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The following are selected bills that Representative Kaufman filed for the 186th legislative session.
Good/Open Government and Municipal Relief
Education
Environment
Health
Justice
Publice Service
An Act relative to the establishment of municipal lighting authorities (House Bill 3087). This bill would streamline the process in which a municipality may create their own electrical power authority, saving rate-payers and communities money and enhancing service.
Proposal for a legislative amendment to the Constitution relative to a vacancy in the office of Governor or Lieutenant Governor (House Bill 650). This amendment stipulates that in the event of a vacancy in the office of Lt. Governor, a new Lt. Governor would be selected through nomination by the Governor and a majority vote of confirmation by both the House and Senate, as is done in the federal government. Currently there is no mechanism for filling vacancies.
An Act requiring appropriation bills to include estimated amounts for the following year (House Bill 3000). Requires budgets proposed by the Governor and enacted by the legislature to include the estimated amount of that appropriation for the next fiscal year for planning purposes.
An Act Establishing a Legislative Budget Office (House Bill 3969). This bill would create an independent office, funded by the legislature, to act as a non-partisan research office for budgetary and legislative matters.
An Act relative to voting by the instant runoff voting method (House bill 647). This bill would create a method of casting and tabulating votes that simulates the ballot counts that would occur if all voters participated in a series of runoff elections with one candidate eliminated after each round of counting.
An Act relative to voting by the instant runoff voting method in primaries (House bill 648). Same as H665 but for primary elections only.
An Act to ensure secure voting equipment (House Bill 649). This bill would mandate that all electronic voting machines allow voters to verify his or her ballot before the vote is cast. The Secretary of State currently abides by this practice, but this bill would put that policy into statute.
An Act to provide for audits of election results (House Bill 652). This bill calls for risk-based audits following certain elections, with more votes re-counted the closer the results of the election were.
An Act ensuring the freedom to vote in the Commonwealth (House Bill 651). This bill includes comprehensive election reforms including ensuring secure voting equipment, election audits, election day registration, among other measures.
An Act to Promote Municipal Efficiency and Innovation through Regional Collaboration (House Bill 3001). This bill would allow municipalities to deliver public services more economically and effectively by amending the state’s collective purchasing law to allow cities and towns to purchase material or services from the state purchasing agent or RPA (Regional Planning Agencies).
An Act expanding benefits available to municipalities with membership in the group insurance commission (House Bill 2489). This would allow municipal employees in municipalities that enter the GIC to participate in all of the services that the GIC provides to state employees.
An Act relative to certain health insurance options for municipal retirees (House Bill 2488). Currently, enrollment of municipal employees in Medicare is subject to a vote at the municipal level. This legislation changes the enrollment decision to be at the discretion of the authority that makes other health care decisions (town manager, selectboard, etc).
An Act relative to broadened eligibility for relief from disproportionate property tax burdens (House Bill 2795). Rep. Kaufman introduced legislation that led to the implementation of the property tax circuit breaker. This property tax relief, passed as part of the FY01 budget, provides a refundable state tax credit to qualified senior citizens whose property taxes exceed 10% of their income. The circuit breaker is designed to moderate the most regressive elements of the property tax. The new bill would expand the property tax circuit breaker to citizens regardless of age.
An Act relative to local zoning regulations at the Laurence G. Hanscom Field (House Bill 3252). This bill would reserve to Bedford, Concord, Lexington and Lincoln the rights and responsibilities for local zoning for all non-aviation related development at Hanscom Field.
An Act further providing for reimbursement to cities and towns for extraordinary special education costs (House Bill 445). In Chapter 70, adds special education transportation costs into the equation as one of the “extraordinary special education costs” for which cities and towns are reimbursed.
An Act relative to providing free tuition for public school teachers (House Bill 1164). Extends free tuition benefits at public higher education institutions for public school teachers.
An Act relative to access to epinephrine in schools (House Bill 2077). Allows students to carry their own self-administered EpiPens. This bill would make sure that students have safe, easy access to epinephrine in public schools. It amends the current statute so that this life-saving medication accessible in secure locations throughout the school and regulated in a similar fashion to inhalers.
An Act for a competitive economy through safer alternatives to toxic chemicals (House Bill 757). The state's pioneering Toxics Use Reduction Act began to move us from managing toxic waste in manufacturing to avoiding it in the first place. This strategy has had enormous environmental and economic benefits. There is still a looming problem, however, with the use and proliferation of toxic chemicals in products we use and come in contact with at home or work every day. Scientific evidence increasingly indicates that a wide array of toxic chemicals we use in our everyday lives are contributing to an epidemic of chronic diseases and disorders, including asthma, birth defects, cancers, developmental disabilities, diabetes, endometriosis, infertility, Parkinson's disease, and others. Other states and countries have gone much further in their efforts to reduce the use of toxic chemicals, and we need to reclaim our leadership position in the field of toxics reduction. The Safer Alternatives bill will establish a pragmatic approach to reducing health and environmental impacts from many of the toxic chemicals we are exposed to in everyday life. It mandates a careful process to identify such chemicals for which there are reasonable alternatives, and then creates a program of transition from the dangerous to the safer chemical.
An Act to prevent the use of the most dangerous pesticides (House Bill 755). This bill would prohibit the use of the most dangerous pesticides in public places, including hospitals. The bill defines what the most dangerous pesticides are.
An Act to reduce waste in the Commonwealth (House Bill 756). This bill mandates all commercial and public buildings be required to recycle lead batteries, yard waste, tires, and other such items.
An Act to establishing a board of registration in naturopathy (House Bill 3476). This bill would regulate the practice of Naturopathy by establishing educational standards for naturopathic doctors and oversight by a state board of registration.
An Act regulating psychotherapy (House Bill 266). In Massachusetts, the title “psychotherapist” is an unregulated term that anyone can use without oversight. This bill would regulate the practice of psychotherapy by establishing educational standards for psychotherapists and oversight by state boards of registration. This bill also calls for the authorization of the Division of Professional Licensure to impose civil penalties for those who hold themselves out to the public as a psychotherapist and provide services without the appropriate credentials.
An act requiring pain assessment and management in health care facilities (House Bill 2078). Adds to the patients’ bill of rights the right to the “assessment, management, and treatment of pain.”
An Act promoting fair and equitable criminal laws by requiring justice integrity impact statements (House Bill 2953). This bill would mandate new sentencing laws to be accompanied by a statement on the anticipated racial impact of the law.
A Resolve providing for an investigation and study by a special commission relative to creating and expanding access to opportunity in low-opportunity communities (House Bill 199). This bill would establish a commission to study the results of a recent opportunity mapping investigation and make recommendations.
An Act relative to the Geographical Juristiction of the Housing Court (House Bill 1473). Allows Lexington cases to be heard by the Housing Court rather than District Court.
An Act Relative to the cost of living adjustments for retired public employees of the Commonwealth (House Bill 2487).
Immediately moves the base we use to calculate Cost of Living adjustments from $12k to $16k and then gradually moves the base so that it is eventually indexed with the social security base.
An Act Relative to the minimum pension for retirees (House Bill 2483).
Increases the minimum pension from $10k to $15k. Also includes a local option for municipalities.
An Act to clarify credible service for sabbatical leaves (House Bill 2486).
Allows a system member to buy back time spent on a sabbatical leave.
An Act relative to pension reform (House Bill 2485).
Adds a new procurement section that is specifically tailored to retirement services is added to chapter 32. The bill provides Public Employees Retirement Administration Commission (PERAC) with greater authority to ensure that retirement systems are paying the appropriate benefits, dealing with reputable firms, and carefully managing the public employees’ retirement funds.
An Act relative to eligibility for state group health insurance (House Bill 2484).
Allows part-time faculty at state higher-education institutions to receive their health insurance through the GIC.
Rep. Kaufman has also signed-on as a co-sponsor of several dozen additional bills. As the House Chairman of the Joint Committee on Revenue, Rep. Kaufman examines the hundreds of bills that are sent to the Committee. He looks forward to fostering a dialogue on these bills and ultimately supporting quite of few of them.
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