Back to School – What to Expect

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Working to place the safety of students, faculty and staff first, while recognizing the need to continue to provide the best public school educations in America, the Stoneham and Winchester School Committees released their initial plans for a return to school this month. Both towns are offering either full remote or hybrid learning to families for all students K-12, with Stoneham including preschool in their final plan. Both towns included measures mandating the wearing of masks in school by all students and staff among other safety measures.  You can find their plans below.

Stoneham Back-to-School Plans 
Winchester Back-to-School Plans

Record Turnout for September Primary Races

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The Legislature’s expansion of early voting and vote-by-mail options played a pivotal role in keeping our voters safe and increasing turnout to record levels in the recent state primary.  More than 800,000 Massachusetts residents cast their ballots before September 1.  Our clerks and their staff met the new challenges with the highest level of competence and professionalism, demonstrating that we can both increase access and keep our votes secure in the midst of a global pandemic. 

On a personal level, I was honored to be re-nominated for re-election and will be working to earn your votes in November’s election.  My colleagues and I will work closely with our clerks and the election office of Secretary Galvin to improve on the new processes, and I encourage you to share your thoughts on this issue with me by email at michael.day@mahouse.gov.

Addressing A Global Emergency

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Sea levels rose dramatically over the past century as changes in our climate melted ice at our North and South Poles. If we do nothing, within 30 years we can expect high tides to permanently rise above land currently occupied by residents in Boston, Cambridge and Quincy. The flood plains of the Mystic and Aberjona Rivers will greatly expand, further displacing residents from Everett to Burlington. Those “once in a century storms” that seem to ravage us every few months now will increase in both ferocity and frequency.

Climate change is here, and there is no rational debate about the threat it poses to our lives.

While there is no single magic bullet that can reverse its impacts, there is a growing sliver of light piercing through these dark storm clouds. We are now acting on multiple levels in an effort to make up for decades of ignorance and neglect. Individuals from all walks of life continually and successfully push our state and local governments to implement policies that will both combat climate change and deal with its impacts. I am proud to elevate these voices in the State House and I will continue to do so as we take important steps forward.

This session the House of Representatives passed a number of impactful bills, and more are coming.  For example, our “2050 roadmap” bill plots the course for Massachusetts to reach net zero greenhouse gas emissions within those next 30 years referenced above. We also voted to establish “GreenWorks,” a comprehensive plan to provide our hometowns with the resources necessary to implement climate resiliency programs and measures that will create a more sustainable Commonwealth for all. We will soon consider and debate a bill I filed that can serve as a national model to curb the amount of non-recyclable materials dumped into Massachusetts by global plastics manufacturers.

On the local level, I am proud to support efforts to make the new Stoneham High School the most environmentally-responsible project in Massachusetts and to encourage the town to continue to fully implement its “net zero” policies. I also applaud and hope to scale up Winchester’s wildly successful “WinPower” program and replicate it in other communities.

Since its inception in 2017, WinPower has provided competitively priced “green” electricity options to Winchester residents and businesses. Offering three levels of “green energy” options, WinPower starts with a base option including ten percent more renewable energy in its supply than currently offered commercially. As a result, in less than three years the base WinPower plan has added almost ten million additional renewable kilowatt hours to the grid which is the equivalent of removing the carbon pollution from 700 cars from the road in a single year. The most beneficial plan, WinPower 100, uses only renewable energy and greatly increases the development of green infrastructure in our region. Large-scale adoption of WinPower 100 would lower residential carbon emissions, which now account for 76% of the town’s total emissions, by 30%.

I will continue to partner with local and state actors to aggressively plan for and combat the rising climate emergency we all face. We all have a role to play in this fight, and I urge you to contact me with your thoughts and to share the steps you are taking so that we can all move forward together.

For more information on WinPower visit: https://winpowerma.com/

Vote-by-mail Option Now Law

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H.4820, “An Act Relative to Voting Options in Response to COVID-19” is now law. The law ensures that citizens of the Commonwealth can exercise their right to vote without endangering their health and safety during the COVID-19 pandemic by providing voters with an option to either securely vote by mail or to vote in-person on election day.

The bill’s key provisions took effect immediately upon becoming a law on July 6, and the Secretary of the Commonwealth has now sent vote-by-mail applications to the home of every registered voter in Massachusetts. The application is also available online here: https://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/eleev/early-voting-by-mail.htm

To vote in the September 1 state primary election by mail, your town clerk must receive your application by August 26. To vote in the October 28 general election, your town clerk must receive your application by October 28. You may opt-in to vote by mail in both applications on the same form.

The law also calls for an expansion of early voting, which is now available 11 days before the primary election in September (Aug. 22) and 11 business days before the general election in November (Oct. 23).  In addition, we empowered our municipal clerks to take additional measures at their discretion to increase the safety of poll workers on election day.

Voting is the most sacred of our rights as American citizens.  Exercise that right this year!

Chapter 90 Funding for FY2021

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Working with the Senate and the Governor, we passed H4803 providing infrastructure funding for our cities and towns. This vital infrastructure bill will allow our municipalities to maintain and upgrade bridges, roads, and tunnels. House members updated the Chapter 90 funding formula to provide $200M in total funding throughout the Commonwealth, which translates to direct funding of $473,284 for Stoneham and $517,819 for Winchester. Residents will be able to see the results in roadwork, bridge repairs and replacements, as well as drainage improvements to address and further prevent flooding. Chapter 90 funding is a key piece of any municipal budget and this legislation ensures that Stoneham and Winchester can continue to focus on essential infrastructure upgrades and repairs even during these uncertain times. 

I remain in close contact with our town officials and have communicated our unique needs and challenges to my colleagues.  This has placed our communities in good position to receive the funding necessary to maintain and modernize our well-worn streets and infrastructure systems.

2050 “Roadmap” Lays Out Plan for a Greener Commonwealth

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Building on the landmark “GreenWorks” legislation we passed in July 2019 that authorized the state to award $100 million per year for a decade directly to our cities and towns for programs designed to directly counter the effects of climate change, we in the House recently passed H.4912 – “An Act Creating a 2050 Roadmap to a Clean and Thriving Commonwealth.”  The bill sets standards for emissions reductions to “net-zero” by 2050.  It would also modernize the Commonwealth’s electrical grid and implement new regulations allowing for the continued growth of our solar and wind power sectors as well as mandate new environmental justice considerations for the first time.

The bill requires that half of the total power sold in the Commonwealth be “non-carbon emitting energy” by 2030, then scales this requirement up to 75% by 2040, and then to a full 100 percent (or “net-zero” carbon emissions) by 2050. It also requires all 41 municipal light plants in the Commonwealth to establish a greenhouse gas emission standard for the first time. 

Additionally, the legislation brings the need for environmental justice to the forefront by creating an Environmental Justice Council.  The Council will provide recommendations to the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs to consider environmental justice principles based on median income, minority representation, and college education statistics for certain neighborhoods when making siting and other decisions. The House bill also expands the current solar  energy programs, incentivizing businesses to install solar panel arrays and energy storage facilities on their properties.

The House bill establishes a Clean Energy Equity Workforce and Market Development Center through the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center to provide workforce training and professional development.  If passed into law, this initiative will help to address and recover the estimated 17,000 jobs lost in the “Green Sector” from March – April alone as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, and, if fully implemented, will likely create 34,000 new jobs in the future.

Economic Development Bill Includes Funding Authorization for Stoneham and Winchester Economic Priorities

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On July 28th, we in the House passed H4879, an Act Enabling Partnerships for Growth.  With the support of my colleagues, I secured the authorization for future appropriation of funds from the Governor that will help both Stoneham and Winchester bounce back from the economic hardships that have accompanied the COVID-19 pandemic and will boost economic drivers in our communities

For Stoneham, I successfully amended the legislation to add language authorizing the expenditure of $1 million for the planning, development and operations of a regional transit system that will provide “last mile” service for Stoneham residents and will bring mass transit options throughout Stoneham and neighboring communities such as Winchester, Woburn, Melrose and Wakefield.  This authorization builds on previous authorizations I secured in the amounts of $2 million (H4547) and $1 million (H4732) for this important initiative.  I also included authorization of $75,000 for the Stoneham Historical Society for technological upgrades to improve remote accessibility to its collection.

For Winchester, I secured an authorization of $1,000,000 specifically for the further planning and redevelopment of the downtown commuter rail corridor.  If the Governor agrees to appropriate these authorized funds to the town, we will use them to capitalize on the much-awaited rebuild of the Winchester Center Commuter Rail station scheduled to start in the coming months.   I also successfully amended the legislation to authorize $75,000 in funding for the Winchester Historical Society for its own technological upgrades that will improve remote accessibility to its collection and meetings.

Finally, I was pleased to work with my colleagues to secure the authorization of $12,500,000 for future appropriation for Zoo New England, the non-profit corporation that operates the Stone Zoo.  When I first took office, I worked closely with Senator Jason Lewis, community leaders and the directors and staff of Zoo New England to preserve the accreditation status of the Stone Zoo.  We prevailed on the Baker Administration to appropriate more than $3 million in MassWorks funding to the Stone Zoo, which allowed Zoo New England to unlock millions of dollars in private contributions.  I am confident that this authorization signals even brighter days ahead for the Stone Zoo, which is a treasure in our community.

Economic Development Bill Includes Relief For Restaurants

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Back in May, I drafted and filed HD5054, An Act Relative to Restaurant Delivery Commissions in an effort to address some of the most pressing challenges our restaurant industry faced as a result of the COVID-19 State of Emergency.  My bill capped the fees third-party food delivery services could charge to restaurants during the COVID-19 state of emergency. 

As we all know too well, the restaurant industry (overwhelmingly family-operated and run by small business owners) has taken a devastating hit due to safety restrictions necessitated by this virus.  Most of the restaurants in our towns are dine-in establishments and have struggled in their transition to take-out service.  As a result, many have turned to contracting with online third-party food delivery services in an attempt to stay afloat.  Unfortunately, on top of the drastic drop in revenues, the restaurants also had to deal with fees upwards of 30% from the third-party delivery vendors, essentially wiping out the small margins the restaurants made on take-out.  My legislation addressed this by imposing a temporary cap on these fees to allow restaurants the time needed to make the transition to take-out service. 

The House passed my bill as part of a larger restaurant relief measure in early June.  Unfortunately, the Senate did not take this part of the legislation up when it passed a scaled-down restaurant relief bill in July.

However, with the overwhelming support of my colleagues, I successfully amended H4879 to once again include my portion of the restaurant relief bill.  The bill is now in conference committee, where negotiators from the House and the Senate are attempting to iron out differences in the two economic development bills they each passed.  I am hopeful that the Senate will agree to include this important restaurant relief measure in the final conference committee recommendations.

The bill also includes important provisions for the redevelopment of vacant and underutilized spaces for housing and economic development, increased availability of grants for municipalities to support women, minority, and veteran owned businesses, and a change to the statewide authorization of local zoning laws that will enable a city or town to adopt local zoning changes by majority vote instead of the current system requiring a ¾ vote.  You can find the House bill HERE.

The Boys & Girls Club of Stoneham’s Donna DiVirgilio Honored

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The Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women recently announced its 2020 “Commonwealth Heroines” and named Donna DiVirgilio of Stoneham as one of its Heroines. The annual celebration recognizes women from across the Commonwealth who “perform unheralded acts daily that make our homes, neighborhoods, cities and towns a better place to live.” Representative Michael S. Day nominated Ms. DiVirgilio as an embodiment of the values underlying the recognition.

“Donna DiVirgilio has dedicated more than 45 years of her life to improving the lives of generations of people in our community, and has constantly stepped up to literally rescue families and individuals in their most urgent times of need,” said Representative Day. “This recognition is entirely appropriate, but also falls far short of capturing the impact Donna continues to have in our community. I deeply appreciate the Commission’s acceptance of my nomination and naming Donna as one of the Commonwealth’s Heroines this year.”

Ms. DiVirgilio is a long-time fixture at the Stoneham Boys & Girls Club, where she has implemented innovative programming, assisted in community activities and provided an incredible amount of charity to families in need. The Commission specifically recognized her for her work with at-risk youth and senior citizens alike, and noted her work during the economic recession in 2008 where she worked with the Town of Stoneham to keep recreation programs going, and later helped in the efforts to keep the Hall Memorial Pool open. The Commission also commended Ms. DiVirgilio for her work with other volunteers on the town’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. celebration, which just marked its 20th anniversary of the program.

Normally held in the State House, this year’s recognition ceremony was held virtually in recognition of health concerns and in line with social distancing recommendations. Representative Day presented Ms. DiVirgilio with a Citation from the House of Representatives shortly after the virtual ceremonies.

To view the entire 2020 Commonwealth Heroine Class visit: https://www.mass.gov/service-details/commonwealth-heroines.

Eversource Update

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Continuing our active roles in the ongoing debate over the proposed Eversource transmission line, Senator Jason Lewis and I have filed legislation in the Senate and House, respectively, that would broaden the review of the Energy Facilities Siting Board beyond cost and environmental impact to also consider impacts on the public health and wellbeing of residents before granting or rejecting projects.

We filed these bills after hearing substantial concerns from their constituents about a proposed transmission line running from Woburn to Wakefield, through Stoneham and Winchester, along busy residential and commercial streets.  While the lines are proposed for underground installation, abutting residents worry not only about the temporary disruption caused by the project, but also potential long term impacts, from public health concerns about exposure to electrical fields to financial concerns about the values of their homes.

The Energy Facilities Siting Board, which is the state permitting body with jurisdiction over the Eversource proposal, currently has some latitude to explore mitigation packages that might be appropriate for a project; however, the legislation would require that the Energy Facilities Siting Board explicitly review the proposal’s impact on these issues.

We recognize the need for increased electricity reliability and transmission capability in this area, but this particular project has also highlighted a gap in the Energy Facilities Siting Board’s charge. This legislation will fill that gap, and allow the Board to consider impacts beyond just the price tag associated with a proposed project.

The proposed legislation follows a series of actions I  have taken in an effort to affect change in the project.  Previously, Senator Lewis and I have: advocated with ISO-New England (“ISO”), the independent system operator overseeing New England’s electric grid and transmission line system, against the project and in favor of a transmission line that would run off the coast; advocated with Governor Charles Baker, Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation Stephanie Pollack, and Massachusetts Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Matthew Beaton to encourage Eversource to consider alternative routes; and, worked with the affected towns and with constituents to raise concerns directly with Eversource and with the Energy Facilities Siting Board.