The Honorable John Keenan, House Chair The Honorable Benjamin Downing, Senate Chair Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy State House, Boston Dear Chairman Keenan, Chairman Downing, and Members of the Committee, On behalf of the cities and towns of the Commonwealth, the Massachusetts Municipal Association strongly urges you to issue a favorable report to…
Dear Legislator, On behalf of the cities and towns of the Commonwealth, the Massachusetts Municipal Association would like to thank you and the entire Legislature for your leadership and dedication to making Chapter 90 a top priority this past year. We deeply appreciate your successful efforts to fast-track the one-year, $300 million Chapter 90…
Last night, Gov. Deval Patrick authorized the release of an additional $50 million in local funding for road and bridge repairs, bringing the Chapter 90 total for fiscal 2014 to $200 million. But the authorization is still $100 million short of the $300 million included in a Chapter 90 bond bill that was unanimously passed…
At the MMA’s Annual Business Meeting on Jan. 26, members adopted resolutions on the transportation finance crisis, the federal-local partnership, retiree health benefits, and a local-state-federal partnership to protect the environment. The Resolution Calling for Solutions to the Transportation Finance Crisis, proposed by the MMA’s Policy Committee on Public Works, Transportation and Public Utilities,…
On Jan. 14, Gov. Deval Patrick unveiled his 10-year, $13 billion plan to repair, improve and expand roads, bridges and public transit throughout the Commonwealth. For local officials, a key element of the administration’s proposal, called “The Way Forward: A 21st-Century Transportation Plan,” is its endorsement of the MMA’s top priority: additional funding for the…
From The Beacon, January 2013By the time you read this, the “fiscal cliff” deadline will have come and gone – and the drama in Washington will likely have fallen onto a “fiscal shelf,” with some intermediate compromise or delay that will merely continue the uncertainty and political machinations, probably adding the question of extending the…
For Immediate ReleaseFor further information, contact Geoffrey C. Beckwith at (617) 426-7272 MMA calls for $100M more in annual Chapter 90 funding for local roads MMA: Investing in Chapter 90 strengthens the economy, saves taxpayers millionsThe MMA today released a report documenting that cities and towns across the state face an annual shortfall of $362…
The state’s new health care cost containment act (Ch. 224 of the Acts of 2012) established a Prevention and Wellness Trust Fund to be financed through a surcharge on acute care hospitals, a surcharge that is expected to generate $60 million. The statute calls for municipalities to partner with community-based providers to administer prevention and…
Sen. Thomas McGee, Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Transportation, and Kristina Egan, director of the advocacy coalition Transportation for Massachusetts, explained the potential impact of the latest federal transportation legislation on Massachusetts during an Oct. 9 briefing at the State House. Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century (MAP-21), a two-year federal…
At a Sept. 26 forum in Fitchburg, a broad coalition of state and local leaders and transportation advocacy groups called for a more robust Chapter 90 local road and bridge program as well as a comprehensive statewide transportation improvement plan. Transportation Secretary Richard Davey, the keynote speaker, touted the administration’s efforts to improve efficiency and…
