Consolidated Amendment #D to H.4000

Consolidated Amendment "D" to H4000

Social Services and Veterans

Fiscal Note: $18,039,954

Amendment 407 has been re-categorized to Labor and Economic Development

Amendment 559 has been re-categorized to Public Health

Amendments from Social Services: 3, 4, 7, 15, 19, 35, 42, 160, 166, 173, 198, 200, 204, 262, 307, 394, 421, 426, 432, 495, 514, 609, 621, 650, 680, 696, 701, 722, 727, 735, 737, 744, 751, 764, 766, 785, 789, 803, 809, 819, 821, 823, 825, 856, 869, 879, 889, 894, 898, 912, 939, 956, 970, 973, 986, 988, 1004, 1008, 1023, 1025, 1069, 1108, 1131, 1171

Amendments from Veterans’ Services: 57, 58, 102, 223, 286, 330, 340, 363, 483, 568, 585, 653, 665, 676, 685, 706, 765, 843, 870, 885, 942, 1033, 1034, 1058, 1111, 1114

Mr. Dempsey of Haverhill and others move to amend H.4000 in section 2, in item 1410-0010, by inserting after the words “department of veterans’ services” the following words:- ; provided further, that not less than $30,000 shall be expended for the Veterans’ Oral History Project at the Morse Institute Library in Natick; provided further, that not less than $25,000 shall be expended for the ongoing maintenance and rehabilitation of the Vietnamese Veterans Memorial in the city of Worcester; provided further, that not less than $25,000 shall be expended for the Veterans’ Memorial Park located in the Roxbury section of the city of Boston; provided further, that not less than $90,000 shall be expended for support services for a transitional housing program for homeless veterans located in Chelsea, Massachusetts; provided further, that not less than $85,000 shall be expended to train three assistance dogs for male or female veterans; and provided further, that not less than $100,000 shall be expended for Honor Flight New England; and further move to amend said item by striking out the figure “$2,571,269” and inserting in place thereof the following figure:- $2,926,269;

And further move to amend said section 2, in item 1410-0012, by inserting after the words “orange and the families of such veterans” the following words:- ; provided further, that not less than $300,000 shall be expended for the Springfield Partners for Community Action’s Veterans First Program, to provide comprehensive outreach services to Veterans in the four Western Massachusetts counties of Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden, and Hampshire; provided further, that not less than $100,000 shall be expended for Soldier On for the purpose of providing services to homeless veterans in Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire County; provided further, that not less than $75,000 shall be expended for Martha’s Vineyard Community Services; provided further, that $50,000 shall be allocated to New England Veterans Liberty House; and further move to amend said item by striking out the figure “$2,383,809” and inserting in place thereof the following figure:- $2,908,809;

And further move to amend said section 2, in item 1410-0250, by inserting after the words “veterans’ homelessness services” the following words:- ; provided further, that not less than $220,000 shall be obligated for a contract with the Soldier On shelter located in the town of Leeds; and provided further, that the Turner House Living Center for Veterans shall receive not less than the amount received in fiscal year 2014; and further move to amend said item by striking out the figure “$2,668,218” and inserting in place thereof the following figure:-$2,888,218;

And further move to amend said section 2, in item 1410-0251, by inserting after the words “city of Boston” the following words:- ; provided further, that not less than $200,000 shall be expended for an elevator providing safe access for the Women Veterans’ living quarters; and further move to amend said item by striking out the figure “$2,392,470” and inserting in place thereof the following figure:- $2,592,470;

And further move to amend said section 2, in item 4401-1000, by inserting after the words “termination of their benefits” the following words:- ; provided further, that not less than $3,000,000 shall be expended for the young parents GED program; provided further, that not less than $2,000,000 shall be expended for the competitive integrated employment services program; and further move to amend said item by striking out the figure “$5,000,000” and inserting in place thereof the following figure:- $10,000,000;

And further move to amend said section 2, in item 4403-2000, by inserting after the words “chapter 5 or any successor law” the following words: ; provided further, that a $40 per month rental allowance shall be paid to all households incurring a rent or mortgage expense and not residing in public or subsidized housing; and further move to amend said item by striking out the figure “$251,650,190” and inserting in place thereof the following figure:- $255,650,190;

And further move to amend said section 2, in item 4800-0015, by inserting after the words “recommended by the state auditor” the following words:- ; provided further, that the department shall report to the house and senate committees on ways and means and the joint committee on children, families and persons with disabilities on December 31, 2014 and March 31, 2015 on: (i) the fair hearing requests filed in fiscal year 2015, stating for each hearing request using non-identifying information: (a) the subject matter of the appeal; (b) the number of days between the hearing request and the first day of the hearing; (c) the number of days between the first day of the hearing and the hearing officer’s decision; (d) the number of days between the hearing officer’s decision and the agency’s final decision ; (e) the number of days of continuance granted at the appellant’s request; (f) the number of days of continuance granted at the request of the department of children and families or the hearing officer’s request, specifying which; and (g) whether the departmental decision that was the subject of the appeal was affirmed or reversed; and (ii) the fair hearing requests filed prior to fiscal year 2015 which are pending for more than 180 days, stating the number of such cases, how many of such cases have been heard but not decided and how many have been decided by the hearing officer but not yet issued as a final agency decision;

And further move to amend said section 2, in item 4800-0015, by inserting after the words “department’s social workers” the following words:- , for each area office, (a) the number of kinship guardianship subsidies provided in the quarters covered by the report and the number of kinship guardianship subsidies provided in that quarter for which federal reimbursement was received; (b) the total spending on services other than case management services provided to families for the purposes of keeping a child with the child’s parents or reunifying the child with the child’s parents, spending by type of service and the unduplicated number of families that receive the services; (c) the total number of families residing in shelters paid for by the department, the total cost and average cost per family of those shelters and a description of how the department determines who does or does not qualify for shelter; (d) the number of requests for voluntary services broken down by type of service requested, whether the request was approved or denied, the number of families that are denied voluntary services and receive a 51A report, the reasons for denying the service and what, if any, referrals were made for services by other agencies or entities;

And further move to amend said section 2, in item 4800-0038, by inserting after the words “fire setter programs” the following words:- ; provided further, that not less than $25,000 shall be expended for the planned learning achievement program for youth in Amherst, in collaboration with the department of elementary and secondary education, through an interagency service agreement; provided further, that not less than $50,000 shall be expended to the Weymouth teen center to provide job skills training, remedial education services, and to promote a social service program promoting growth and social welfare; provided further, that funds may be expended on programs that received funding in fiscal year 2014; provided further, that the department may contract with provider agencies for the coordination and management of services, including flex services; provided further, that funding shall be expended on children’s advocacy centers and services for child victims of sexual abuse and assault; provided further, that not less than $250,000 shall be expended for the Children’s Advocacy Center of Bristol County; provided further, that not less than $100,000 shall be expended for the Plymouth County Children’s Advocacy Center; provided further, that not less than $140,000 shall be expended for the Children’s Cove Cape and Islands Child Advocacy Center; provided further, that not less than $75,000 shall be allotted for the operation of the Catholic Charities Labouré Center and its Recovery Connections program; and provided further, that not less than $100,000 shall be expended for the Fragile Beginnings program; and further move to amend said item by striking out the figure “$265,398,907” and inserting in place thereof the figure:- $266,631,316;

And further move to amend said section 2, in item 4800-1100, by striking out the figure “$180,351,997” and inserting in place thereof the following figure:- $185,351,997;

And further move to amend said section 2, in item 4800-1400, by inserting after the words “abusing battered women” the following words:- ; provided further, that $150,000 shall be expended for the operation of the Portal to Hope servicing Everett, Malden, and Medford; and further move to amend said item by striking out the figure “$21,841,360” and inserting in place thereof the following figure:- $23,348,905.