House, Senate Wrap up Final Legislation of 2011

Representative Paul J. Donato (D-Medford) joined his colleagues to pass major legislation aimed at creating jobs, saving taxpayer dollars, and enhancing public safety. This includes legislation related to pension reform, anti-human trafficking, redistricting, and casinos.

“I was pleased to join my colleagues in passing important legislation in several key areas that will benefit the Commonwealth of Massachusetts,” said Representative Donato.

Pension Reform

This bill will save more than $5 billion over the next 30 years. This bill offers reforms that will result in significant savings while aiming to close loopholes and prevent manipulations of the state pension system. A provision of the bill addresses the recent scandal in the Chelsea Housing Authority by denying a pension for any income that is not accurately reported.

Anti-Human Trafficking

Anti-human trafficking legislation was given final approval by both the House and the Senate and would for the first time establish human trafficking for sexual servitude or labor as a crime in Massachusetts.

Massachusetts is currently one of only five states in the country without human trafficking laws. The bill gives law enforcement the necessary tools to investigate and prosecute the crimes and attempts to address all three aspects of human trafficking – supply, demand, and victim services.

Expanded Gaming

The legislature voted to pass the final conference committee version of legislation that would legalize casinos in the Commonwealth. Studies suggests the plan could provide 10,000 to 15,000 long-term jobs in the Commonwealth in addition to thousands of immediate construction jobs once licenses are awarded and host communities approve proposed projects. It is estimated that fully operational facilities would generate hundreds-of-millions of dollars a year in revenue for the state. A rare amendment to the conference committee bill was adopted that lowered the percentage of revenues to horse racing and increased the revenues going towards local capital projects.

Redistricting

The House and Senate also voted on new congressional districts proposed by the joint committee on redistricting. Redistricting is a constitutionally required process that occurs every 10 years after the release of the US census data. As a result of population growth, Massachusetts will lose one of its ten representatives in congress, a change that has been reflected in the plan.

Non-Profits Retirement Plans

This legislation will allow non-profits to access deferred compensation retirement plans. A recent Boston Foundation study showed that 56% of smaller non-profits do not offer retirement plans and this bill will allow non-profits to access a state run plan or aggregate to purchase retirement plans privately.

– Information from State Representative Paul Donato (D-Medford, Malden)