Legislative Update from State Rep. Kate Hogan

LEGISLATIVE UPDATE FROM

STATE REP. KATE HOGAN

State Rep. Kate Hogan, 3rd Middlesex District

Bolton Hudson Maynard Stow

Dear Friends,

The Massachusetts House of Representatives and the State Senate finished a week marked by the passage of significant legislation that will touch the lives of people across the Commonwealth, move us forward, lift us up, and contribute to building a stronger Commonwealth as we move through this unprecedented period in our history.

Even as we finished and adjourned past midnight last week, the House knew our work was not done. So, the Massachusetts Legislature decided to continue to meet in formal sessions beyond its traditional deadline of July 31 - right up until the end of the year, if necessary. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted a lot of things this year, and our legislative session is one of them. After spending several months addressing the pandemic and introducing legislation to mitigate the effects of the coronavirus on citizens of the Commonwealth, my colleagues and I know that we need more time to address other important and complex bills. We remain prepared to address critical issues related to the health, safety and economic well-being of the Commonwealth when and if they arise over the next 5 months.

The bills passed by the legislature last week include omnibus legislation in the areas of Economic Development, Health Care, and Climate Change and resiliency. Other priority bills such as Breakfast After the Bell, a $1.8 billion IT bond bill, An Act relative to the penalties for the crime of female genital mutilation, and an interim state budget were all sent to the Governor’s desk for his signature. The House also passed an Act promoting awareness of sewage pollution in public water.

I've shared more detail on these recent bills below.

When the House and Senate return to our formal sessions in September there are a number of priority bills I plan to focus my efforts on to ensure their passage this session. Most notably, I remain committed to better understanding and mitigating the harmful effects of PFAS in our drinking water and am hopeful that my bill, HB3851, An Act establishing an interagency PFAS task force.

As you can tell, it has been a busy session, a busy year, and a busy week, but we accomplished a great deal. I am proud of the work we did, will continue to do and I continue to be so very grateful to represent Bolton, Hudson, Maynard, and Stow. Thank you for your support.

If you have questions or want to share your perspective on legislation, please contact me at [email protected] or 617-722-2199. This email and phone number are the most efficient ways to contact me right now and the best way to ensure a prompt response to your inquiry. I also post updates daily on Facebook.

Best,

Kate Hogan

State Representative

Third Middlesex District

[email protected]

(617) 722-2199

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UPDATES ON RECENT LEGISLATION

Passing an economic development bill, H.4887, An Act enabling partnerships for growth, has been a top priority of mine this legislative session, especially in light of the pandemic. This sweeping economic development bill allocates $372 million for capital investment in housing, community development, job creation, and business competitiveness. It also contains key language from Governor Baker’s Housing Choice bill to reduce the number of votes needed to make changes to local zoning ordinances and spur new housing production.

As part of this bill, I filed an amendment establishing a 21st Century Farms Commission. This commission is charged with investigating the needs of agriculture in the 21st century – including the viability, efficiency, and climate change resiliency of our family farms as they face the inevitability of climate change. The goal of the commission will be to provide family farms with educational resources, technical assistance, and energy needs so that they may remain resilient as our economy and climate continue to change. Additionally, this amendment greatly simplifies the grant application for farm grants overseen by the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources by creating a single form for all grants administered by the agency, as well as an office within DAR to assist farmers in the application process. This amendment allowed me to bring back one of my favorite phrases that rings true now more than ever: NO FARMS, NO FOOD.

The economic development bill now goes to a conference committee where three members of the House and three members of the Senate will work to reconcile the differences between the House and Senate versions of the bill. This bill is one of the priority bills that will be voted on when the House returns to formal votes in the fall.

As a member of House leadership, Rep. Hogan serves in the Chamber during formal sessions and tallies the roll call votes from her division.

The healthcare reform bill, H.4888 An Act to promote resilience in our healthcare system, focuses on stabilizing the hospitals that have been hardest hit during the COVID-19 pandemic by infusing additional cash into financially strapped community hospitals, including Emerson Hospital and UMass Memorial-Marlborough Hospital. Other features of the bill include extending insurance coverage for telehealth visits, which - even in their infancy - have been increasingly successful during the COVID-19 pandemic for dealing with mental health and chronic health issues. The House bill extends insurance coverage for primary care and chronic disease management at the same rate as in-person service for one year and permanently extends coverage for behavioral telehealth services, over both phone and video, at the same rate as in-person care. This bill is also going to be reviewed by a conference committee and is one of the priority bills that will be voted on when the House returns to formal votes in the fall.

Updating our commitment to the environment and to dealing with climate change and resiliency, the climate bill, H. 4912 An Act creating a 2050 roadmap to a clean and thriving commonwealth, builds on legislation first introduced years ago and gives the Commonwealth clear direction in establishing net-neutral greenhouse gas emissions standards by 2050, with 5-year incrementally stringent standards between 2020 and 2050 as well as establishing emissions standards for specific industries. As part of this bill, I filed an amendment to establish a land use commission that will issue recommendations on land use restrictions within the SMART Program and issue recommendations on developing land use policies that will encourage the conservation of open space, farm, and forest lands in a responsible manner. The goal is to have a balanced commission where everyone has an opportunity to weigh in. This bill is also going to be reviewed by a conference committee and is one of the priority bills that will be voted on when the House returns to formal votes in the fall.

View from the rostrum during formal session in the House Chamber.

I voted in support of H. 4218, more commonly known as Breakfast After the Bell, which was passed and signed by the Governor. This critical legislation requires schools where at least 60 percent of students qualify for free or reduced lunches, to provide breakfast after the start of the school day. Breakfast After the Bell legislation will ensure that low-income students across the state start their day with breakfast, while tapping into an estimated $25 million in USDA reimbursements every year. As a federally reimbursed program, Breakfast After the Bell has the potential to provide up to $30 million statewide to Massachusetts school districts that increase participation rates to 80 percent and above. These payments are made directly to school nutrition departments, helping to support jobs, update kitchen equipment, and provide healthier menu options. This program produces results that close achievement and opportunity gaps. Kids who consistently eat breakfast see improvements in academic scores, improved physical and mental health, better school attendance, higher graduation rates, and even better earning potential as adults.

I signed on as cosponsor of H4921, An Act promoting awareness of sewage pollution in public waters, when it was filed at the beginning of the session and was thrilled to see it passed by the House before the end of the session. Currently, in Massachusetts, the public has no way to know when bacteria-laden sewage discharges render our rivers unsafe for recreation. This bill will now require sewage system operators to notify the public and local boards of health within two hours of sewage overflowing into a river. The bill now goes to the Senate.

We still need more information before we can craft a full Fiscal Year 2021 budget, but this week the House and Senate both passed a $16.53 billion interim budget that will fund the government through October (HB4905 - An Act making certain appropriations for fiscal year 2021 before final action on the General Appropriation Bill). Governor Baker has signed this interim budget and one of our greatest priorities when the House and Senate return in September will be to pass a Fiscal Year 2021 budget.