Rep. Stanley has been selected as House Chairman of the Joint Committee on Elder Affairs during the 2021-2022 legislative session. The Committee on Elder Affairs considers legislation concerning the continuum of care of elderly, handicapped elders, nursing facilities, prescription drugs, reverse mortgages and senior pharmacy, among many other issues. Sen. Patricia Jehlen (D-Somerville) will serve as the Senate Chair alongside Rep. Stanley.

Since taking office, Rep. Stanley has worked collaboratively with the Executive Office of Elder Affairs as well as local Councils on Aging on issues important to seniors such as health care services, housing, long-term care, transportation, economic well-being, nutrition, family and community support and security. Most recently, Rep. Stanley has focused on getting a more effective corona virus response from the state administration.

Rep. Stanley and his colleagues in the House approved a bipartisan COVID relief bill (H.89) that includes key provisions for small businesses, workers and jobseekers to help us recover from the pandemic and lift the economy. The legislation includes PPP loan forgiveness, an unemployment compensation tax credit, an unemployment insurance rate freeze, extended unemployment benefits to prevent any scheduled interruption in benefits; long-term bonding which authorizes up to $7B in special obligation bonds to repay federal advances, cover current UI needs and maintain trust fund solvency; the creation of a Legislative Commission comprised of employer, employee and other key stakeholders to review and make recommendations on the long-term solvency of UI trust fund; and a waiver of tax penalty which waives any penalties for good faith errors in remitting income taxes on unemployment compensation for 2020 tax year. The legislation also extends COVID-19 emergency paid sick leave so that employees at larger businesses also have access to emergency paid sick leave.

President Joe Biden announced that he will direct states to make all adults, ages 18 and up, eligible for the coronavirus vaccines by May 1. His administration plans to do this by Increasing the number of places Americans can get vaccinated and increasing the number of people providing and supporting vaccinations. President Biden will announce the deployment of more than 4,000 active duty troops to support vaccination efforts, bringing the total to over 6,000 in all. Additional, President Biden plans to provide tools to make it easier for individuals to find a vaccine. The President will announce steps to make it easier for individuals to find a vaccine near them and address some of the barriers to getting vaccinated.

Gov. Baker announced a new preregistration signup tool available for the state’s 7 mass vaccination sites starting Friday, March 12. The new system will make it easier to request and book an appointment at a mass vaccination site at a nearby location when they are available. More sites will be added to the preregistration system in the coming weeks. Preregistration will replace the current booking platforms for mass vaccination sites for online booking. The COVID-19 Vaccine Scheduling Resource Line will be available to help residents without internet access or with difficulty using the internet with the preregistration process.

The Administration also announced the weekly distribution of vaccine doses statewide for different providers, reminding residents that there are 170 public vaccination sites statewide in addition to health systems that are offering appointments to their patients. More information on vaccine sites can be found at vaxfinder.mass.gov.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), issued updated guidance for nursing homes to safely expand visitation options during the COVID-19 pandemic public health emergency (PHE). This latest guidance comes as more than three million doses of vaccines have been administered within nursing homes. According to the updated guidance, facilities should allow responsible indoor visitation at all times and for all residents, regardless of vaccination status of the resident, or visitor, unless certain scenarios arise that would limit visitation for:

• Unvaccinated residents, if the COVID-19 county positivity rate is greater than 10 percent and less than 70 percent of residents in the facility are fully vaccinated;

• Residents with confirmed COVID-19 infection, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, until they have met the criteria to discontinue transmission-based precautions; or

• Residents in quarantine, whether vaccinated or unvaccinated, until they have met criteria for release from quarantine.

• The updated guidance also emphasizes that “compassionate care” visits should be allowed at all times, regardless of a resident’s vaccination status, the county’s COVID-19 positivity rate, or an outbreak. Compassionate care visits include visits for a resident whose health has sharply declined or is experiencing a significant change in circumstances.

Rep. Stanley recently met with constituents from Lincoln and Waltham as part of Mass Power Forward's Legislative Advocacy Day to discuss their legislative priorities during the current legislative session. The group’s priorities include environmental justice, access to justice, reforming the EFSB, air quality improvement, building justice with jobs, and 100 percent renewable energy.

Mass Power Forward is a coalition of over 200 environmental leaders, community development organizations, clean energy businesses, faith groups, neighborhood health and safety advocates and Massachusetts families fighting for our future. Members believe our state and region can power forward with healthy, clean, affordable, reliable energy and a thriving economy.

Rep. Stanley cosigned a letter to Gov. Baker in support of a Regional Vaccination Collaborative proposed by nine municipal leaders. The collaborative includes the towns of Acton, Bedford, Lincoln, Maynard, Sudbury, Wayland and Westford. The collaborative would allow residents to receive the vaccine locally and to not have to travel to a mass vaccination site for this life-saving shot.

Our municipal and public health partners have committed to providing a fully staffed regional vaccination clinic that can vaccinate at least 750 individuals per day, 5 days a week; serving unmet geographical need based on the limited number of vaccine appointments offered per capita in the region; administering 85% of vaccine doses within 24 hours; and providing vaccines to all residents of the state regardless of their town or city of residence.

Rep. Stanley will participate in the formation of climate policy solutions at the state and national level as part of a newly-formed Massachusetts Legislative Climate Alliance Caucus. The MA Climate Alliance Caucus is part of a national climate policy effort recently initiated by the Council of State Governments to create a U.S. legislative climate alliance.

The MA Climate Alliance Caucus plans to host prominent experts and distinguished speakers in an effort to build a better understanding of the latest developments in legislation designed to ensure environmental justice, create clean energy jobs, improve public health, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Rep. Stanley joined Rep. Lawn and other participants on a call to discuss state and local issues during a Waltham Senior Civic Academy (WSCA) session. WSCA, organized by Waltham Connections for Healthy Aging and the Waltham Council on Aging, is a six-week course that offers participants opportunities to learn about the structure, functions and activities of City, state and federal governments.

Rep. Stanley cosponsored legislation to reduce CPA recording fees for affordable housing. This legislation would amend the CPA legislation to lessen the financial burden for affordable homebuyers. The bill would provide important relief for the very people that rely on affordable housing programs like CPA. Statewide housing advocates including CHAPA and MAHA, along with the Community Preservation Coalition, all support adding this language to Chapter 44b.

Whenever a mortgage is filed at any of the State’s Registries of Deeds, a portion of the recording fee is transferred to the statewide CPA Trust Fund. Most buyers will record only one mortgage, meaning they will pay the fee once. But it is common for affordable mortgages to use multiple subsidies and file second, third, and even fourth mortgages. This legislation would amend CPA so that affordable home buyers only paid the fee once, no matter how many subordinate mortgages they file.

Gov. Baker announced an extension of the “Stop the Spread” COVID-19 initiative, which provides free COVID-19 testing in communities across the Commonwealth. The program, which was set to close on March 31, has been extended through June 30, 2021. State-sponsored testing will continue to be available to all Massachusetts residents at no cost to them through June 30, 2021 at more than 35 locations. Testing is one of the important public health tools, in addition to contact tracing, complying with public health mitigation measures such as face coverings, physical distancing, staying home when sick, and good hygiene, to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.

Since the state began this free virus testing in July 2020, more than 1.8 million tests have been conducted at “Stop the Spread” locations as of March 3, 2021. The Stop the Spread initiative is a data-driven effort to reduce the prevalence of COVID-19 in communities across the Commonwealth. All state residents may visit the locations even if they do not reside in the town or city where the testing is being conducted. Find testing locations here.

Gov. Baker announced that approximately $39.7 million in awards for 1,026 additional businesses in the ninth round of COVID relief grants administered by the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation (MGCC). As in prior rounds, each grant recipient meets sector and demographic priorities set for the two grant programs administered by MGCC. With the addition of this round of grants, the Administration has awarded over $602 million in direct financial support to 13,346 businesses across the Commonwealth.

As announced last month, MGCC has also begun engaging directly with applicants that met sector and demographic priorities, but were missing documents necessary to be considered for an award. Among the sectors that received the highest total number of grants this round are: restaurants, bars, caterers, or food trucks (280); personal services businesses (207); and independent retailers (153). Additionally, grants for this round were awarded to 295 minority-owned, and 406 women-owned, businesses; 295 recipients are located in Gateway Cities, and 329 businesses awarded grants have not received any prior aid.

Governor Baker, Lieutenant Governor Polito, and Acting MassDOT Secretary of Transportation Jamey Tesler joined legislators, municipal leaders, and other stakeholders in a virtual ceremonial signing of the $16 billion Transportation Bond Bill legislation. This legislation was signed into law on January 15, 2021, and authorizes funding across all modes of transportation to support and facilitate the ongoing continual efforts of MassDOT and the MBTA to invest in and modernize the Commonwealth’s transportation system.

The legislation includes nearly $5.1 billion to continue modernizing the MBTA, $100 million to improve the pavement condition on state numbered municipal roads, $50 million to ensure municipalities have resources needed to continue efforts to build ‘Complete Streets’ infrastructure to encourage the public to travel more on foot and by bicycle. The bill also includes $70 million for the Municipal Small Bridge Program and expands the use of designated bus lanes and transit signal priority through two new grant programs. Additionally, the bill authorizes the MBTA to use well-established procurement methods such as Job Order contracting for smaller projects.

Join Niki Conte, Associate Director of Public Education at the state’s Health Connector, as she discusses what Massachusetts residents need to know if they’ve recently lost health insurance benefits. If you’re no longer covered by your employer--or lost your coverage through another source--join this presentation to learn the basics about how to apply, enroll and get health insurance coverage through the Health Connector.

The Massachusetts Health Connector can answer questions about your coverage options and shopping for coverage. Sign up for the FREE webinar happening March 16, 2-3PM. Click here to learn more.

Thrive Cultivation & Dispensary, LLC will hold a Virtual Community Outreach Meeting on April 21, 2021 at 6:00 PM to discuss the proposed siting of an Adult Use Marijuana Retail Establishment at 235 Bear Hill Road in Waltham. Virtual Community Outreach Meeting via Zoom is available using the following link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83420639373 or via telephone at 301-715-8592, using webinar ID 83420639373#. A copy of the meeting presentation will be made available at least 24 hours prior to the meeting at ThriveWaltham.Squarespace.com.

Interested members of the community are encouraged to ask questions and receive answers from company representatives about the proposed facility and operations. Questions can be submitted in advance by emailing rebecca@vicentesederberg.com or asked during the live presentation.

Spring into conversation, connections and wellness through a new group designed to engage the Mind, help the Body, and uplift the Spirit. “Mind, Body, Spirit” is a no cost, 6-week journey, where older adults will gather – through Zoom meetings on the computer – to learn new things and connect with others.

Through “Mind, Body, Spirit,”’ participants will engage in six, 75-minute workshops presented by local practitioners and experts in the class subject. The workshops will be held from 10:00 am-11:15 am (through Zoom) on April 6, April 13, April 20, April 27, May 4, and May 11. Planned “Mind, Body, Spirit” workshops include: Waltham History—Places that Mattered Then and Make a Difference Now; Journaling—The Rewards of Reminiscing; Exercise Class—Move It and Use It; Gentle Yoga; Emotional Well Being and COVID and Mindfulness—The Peace and Joy of Breathing.

“Mind, Body, Spirit” is sponsored by Waltham Connections for Healthy Aging in association with the Waltham Council on Aging. To sign up, call 781-314-3499 (x2) or e-mail w.connections.mbs@gmail.com.