April 1, 2010

As our towns prepare budgets and get ready for town meeting it is clear that we are not yet out of the economic crisis. This month I cosponsored bipartisan legislation that reimburses cities and towns for costs incurred from holding the special election in January. I will continue to fight for our towns at the state level.

I want to extend my congratulations to Acton for having the MBTA accept their alternative design for the South Acton commuter rail station. In Acton, town officials and residents worked tirelessly to share their concerns with the MBTA's proposal to update the train station. After hosting a number of meetings and keeping in close contact with the MBTA, I was pleased to join my colleagues in announcing the town's success and presenting an alternative station design that has been accepted by the MBTA. This success shows what a strong partnership between residents and their legislators can accomplish.

I would also like to congratulate the town of Shirley for voting to regionalize their school district with Ayer. Shirley's decision came after three years of meetings investigating school regionalization. At the special town meeting I was able to announce that the state will provide $300,000 to help the towns combine their districts, money we had fought for as a legislative delegation.

At the beginning of March I voted against leadership and the majority of House members on legislation allowing the city of Lawrence to borrow up to $35 million through the sale of municipal bonds to balance their budget. I voted against the legislation because I felt it should have included stricter oversight of the city's finances. I did join my colleagues in supporting legislation to prohibit the devocalization of pets. This cruel procedure runs a high risk of infection and can cause lasting damage to cats and dogs.

I also helped pass legislation prohibiting bullying and cyber-bullying in schools. The bill requires schools to add bullying prevention instruction to their curriculum and offer information about bullying prevention to parents. While the public schools cannot solve this problem alone, this was an important step to prevent further tragedies like the one in South Hadley.

As the economic crisis continues to impact the state, I continue working to provide any relief possible to our towns. I brought the Secretary of Public Safety and Security before the Shirley Board of Selectmen to discuss restoring the town's prison mitigation funds. The town officials and public were able to offer their comments and hear from the Secretary and I have followed that meeting up with numerous contacts to the Secretary to keep fighting to restore funds to the town.

Highlights of some of the district events I attended this month include Lunenburg High School Career Day, a meeting at the Bristol Myers Squibb factory in Devens, the Iron Work Farm dance in Acton, the Boxborough Grange 124th annual meeting, and the Harvard Council on Aging.

I look forward every month to hearing from all of you. In the coming month the House expects to debate our budget as well as a proposal to expand gambling and build casinos in the state. Please share your thoughts on these and other issues. You can stop by my office hours in Acton the first Monday of every month from 4:30-6 at Sweet Bites Bakery and Cafe. My office in Lunenburg is also staffed Mondays from 9-4. You can always contact my Boston office at 617.722.2130. Please also check my website for additional news and resources: www.jenbenson.org.