BOSTON – Tuesday, June 29, State Rep. Kathy LaNatra joined her colleagues in the Massachusetts House of Representatives to pass legislation limiting the use of step therapy protocols, in which insurance companies refuse to pay for the prescription drugs prescribed by a patient’s health care provider until the patient first tries cheaper, and oftentimes ineffective, alternatives. The legislation establishes exceptions a patient can use to avoid their insurer’s step therapy protocol and requires both MassHealth and commercial insurers to provide a clear and transparent process for patients and their care team to request an exception.

“Health care decisions and decisions regarding which medications to take should be made between a patient and their doctor, not insurance companies looking for a healthier bottom line,” said State Rep. Kathy LaNatra (D – Kingston). “I was proud to support this crucial piece of legislation to ensure that people with a myriad of diseases and conditions don’t have to delay care with ineffective treatments that worsen their condition, simply to cut costs for insurance companies. That is not the way to cut health care costs in the Commonwealth. Thank you to Speaker Mariano and Chairman Lawn for their leadership on this bill.”

The legislation outlines four different circumstances that trigger the patient exception process, including:

The required treatment will harm the patient,

The required treatment is expected to be ineffective,

The patient previously tried the required treatment, or similar treatment, and it was ineffective or harmed the patient,

The patient is stable on a current treatment, and switching treatments will harm the patient.

Additional highlights of the legislation include:

• A requirement that MassHealth and commercial insurers adopt a “continuity of coverage” policy to ensure patients do not experience any delay in accessing a treatment when requesting a step therapy exemption.

• A requirement that MassHealth and commercial insurers approve or deny a step therapy exemption request within three business days, or within one business day if a delay would cause harm to the patient.

• A requirement that commercial carriers annually report data related to step therapy exemption requests and related coverage determinations to the Division of Insurance.

• The creation of a commission on step therapy protocols tasked with studying, assessing, and bi-annually reporting on the implementation of step therapy process reforms made in this legislation.

“An Act Relative to Step Therapy and Patient Safety” (H.4929)passed the House of Representatives 153-0. The legislation now heads to the Senate for their consideration.

The Halifax Board of Selectmen met in-person on Monday, May 16 ahead of the continuation of town meeting. It was the first meeting for newly appointed Selectmen Alexander Meade who unseated Gordon Andrews for a three-year term, and Jonathan Seelig who was elected to the one-year term that was previously filled by Troy Garron. Ashley DiSesa was the only remaining Selectman from the previous iteration of the Board. The Selectmen were meeting with Town Counsel, the Town Moderator, and the interim Town Administrator to review who would be presenting the various articles left to be discussed and voted on later that evening.

Seelig said he was hoping for a change in the way in which the articles are presented. In the past, the Selectmen would typically present on a given article, but Seelig said he would like to see the appropriate department head speak to them instead. “In the past, our Selectmen would say the narrative. We were hoping maybe, if it’s okay, to do what we used to do in years past to have the actual department head speak the narrative so that way if there is any sort of issue or they want to get to any underlying details that the very knowledgeable person who put the article together will be able to answer,” Seelig explained.

Town Counsel Paul R. DeRensis, who has served as a Selectmen himself for more than three decades including a Selectmen Chair for seven, told both Meade and Seelig that he has an orientation for new Selectmen that he would like to review with each of them individually. DeRensis said he reviews things such as open meeting laws to ensure that there won’t be any violations. He said that he would also cover any disclosures that they may need to make to the Town Clerk regarding their businesses, etc. “It needs to be private because I am looking for information that you may not want anybody else to know – attorney/client privilege. So, if you are planning on suing the town, this is the time to tell me… you know, so I can do a disclosure form for you before you sue the town,” DeRensis explained. Regarding his own time as a Selectmen, he said, “It’s not just a legal presentation, it’s also a practical presentation… I’ve been sued and all this kind of stuff; I can help you learn how to do this.”

There was also a discussion regarding whether the issues brought forth should be based on the wishes of the current Select Board or the previous one. DiSesa, as the vice chair, was told by Counsel that she would be acting as the Chair in the absence of a Chair. The specific article that came into question was Article 42 that sought to make the Board of Selectmen a five-person rather than a three-person Board. Seelig said he didn’t agree with the article but noted, “I would like to give the people the chance to weigh in on it though.” Meade agreed saying he disagreed with the article but wanted to see the town vote on it. They eventually decided to pass over the article that evening and see how the new three-person Board functions before deciding whether to put the article on the warrant for the special town meeting in the fall.

Town Administrator Ed Thorne said that the solid waste contract for the town of Halifax would be expiring at the end of June. “Companies are getting out of getting their people out of the truck, picking up bags, picking up trash, and they are all going to the mechanized system,” Thorne explained. He said that the town would likely need to accept whatever increase comes with a one-year deal with Waste Management to give the town time to figure out a long-term plan. He said the long-term plan would likely be a three-to-five-year deal with a curbside, mechanized company. Thorne said that recycling brings in about $145,000 to the town each year. An additional $300,000 is generated annually by the bags that people buy. No decision was made during the meeting.

Phase two of the Halifax Annual Town Meeting met Monday night, May 16, at the Halifax Elementary School, All-purpose Room.  Interim Town Moderator John Bruno, took the gavel for the evening as Town Moderator Robert Gaynor II was unwell.

Bruno called the assembly to order and in less than an hour the remaining 19 articles were read, discussed, and voted.  At the table on the stage, Selectman Ashley DeSesa was the senior member of the board, with newly elected selectmen Alexander Meade and Jonathan Selig seated beside her.

The following warrant articles were acted on:

Article 9 asked the town to fund a 1% wage increase for the Police Sergeants who are in the union.  Article passed.

Article10 asked the town for $8,242 to fund a 1% wage increase for the Police Patrolmen who are in the union. The article passed.

Article 12 asked for $150 for the Plymouth County Cooperative Extension Service and its many programs that benefit the Town including the 4-H program.  The article passed unanimously.

Article 15 asked the town to spend $110,000 to purchase and equip a new marked cruiser to be used for patrol and a new unmarked cruiser to be used by the Chief of Police.  Frank Johnston of Elm St. asked why the town should purchase two vehicles this year because last year they purchased three vehicles, one with ARPA funds.  Police Chief Joao Chaves responded that the extra vehicle last year was a pickup truck that would not be used as a patrol car, but to tow various pieces of equipment as needed.  Both vehicles that are being replaced will either be passed along to other town departments if needed or auctioned.  The motion passed.

Article 16 asked the town for $5,000 to replace six bulletproof vests at $900 each as the department requires police officers to wear them.  The manufacturer’s recommended lifespan for the vests is five years.  The article passed.

Article 18 asked the town for $66,941 for repairs and replacement parts for the Halifax Elementary School elevator.  Two years ago, when the control board was replaced, the school was told that they had the last control board for the elderly elevator.  Matt Durkee, the Silver Lake Regional School District Facilities Manager, spoke to the article saying that they need to have a replacement board on hand when the current board fails.  Without this replacement board, the school would not have a working elevator.   The article passed.

Article 19 asked the town to move $200,000 to purchase a medium duty dump truck, equipped with plow and sander, to replace a 1995 Ford L800 that will be sold at auction.  Highway Surveyor Steve Hayward told the assembly that the medium duty truck will be more versatile and very useful, especially in snow. The motion passed.

Article 23 asked the town for $3500 to support the South Shore Resource and Advocacy Center for domestic violence intervention and prevention services.  The article passed.

Article 24 asked the town for $850 for a new time and date stamp for the Town Clerk’s office.  The Town Clerk is required by law to date and time stamp many documents that come into the office.  The article passed.

Article 25 asked the town for $1000 to purchase a new computer for the Holmes Public Library.  Library Director Jean Gallant told the assembly that this is the last computer to be purchased in the rotation program, so that all the library’s computers will be running Windows 10.   The article passed.

Article 27 asked the town to raise and appropriate $340,000 to purchase and equip a new ambulance for the Fire Department.  Fire Chief Jason Viveiros spoke to the article saying that the wait time for a new ambulance is now two years, due to the inability to get chasses.  This will replace the 2017 ambulance that will have more than 100,000 miles on it by the time the new one is delivered.  The article passed.

Article 30 asked the town for $520,000 for a Phase II project to upgrade outdated and failing components in the Town’s Richmond Park and YMCA Water Infrastructure to keep the plant in compliance with DEP regulations.  The article passed.

Article 31 asked the town to fund $36,000 for Halifax’s share of a part-time school resource officer at the Silver Lake Middle School.  The article passed.

Article 34 asked for $38,800 for a new intercom system for the Halifax Elementary School.  Silver Lake School District Facilities Manager Matt Durkee spoke to the article saying that the current system is old and failing and is a proprietary system that requires the school to use one vendor to make adjustments to the system, such as resetting the clocks for Daylight Savings Time, or after a power failure, at a significant cost to the town.   The new system is user friendly, non-proprietary, and will solve a number of problems.  The article passed.

Article 36 asked the town for $12,500 for IT as a next step toward centralizing Town-wide IT Communication services to include the Holmes Library and the Water Department.  The article passed.

Article 37 would use any remaining funds leftover to pay down the Plymouth County Pension Fund Liability Account.  The Finance Committee did not recommend it because if all articles were voted there would not be enough free cash left over to use.    The article was passed over at the Finance Committee’s recommendation.

Article 40 asked to remove the Fire Chief as a mandatory member of the Holidays in Halifax Committee.   In the past, when fireworks were being used, the Fire Chief was useful in planning the event.  Now, with no fireworks, the chief’s talents can be more useful elsewhere.   The motion passed.

Article 42 asked the town to change the Board of Selectmen from a three-member board to a five-member board.  The article was passed over to allow the new board of selectmen time to further investigate whether it is necessary.

Article 43 asked the town to limit the number of marijuana retailers to two.  The finance committee did not recommend it.  The motion failed.

The Plympton Board of Selectmen met virtually on Monday, May 9. The first order of business was appointing Matt Ahl as the new Chief of Police effective through May 2025. Dan Hoffman was also appointed as Lieutenant for that same time frame. “I truly appreciate the opportunity; I’m really excited to get going tomorrow,” Ahl told the Selectmen. Regarding the promotions within the Department, Selectmen Chair Christine Joy said she was “looking forward to what the future holds for us.”

Ahl also spoke briefly regarding the Police Department budget which will be presented at town meeting next week. At an earlier Selectmen’s meeting, there had been some back and forth between the Selectmen and Finance Committee Chair Nathaniel Sides regarding the requested versus recommended amount. “The budget that we are looking at is to help sort of compensate for any staffing needs that we are going to have moving forward,” Ahl told the Selectmen. A ninth officer was approved during the previous fiscal year though the position remains unfilled. Ahl said that in recent months, they have had fifty and sixty something single officer shifts. Even with the addition of a ninth officer, Ahl said they would still have twenty something shifts to be covered. Ahl said that he was “truly hoping the Board would consider letting us move forward with that tenth officer.” He said that doing so would result in “complete stability within the Department.” He also noted, “it truly would offset a lot of the overtime.”

Ahl also told the Selectmen that he had an officer in the Academy and another four interviews that week. He also clarified that the amount he was seeking was actually the amount being recommended by the Finance Committee at town meeting. The Selectmen and Ahl agreed that should the funds be necessary for a tenth officer, that money could be appropriated during a special town meeting in the fall. Town Moderator Barry DeCristofano questioned if the additional amount could be requested at next week’s town meeting but the consensus amongst the Selectmen and Ahl was that they were not ready to make that case just yet. “We haven’t done the full analysis to back up the requested number,” Joy said. Selectman John Traynor agreed saying that they should take the necessary time first to map out all the shifts and identify remaining needs.

The Selectmen, DeCristofano, and Town Administrator Liz Dennehy went through the remaining articles and identified who would speak to each article. They also discussed the articles that would need holds placed on them during town meeting. Town Accountant Lisa Hart was present for the discussion as well as she would be putting the hold on many of the articles to clarify the amount recommended and the funding source for each. The Fire and EMS salaries are one of the articles in question. Traynor said that there was some extra money in ambulance compared to prior years which allow for less money to need to be raised and appropriated. Fire Chief Stephen Silva plans to speak to the requests.

Other changes include a $197 increase to the public works budget line 303 for the Highway Department. Dennehy said that there would be a request for budget line 310 for general highway needs to be amended back to $96,970. The Police Station debt is also going to be amended but reduced rather than increased. There will be an additional $20,000 carrying over from this year in the account. Dennehy noted that the funding for that budget line is coming from the Capital Stabilization Fund.

Sides remarked that the Finance Committee felt comfortable with their process and asked that that be taken into consideration. “These aren’t a given, they are just requests that we will give to the town and see how they want to vote,” Joy said.

A conversation ensued regarding the procedure for the storage of contracts and response to public records requests though what sparked the agenda item was unclear. Joy said that if a department or office wants a record from another town office, they must make a public records request. Town Clerk Patricia Detterman repeatedly inferred that the current way of handling and storing public record’s requests was not in line with the law as she said they needed to be provided to the town clerk as the town’s official records officer. “The contracts are certainly available it’s just they are under the control of the town accountant and appointing authority,” Joy said. The appointing authority is the Board of Selectmen as they are the keepers of the contracts. Joy interjected that they would have to agree to having different opinions to which Detterman insisted that it was not a matter of opinion but the law. Joy said that town counsel had assured the Selectmen that their way of dealing with such requests was “perfectly proper.”

The Selectmen voted to reappoint several town employees through June 30, 2023. Amongst those reappointed were Zoning Enforcement Officers Kathy Cannizzo and Tom Millias, the latter of whom was also reappointed as the Building Commissioner. Director of Elder Services Colleen Thompson and Highway Superintendent Rob Firlotte were also reappointed in addition to several others.

The Selectmen voted to award the Townhouse roof project to JD&D Construction out of Webster, MA for $162,000. Chair of the Town Properties Committee Jon Wilhelmsen said that they had received five bids in total. “One was out of whack on the high end, and one was out of whack on the low end.” He said that JD&D were on the low end of the appropriate-looking bids. Regarding the project, Dennehy said, “we have a great architect on board, and they have served us very, very well over the last few months.”

During her Town Administrator’s update, Dennehy said that there have been some recent opportunities for extra funding in town. She said that $25,000 has been earmarked for conservation/recreation uses. Another $115,000 is available for MassDOT related spending. Additionally, Dennehy said that there may be more American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds coming from the State. Regarding school funding, Wilhelmsen, who also chairs the Plympton School Committee, said, “we keep getting additional good news from our state rep.” He said that some of that funding could potentially be used for the Dennett roof project which would free up some ARPA funds.

Wilhelmsen also provided an update on the Dennett playground project. He said that additional Chapter 70 funds have become available due to enrollment increases. That funding in addition to a few other funding sources, including a donation from a resident, will likely make it possible to put rubberized surfacing under the entirety of the playground. According to Wilhelmsen doing so would create “maximum safety and maximum accessibility.” Wilhelmsen also explained that it would put the playground in a better spot in terms of changing regulations.

As is customary, the Selectmen ended the meeting with their rants and raves. Raves were given for Dennehy’s work on police contracts, mothers in general following Mother’s Day, and the centuries old town meeting process.

The Plympton School Committee met Monday, April 25. Chair of the Committee Jon Wilhelmsen went over the school’s transfer requests that will be included in a single article during the town meeting. Included among those requests is $13,000 for paving including a pad that will be placed next to the garage building where the dumpsters and the clothing donation bin will sit. A ramp will also be built leading up to the garage. Other items include $38,000 for a new intercom system, $40,000 for new classroom floors, and $27,000 for security upgrades. Even after all the transfers, the school will still be returning approximately $20,000 back to the town.

There was a school choice hearing to determine whether any positions would be opened at the Dennett for school choice. No one opted to speak during the hearing and the Committee voted not to allow school choice. Committee member Jason Fraser cited the historically high enrollment at the Dennett as a reason not to opt into the program. This decision has no bearing on students already enrolled in school choice at the Dennett during previous years. There was, however, some question as to whether students enrolled in school choice that are graduating from the Dennett would be able to continue within Silver Lake at the middle school.

Nutrition Director Megan Ahrenholz said that Kingston resident Ron McAndrews offered to pay off any remaining school lunch debt at the Dennett as well as the other schools in the district. The Committee voted to approve the request.

An update was provided on the new playground at the Dennett. Director of Business Services Christine Healy said she was scheduling a meeting for later in the week with the designer to schedule the rubberized surfacing. “The goal is to have as much of the rubberized surface as possible,” Healy said. She said that several funding sources have become available recently including $83,000 in Chapter 70 funds for enrollment increases. Healy said that they have accounted for everything that they have committed to thus far including the contractor and equipment and still have a remaining $135,000 available, including the Chapter 70 funds, for the surfacing.

Wilhelmsen provided an update on the solar project at the school. He asked for a motion from the Committee to give up their authority over the portion of the Dennett roof that will have solar panels and give it back to the Selectmen during the duration that the panels are on it. The Selectmen have authority over solar in the town. The motion also included the following wording as said by Wilhelmsen, “to vote that the potential lease of portion of said rooftop and the installation of a solar facility on a portion of said rooftop to supply energy needs to the Dennett Elementary School will not interfere with the educational programs being conducted in said building.” The Committee voted to approve the motion.

Fraser provided the legislative update saying, “the House Ways and Means budget came out…they did increase the amount of money that Plympton and Dennett are most likely to see by about another $20,000 mostly as it relates to some charter school mitigation and just how they are addressing the drain on us from charter schools locally.” Fraser also said that the House Ways and Means were including $110 million to go toward a free meal program for students that would begin in September. Currently, the federal program is set to expire though there is a bill at the federal level proposing extending the program through September 2023. Fraser said that the Massachusetts Association of School Committees (MASC) believes it should be a federally subsidized program though he noted they appreciated the State providing the funding.

Dennett Principal Peter Veneto provided an update. He said that CASA sponsored a program called, “traditions of Chinese acrobatics” that he described as “absolutely amazing.” CASA is also donating four new soccer nets to the playground. He also said that high school students came to the Dennett to help the elementary school-aged kids create a tape art mural that Veneto said, “takes up the entire main hallway.” Veneto also said that he spent some time with the Plympton Police Department going over ALICE training. He also said that a new music teacher, Kimberly Crawford is set to begin this week.

Assistant Superintendent Ryan Lynch provided an update on the Plympton Student Opportunity Act Amendment. Lynch described the intent of the legislation as “helping districts in closing achievement gaps… and adjusting Chapter 70 money to aid in that.” He said that the Student Opportunity Act increases did not happen in 2020-2021 but were available for 2021-2022. The goal is to close gaps as seen in MCAS math and ELA achievement with a focus on low-income students, students with disabilities, English learners, and high needs students. One of the ways this will be achieved is through the addition of a coordinator for student support in fy22. This will be in addition to the special education teacher that was added in fy21.

Superintendent Jill Proulx asked the Committee to consider changing the way in which they pay long-term substitutes beginning next school year. “This year it is becoming more and more difficult to find long-term subs,” Proulx said. She also said that long-term substitutes must have a bachelor’s degree and if they are teaching for longer than 90 days they must also be licensed in that subject area. Currently long-term substitutes are paid $95 per day. Proulx said she was hopeful that increasing the pay would make them more competitive in acquiring long term subs. Fraser said that the projections right now indicate a teacher shortage for the next 5 to 10 years. He said he was in favor of the step increase and made a motion to that effect. The Committee voted to approve the increase.

Special Education Director Marie Grable spoke on the Tiered Focus Monitoring Review that focuses on special education as it relates to civil rights. Grable said that 35 of the 36 areas reviewed were found to fall into the implemented category. The only category to fall into the partially implemented category is procedures used to provide services to eligible students enrolled in private school at private expense. Grable said as a result they are required to provide an action plan for correction. An amount of special education funds must be set aside to provide equitable services to these students. There are 4 students from the Silver Lake area attending Sacred Heart and 6 students that are homeschooled. The district must consult with those students’ families and create written and signed affirmation of that consultation.

Wilhelmsen took a moment to formally recognize and thank Amy Hempel for her service on the School Committee as it was the last meeting before elections in May.