| Dear Neighbors and Friends, I hope you are well. On Tuesday, this week, I partnered with Mayor Walsh, the Boston Resiliency Fund, Boston City Councillor Kenzie Bok, and Senator Sal DiDomenico to drop off over 200 twenty pound boxes of fresh fruits and vegetables to those in need in Beacon Hill and the West End. I greatly appreciate the Mayor and Boston Resiliency Fund for providing the food and for everyone who helped volunteer. It made a big difference. We are making another drop in the West End at the Amy Lowell House and Beacon Hill at Beacon House and Peter Faneuil House this coming Friday morning. If you are interested in helping, let me know.     State UpdatesRe-opening of Massachusetts This week, we begin a gradual re-opening of the economy. We have not found a cure or vaccine or eradicated the virus. Because of social distancing, we have greatly slowed the transmission. Governor Baker is trying to determine if we can operate – to a limited degree with many safeguards – without causing another surge. That is the needle he is trying to thread. On the medical front, our medical system was not overwhelmed by the surge in April and the metrics have been trending in the right direction for the last few weeks. The economic closure is also causing incredible strains on individuals and families. For instance, around 9% of the state’s population was food insecure in January – which was completely unacceptable – now almost 40% of the state’s population is food insecure. While the federal, state, and municipal governments are trying to keep everyone afloat, there are not unlimited means to do so. Those factors are driving the Governor’s decision. I want to emphasize that as we slowly re-open that does not mean we can ease up on social distancing practices or safeguards. Indeed, no business will operate exactly how it did in January, all must change for the circumstances. We must continue to social distance and we must continue to wear masks in public spaces. This virus is not gone and those who are at-high risk (those over 65 or with prior health conditions) must continue to be especially cautious. I will file legislation today to provide more protections to high risk individuals in the work force. The terms under which employees return to work should not just be up to employers. High risk individuals and their family members should also have a say. You can find a comprehensive document regarding the four phase reopening plan here. You can find guidance for specific industries here. You can submit comments or questions regarding re-opening here. I know there will be a lot of questions so feel free to email me or Sarah and we will get back to you as soon as we can. Testing The Baker Administration has increased testing capacity to have 45,000 daily tests by the end of July and 75,000 daily tests by the end of December. You can read the press release about this here. This increase in testing is incredibly important for us to successfully operate in this environment. Legislation Yesterday, the House took up a more than $1 billion information technology bill. This was the first complex legislation we have addressed remotely. Over 150 amendments were filed. I filed two that were successful to address food insecurity. The first created a $500,000 grant program for grocers and bodegas to receive point of sale devices to provide curb-side pick-up and payment, particularly for those with EBT cards. This will ensure that high-risk populations can use their SNAP benefits without having to enter the store. The second is an amendment to close the SNAP Gap which is derived from one of the bills I filed H1173. This amendment provided $5,000,000 for the state to create a common application for people to apply to MassHealth and SNAP at the same time. This would close the SNAP Gap because many individuals do not know they qualify for certain benefits and therefore they do not receive the assistance. You can read the bill and the amendments filed here. The bill now moves to the Senate.Election Legislation – I always advocate to make it easier for people to vote. I think it is much more important that we ease barriers now and allow everyone to vote by mail. There are two bills in the legislature that I support. Here is my testimony in support of them. Boston Mayor Walsh announced that the Boston Tax Program Coalition has launched a Stimulus Hotline to assist Boston residents who are eligible for a stimulus payment but have not received one. You can read more about this initiative here. You can call the hotline at (781) 399-5330 or 311. Boston has created a FAQs for small businesses. Cambridge Memorial Drive will close for Riverbend Park this Sunday and next to vehicle traffic from 11 AM to 7 PM. Cambridge has started to provide mobile testing at Senior Buildings. The testing started yesterday. Testing will occur for the residents of LBJ, 150 Erie Street, by Saturday. All residents of Cambridge can receive testing at Cambridge Health Alliance’s Gore Street facility by appointment as well. Here is the testing information. Cambridge has modified the State’s re-opening plan as it relates to Cambridge. Mental Health Resources for Kids The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry has compiled a list of mental health resources for children, adolescents, and families. You can access these resources here. Please share them widely! Please continue to make safe and informed decisions as we re-open. Have a great weekend. Best, Jay |
COMMUNITY RESOURCES We will update our page that provides resources for constituents during COVID-19. You can find our resource page here.  SOCIAL MEDIA Follow me on Twitter and Facebook for real time up-to-date information. Or email me at Jay.Livingstone@mahouse.gov  VOLUNTEER TO CHECK-IN ON NEIGHBORS We have been making calls to seniors in the district to make sure they are safe and have everything they need during this time. If you are interested in making calls please email Sarah.Mills@mahouse.gov  |
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