Representative Don Humason



HOUSE ONE By State Representative Don Humason, Jr. March 3, 2007 On Monday evening I threw a “retirement” party for my former Legislative Aide, Joseph Wynn, at Piccolo’s in downtown Westfield. It was my opportunity to thank Joe for his four years of dedicated service to me and the people of the 4th Hampden District. Joe has accepted a position at Western Mass Elder Care. It was back to work full force this week at the State House. The House voted unanimously Tuesday to give the Patrick/Murray administration authority to reorganize the structure of their administration under Article 87 of the Massachusetts Constitution. As a Republican, my caucus and I argued four years ago that Governor Romney had the right to organize his administrative agencies in the manner he saw fit. The Majority Party voted against giving him that ability. This week, Republicans and Democrats voted to allow this governor that chance. On Tuesday Governor Deval Patrick released his budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2007. It is numbered House 1. The budget document is the Patrick/Murray Administration’s proposal on how to provide for all the agencies and programs of state government. It would cost about $26.7 billion. Governor Patrick held a caucus in Gardner Auditorium at the State House for all the members of the House of Representatives Tuesday before doing his budget press conference in Melrose. My Legislative Aide, Sarah Latour, and I attended to hear the Governor speak about his plan. The Governor’s budget is an increase of about a billion dollars over the last year’s budget. It contains modest increases in local aid, a priority among most of us in the House and Senate who believe that the best government services are provided locally at the municipal level. Governor Patrick tried something that Governor Mitt Romney had attempted to do in prior budgets. He seeks to eliminate most of the earmarks and line items, while giving his cabinet secretaries more flexibility in how to spend the billions of tax payer dollars in the budget. Getting back to local aid, Westfield sees a small increase in its local aid dollars under the Patrick/Murray proposal. Local aid to cities and towns traditionally comes in three parts: Lottery Aid, Additional Assistance, and Chapter 70/Education Aid. In the current fiscal year, FY 2007, Westfield’s lottery distribution is $7,682,345. Under House 1, we see a 2% increase of $152,749, bringing the total to $7,835,094. In the current fiscal year Westfield’s Chapter 70 allocation is $31,901,309. Under House 1, our schools would see a 2.6% increase of $832,301, to $32,733,610. Unfortunately, Westfield doesn’t receive Additional Assistance. For that reason I have continuously opposed the Additional Assistance category of the budget and instead advocated reallocating that money through the Lottery distribution formula which would give Westfield a sizable increase. No luck convincing the Majority Party yet. To check out Governor Patrick’s budget for yourself, go to http://budget.mass.gov/budget/ This is just the first step in a lengthy budget process that will last months. If you’re concerned about the Governor’s budget, don’t panic! The next step will be the House Ways and Means Committee version of the budget, then the House budget debate, then the Senate Ways and Means version of the budget, then the Senate debate, then the Conference Committee compromise version of the budget. So we’ve a long way to go. New Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray was the guest speaker Wednesday at a legislative luncheon concerning Regional Transit Authorities (RTA) across the Commonwealth. I was there along with legislators from all over the Bay State. RTA’s are looking for increased budget appropriations, just like everybody else. Before the event, I had the chance to meet the new administrator of the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority, Mary MacInnes. She came to my Boston office this week and we spoke about the Westfield Intermodal Project downtown. I also raised the issue of the two PVTA bus routes in town and specific stops near Noble Hospital and the lack of a stop near the Carson Center on Mill Street. Next week, my new Legislative Aide, Sarah Latour, is going to try her hand at writing this column. Good luck Sarah! Representative Don Humason and his new aide Sarah Latour may be reached at their Westfield District office, 64 Noble Street, Westfield, MA 01085, 568-1366. Their Boston address is State House Room 542, Boston, MA 02133, (617) 722-2803. Email address: Rep.DonaldHumason@Hou.state.ma.us
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HOUSE ONE

By State Representative Don Humason, Jr.
March 3, 2007

On Monday evening I threw a “retirement” party for my former Legislative Aide, Joseph Wynn, at Piccolo’s in downtown Westfield. It was my opportunity to thank Joe for his four years of dedicated service to me and the people of the 4th Hampden District. Joe has accepted a position at Western Mass Elder Care.

It was back to work full force this week at the State House. The House voted unanimously Tuesday to give the Patrick/Murray administration authority to reorganize the structure of their administration under Article 87 of the Massachusetts Constitution. As a Republican, my caucus and I argued four years ago that Governor Romney had the right to organize his administrative agencies in the manner he saw fit. The Majority Party voted against giving him that ability. This week, Republicans and Democrats voted to allow this governor that chance.

On Tuesday Governor Deval Patrick released his budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2007. It is numbered House 1. The budget document is the Patrick/Murray Administration’s proposal on how to provide for all the agencies and programs of state government. It would cost about $26.7 billion.

Governor Patrick held a caucus in Gardner Auditorium at the State House for all the members of the House of Representatives Tuesday before doing his budget press conference in Melrose. My Legislative Aide, Sarah Latour, and I attended to hear the Governor speak about his plan.

The Governor’s budget is an increase of about a billion dollars over the last year’s budget. It contains modest increases in local aid, a priority among most of us in the House and Senate who believe that the best government services are provided locally at the municipal level.

Governor Patrick tried something that Governor Mitt Romney had attempted to do in prior budgets. He seeks to eliminate most of the earmarks and line items, while giving his cabinet secretaries more flexibility in how to spend the billions of tax payer dollars in the budget.

Getting back to local aid, Westfield sees a small increase in its local aid dollars under the Patrick/Murray proposal. Local aid to cities and towns traditionally comes in three parts: Lottery Aid, Additional Assistance, and Chapter 70/Education Aid.
In the current fiscal year, FY 2007, Westfield’s lottery distribution is $7,682,345. Under House 1, we see a 2% increase of $152,749, bringing the total to $7,835,094.

In the current fiscal year Westfield’s Chapter 70 allocation is $31,901,309. Under House 1, our schools would see a 2.6% increase of $832,301, to $32,733,610.

Unfortunately, Westfield doesn’t receive Additional Assistance. For that reason I have continuously opposed the Additional Assistance category of the budget and instead advocated reallocating that money through the Lottery distribution formula which would give Westfield a sizable increase. No luck convincing the Majority Party yet.

To check out Governor Patrick’s budget for yourself, go to http://budget.mass.gov/budget/
This is just the first step in a lengthy budget process that will last months. If you’re concerned about the Governor’s budget, don’t panic! The next step will be the House Ways and Means Committee version of the budget, then the House budget debate, then the Senate Ways and Means version of the budget, then the Senate debate, then the Conference Committee compromise version of the budget. So we’ve a long way to go.

New Lieutenant Governor Tim Murray was the guest speaker Wednesday at a legislative luncheon concerning Regional Transit Authorities (RTA) across the Commonwealth. I was there along with legislators from all over the Bay State. RTA’s are looking for increased budget appropriations, just like everybody else.

Before the event, I had the chance to meet the new administrator of the Pioneer Valley Transit Authority, Mary MacInnes. She came to my Boston office this week and we spoke about the Westfield Intermodal Project downtown. I also raised the issue of the two PVTA bus routes in town and specific stops near Noble Hospital and the lack of a stop near the Carson Center on Mill Street.

Next week, my new Legislative Aide, Sarah Latour, is going to try her hand at writing this column. Good luck Sarah!

Representative Don Humason and his new aide Sarah Latour may be reached at their Westfield District office, 64 Noble Street, Westfield, MA 01085, 568-1366. Their Boston address is State House Room 542, Boston, MA 02133, (617) 722-2803. Email address: Rep.DonaldHumason@Hou.state.ma.us

This Site Designed and Maintained by: The Barre Group