|
Public housing
Rep. Roy testifyied in favor of public housing bill H1094 which would increase accountability but maintain local control.
The Joint Committee on Housing of the Massachusetts Legislature heard testimony on House Bill 1094, filed by Representative Binienda of Worcester and co-sponsored by Rep. Roy, and House Bill 44, proposed by Governor Patrick
Scores voiced support for the rational reforms contained in House 1094, sponsored by more than 80 legislators, including Rep. Roy. Key issues include preservation of local control by locally elected or appointed officials, preservation of local ownership of all properties, continued support by the communities the local housing authorities serve and substantial enhancements to authority operations and accountability through required collaborations and mergers. You can view the bill by clicking here.
House 44 would abolish all 242 municipal housing authorities in favor of six regional mega-authorities controlled by appointees of the Governor. The 800 local housing authority board members in towns, elected by the voters of their communities, would be eliminated. Also eliminated would be the 160 members appointed by the Mayors to the local housing authority boards in the 40 cities of the Commonwealth. You can view that bill by clicking here.
|
Together We're Ready
“Together We’re Ready – Massachusetts Prepared” is a statewide campaign to encourage Bay State residents, families and communities to make plans and prepare for severe weather, natural disasters or other emergency events. The campaign features local access television programming, online videos and resources and social media components developed by the DPH Emergency Preparedness Bureau, in partnership with state and local agencies. You can view a panel discussion on getting ready by clicking here.
“Every step that we take to prepare ourselves and our families for emergencies makes our community stronger and more resilient when the unexpected happens,” said Rep. Roy. “Now’s the time to be informed, plan ahead, and get prepared.”
Check out the “Together We’re Ready – Massachusetts Prepared” web page at www.mass.gov/dph/ready where you can find more information about individual and family preparedness, volunteer opportunities, emergency planning for the whole community and tips for flu prevention. This campaign is divided into four themed weeks of the campaign as follows:
|
|
Manufacturing Day
Rep. Roy visited Pierce Aluminum’s manufacturing, distribution and national headquarters in Franklin to commemorate Manufacturing Day. Manufacturers from across the country opened their doors to demonstrate the potential of modern manufacturing, while fostering an interest in manufacturing careers.
“Manufacturing is the sixth largest employment sector in Massachusetts, and is helping to lead us out of the recession,” noted Rep. Roy after the visit. “My visit with Pierce today, and the many other manufacturers in the area over the past several months, is part of an effort to support and recognize our manufacturers as leaders in advancing the Commonwealth’s economy. The manufacturing of today involves a lot more expertise and training in technology, programming and streamlined production. We need to prepare and train people to work in this vital sector.”
In Massachusetts, manufacturing contributes to more than 10 percent of gross state product (GSP). Currently there are 7,680 manufacturing establishments in Massachusetts that employ more than 275,000 residents. Over the next five years, manufacturing establishments are expected to expand their employment by an estimated 65 percent.
State Senators and Representatives are supported by the Legislature’s recently-formed, bi-partisan Manufacturing Caucus which serves as a link for legislators cutting across issues that affect the manufacturing industry. Rep. Roy is a member of that caucus.
|
Enhance training options
Rep. Roy met with Tri-County Superintendent Steve Dockrey and Bob Vozzella of Franklin to talk about training programs for manufacturing jobs.
There are a number of manufacturing jobs available in the area, but not enough people with the skills to run the complex machines. Bob works and teaches in manufacturing and we were brainstorming on how to provide programs to train people for these jobs.
A lot of good ideas were generated at the meeting and we will be setting up a round-table discussion for area manufacturers to put together some strategies to fulfill the need.
|
Like us on Facebook
If you want to keep up-to-date with the daily activities in Rep. Roy's office, please click here to see our site and be sure to click Like Us once you get there.
Rep. Roy's Facebook page provides frequent updates, photos, links to articles of interest, and serves as another tool to keep voters informed. You can also connect via Twitter by clicking here. |
|
Councilors honored
October 16 was the last Town Council meeting for Tina Powderly, Robert Dellorco and Rep. Roy. Tina served on the Council for four years, and was also a member of the Finance Committee. Robert is a two year member of the Council and long time coach in Franklin.
As State Representative, Rep. Roy had the honor of delivering citations to his Town Council colleagues, recognizing their years of service to the Town of Franklin.
"I truly enjoyed working in local government for the past 15 years, working with many dedicated volnteers and town employees, including Tina and Robert" noted Rep. Roy. "I look forward to continuing to work with officials in Franklin, with the goal of making our community a great place to live, work and raise a family."
|
Trindade honored
Rep. Roy joined Rep. Fernandes in honoring Deb Trindade for her years of service to Medway and its School Committee.
A House citation was delivered to her before a large audience at a School Committee meeting. As Rep. Roy noted, service on a School Committee is a rewarding experience, and it is always great when people like Deb contribute to this valuable public service.
You can view the video of the ceremony by clicking here. |
Office hours
Oct. 23
Franklin – Wednesday, October 23rd, 5:30-6:30PM, Room 205, Franklin Municipal Building – 355 East Central Street, Franklin, MA
Oct. 25
Medway – Friday, October 25th, 7:30-8:30AM, Galantes Restaurant – 320 Village Street, Medway, MA
All office hours are open to any residents of Franklin and Medway who may have questions or concerns that they wish to bring to his attention. Walk-ins are welcome; no appointment necessary. Rep. Roy looks forward to hearing from you.
He also invites all constituents to call him at (617) 722-2400, stop by Room 134 in the State House, or email him at Jeffrey.Roy@MAhouse.gov.
|
Recent Laws
Here are links to some of the recent legislation passed on Beacon Hill. Click on the links below to view the new laws.
See all recent laws. |
|
New law addresses compounding pharmacies
While Republicans and Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives were busy shutting down the Federal government, the Massachusetts House of Representatives did something remarkable: we worked together and voted unanimously to pass legislation that will increase the oversight of compounding pharmacies, improve quality and safety standards in the Commonwealth, and establish rigorous transparency and accountability practices for compounding pharmacies across the state.
The unanimous vote distinguishes Massachusetts as the first state to pass comprehensive legislation relative to compounding pharmacies. The bill addresses a previous lack of consistent standards, at both a state and federal level, governing the operations of specialty pharmacies engaged in sterile compounding. This legislation was carefully crafted following the 2012 meningitis outbreak linked to contaminated drugs produced at the New England Compounding Center in Framingham, Massachusetts.
This compounding pharmacy bill modernizes pharmacy oversight while enhancing patient access to critical medications. The legislation addresses the unique needs of this industry through the following provisions:
-
Establishes a specialty license for all in-state and out-of-state sterile compounding pharmacies;
-
Requires the Department of Public Health to track all sterilely compounded drugs made by state-licensed pharmacies;
-
Requires the Department of Public Health to collect and analyze data on adverse events tied to pharmaceuticals;
-
Creates an online database listing pharmacies that have prepared drugs resulting in adverse effects;
-
Mandates unannounced, detailed inspections of all sterile compounding pharmacies;
-
Requires state pharmacy inspectors to be specially trained and to take continuing education classes;
-
Requires that compounded medications are clearly labeled;
-
Mandates pharmacies to report the type and volume of compound drug production;
-
Reforms the composition of the State Board of Pharmacy;
-
Requires increased communications between prescribers, pharmacies, government officials and patients, including a support hotline for patients;
-
Ensures that state and national agencies communicate on oversight and potential problems.
The House voted 155-0 to pass the bill, which now moves to the Senate.
|
|
|
|
