GOOD MORNING – TODAY IS by John Dwyer

GOOD MORNING – TODAY IS SATURDAY, February 17, the 48th day of 2018 with 317 to follow. Sunrise in the Boston area is @ 6:38 and sunset is @ 5:17. The moon is waxing. The morning stars are stars are Jupiter, Saturn & Mercury. The evening stars are Mars, Neptune, Uranus & Venus.

ON THIS DAY IN: 1801 – The U.S. House of Representatives broke an electoral tie between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr. Jefferson was elected president and Burr became vice president. Continue reading GOOD MORNING – TODAY IS by John Dwyer

PUBLIC HEARING HELD FOR ASSESSMENT ON PAINT

By Bob Katzen

The Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture held a public hearing on a bill that would create a mandatory program, run by paint manufacturers, to coordinate the collection, recycling, reuse and environmentally sound disposal of used leftover house paint purchased by consumers. The program would be funded by the manufacturers adding a fee to paint sold in the Bay State.

Continue reading PUBLIC HEARING HELD FOR ASSESSMENT ON PAINT

SENATE APPROVES TO PROTECT ACCESS TO CONFIDENTIAL HEALTH CARE

By Bob Katzen

The Senate approved and sent to the House a bill that would require health insurance companies to issue “Explanation of Benefits” (EOB) summaries only directly to the patient even if the patient is not the primary subscriber. Currently, most insurers send the forms to the primary subscriber.

Continue reading SENATE APPROVES TO PROTECT ACCESS TO CONFIDENTIAL HEALTH CARE

EXPAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE TRAINING INCENTIVE PROGRAM APPROVED BY SENATE 35-0

By Bob Katzen

The Senate 35-0 approved and sent to the House a bill expanding the Community College Training Incentive Program. According to the state’s website, the program “encourages public community college training opportunities that promote workforce development, minimize the shortage of skilled workers and raise economic opportunity. Grants are awarded through this program to expand vocationally oriented course offerings and develop partnerships with Massachusetts employers.”

Continue reading EXPAND COMMUNITY COLLEGE TRAINING INCENTIVE PROGRAM APPROVED BY SENATE 35-0

RIGHTS OF CONSUMERS ON CREDIT REPORTS DISCUSSED ON BEACON HILL

By Bob Katzen

The House 152-0, approved and sent to the Senate legislation that would prohibit consumer reporting agencies, like Equifax, Experian and TransUnion from charging fees for freezing and unfreezing a person’s credit information. Under current law, companies can and have charged up to $5 per freeze or unfreeze. A freeze makes the report inaccessible until the consumer unfreezes it. Since banks and other lenders require access to the borrower’s credit report before giving a loan, this greatly reduces identity thieves from getting a loan or credit in another individual’s name. Continue reading RIGHTS OF CONSUMERS ON CREDIT REPORTS DISCUSSED ON BEACON HILL

Mark Niedergang on Ward 5 Zoning meetings March 4th & 5th

Please join me, Dan Bartman, Senior Planner in the City’s Planning Department, and others interested in the proposed new zoning for an informal meeting to learn about, ask questions about, discuss, and comment upon the Administration’s proposed overhaul of the City’s zoning code.

There will be two meetings (so that as many people as possible can attend):    

Sunday, March 4th, 3:30 -5:30 PM and

Monday, March 5th, 6:30-8:30 PM. Continue reading Mark Niedergang on Ward 5 Zoning meetings March 4th & 5th