LOCAL OPTION AND BACKFILL PROVISION This credit would mean relief for those who undeniably need our help, providing a $600 credit for every child under 13 and dependent without a cap or income qualifications, at a cost of $458 million. DCRs Greening the Gateway Cities program marked 35,372 trees planted last year for beautification, cooling, and carbon reduction efforts. This package also proposes to increase the current rental deduction, currently capped at 50 percent of rent up to $3,000, to $4,000 at a cost of $40 million helping to offset the high cost of housing for 880,000 renters. Teachers who are at high-risk for serious illness from COVID-19 would be eligible to retire under this bill after their city or town adopts the legislation but before Aug. 31, 2022 or the. Since the COVID-19 pandemic changed travel schedules and took a significant bite out of transit usage, MBTA ridership has returned to 61 percent of its pre-pandemic levels. I have 250 sick days, my per diem rate times those days is an $86,000 unfunded liability for the city, she said. MTA Vice President Max Page said the bill was "designed to prevent a significant negative impact on the security of the state's pension system," and that it gives the state and the employer the option to help offset credit-purchase costs. The Healey-Driscoll administration is committed to supporting the women, children, and families at the center of our communities. A $600,000 increase for new staff is also proposed to facilitate farmland acquisition and protection. House 1 proposes to increase funding for the MASSGrant Plus program by $93 million to $128.1 million, a 165 percent increase to the program. Cookie Settings/Do Not Sell My Personal Information. This budget funds transportation, not counting the sales tax transfer to the MBTA, at $949.4 million, reflecting an adjustment from fiscal year 2023 that accounts for the removal of one-time MBTA support. area meeting takes place today (Friday) at 11AM, Breaking news from the GIC on the selection of CVSHealth as the pharmacy benefits manager (PBM) for both Medicare and non-Medicare plans, The latest news on our efforts to pass a Social Security WEP reform bill in 2022. The grants allowed providers to continue to operate and provide critical education and care for young children across the state, despite increasing operational costs and challenges in workforce recruitment and retention. An annuity of $2,000 to service-connected disabled veterans, peer outreach in our communities to help with suicide prevention and connections to veteran benefits and services, Funding to help veterans access affordable housing and reduce homelessness as well as programs and resources for women veterans, Funding for the department to continue to operate the Commonwealths two veteran cemeteries in Agawam and Winchendon. The proposal recommends the establishment of a required minimum fund balance that would be used only in the event of significant revenue decline to preserve base programs funded from Fair Share tax revenue. Funding for the Department of Environmental Protection would increase 9 percent to $83.6 million under this budget proposal, and the Department of Agriculture Resources would be level funded at $43.8 million, with $31.7 million (a $1.2 million increase) going toward the Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program (MEFAP) to provide 27.7 million meals in fiscal year 2024 to be distributed via four regional food banks. In the coming weeks the administration will be requesting supplemental funding for DTA to augment staffing in light of these caseload trends and the sunsetting of federal program administrative waivers. Fair Share revenues would allow for the following investments for fiscal year 2024: In addition to sale tax revenue, House 1 level funds the MBTA at $187 million, with additional funds remaining from a one-time safety/workforce reserve that was part of its fiscal year 2023 appropriation. APRIL 22, 2022: After nearly a year of preparation by our Association, debate is about to begin in the House of Representatives on proposals that would make improvements to the annual COLA benefit paid to public retirees. Mass.gov is a registered service mark of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Join with our 52,000 members as we continue the fight. The measure also contains authorization for the states 102 local retirement systems to increase local COLAs from 3-5% by a majority vote of the retirement board. It is also vital that we make sure no community is left behind in these efforts to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels and promote cleaner, healthier environments for residents. DeRosa told the Public Service Committee that after the end of this school year, she'll have five years of teaching to go before retirement. $59 million to provide funds to community colleges, State Universities and the University of Massachusetts for innovative strategies that support cost predictability and transparency for students and families, encourage timely degree completion, protect students from economic uncertainties and promote financial planning for college. The proposal includes $4.5 million in investments to implement DYS 3-year strategic plan to improve and expand services to meet the needs of young people. Doherty, a Taunton Democrat, said the bill responds to the health and safety issues brought on by the pandemic. The fiscal year 2024 budget invests in the continued implementation of new behavioral health services in the Commonwealth initiated in fiscal year 2023, including the 24/7 clinically-staffed Behavioral Health Help Line that launched in January 2023. Our companies cant find workers with the skills they need to grow and expand. The budget recommendation also includes $96.8 million for the 15 Regional Transit Authorities across the Commonwealth that provided 17.4 million fixed route unlinked passenger trips and 1.37 million demand response trips in fiscal year 2022. Burlington High School math teacher Jeanne DeRosa offered a word problem of sorts to state lawmakers on Wednesday, making her case for a bill that would allow early retirement opportunities for certain educators. The Early College program under this budget would provide approximately 18,122 students in the 2023-2024 school year the opportunity to earn up to 12 college credits before graduating, and the Innovation Pathways will enroll approximately 10,194 students in coursework across priority industries including IT, engineering, healthcare, life sciences, and advanced manufacturing. The budget also funds $23.7 million for Community Choices to support rate increases for case management and maintains $1.3 million expansion for Elder Mental Health Outreach Teams to reach 40 previously unserved municipalities. Key investments include: In total, this budget provides for nearly $8.4 billion in local aid that goes out through cherry sheets in fiscal year 2024, a $635 million increase, or 8.2 percent. endobj APRIL 19, 2022:On Wednesday the House released their version of the Fiscal Year 2023 state budget. With the money saved from allowing teachers with higher salaries and advanced degrees to retire early you could hire two teachers and then some, " said Lori Lyncosky, president of the Westfield Education Association and a spokesperson for the Massachusetts Teachers Association which drafted the bill. The retirement windows are the summers of 2021 and 2022. APRIL 27, 2022: Today, the Massachusetts House of Representatives unanimously approved a 5% increase in the FY23 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for State and Teacher Retirees. The Boards of Control and the Retirement Systems of Alabama (RSA) staff are pleased to present the 44th Annual Report for the fiscal year ended September 30, 2020 The state's current 1 The New Castle Area School Board has adopted an early retirement incentive for teachers and into the Pennsylvania State Employees Retirement System The age 50. MassDOT is also competing for $110 billion in total discretionary grants funding, and $1.75 billion in bond authorizations have been made available for matching funds to ensure competitive bids. After years of enjoying tax surpluses and other infusions of one-time funds, the administration with this fiscal year 2024 budget proposal makes prudent recommendations on how to recalibrate state government programs and services in a way that can be sustained moving forward. The proposed legislations retirement windows include the summer of 2021 from June 30-Aug. 31 and the summer of 2022 also from June 30 -Aug. 31. He was not only dedicated to public service, but worked tirelessly and selflessly to better the lives of others. An investment of $534,000 to expand the capacity of the Department to provide Mental Health case consultation to its social workers. My advice to those considering AmeriCorps VISTA is to DO IT! Meanwhile, I would like to bring attention back to the ongoing work to improve COLA benefits for public retirees particularly the ongoing success we are witnessing at the local level. Text: Latest bill text (Introduced) [PDF] People are not acting out of fear. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. An investment of $2 million for housing supports for families and youth transitioning out of DCF care. Lyncoski said the MTRS is self funded by teachers, with less than one percent contributed by the state. An upcoming supplemental budget will also commit to funding another year of the universal school meals program with Transitional Escrow funds. $7.5 million for the Community Empowerment and Reinvestment Grant Program, $6 million cumulatively for targeted initiatives at the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative to support workforce, manufacturing, cybersecurity, and the innovation economy, $3 million for the Urban Agenda Grant Program, $3 million supplemental appropriation to the Tourism Trust Fund, in addition to the annual transfer to the Fund codified in statute, $2.5 million for Workforce Development Grants relative to advanced manufacturing training, $1 million for Regional Economic Development Grants, Eliminating the asset test for the Medicare Saving Program (MSP), which will increase access to this program for low- and middle-income older adults, $200 million in base rate investments for Adult Day Habilitation and Adult Day Health to address workforce challenges and to ensure access to day programs for eligible MassHealth members, $80 million for behavioral health providers to address ongoing workforce shortages, including an increase in rates for children/youth diversionary services, preserving capacity and paying for value in other community-based settings, improving care and access for medically complex members seeking inpatient psychiatric care, and other targeted investments. This includes $250,000for an assessment on access to affordable hearing aids and evaluation of how best toconnect consumers in need with resources to obtain and utilize hearing aids. Through an outside section, House 1 also recommends unlocking $20 million previously appropriated to provide incarcerated individuals in state prisons with up to 1,000 minutes per month of no-cost phone calls. H.2808 192nd (2021 - 2022) An Act relative to providing a COVID-19 retirement credit to essential public-sector workers SD.1352 193rd (Current) An Act providing for a COVID-19 retirement credit to essential first responders employees H.3577 189th (2015 - 2016) An Act to expand teacher credible service H.1331 190th (2017 - 2018) We are also looking to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion through the system as we move to rapidly hire for an additional 1,000 positions at the MBTA to address workforce shortages cited by the Federal Transit Administration as part of last years safety inspection. S.1778 192nd (2021 - 2022) Snapshot of Te acher Retirement. (Don Treeger | The Republican). This week, we said goodbye to our friend and colleague Chris Condon. endobj 3 0 obj $1.5 million for Economic Mobility, a new line item modeled on the successful federal Family Self-Sufficiency program to serve state public housing residents and state voucher participants. House supports critical educator retention efforts and wrap-around services for students and families, along with new investments in innovative programming. In addition to the tax breaks for senior homeowners and renters proposed as part of the larger tax package, the House 1 budget increases formula grants to Councils on Aging from $12 to $14 per older adult, resulting in $3.4 million in additional funding and the first increase for this grant program in 5 years. In addition to his work with SEIU Local 509, Chris previously served as a member of the State Retirement Board. The budget funds the Department of Higher Education, the University of Massachusetts system, the State Universities and Community Colleges at $1.98 billion, including investments from Fair Share. Gordon also questioned whether there'd be a sufficient applicant pool across the different regions of the state to fill the vacant positions. 8/5/2022 Weekly Update: While the bulk of todays (long and detailed) email is on the status of the Social Security WEP & GPO legislation, allow me toremind you of todays (Friday) Tele-Town Hall Meetingas well as provide a quick update on developments with the local option for the 5% COLA. The $185.6 million investment will allow the department to deliver a range of critical benefits, programs and services to Massachusetts active service-members, veterans and their families, including: The House 1 budget recommendation invests $8 million in new spending to stand up the new secretariat and supports continued investment in staffing and infrastructure at the Veterans Homes in Chelsea and Holyoke. The bill, which has drawn broad support in the state Legislature, would credit workers with three extra years of service for their pensions when they retire if they worked outside their home. As is the case at allMass Retireesmeetings, members can bring a guest. This funding will primarily be directed toward District Attorneys offices and the Massachusetts State Police gang unit. Our House 1 budget fully funds the Department of Developmental Services Turning 22 program supporting a new class of 1,431 new members as they prepare to age out of the education system. "I don't want a situation where the bill that they get is so close to the benefit increase that it's a net wash," the Bedford Democrat said. Since 1968 the Retired State, County and Municipal Employees Association has been the leading voice for Massachusetts public retirees and their families. The budget also commits $27 million for the Workforce Training Fund to support the Commonwealths workforce and business productivity and competitiveness. This work will also inform the reprocurement of the subsidy system, last done over a decade ago, to better match supply with demand. They did so with the understanding that the new revenue generated from the tax on higher-income earners would be used to promote high-quality education, repair and maintain roads and bridges and improve our public transit system. 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