Priorities
2009-2010 Legislative Priorities
The Government Affairs team monitors legislative action on Beacon Hill on a daily basis and advocates for key bills that will affect those living and working in the MAPC region.
Each session, with guidance from the Legislative Committee, MAPC develops a list of key legislative priorities for the organization.
MAPC is advocating for the passage of the following legislative priorities during the 2009-2010 session.
Municipal Relief & Regional Collaboration
MAPC has been instrumental in shaping the conversation around municipal finance over the past four years, in particular, the subject of municipal health insurance. MAPC will continue to advocate for a series of initiatives that will help cities and towns across the Commonweatlh provide quality services with increased efficiency during the current financial crisis.
- Senate Municipal Relief Package Summary - May 2010
- House Municipal Relief Package Summary - April 2010
- MAPC's Municipal Relief Package - January 2010
- MAPC's Municipal Relief Testimony - May 2009
- The Report of the Municipal Relief Commission - May 2009
Regionalization Advisory Commission
The Commmission was created by legislation signed by Governor Patrick in August 2009 and tasked with reviewing a variety of aspects of regionalization. MAPC is a member of the Commission, which is chaired by Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray.
Regionalization Advisory Commission Homepage
S.779/H.3001 An Act to Promote Municipal Efficiency and Innovation Through Regional Collaboration
Sponsored by Senator Moore and Representative Kaufman
This legislation would promote regional collaboration by prioritizing regional applications for existing grant funds; establishing a Regional Service Implementation Fund to support implementation of regional collaborations; and updating RPA statutes to enable them to play a more substantial role in collaborative local government.
Public Safety
Since 2006, the Shannon Grant program has been used to fund regional strategies to combat youth violence, gang violence, and substance abuse through coordinated, multi-disciplinary efforts. MAPC advocates for continued funding of this fundmental program to prevent youth violence.
Smart Growth
"Smart growth" is designed to promote development while protecting the environment, encouraging social and economic equity, and conserving energy and water resources.
S. 90 An Act to Sustain Community Preservation
Sponsored by Senator Creem
This legislation proposes to change the Community Preservation Act (CPA) to (1) guarantee the long-term health of the CPA trust fund by increasing the registry of deeds fees to ensure a minimum 75% match to all CPA communities; (2) broaden participation in the program by allowing communities who adopt a 1% property tax surcharge to supplement receipts from the surcharge with up to another 2% of dedicated revenues from other sources of local funds, and (3) clarify allowable uses to promote sustainable communities.
Sponsored by Representative Sanchez
MAPC continues to work with a diverse coalition of allies on passage of a comprehensive package of surplus land reforms that encourage smart growth development, give municipalities a meaningful role throughout the disposition process, and allow the Commonwealth to meet critical housing, economic development, and environmental priorities.
Transportation
Fixing our transportation system, and fixing it right, is a matter of economic competitiveness for our state - and it must be a priority we tackle immediately. Reforms to the transportation network are necessary, but they should not replace the unavoidable need for new revenue. Visit the MetroFuture site to learn more about MAPC's transportation finance reform advocacy efforts.
- MAPC's Transportation Finance Recommendations - April 2009
- To view the full recommendation, please visit the Policy Briefs page.
Zoning Reform
Supporting a comprehensive approach to zoning reform is an MAPC priority. MAPC has spent considerable time over the last year considering zoning reform and two related bills currently in the Legislature – An Act Relative to Land Use (“LUPA”) and An Act Relative to Community Planning (“CPA2”) . At the May 26 hearing on zoning reform before the Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government, and in subsequent discussions with legislators, planners, and municipal leaders, MAPC staff heard significant interest in creating a hybrid bill that would satisfy a wide range of concerns. In that spirit, MAPC is advocating for a proposal that incorporates the best elements of both bills. Specifically, municipalities should be able to choose to opt into any final zoning reform program, as proposed in LUPA, and significant incentives must be provided to communities to do so.
Other Issues of Interest
- MAPC's FY11 Budget Conference Committee Letter - June 2010
- MAPC's Speed Limit Testimony - June 2010
- MAPC's CORI Reform Testimony - March 2010
- MAPC's Economic Development Testimony - March 2010
- MAPC's Gaming Mitigation Testimony - March 2010
- MAPC's Bottle Bill Testimony - March 2010
