In this difficult economic climate, Representative Lewis’s top legislative priorities are working to get our economy back on track, preserve local aid as much as possible, keep our schools strong, and make healthcare more affordable.

For the 2009-2010 legislative session, Rep. Lewis has filed or co-sponsored the following legislation.  Please contact us if you would like more information on any of these bills.  Also, we welcome your feedback on these bills or other legislation that you either support or oppose.  We want to hear your opinion.

Education

An Act to Improve Equity in Education Funding
A ceiling is in place in the Chapter 70 education funding law so that no community contributes more than 82.5% of their foundation budget (the estimated cost to educate their student population).  Approximately one-third of all communities would otherwise contribute more than 82.5% if this ceiling were not in place.  This bill makes a distinction for less affluent communities by lowering the ceiling for their target local contribution to 80%, thereby providing more local aid to these communities and making the Chapter 70 formula more equitable.

An Act Relative to Establishing a Chapter 70 Equalization Fund
This bill would establish a Chapter 70 Equalization Fund to meet the deficiencies in the base Chapter 70 aid that certain communities received at the inception of the Education Reform Act of 1993, and would establish a process for these communities to apply to the Department of Education. 

An Act Relative to Providing Health Education in Schools
This bill would make explicit that comprehensive health and wellness education is a core subject for public schools, and it would create a system to identify the current gaps in health education across Massachusetts.  It would establish curriculum standards for health education that are age-appropriate and include instruction in the following areas: growth and physical development; physical activity and fitness; nutrition; reproduction and sexuality; mental health; family life; interpersonal relationships; disease prevention and control; safety and injury prevention; tobacco, alcohol, and other substance use and abuse prevention; consumer health and resource management; ecological health; and community and public health.
[Top]

Healthcare

An Act Establishing Paid Sick Days
Nearly half of the private sector employees in Massachusetts do not get a single paid sick day and among low-wage workers the percentage is much higher.  This legislation would provide 7 paid sick days per year for any illness, injury, or health condition that requires staying home or professional medical care, as well as attending routine medical appointments.  Providing paid sick days for all employees is fair, protects public health, and reduces healthcare costs.

An Act to Establish the Massachusetts Health Care Trust
This legislation provides every Massachusetts resident with quality, affordable healthcare by replacing the current patchwork of public and private healthcare plans with a uniform and comprehensive health plan.  It creates a single public entity called the Health Care Trust that would ensure universal coverage, improve quality and access to basic preventative care, and significantly reduce overall healthcare costs.

An Act Establishing an Organ Donation Registration Fund
This bill calls for the creation of an organ donation fund that facilitates the registration of organ donors in the Commonwealth.
[Top]

Environment

An Act for a Competitive Economy Through Safer Alternatives to Toxic Chemicals
This bill encourages Massachusetts’ businesses to phase out toxic chemicals where feasible and develop safer alternatives with the assistance of the Toxic Use Reductions Institute at the University of Massachusetts.  The goal is to develop and utilize products and technologies that are safer, and to improve the competitiveness of the Massachusetts economy by leading the way forward with innovative, environmentally-friendly products and technologies.

An Act to Improve Recycling Rates in the Commonwealth
This bill adds bottled water, sports drinks, juice drinks, and other on-the-go beverages to our existing successful bottle bill.  It would increase the recycling rate for these beverage containers from 20% to 80%, decrease landfill use, save energy and oil (PET plastic is 99% petroleum), decrease litter, and create jobs in the recycling sector.  It would also raise $15 million in additional funds from uncollected bottle deposits.

An Act to Sustain Community Preservation
Since being signed into law in 2000, the Community Preservation Act has been adopted by 140 communities, representing 40% of the Commonwealth’s cities and towns.  The CPA is unique and cost effective because of the partnership it creates between the Commonwealth and its municipalities.  By matching locally raised revenues with funding from the statewide CPA Trust Fund, the CPA has helped advance efforts in affordable housing, open space preservation, active outdoor recreation, and historic preservation.  This bill strengthens the CPA by increasing the trust fund match to 75% and making other changes that will encourage its adoption by more communities.
[Top]

Good Government

An Act Relative to Lobbyist Reform
This bill is a comprehensive reform of the laws governing lobbyists.  It strengthens existing laws by clarifying the definition of a lobbyist, revising registration requirements, and increasing penalties.  It also provides greater transparency by consolidating disclosure requirements, adding quarterly reporting requirements, and requiring more specific and detailed disclosure statements.  The bill increases the authority of the Secretary of the Commonwealth to enforce the lobbying laws.

An Act Relative to Transparency in State Revenues and Expenditures
This bill directs the Secretary of Administration and Finance to create and maintain a searchable online database describing the costs, recipients, and purposes for all appropriations, including contracts, grants, subcontracts, tax expenditures, and other subsidies funded by the state government.  The database will include all state revenue sources and expenses including the “quasi-government” agencies.  The web portal will be accessible to the public and updated on a regular basis.
[Top]

Public Safety

An Act Improving Safety in the Commonwealth
This bill was filed on behalf of Derek Frechette whose 4 year old son, Christian, passed away from drowning at a town run camp on July 13, 2007. It requires state and town run camps with swimming areas to have Coast Guard approved personal flotation devices available for each minor who will be in the swimming area. The bill also requires that any dock that extends past a swimming area be enclosed with a gate. This legislation is also known as “Christian’s Law.”
[Top]

Housing

An Act to Protect Tenants from Eviction in Foreclosed Properties
Currently, when lending institutions foreclose on residential properties, including rental properties, they usually move to evict all the occupants.  This legislation mandates that, when a residential property is foreclosed on, as long as the property is still owned by the institutional foreclosing lender, the residents could only be evicted with just cause (i.e., not paying the rent, criminal behavior, and other violations of standard tenancy obligations).   As soon as the property is sold to a new permanent owner, these requirements would cease to apply.  This bill will deter unnecessary evictions and help stabilize communities during the current foreclosure crisis.
[Top]

Children and Families

An Act Relative to Strengthening Family Relationships Through Responsible Shared Parenting
This bill establishes a presumption in child custody cases that shared legal and shared physical custody is in the best interest of the child, unless there is a problem with abuse or neglect on the part of one parent.  This bill would treat both parents fairly and maintain a child’s relationship with both his/her parents after a divorce.  In the occasional case where practical issues present major obstacles to shared parenting, the bill allows the judge to order sole custody.
[Top]

Civil Rights and Human Rights

An Act Promoting Responsible Investment and the Prevention of Genocide
This bill prohibits Massachusetts from entering into a trade agreement with any country where genocide is occurring, as determined by the state or federal government or the United Nations.  The bill also provides financial investment incentives to countries that have taken steps to acknowledge and redress past occurrences of genocide committed within their borders.
[Top]