therefore that accurate treatment plans are being prescribed and seroconversion studies might
help identify whether the quality and completeness of surveillance data is proportional to the
amount of resources invested in the collection of data.
The most important focus of the Commission is the education and awareness of Lyme
disease. Educating the public for prevention is the key aspect in helping to prevent transmission
and therefore avoiding many of the difficulties that can arise for patients following infection. The
Commission recommends that appropriate knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) surveys are
developed in order to establish a basis for targeting education and for the development of an
engaging and educational health promotion campaign to be distributed in communities. State
funding and advertisement subsidies should be provided to towns for tick bite protection and
tick-borne disease (TBD) prevention promotions. Recommendations for education of the medical
community include that healthcare providers be apprised of the spectrum of Lyme disease
(especially regarding relapsing or persisting symptoms), be made aware that currently published
recommendations and guidelines regarding treatment of Lyme disease are based on limited data,

that recommendations regarding antibiotic treatment of patients with persisting or relapsing
symptoms are based primarily on the results of one clinical trial, and remind physicians of the
Physician Protection Act; Section 12DD of Chapter 112 of the Massachusetts General Laws,
which protects doctors from facing disciplinary action should they choose to diagnose and treat
according to clinical criteria.
In order to educate physicians and other healthcare providers the Commission
recommends that this report be sent to each provider from provider-enrolled organizations, the
report be disseminated in medical publications and be accessible online. There should also be
support for professional educational forums across the state. It is also recommended that MDPH
communicate the limitations of laboratory testing to healthcare providers in Massachusetts and
regularly review its educational materials relative to new information pertaining to Lyme
disease. Although there is general agreement that published guidelines have never been intended
to replace clinical judgment, the differences in approach to treatments have led to a continuing
controversy that has significantly impacted the delivery of care for Lyme patients in
Massachusetts. This controversy underscores the compelling need for serious national
investments in scientific research directed at diagnosis and treatment options; both better Lyme
diagnostics through testing that is not dependent upon the production of antibodies and more
clinical research relative to treatment protocols. Establishing partnerships between local boards
of health and community spaces is important in ensuring the distribution of this material. The
implementation of an advisory committee is also essential in fulfilling these recommendations.
While the Physician Protection Act protects physicians from liability, it is not a guarantee
of treatment. Therefore, mandatory Lyme disease insurance coverage needs to be enacted in
Massachusetts. The Commission also recommends that a mechanism be devised to oversee
potential violations of the insurance mandate, should it be adopted, and to investigate reports of
potential discrimination against patients with Lyme disease.
In addition to education, other modes of prevention can provide protection from
infection. The Commission believes that the Pesticide Bureau should add specific tick-relevant
training though the pesticide licensing exam materials; look into spraying to control ticks;
implement a study to be conducted the State Reclamation Board to determine what extra funds
would be needed for each mosquito control district to expand the scope of their work to include
tick control measures; have the Department of Conservation and Recreation examine options for
reducing tick habitat; conduct a study to determine how to ensure compliance for tick control on
school properties; have MassWildlife study the costs and benefits of expanded access to
crossbow hunting; and have the Massachusetts Division of Fish and Wildlife explore the costs
and benefits of changing the archery safety zone to 150 feet of an inhabited dwelling to allow
greater access to sites for deer management.
The Commission recommends that state provide funding to provide the public and
medical community the most up-to-date materials regarding prevention, as well as diagnostic
tools and treatment practices and that the Commonwealth support state and federal funding for
tick-borne disease research.
It is important to note that the Commission members participated as individuals, and as
such, have voted to move the aforementioned recommendations forward. However, their
identification as Commission members does not imply full endorsement of all recommendations
or the official positions of agencies or organizations for which they work.

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Posted in Wildlife Management & Lyme disease

“The Greenest Building in the World”

Posted on April 4, 2013 | Comments Off on “The Greenest Building in the World”

From the Medfield Energy Committee’s David Temple (originally in the New York Times on 4/2/13) –

SEATTLE — When an office building here that bills itself as the world’s greenest officially opens later this month, it will present itself as a “living building zoo,” with docents leading tours and smartphone-wielding tourists able to scan bar codes to learn about the artfully exposed mechanical and electrical systems.
Multimedia
Tenants have already begun moving into the six-story Bullitt Center, in advance of its grand opening on Earth Day, April 22. With the final touches nearly complete on the 50,000-square-foot office building at 1501 East Madison Street, at the edge of the city’s Capitol Hill neighborhood, its occupants are about to embark upon an unparalleled — and very public — experiment in sustainability.
Once settled in, they will be guinea pigs in a $30 million living laboratory distinguished by its composting toilets, strict energy and water budgets and a conspicuous lack of on-site parking. To earn its environmental bragging rights, the Bullitt Center must complete a rigorous one-year certification process called the Living Building Challenge, which requires both water and energy self-sufficiency, among a list of 20 demands.
Provided that the building clears a few remaining regulatory hurdles, all its water will be supplied by rainwater collected in a 56,000-gallon cistern before being filtered and disinfected. A rooftop array of photovoltaic panels, extending beyond the building like the brim of a graduation mortarboard, will produce an estimated 230,000 kilowatt-hours a year, hopefully just enough to break even for a building that is 83 percent more efficient than the city’s typical commercial site.
The project’s backers, led by the environmentally minded Bullitt Foundation, hope to demonstrate that a carbon-neutral office space can be commercially viable and aesthetically stunning without saddling its occupants with onerous demands. And they are determined to make their strategy and performance so transparent that it can be easily copied.
Instead of tucking the mechanical and electrical rooms out of sight, for example, large plate glass windows will showcase the engineering, while quick response codes tag points of interest so tourists can use their smartphones to learn about individual elements, according to Chris Rogers, the chief executive and partner of the developer, Point32.
A kiosk in a double-height exhibition space will also let visitors access real-time measurements like the building’s indoor air quality, energy consumption, photovoltaic power production and water levels. The Bullitt Center, in fact, will be one of the planet’s most closely monitored commercial buildings, allowing managers to single out energy hogs down to the level of individual plugs, said Robert B. Peña, an associate professor of architecture in the Integrated Design Lab at the University of Washington.
If the building is still the highest-performing one of its kind 10 years from now, said Denis Hayes, president and chief executive of the Bullitt Foundation, the experiment will have failed.
The Living Building Challenge’s imperatives go far beyond those of the better-known LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification. Its yearlong vetting process is designed in part to avoid the embarrassment suffered by some LEED certified buildings, where seemingly efficient buildings have proven to be much less so after the buildings have been completed and undergone energy audits.
While a number of states, counties and municipalities provide tax credits and fee reductions for LEED structures, only a few municipalities have followed suit so far for the newer Living Building Challenge. Nevertheless, proponents say that avoiding energy and water utility bills for 250 years, the expected life span of the Bullitt Center, offers its own compelling financial incentives.
The Living Building Challenge has 143 registered projects in 10 countries. Its process is so demanding, however, that only three buildings in the United States have been fully certified so far; the largest of those is an eighth the size of the Bullitt Center.
 So much potential energy savings has already been wrung out of the building in its construction that nearly half of the expected electricity use will depend on what’s plugged into the outlets. Every tenant will be expected to abide by strict annual usage budgets or pay for overages, but extra-fine electrical circuits and detailed outlet metering can help diagnose problem spots down to, say, a malfunctioning printer.
(Page 2 of 2)
Mr. Hayes is keenly aware that the building’s success depends upon its attractiveness to tenants, and his development team is promoting several distinctive features, including the fact that it may be the first heavy-timber midrise building erected in Seattle since the 1920s. The timber and steel frame uses native Douglas fir certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. The exposed wood ceilings on the 13-foot-high upper floors also contribute to an airy loftlike feel, with exposed steel cross braces and 10-foot-high windows that maximize daylight.
Multimedia
Another signature feature, a glass-enclosed stairwell that Mr. Hayes has named the “irresistible stairway,” rewards climbers with panoramic views of downtown and Puget Sound. The behavioral carrot, aimed at promoting both health and energy conservation, has been juxtaposed with the stick of a slow and less conveniently sited elevator that requires key card access. With advertised lease rates of $28 to $30 a square foot, the building is in line with comparable properties.
It helps that a group of enthusiastic early adopters has already leased more than two-thirds of the available office space. That group includes several organizations and companies heavily invested in the project’s success: PAE Consulting Engineers, the building’s lead engineering firm; the developer Point32, which will manage a 40-desk co-working space; the Integrated Design Lab, which played a major consulting role and will have both office space and a 40-seat classroom; and the International Living Future Institute, which since 2006 has run the Living Building Challenge.
The pioneering spirit resonates strongly with other tenants-to-be like Michele Gomes, co-owner and chief creative officer of Interchange Media Art Productions, a video and television production company.
Ms. Gomes and her business partner are leasing two desks on the fourth floor co-working space, a “huge move up” from her company’s current office in a windowless and perpetually cold basement, she said. Even more important, Ms. Gomes is eager to work among peers who have similar sustainability values. “To have like-minded people sharing the same space, to me that’s going to be extremely inspiring,” she said.
Intentional Futures, a technology and software-focused design and engineering studio founded by former Microsoft executives, has leased the 7,900-square-foot fifth floor. Ian Sands, a co-founder and managing partner, said the 20-employee company had outgrown its office directly beneath a local broadcaster’s helipad and was looking to tap into the creative energy emanating from the city’s bustling Pike-Pine Corridor.
Although Mr. Sands admires the decision to forgo a traditional garage, he said the lack of on-site parking, coupled with Seattle’s inadequate mass transit, could create commuting headaches for employees who live in the city’s eastern suburbs and who may “have to figure out other methods or places to park nearby because they will have to drive.”
Mr. Hayes said the decision to not have on-site parking generated “spirited conversation” during the design phase. Instead, a space about the size of a three-car garage will be reserved exclusively for bicycles, while commuting bicyclists can wash away the morning sweat in one of the rainwater-fed showers on each floor.
Steve Whitney, the Bullitt Foundation’s program officer, said he had adapted to his new work space by buying a second bike.
On a partly cloudy afternoon in early March, Mr. Whitney, Mr. Hayes, and three other Bullitt Foundation employees gathered in a glass-walled conference room in their sixth floor office to offer some admittedly biased first impressions.
Less than a week after moving from a nearly windowless brick carriage house, the employees were still amazed by the spectacular views, ample natural light and almost distracting quiet. The composting toilets, though, remained a source of curiosity even for them, and early discussions have centered on the pulse of foam that cascades down the inner rim of each funnel-shaped bowl to expedite its delivery to the waiting composters below.
Two weeks later, Mr. Peña led a tour group of corporate real estate professionals through the bowels of the Bullitt Center to check out the business end of the 24 toilets. Two rows of five bright blue aerobic composters, each the “size of a Fiat 500,” he figured, were busily doing their thing — so efficiently that the first compost extraction would not be required for another 18 months, when the resulting mulch will be commingled with other compost from King County.
But do they smell? Mr. Peña invited his tour group of 20 to inspect the boxy composters up close and determine for themselves: they did not. The aerobic process is odorless, provided that the building’s maintenance workers ensure proper ventilation and regular mixing.
Ultimately, Mr. Peña hoped the building’s novelties would become invisible as the occupants adjusted. “As much as I like to think of this building as a living laboratory, I think for the commercial tenants in this building, we also want it to be just as normal as possible,” he said.

 

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Posted in Energy Committee

Increased Chap. 90 $ clears House Ways & Means

Posted on April 4, 2013 | Comments Off on Increased Chap. 90 $ clears House Ways & Means

From John Nunnari –

TAX BILL, CHAPTER 90 PROPOSAL CLEAR WAYS AND MEANS
The proposal by top Democratic lawmakers to boost state revenue by $500 million to finance transportation needs won endorsement Wednesday of the House Committee on Ways and Means, which polled members starting Tuesday evening. The committee voted 17-6, with three members reserving their rights, in favor of the bill (H 3382), which would add money for transportation through an increase in tobacco taxes, business taxes and a gas tax increase. A related borrowing authorization bill (H 3379) to send $300 million to cities and towns for local roads through the Chapter 90 program this year won unanimous support for the committee with a 26-0 vote. Rep. Carl Sciortino (D-Medford) said he reserved his rights in the poll and said the $500 million plan did not meet the needs of the transportation system, which Gov. Deval Patrick has said will need about $1 billion annually. “I think the bill as it stands is inadequate. We clearly need to do more than that,” Sciortino told the News Service. The bills are expected to be debated in a formal session on Monday. The House Clerk’s office anticipates the House will set a deadline of Friday at 5 p.m. for amendments to both bills. Polling closed at 10:30 a.m. – M. Murphy

John Nunnari, Assoc AIA
Executive Director, AIA MA

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Posted in Budgets, DPW

Kill ticks in dryer

Posted on April 4, 2013 | Comments Off on Kill ticks in dryer

From Chris Kadly, Chair of the Lyme Disease Study Committee –

5 minutes in dryer can apparently kill ticks – they dry up.  This article suggests putting your clothes in the dryer after time outside during tick season.

http://commonhealth.wbur.org/2013/04/dryer-quick-kill-ticks?utm_source=cc&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nwsltr-13-04-03

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Posted in Wildlife Management & Lyme disease

Selectman office hours this Friday

Posted on April 3, 2013 | Comments Off on Selectman office hours this Friday

I am holding my regular monthly selectman office hours this coming Friday (first Friday of the month) from 9 – 10 AM at The Center on Ice House Road.  Please feel free to stop by to talk about town issues.  No appointment is needed.

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Posted in On being a selectman

Richard brings new feel to BoS

Posted on April 3, 2013 | Comments Off on Richard brings new feel to BoS

Richard DeSorgher’s first meeting as a selectman in thirty years caused a big change in the feel of the Board of Selectmen last night.  He started off by reminding all that the US is at war in Afganistan, and followed up with many suggestions and ideas throughout the meeting.  He even joked about how much he had to “report on” to all, since his last selectman meeting was thirty years ago.

I appreciated being supported on getting the town wide clean up I have been suggesting for at least five years finally implemented, and seeing the Medfield Garden Club get the go ahead to revamp the island where Hospital Road meets Rte. 27, which decision had been avoided by the BoS last year.

Richard suggested having an ongoing plan to plant street trees, and street tree planting is something I have been talking about for several years.  He suggested the town needing to know how soon it will need to replace existing trees (based on health and condition), and I suggested that we needed data on all our street trees to make the lan.  On reflection this morning, I think that tree project would be a perfect one for a student intern, someone who would catalog all the Medfield street trees on the GIS maps, by location, type, age, and condition.  To plan one first needs good data, and I think an interested intern could generate the tree data for the town over the summer.

Judging from a history of one meeting, I am guessing that the Board of Selectmen will be much more active going forward – should be interesting, and fun.

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Posted in Select Board matters

New DPW garage

Posted on April 3, 2013 | Comments Off on New DPW garage

This year I got all my questions answered, thanks to the Building Committee, and I am strongly behind getting the DPW garage built.  There will be two votes, one at the annual town meeting (ATM) on 4/29 and then at the polls the next day on 4/30 (also the primary election day for the special Massachusetts senate election).  The Building Committee is holding an informational meeting on 4/13 at the existing DPW Garage, or you can view eth existing garage at the hazardous waste collection day this Saturday, 4/6.

Below is a post from Mike Quinlan of the Building Committee on the Medfield Professionals LinkedIn group –

Upcoming Town Meeting

The Town of Medfield Permanent Building will be recommending two warrant articles for approval at Town Meeting at the end of the month. One for funds to complete the proposed DPW facility and one for design funds to complete design for the proposed Public Safety project. In preparation, we invite all residents to join us for upcoming public information sessions. Please visit http://medfieldPBC.org or the Patch for more information.

http://medfield.patch.com/articles/permanent-building-committee-to-discuss-two-projects-on-town-warrant#comments_list

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Posted in Buildings, DPW, Elections, Town Meeting

Congressional protection for asbestos companies

Posted on April 3, 2013 | Comments Off on Congressional protection for asbestos companies

This from the American Association for Justice –

In honor of National Asbestos Awareness Week, help protect asbestos victims’ rights by urging Congress to oppose legislation that threatens to delay and deny justice until asbestos victims die.  Your action will make a difference!

The asbestos-disease epidemic is one of the longest-running public health epidemics.  Asbestos is still legal in the United States and kills at least 10,000 Americans every year.  It is estimated that asbestos will have killed 432,465 Americans by 2029.  Asbestos was known to be deadly by 1900.  Asbestos corporate executives callously covered up this fact.  Millions have been exposed and are at risk.

Act Now!  Justice for asbestos victims is under attack by legislation being rushed through Congress that would help asbestos corporations evade accountability.  H.R. 982, the “Furthering Asbestos Claim Transparency (FACT) Act of 2013,” grants a corporate handout to an industry that knowingly exposed millions of Americans to this deadly product and covered up the dangers for profit.

Tell your Representative today to oppose H.R. 982.  Any time spent on this bill is a waste of Congressional (and taxpayer) resources, and the ultimate insult to families whose loved ones have died or are dying from asbestos-related diseases.

Congress should focus on keeping Americans safe from dangerous products like asbestos and not protecting corporations that knowingly place workers and consumers in danger. Contact Your Representative Today!

Sincerely,

The Take Justice Back Campaign Staff
(Formerly, People Over Profits)

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Posted in Safety

NYT distracted driving test

Posted on April 3, 2013 | Comments Off on NYT distracted driving test

The New York Times has a test to show us how much texting while driving distracts us.

http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2009/07/19/technology/20090719-driving-game.html?_r=0

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Posted in Safety

MMA’s reaction to legislative proposal

Posted on April 2, 2013 | Comments Off on MMA’s reaction to legislative proposal

This from the Massachusetts Municipal Association this afternoon –

Tuesday, April 2, 2013 

 LEGISLATIVE LEADERS ANNOUNCE TRANSPORTATION FINANCE FRAMEWORK AND PLAN

SPEAKER & SENATE PRESIDENT EMBRACE $300M FOR CHAPTER 90

Leaders Commit to Forward Funding and Increases for RTAs

Plan Includes $500m in Targeted Taxes, $250m in Agency Revenues

Earlier today, House Speaker Robert DeLeo, Senate President Therese Murray, and the respective chairs of the House and Senate Ways and Means and Transportation Committees announced agreement on a comprehensive framework to address the state’s transportation finance crisis.  The plan includes a commitment to increasing Chapter 90 funding to $300 million a year, and forward-funding regional transit systems across the state.

The details of the framework were announced at a State House press conference, and the highlights include:

• $300 million for the Chapter 90 program, a fifty percent increase in funding, beginning with passage this month of a one-year bond bill for fiscal 2014 to avoid delays during the current construction season, and passage of the $300 million amount in a multi-year bond bill to be considered by the Legislature later this session;

• Forward funding of all regional transit systems in the fiscal 2014 budget (an $80 million commitment), and funding increases for RTAs in future budgets;

•  Closing the state government’s existing transportation funding gap and investing in new projects through a combination of $500 million in new targeted tax revenues and $250 million in agency revenues phased in over several years, which would be distributed in the state budget and passage of a multi-year transportation bond bill that will be considered this summer or fall.

 

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD A COPY OF THE MMA’S STATEMENT ON THE HOUSE-SENATE TRANSPORTATION FRAMEWORK

 

PLEASE CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE LEGISLATURE’S POWERPOINT PRESENTATION ON THE PLAN

There are many steps remaining in this process, including: passage of the one-year $300 million Chapter 90 bond bill that will be before the House tomorrow (Wednesday, April 3) and the Senate as early as next week; debate and passage of the tax and agency revenue proposals in April; passage of the fiscal 2014 state budget with the necessary funding; and passage of a multi-year transportation bond bill to maintain and increase investment in our transportation infrastructure.

Please contact your Representatives and Senators to discuss the Legislature’s plan, ask them to support the Chapter 90 increase, and tell them you will support the revenue increases necessary to fix our broken transportation finance system.

Thank you very much!

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Posted in Budgets, Massachusetts Municipal Association