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Representative Kelcourse supports municipal disaster relief, early voting as part of $636M supplemental budget
BOSTON – State Representative James Kelcourse, Amesbury, is supporting the creation of an emergency fund to provide disaster relief to cities and towns.
The Emergency Relief and Immediate Commonwealth Assistance Trust Fund, which will be administered by the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), will set aside up to $500,000 annually to facilitate state and local response efforts to natural disasters and emergencies. The proposal is one of many policy and funding initiatives included in a $636 million supplemental budget approved by the House of Representatives on October 16.
House Bill 4127 also creates a $2.5 million reserve to assist Cape Cod communities impacted by the tornado that hit the area on July 23, 2019. This reserve will help municipalities cover qualifying expenses that were not eligible for federal funding.
In addition to the disaster relief funding, the supplemental budget includes provisions allowing for early voting in the 2020 Massachusetts Presidential Primary, which will take place on March 3. Eligible voters will be able to cast ballots one week prior to the primary, beginning on Monday, February 24 and ending on Friday, February 28. A total of $750,000 is set aside in the bill to compensate cities and towns for the additional costs associated with early voting.
House Bill 4127 also moves the date of the 2020 state primary from September 15 to September 1. The date change is needed to comply with federal and state laws governing the deadlines for delivering ballots to U.S. military personnel serving overseas; filling vacancies caused by the death, withdrawal or ineligibility of candidates; and holding recounts.
Representative Kelcourse said the supplemental budget also takes steps to maintain the state’s positive financial rating by authorizing the deposit of approximately $400 million into the Stabilization Fund, bringing the fund’s balance to $3.2 billion. This money can be used to mitigate the impact of cuts in essential state services and programs in the event of a future economic downturn.
The supplemental budget also:
• authorizes $5 million from the Water Pollution Abatement Revolving Fund to be used for public school deleading projects, including grants;
• provides $5 million to the Department of Agricultural Resources for spraying to reduce the risk of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), a mosquito-borne virus that has claimed the lives of four Massachusetts residents this year;
• allows the Department of Energy Resources to expend Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) funds to support the electric vehicle incentive program by providing consumers with rebates between $2,500 and $5,000 for the purchase or lease of battery electric vehicles, fuel cell electric vehicles and zero-emissions vehicles;
• provides $8.4 million for the testing of water supplies for potential per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination and for grants to treat affected drinking water systems;
• transfers $20 million to the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust to remediate PFAS contamination of public water supplies; and
• establishes a 19-member task force to review and investigate PFAS water and ground contamination across the Commonwealth, with a report to be filed with the Legislature by December 31, 2020.
The supplemental budget now heads to the Senate for further action.
BOSTON – State Representative James Kelcourse, Amesbury, is supporting the creation of an emergency fund to provide disaster relief to cities and towns.
The Emergency Relief and Immediate Commonwealth Assistance Trust Fund, which will be administered by the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), will set aside up to $500,000 annually to facilitate state and local response efforts to natural disasters and emergencies. The proposal is one of many policy and funding initiatives included in a $636 million supplemental budget approved by the House of Representatives on October 16.
House Bill 4127 also creates a $2.5 million reserve to assist Cape Cod communities impacted by the tornado that hit the area on July 23, 2019. This reserve will help municipalities cover qualifying expenses that were not eligible for federal funding.
In addition to the disaster relief funding, the supplemental budget includes provisions allowing for early voting in the 2020 Massachusetts Presidential Primary, which will take place on March 3. Eligible voters will be able to cast ballots one week prior to the primary, beginning on Monday, February 24 and ending on Friday, February 28. A total of $750,000 is set aside in the bill to compensate cities and towns for the additional costs associated with early voting.
House Bill 4127 also moves the date of the 2020 state primary from September 15 to September 1. The date change is needed to comply with federal and state laws governing the deadlines for delivering ballots to U.S. military personnel serving overseas; filling vacancies caused by the death, withdrawal or ineligibility of candidates; and holding recounts.
Representative Kelcourse said the supplemental budget also takes steps to maintain the state’s positive financial rating by authorizing the deposit of approximately $400 million into the Stabilization Fund, bringing the fund’s balance to $3.2 billion. This money can be used to mitigate the impact of cuts in essential state services and programs in the event of a future economic downturn.
The supplemental budget also:
• authorizes $5 million from the Water Pollution Abatement Revolving Fund to be used for public school deleading projects, including grants;
• provides $5 million to the Department of Agricultural Resources for spraying to reduce the risk of Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE), a mosquito-borne virus that has claimed the lives of four Massachusetts residents this year;
• allows the Department of Energy Resources to expend Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI) funds to support the electric vehicle incentive program by providing consumers with rebates between $2,500 and $5,000 for the purchase or lease of battery electric vehicles, fuel cell electric vehicles and zero-emissions vehicles;
• provides $8.4 million for the testing of water supplies for potential per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) contamination and for grants to treat affected drinking water systems;
• transfers $20 million to the Massachusetts Clean Water Trust to remediate PFAS contamination of public water supplies; and
• establishes a 19-member task force to review and investigate PFAS water and ground contamination across the Commonwealth, with a report to be filed with the Legislature by December 31, 2020.
The supplemental budget now heads to the Senate for further action.
Congratulations to Salisbury and Amesbury on their award of $800,000 apiece by the Baker-Polito Administration in Community Development Block Grants. This important funding will go a long way in supporting important organizations such as the Boys & Girls Club of Lower Merrimack Valley, Our Neighbors Table and The Pettengill House, Inc. It was a great day for Salisbury and Amesbury today!
