State Senator Michael D. Brady issued a message to residents of the 2nd Plymouth and Bristol District to provide an update on recent legislation, policy changes, and to urge the continued use of social distancing practices as the Massachusetts economy begins a graduated reopening.
Starting on May 18th the Commonwealth of Massachusetts began rolling out phase-one of its reopening plan. The initial wave of changes will primarily affect religious institutions as well as the manufacturing and construction industries.
“I want to thank everyone for their patience and understanding as we work to manage this emergency,” said Senator Brady, “ I cannot stress enough how important it is that we diligently maintain social distancing practices as the state begins to reopen.”
Please view the full details here:
https://www.mass.gov/doc/reopening-massachusetts-may-18-2020/download
“I offer my sincerest gratitude to all of our healthcare workers, first responders and essential employees who have played an invaluable role in seeing us through these challenging times. We are working on legislation to protect and aid our heroes.”
The following are some of the bills we’ve passed to assist residents in the wake of the COVID-19 emergency:
• An Act to facilitate the delay of the income tax filing deadline- Takes several steps to facilitate the delay of the state income tax filing deadline to July 15, 2020.
• An Act providing for virtual notarization to address challenges related to COVID-19 Authorizes a notary public to perform an acknowledgment, affirmation or other notarial using electronic video conferencing in real-time.
• An Act providing for a moratorium on evictions and foreclosures during the COVID-19 Emergency Establishes temporary protections for renters and homeowners during the COVID-19 public health emergency.
• An Act to provide liability protections for health care workers and facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic- Exempts health care providers and health care facilities from suit and civil liability for damages allegedly resulting from the providing of health care services during the COVID-19 health emergency.
• An Act to further address challenges faced by municipalities, school districts and state authorities resulting from COVID-19- Amends various provisions related to the management of state and municipal operations in response to the COVID-19 public health emergency.
• An Act to address challenges faced by municipalities and state authorities resulting from COVID-19- Implements various changes to municipal operations, tax collections, the sale of alcoholic beverages and the hiring of public retirees during the COVID-19 state of emergency.
• An Act granting authority to postpone 2020 municipal elections in the commonwealth and increase voting options in response to the declaration of emergency to respond to COVID-19- Authorizes municipalities with an election scheduled to take place before May 30, 2020, to postpone the election to a date on or before June 30, 2020.
• An Act providing additional support to those affected by the novel coronavirus through the unemployment insurance system – Makes urgent changes to the unemployment system to support workers and families affected by COVID-19.
• An Act making appropriations for the fiscal year 2020 to provide for supplementing certain existing appropriations and for certain other activities and projects – Appropriates $15 million to support the Commonwealth’s efforts against the novel coronavirus, including for monitoring, treatment, containment public awareness and prevention efforts by the department of public health, regional and local boards of health, and any other public entities.
Throughout the duration of the crisis, my team and I have been hard at work helping constituents on a one to one basis to deal with the variety of challenges brought on by COVID-19. If you are in the 2nd Plymouth and Bristol District and in need of assistance please do not hesitate to contact us at (617) 722-1200 or at Michael.Brady@MAsenate.gov.
To stay up to date on the latest news from the MA State Senate follow me on Facebook @MikeBradyWorks, on Twitter @Brady_Works, and on the web at senatormikebrady.org.