2007-2008 Legislation
Representative Sciortino has filed the following bills for the 2007-2008 session. For more information about any of these issues, please contact the State House office at (617) 722-2018. For full text of any of these bills, go to the House of Representatives Legislation Page and type in the bill number listed below.
Education
H 560 - An Act to promote excellent and accountability for the education of mobile student populations: With increasing levels of mobility in many communities, school districts face challenges educating students. The tasks of orienting a new student to the school and gauging the student's academic strengths and weaknesses take valuable resources from the school system. This bill creates standards by which to calculate a school district's mobile student population and adjusts the foundation budget to accommodate the needs of the school district. The bill also directs the Department of Education to create reporting standards for the mobile student population and create a pilot program to provide financial assistance to high-mobility districts.
H 561 - An Act to enhance the Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System to ensure that all high school graduates meet the state's standards: A single set of tests cannot adequately gauge the aptitude and knowledge of every student. This bill does not eliminate the MCAS tests, but establishes a commission to design a multiple assessment system by which to determine whether or not a student has met the competency requirements for graduation from Massachusetts high schools.
H 562 - An Act relative to student privacy: This bill requires that schools inform families of high school students that the student's information may be distributed to military recruiters unless the family requests otherwise. It requires families be given the opportunity to request that the student's information be held private.
H 1191 - An Act encouraging licensed social workers to work in child welfare and human services programs: This bill would create a student loan repayment program administered by the board of higher education for licensed social workers who have completed a baccalaureate or masters degree in social work at a public or private college or university.
Environment
H 3375 - An Act relative to energy efficient construction: New technologies in building design and construction have provided us with tools that will help the Commonwealth reduce its demand for energy and fight increasing energy prices. This bill requires that state buildings and very large homes shall be built to energy efficient standards and provides additional reimbursements for schools built to energy efficient standards.
H 3376 - An Act to promote economic development via renewable energy production: This bill will encourage growth of Massachusetts' renewable energy economy by supplementing existing income tax credits for renewable energy installations by an additional 15% or $1,000 (whichever is less) above the current incentives, provided that the renewable energy components were manufactured in Massachusetts.
H 1079 - An Act providing consumer choice and environmental protection by authorizing pay by the mile auto insurance: This bill will direct the insurance commissioner to implement a pay-by-the-mile standard by which consumers may get auto insurance with rates set by the standard of usage. This will both provide consumers with better choices and encourage reduced driving, benefiting traffic conditions and the environment.
Equality
H 3725 - An Act relative to veterans' benefits equity: While Massachusetts protects individuals from discrimination based upon sexual orientation, the federal government still discriminates against non-heterosexual individuals who wish to serve in the armed forces, and fails to recognize legal same-sex marriages. This bill will ensure that military veterans discharged based solely because of their sexual orientation are entitled to their full benefits under Massachusetts state law. The bill also ensures that same-sex spouses of veterans are also able to collect the same state benefits as opposite-gender spouses.
H 1722 - An Act relative to gender based discrimination and hate crimes: A person whose gender identity or expression does not conform to stereotypes of gender is likely to face high levels of discrimination and violence, particularly if the person is transgender. People who are transgender face widespread prejudice and are currently unprotected with no explicit protections in the Massachusetts General Laws. This bill will add Massachusetts to 9 other states, Washington D.C., and 81 counties and cities including Boston, Cambridge, and Northampton that protect transgender people. This bill will make the protection of transgender people explicit, uniform, and visible to the general public. It will include gender identity and expression in the state's non-discrimination statute and will amend existing hate crime laws to explicitly protect people targeted for violence and harassment.
Health Care
H 1168 - An Act relative to patient privacy: This bill will update outdated privacy and informed consent language in current laws covering HIV testing and will ensure the right of patients to be tested for HIV even if they refuse to consent to the disclosure of their test results to a third party.
Affordable Housing
H 3125 - An Act relative to tax incentives for rental properties used as affordable housing: This bill gives a tax credit to property owners who rent units to low-income families below market rates. Relying on incentives in the private market, this option will be less expensive per unit for the state than vouchers, shelters, or public housing.
Transportation
H 3694 - An Act improving the finances of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority: This bill directs the state to assume the MBTA's "legacy debt," also referred to as the pre-forward funding debt in order to help the MBTA get on firm financial footing. The funding will be put towards increased services, operations and reliability and stabilization of fares on bus, subway and commuter rail lines.
H 3632 - An Act promoting carsharing: Carsharing reduces traffic, saves people money, and protects the environment, but this transportation option is still foreign to many people. Companies such as Zipcar have started to break into this new market, but there is still ample room for growth. To encourage increased participation in carsharing, this bill provides a tax credit, capped at $150/year, against fees and dues paid to a carsharing organization. It also directs that carsharing be incorporated into smart growth planning.
Public Safety
H 1723 - An Act relative to incarceration and its impact on public safety: This bill establishes a five-year moratorium on the construction of new jails, houses of corrections, and prisons. It also creates a Special Commission to study issues and make recommendations related to overcrowding in jails, the effectiveness of incarceration when dealing with populations with mental illness and substance abuse treatment needs, and alternatives to sentencing for more humane and cost-effective means of ensuring public safety.
S 1359 - An Act Relative to Public Safety ("Buffer Zone Bill"): This bill will establish a fixed 35-foot buffer zone surrounding the entrances and driveways of reproductive health facilities in the state. Current state law is extremely difficult to enforce due to its complexity and it does not adequately protect public safety outside reproductive health facilities.
UPDATE! S.1359 passed the legislature, Gov. Patrick signs into law!
Consumer Protection
H 185 - An Act relative to commercial rebate expiration: As it currently stands, there is no minimum time given consumers to submit paperwork to claim a rebate. In fact, companies that offer rebates count on the fact that many consumers will miss their short window of opportunity. In order to protect the interests of the consumer, this bill will mandate a period of no less than one year from the date of purchase to submit all paperwork necessary to receive a rebate.
Other
H 1991 - An Act relative to electric street poles: Utility companies traditionally stabilize a faltering electric pole by installing a second pole next to it. This solution is intended to be a temporary measure to give the company time to replace the unstable pole. However, these double poles are often left as a permanent solution, creating an eyesore and a potentially unsafe situation when left long-term. This bill will impose a fine of $100/day per pole upon utility companies that leave double poles standing after a 90-day grace period.
H 320 - An Act to protect dogs: According to state records, since 2002 more than 700 dogs have been injured while racing in Massachusetts. Injuries included dogs that suffered broken bones, paralysis and cardiac arrest. This bill establishes a phase-out period of two years for dog racing in the Commonwealth. State monies previously distributed to track owners under the statutory Greyhound Promotional Trust Fund and the Greyhound Capital Improvements Trust Fund will fund a new Greyhound Workers' Re-training and Support Fund.