Accomplishments as of March 2008 

Social Issues

ü  Voted against the proposed amendment to the Massachusetts Constitution to ban gay marriage (June)

ü  Voted against restoring the death penalty in Massachusetts (November)

Budget

ü  Helped secure state aid increases for Lincoln, Sudbury, and Wayland of 8%, 8%, and 10% respectively by advocating for our towns with House leadership.    

ü  Helped secure a $1MM increase in funding for the METCO program.

ü  Helped secure additional funding in the FY2007 and FY2008 budgets for the early intervention program for infants at risk of needing special education services, a program which saves the Commonwealth tens of millions annually by obviating the need for special education services for thousands of children. 

Lowering Property Taxes

ü  Successfully advocated with House leadership to adopt the Governor’s initiative to close corporate tax loopholes, which will generate at least $200M in new revenues for the Commonwealth.

ü  Helped a bill become law that will save our towns from funding pension shortfalls (~$750,000 in 2007 in Wayland) each year because of underperforming investment management by local pension boards.

ü  Helped a bill become law that could help our towns reduce town employee health care expenditures by participating in the state’s Group Insurance Commission (GIC) health care benefit pool.  Both Sudbury and Wayland could save over $200,000 annually if they join the GIC.   

ü  Voted in favor of a senior circuit breaker bill that gives towns the option of exempting low-income seniors from paying override tax increases.

ü  Signed letter to Speaker DiMasi advocating for the local meals and hotels tax option, and for ending the property tax exemption on telecommunication companies.  Continue to advocate for these revenue enhancement ideas through one-on-one conversations with the House leadership team.

Environment:

ü  Cosponsored and helped recruit cosponsors to the Safer Alternatives to Toxic Chemicals bill.

ü  Cosponsored bills to protect the Commonwealth’s rivers, streams, lakes, and ponds.

ü  Voted for the soon-to-become-law energy efficiency bill that promotes renewable energy sources in Massachusetts, makes investments in making municipal buildings “greener”, and provides ways for Commonwealth citizens to reduce the carbon footprints of their homes. 

Economic Development:

ü  Successfully included in the Life Sciences bill a provision that could generate upwards of $500M for the Commonwealth as Massachusetts-based scientific teams achieve medical breakthroughs to cure chronic diseases. 

ü  Supported the new film industry law that will increase spending by movie crews in Massachusetts. 

ü  Spoke at 495/MetroWest Corridor Partnership and MetroWest Economic Growth Council meetings to stimulate ideas for creating new jobs, and learned about the region’s current growth challenges.

Education:

ü  Cosponsored the bill to allow for alternative ways of measuring student success, as opposed to relying solely on MCAS scores.

ü  Advocated during the budget process for increased funding for special education and regional transportation. 

Local Issues:

ü  Successfully advocated with the Governor’s housing department for $1.5MM in funding for the Nike site.

ü  Worked with the Massachusetts School Building Authority in successful effort to have Wayland High School chosen as one of 18 pilot projects throughout the state for the MSBA’s new procedures.  

ü  Appealed to the Governor on behalf of Lincoln, Sudbury, and Wayland for $20MM in capital expenditure funding for several infrastructure improvements in the communities. 

ü  Sponsored bill to allow permanent resident aliens in Wayland to vote in local elections and on local ballot initiatives.

Constituent Issues:

Below is a sampling of some of the actions I have taken to help folks from Lincoln, Sudbury and Wayland with their day-to-day challenges:

Unemployment insurance:

A constituent was not receiving unemployment insurance benefits for five months because an employer appealed his application.  And he was having difficulty getting updates from the Division of Unemployment Insurance as to the status of his case.  My office contacted the DUI and was able to bring attention to his application.  In under a week, his case was settled and he was approved to receive unemployment benefits.

Medical Insurance:

Constituent living with Dystonia was denied surgery by her health insurer to treat her condition.  Tom wrote a letter to the insurer asking to reverse its denial of medical coverage.  Tom also met with the insurer to advocate for her case. The surgery was ultimately approved. The constituent had the surgery and her health has significantly improved.

Child support payments:

Single, divorced mother stopped receiving child support checks even though the father was required to provide continued support.  We put the mother in contact with the right people at the Department of Revenue. They discovered that it was just an administrative error and her child support benefits resumed soon thereafter.