Representative Don Humason



THIS WEEK IN BOSTON September 19, 2009 By State Representative Don Humason, Jr. In my previous column, I asked 10 questions pertaining to hot topics at the State House in Boston this fall. If you didn’t see the paper last week and would still like to answer the constituent survey questions there is still time. Please go to my website www.donhumason.org and click on the columns tab. Or go to my Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/DonHumason to get the survey. Then please mail or email your answers to my district office at 64 Noble Street, Westfield. The response has been excellent and My Chief of Staff Sarah Latour and I are currently compiling the responses. I will publish those results in this column in the near future. As an aside, I appreciate all the respondents wh o said, “Thank you for this opportunity to give my input on these issues.” I say to them, you are very welcome. Thank YOU for sharing with me your insights. I couldn’t represent my district adequately without that input. It is always welcome. On Wednesday I had the pleasure of attending a ceremony in the House chamber honoring former Governor Foster Furcolo, who served as Governor from 1957-1961, in recognition of his pioneering work in establishing the community college system of Massachusetts. The event was emceed by former House Speaker and former Holyoke Community College President David Bartley from Holyoke. The Legislature recently passed, and Governor Patrick signed, legislation designating our community colleges as the Governor Foster Furcolo Community Colleges of Massachusetts. I am a member of the Joint Committee on Higher Education, and my mother and my sister, as well as many of my friends and constituents are graduates of our local community colleges HCC and Springfield Technical Community College. It was an interesting and informative ceremony as much of Governor Furcolo’s history was recounted. This week the Chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee met with House members to discuss the current and future budget situation in the Commonwealth. Representative Charlie Murphy warned those of us in the room that next years budget would be worse than this one and would probably be “the worst budget in 100 years." He warned there may still be 9C cuts in this current fiscal year as state revenues come in below what the government had budget to spend. He also said the House had no plans to override any more of the Governor’s overrides because we likely wouldn’t have the revenue to restore the spending. Representative Murphy asked members for suggestions on ways to save money and areas of the state budget we could trim. I am extending the offer to my constituents. Please feel free to send me your suggestions on areas of the budget you would like to see trimmed or reduced. When the House convened in full formal session on Thursday, it was the first time we’ve met since summer recess began on August 1. The members were surprised to find that over the summer the House chamber had been equipped with a new sound system, complete with new microphones on each of our desks that seemed to be part of a new updated voting system panel on our desks. Turns out the mic system works, but the key-card voting system, which I favor over the current, unsecured system (you may remember the issue of legislator “phantom voting” from prior sessions), does not yet function. The issue that brought us in to formal session Thursday was the highly publicized and very controversial issue of filling a temporary vacancy in the United States Senate. At the time of the writing of this column the House is still in session and is still debating this issue. I am sure that by the time this column appears in the paper Saturday you will have seen the outcome on the news or in the newspaper. I’m sure there will be few surprises. Please don’t forget: Next Tuesday, September 22 is Primary Election Day in Westfield. Traditionally, turnout at the primaries is very light. That is unfortunate. Voters who go to the polls next Tuesday will help narrow the field for several important local offices including Mayor and City Councilor for Ward 2. If you choose not to vote next week and instead wait to cast your ballot in November then you will have fewer candidates to choose from. You will have let others, a small percentage of eligible voters, limit your choices and make some of the decision on whom to elect for you. Please vote in the Primary Election next Tuesday! * * * Representative Don Humason and his Chief of Staff Sarah Latour may be reached at their Westfield District office, 64 Noble Street, Westfield, MA 01085, 568-1366. Email address: Rep.DonaldHumason@Hou.state.ma.us Website: www.donhumason.org
This Site Designed and Maintained by: The Barre Group

THIS WEEK IN BOSTON

September 19, 2009

By State Representative Don Humason, Jr.

In my previous column, I asked 10 questions pertaining to hot topics at the State House in Boston this fall. If you didn’t see the paper last week and would still like to answer the constituent survey questions there is still time.

Please go to my website www.donhumason.org and click on the columns tab. Or go to my Facebook page at www.Facebook.com/DonHumason to get the survey. Then please mail or email your answers to my district office at 64 Noble Street, Westfield.

The response has been excellent and My Chief of Staff Sarah Latour and I are currently compiling the responses. I will publish those results in this column in the near future.

As an aside, I appreciate all the respondents wh o said, “Thank you for this opportunity to give my input on these issues.” I say to them, you are very welcome. Thank YOU for sharing with me your insights. I couldn’t represent my district adequately without that input. It is always welcome.

On Wednesday I had the pleasure of attending a ceremony in the House chamber honoring former Governor Foster Furcolo, who served as Governor from 1957-1961, in recognition of his pioneering work in establishing the community college system of Massachusetts. The event was emceed by former House Speaker and former Holyoke Community College President David Bartley from Holyoke.

The Legislature recently passed, and Governor Patrick signed, legislation designating our community colleges as the Governor Foster Furcolo Community Colleges of Massachusetts.

I am a member of the Joint Committee on Higher Education, and my mother and my sister, as well as many of my friends and constituents are graduates of our local community colleges HCC and Springfield Technical Community College. It was an interesting and informative ceremony as much of Governor Furcolo’s history was recounted.

This week the Chairman of the House Ways & Means Committee met with House members to discuss the current and future budget situation in the Commonwealth. Representative Charlie Murphy warned those of us in the room that next years budget would be worse than this one and would probably be “the worst budget in 100 years."

He warned there may still be 9C cuts in this current fiscal year as state revenues come in below what the government had budget to spend. He also said the House had no plans to override any more of the Governor’s overrides because we likely wouldn’t have the revenue to restore the spending.

Representative Murphy asked members for suggestions on ways to save money and areas of the state budget we could trim. I am extending the offer to my constituents. Please feel free to send me your suggestions on areas of the budget you would like to see trimmed or reduced.

When the House convened in full formal session on Thursday, it was the first time we’ve met since summer recess began on August 1. The members were surprised to find that over the summer the House chamber had been equipped with a new sound system, complete with new microphones on each of our desks that seemed to be part of a new updated voting system panel on our desks. Turns out the mic system works, but the key-card voting system, which I favor over the current, unsecured system (you may remember the issue of legislator “phantom voting” from prior sessions), does not yet function.

The issue that brought us in to formal session Thursday was the highly publicized and very controversial issue of filling a temporary vacancy in the United States Senate. At the time of the writing of this column the House is still in session and is still debating this issue. I am sure that by the time this column appears in the paper Saturday you will have seen the outcome on the news or in the newspaper. I’m sure there will be few surprises.

Please don’t forget: Next Tuesday, September 22 is Primary Election Day in Westfield. Traditionally, turnout at the primaries is very light. That is unfortunate. Voters who go to the polls next Tuesday will help narrow the field for several important local offices including Mayor and City Councilor for Ward 2.

If you choose not to vote next week and instead wait to cast your ballot in November then you will have fewer candidates to choose from. You will have let others, a small percentage of eligible voters, limit your choices and make some of the decision on whom to elect for you. Please vote in the Primary Election next Tuesday!

* * *

Representative Don Humason and his Chief of Staff Sarah Latour may be reached at their Westfield District office, 64 Noble Street, Westfield, MA 01085, 568-1366. Email address: Rep.DonaldHumason@Hou.state.ma.us Website: www.donhumason.org

This Site Designed and Maintained by: The Barre Group