Representative Don Humason



9C CUTS By State Representative Don Humason, Jr. October 18, 2008 You might be wondering where I’ve been the past few weeks…why I haven’t written and sent you this column. Well, normally I write my column each week for the Saturday edition of the Westfield Evening News. But this year, I’m running for re-election and I have an opponent. The newspaper asked me to suspend my column until after Election Day, November 4th, out of fairness to my opponent Brian Hoose. So I took a few weeks off. But I have to say, I miss writing the column even though it can get to be a serious chore week after week trying to come up with something interesting and worthy of your time and readership. This week, I’m writing the column and emailing it to all of the readers on my distribution list. That’s nearly 1,000 people. But it won’t go into the Saturday paper. It can also be read on my website www.donhumason.org. Before I go further I need to offer my condolences on the passing of E. Carol Mazza, Publisher of the Westfield Evening News. It is very sad to hear of Carol's passing. All of Westfield mourns the loss. She was the driving force behind making the Westfield Evening News a good community newspaper that served Westfield and the hill towns. It was Carol who gave my predecessor, Cele Hahn, and then me, the opportunity to write this column for the paper. I remember Christmas parties with Carol and her husband Joe Mazza at their house. They were always surrounded by politicians, businesspeople, newspaper staff, and, of course, their family, and they were very happy. My condolences to the Mazza family and to Carol's co-workers at the Westfield Evening News who knew her best and worked with her the closest. I left off on September 20th with a column called “Another Constituent Survey.” My office has received many more responses this time than we did with our first survey last year. I had hoped to share the survey results before the election, but now I’ll have to wait to publish results until afterwards. It might be interesting to see how well the survey results match the election results. We’ll see. Election Day is less than three weeks away and all of a sudden things are getting busy on Beacon Hill again. In response to the economic crisis at the national level, and falling state revenue receipts, both the Republican and Democratic members of the House and Senate met in caucuses this week to discuss Governor Patrick’s proposal to balance the state budget revenue shortfall of approximately $1.4 billion. Due to projected revenue deficiencies for FY09, in the coming weeks and months Governor Patrick will be forced to undertake a number of actions to keep the budget in balance. These will most certainly include 9C reductions to all state agencies directly under his control. Should these reductions prove insufficient in offsetting the expectant deficiencies, the Governor may again request that the Legislature grant him enhanced powers to deal with deficiencies in other parts of the FY09 budget not currently under his control. The Governor asked for these powers in his July 2008 supplemental budget, but his request was not considered by the Legislature at that time. It is worth noting that some of us have warned since March that the FY09 budget was out of balance and that as passed by the legislature and signed by the Governor, notwithstanding his vetoes, we were spending beyond our means. Had appropriate action been taken then, the need for more drastic action now might have been minimized. Go to my website at www.donhumason.org and look under the columns tab. You will see that in my March 1 column, “Unsustainable,” I warned we were spending too much, too fast. In my May 3 column, “Spending Other People’s Money,” I cautioned that my colleagues were engaged in a giddy and irresponsible spending spree despite the fact we knew that hard times lay ahead. Below is a summary of the Governor’s power under Section 9C of Chapter 29. Section 9C of Chapter 29 affords the Governor the authority to address funding deficiencies, typically by reducing the appropriations for state agencies under his administration. As outlined under Section 9B, these appropriations generally fall under the jurisdiction of a secretariat, and certain appropriations do not qualify for gubernatorial reduction. These include: (1) the Legislature; (2) the Judicial Courts; (3) the Constitutional Officers, including pension, Lottery Funds, and debt payments; and (4) Local Aid. 9C authority also allows the Governor to propose revenue raising measures or to request a transfer from the Rainy Day Fund to generate the necessary revenue; however, any such proposals must be approved by the Legislature. Under current law, the Governor must either reduce funding or propose a means to raise the necessary revenue within 15 days of notification by the Secretary of Administration and Finance in such that revenue will be insufficient to meet appropriations authorized by the budget. Finally, 9C authority allows the Governor to make multiple reductions to appropriations if necessary. The Governor, however, must submit a written report to the House and Senate Committees on Ways & Means prior to any additional reductions. I’ll try to do another column before Election Day to keep you posted on what’s going on on Beacon Hill. I wanted to let you know that the Westfield Theatre Group opens this Friday night with An Evening of Andrew Lloyd Webber, a cabaret showcasing hits of famous Lloyd Webber musicals such as Cats, Evita, Phantom of the Opera, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Call the theatre for tickets and information at 572-6838. The Westfield Sportsman’s Club will once again hold its annual Machine Gun Shoot at the club on Furrowtown Road up past Westfield High School on Saturday, October 25 and Sunday, October 26. The event is open to the public. All are welcome. Have a great week! Representative Humason and his Legislative Aide Jonelle Gingrich may be reached at his State House office, Room 542. Boston, MA 02133. (617) 722-2803. Representative Humason and his Chief of Staff Sarah Latour may be reached at his Westfield district office, 64 Noble Street, Westfield, MA 01085. (413) 568-1366. Representative Don Humason’s website is www.DonHumason.org
This Site Designed and Maintained by: The Barre Group

9C CUTS

By State Representative Don Humason, Jr.

October 18, 2008

You might be wondering where I’ve been the past few weeks…why I haven’t written and sent you this column.

Well, normally I write my column each week for the Saturday edition of the Westfield Evening News. But this year, I’m running for re-election and I have an opponent. The newspaper asked me to suspend my column until after Election Day, November 4th, out of fairness to my opponent Brian Hoose.

So I took a few weeks off. But I have to say, I miss writing the column even though it can get to be a serious chore week after week trying to come up with something interesting and worthy of your time and readership.

This week, I’m writing the column and emailing it to all of the readers on my distribution list. That’s nearly 1,000 people. But it won’t go into the Saturday paper. It can also be read on my website www.donhumason.org.

Before I go further I need to offer my condolences on the passing of E. Carol Mazza, Publisher of the Westfield Evening News. It is very sad to hear of Carol's passing. All of Westfield mourns the loss.

She was the driving force behind making the Westfield Evening News a good community newspaper that served Westfield and the hill towns. It was Carol who gave my predecessor, Cele Hahn, and then me, the opportunity to write this column for the paper.

I remember Christmas parties with Carol and her husband Joe Mazza at their house. They were always surrounded by politicians, businesspeople, newspaper staff, and, of course, their family, and they were very happy.

My condolences to the Mazza family and to Carol's co-workers at the Westfield Evening News who knew her best and worked with her the closest.

I left off on September 20th with a column called “Another Constituent Survey.”

My office has received many more responses this time than we did with our first survey last year. I had hoped to share the survey results before the election, but now I’ll have to wait to publish results until afterwards. It might be interesting to see how well the survey results match the election results. We’ll see.

Election Day is less than three weeks away and all of a sudden things are getting busy on Beacon Hill again.

In response to the economic crisis at the national level, and falling state revenue receipts, both the Republican and Democratic members of the House and Senate met in caucuses this week to discuss Governor Patrick’s proposal to balance the state budget revenue shortfall of approximately $1.4 billion.

Due to projected revenue deficiencies for FY09, in the coming weeks and months Governor Patrick will be forced to undertake a number of actions to keep the budget in balance. These will most certainly include 9C reductions to all state agencies directly under his control.

Should these reductions prove insufficient in offsetting the expectant deficiencies, the Governor may again request that the Legislature grant him enhanced powers to deal with deficiencies in other parts of the FY09 budget not currently under his control. The Governor asked for these powers in his July 2008 supplemental budget, but his request was not considered by the Legislature at that time.

It is worth noting that some of us have warned since March that the FY09 budget was out of balance and that as passed by the legislature and signed by the Governor, notwithstanding his vetoes, we were spending beyond our means. Had appropriate action been taken then, the need for more drastic action now might have been minimized.

Go to my website at www.donhumason.org and look under the columns tab. You will see that in my March 1 column, “Unsustainable,” I warned we were spending too much, too fast. In my May 3 column, “Spending Other People’s Money,” I cautioned that my colleagues were engaged in a giddy and irresponsible spending spree despite the fact we knew that hard times lay ahead.

Below is a summary of the Governor’s power under Section 9C of Chapter 29.

Section 9C of Chapter 29 affords the Governor the authority to address funding deficiencies, typically by reducing the appropriations for state agencies under his administration. As outlined under Section 9B, these appropriations generally fall under the jurisdiction of a secretariat, and certain appropriations do not qualify for gubernatorial reduction. These include: (1) the Legislature; (2) the Judicial Courts; (3) the Constitutional Officers, including pension, Lottery Funds, and debt payments; and (4) Local Aid.

9C authority also allows the Governor to propose revenue raising measures or to request a transfer from the Rainy Day Fund to generate the necessary revenue; however, any such proposals must be approved by the Legislature.

Under current law, the Governor must either reduce funding or propose a means to raise the necessary revenue within 15 days of notification by the Secretary of Administration and Finance in such that revenue will be insufficient to meet appropriations authorized by the budget. Finally, 9C authority allows the Governor to make multiple reductions to appropriations if necessary. The Governor, however, must submit a written report to the House and Senate Committees on Ways & Means prior to any additional reductions.

I’ll try to do another column before Election Day to keep you posted on what’s going on on Beacon Hill.

I wanted to let you know that the Westfield Theatre Group opens this Friday night with An Evening of Andrew Lloyd Webber, a cabaret showcasing hits of famous Lloyd Webber musicals such as Cats, Evita, Phantom of the Opera, and Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Call the theatre for tickets and information at 572-6838.

The Westfield Sportsman’s Club will once again hold its annual Machine Gun Shoot at the club on Furrowtown Road up past Westfield High School on Saturday, October 25 and Sunday, October 26. The event is open to the public. All are welcome.

Have a great week!

Representative Humason and his Legislative Aide Jonelle Gingrich may be reached at his State House office, Room 542. Boston, MA 02133. (617) 722-2803.
Representative Humason and his Chief of Staff Sarah Latour may be reached at his Westfield district office, 64 Noble Street, Westfield, MA 01085. (413) 568-1366.
Representative Don Humason’s website is www.DonHumason.org

This Site Designed and Maintained by: The Barre Group