Representative Don Humason



ON THE MONEY By State Representative Don Humason, Jr. February 21, 2009 It was school vacation week so the House of Representatives did not meet in any formal sessions this week. Nor did any of the committees. Last week I received my committee assignments from the Minority Leader for this session. I will continue to serve on the Higher Education Committee, the Consumer Protection & Professional Licensure Committee, the Public Health Committee, and the Committee on Transportation. I was also assigned to the Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities. Because there are so few Republicans in the Massachusetts House (16 Republicans out of 160 House members) we have to serve on more committees than our Democrat colleagues so each Legislative committee has at least two Republican members. That’s a lot of territory to cover. I feel like a college student with a heavy course load. Hey, good news. Pomeroy Sugar House is open for the season serving pancakes and their wonderful maple syrup. Breakfast is served Friday – Sunday from 7:30AM – 1:00 PM. Groups are welcome. The Pomeroy Sugar House is located at 491 Russellville Road in Wyben. You can visit the dairy farm then have breakfast while watching Harlow Pomeroy and the gang boil the syrup. Call them at 568-3484 if you have any questions. Their website is www.pomeroysugarhouse.com. I had breakfast there last week and it was terrific. Would you like to help pick a Massachusetts historical site that will appear "on the money" in a new series of quarters that will be released starting in 2010? The following is taken from Governor Deval Patrick’s official state website. Read on: “In a successor to the 50 States Quarters Program, the U.S. Mint, in a nationwide program, has asked Governor Patrick to select one preferred and three alternate Massachusetts national sites to be featured on the reverse of a quarter. Beginning in 2010, the Mint will release five new quarter designs annually based on the order in which the selected sites gained federal designation. Governor Patrick is calling on the people of Massachusetts to help with this decision. “Our Commonwealth has many great parks and historically significant sites,” said Governor Patrick. “It will be fun to let everybody help choose the one to submit.” The sites for Massachusetts can include federally-recognized national parks or other national sites in the Commonwealth, including those appearing on the National Register of Historic Places, National Wildlife Refuges, and National Forests. We have taken the liberty of reducing the list of thousands of potential sites down to the possibilities below (see www.mass.gov/governor/quarter) based on their local and national significance. The voting is now open. Please note that you can only submit one site at a time, but you can vote as often as you would like until 5:00 p.m. February 26, 2009. If your preferred site does not appear on this list, you can still vote for it by calling 1-800-227-MASS [6277].” The list of possible Massachusetts sites is organized by county. The list of sites includes the Cape Cod National Seashore, Mount Greylock Summit Historic District in Adams, the Battleship Massachusetts in Fall River, Gay Head Light in Aquinnah, the Gloucester Fisherman’s Memorial, the Old Deerfield Village Historic District, the Calvin Coolidge House in Northampton, Old Harvard Yard in Cambridge, Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, and Union Station in Worcester. Some of the Boston sites voters can choose from include the USS Constitution, Faneuil Hall, Fort Independence, the Beacon Hill Historic District, the Old North Church, Quincy Market, the Boston Public Library, the Custom House, and, of course, the Massachusetts State House. The list of sites under consideration in Hampden County includes Al’s Diner and the City Hall in Chicopee and the Quadrangle and Springfield National Armory in Springfield. There’s no site from Westfield on the list. I join with Governor Patrick in inviting you to cast your vote for the site that will grace the next Massachusetts quarter in the new America’s National Park series from the U.S. Mint. Again, go to www.mass.gov/governor/quarter to vote * * * 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
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ON THE MONEY

By State Representative Don Humason, Jr.

February 21, 2009

It was school vacation week so the House of Representatives did not meet in any formal sessions this week. Nor did any of the committees.

Last week I received my committee assignments from the Minority Leader for this session. I will continue to serve on the Higher Education Committee, the Consumer Protection & Professional Licensure Committee, the Public Health Committee, and the Committee on Transportation. I was also assigned to the Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities.

Because there are so few Republicans in the Massachusetts House (16 Republicans out of 160 House members) we have to serve on more committees than our Democrat colleagues so each Legislative committee has at least two Republican members. That’s a lot of territory to cover. I feel like a college student with a heavy course load.

Hey, good news. Pomeroy Sugar House is open for the season serving pancakes and their wonderful maple syrup. Breakfast is served Friday – Sunday from 7:30AM – 1:00 PM. Groups are welcome.

The Pomeroy Sugar House is located at 491 Russellville Road in Wyben. You can visit the dairy farm then have breakfast while watching Harlow Pomeroy and the gang boil the syrup. Call them at 568-3484 if you have any questions. Their website is www.pomeroysugarhouse.com. I had breakfast there last week and it was terrific.

Would you like to help pick a Massachusetts historical site that will appear "on the money" in a new series of quarters that will be released starting in 2010? The following is taken from Governor Deval Patrick’s official state website. Read on:

“In a successor to the 50 States Quarters Program, the U.S. Mint, in a nationwide program, has asked Governor Patrick to select one preferred and three alternate Massachusetts national sites to be featured on the reverse of a quarter.

Beginning in 2010, the Mint will release five new quarter designs annually based on the order in which the selected sites gained federal designation.

Governor Patrick is calling on the people of Massachusetts to help with this decision. “Our Commonwealth has many great parks and historically significant sites,” said Governor Patrick. “It will be fun to let everybody help choose the one to submit.”

The sites for Massachusetts can include federally-recognized national parks or other national sites in the Commonwealth, including those appearing on the National Register of Historic Places, National Wildlife Refuges, and National Forests.

We have taken the liberty of reducing the list of thousands of potential sites down to the possibilities below (see www.mass.gov/governor/quarter) based on their local and national significance.

The voting is now open. Please note that you can only submit one site at a time, but you can vote as often as you would like until 5:00 p.m. February 26, 2009. If your preferred site does not appear on this list, you can still vote for it by calling 1-800-227-MASS [6277].”

The list of possible Massachusetts sites is organized by county. The list of sites includes the Cape Cod National Seashore, Mount Greylock Summit Historic District in Adams, the Battleship Massachusetts in Fall River, Gay Head Light in Aquinnah, the Gloucester Fisherman’s Memorial, the Old Deerfield Village Historic District, the Calvin Coolidge House in Northampton, Old Harvard Yard in Cambridge, Plymouth Rock in Plymouth, and Union Station in Worcester.

Some of the Boston sites voters can choose from include the USS Constitution, Faneuil Hall, Fort Independence, the Beacon Hill Historic District, the Old North Church, Quincy Market, the Boston Public Library, the Custom House, and, of course, the Massachusetts State House.

The list of sites under consideration in Hampden County includes Al’s Diner and the City Hall in Chicopee and the Quadrangle and Springfield National Armory in Springfield. There’s no site from Westfield on the list.

I join with Governor Patrick in inviting you to cast your vote for the site that will grace the next Massachusetts quarter in the new America’s National Park series from the U.S. Mint. Again, go to www.mass.gov/governor/quarter to vote

* * *

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