Amendment #22 to H4278
A special commission relative to gun violence and the reduction of poverty in the Commonwealth
Mr. Conroy of Wayland moves to amend the bill by adding the following item and section:
4000-0010 For the operation of the commission created in section xx of this act to support the research and publication of a report on (a) the root causes of gun violence and poverty in the commonwealth, (b) related solutions to reduce gun violence and poverty, and (c) the cost savings for the commonwealth in reducing gun violence and poverty………………………………………………..$100,000
SECTION XX. (a) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, there shall be a special commission to investigate and study how gun violence and poverty in the commonwealth can be reduced by 10 per cent in the next 5 years and 20 per cent in the next 10 years by engaging the public, private and non-profit sectors drawn from all regions of the commonwealth and representing rural, urban and suburban populations.
(b) The investigation and study shall include, but not be limited to: (1) appropriate measures of poverty; (2) the root causes of poverty; (3) analysis of income inequality in the commonwealth, in particular examining the number of people and families in the commonwealth living below 200 per cent of the federal poverty level and the socio-economic challenges they face, while also calculating the number of people and families living at multiples above and below the federal poverty level; (4) violence in urban areas, particularly gun violence, and its effect on youth, commercial activity, and job opportunities in the community; (5) the number and types of existing jobs and the economically competitive strengths of the commonwealth; (6) obstacles to job opportunities for the poor, including the ability to obtain adequate childcare; (7) barriers to education from pre-school through college and recommendations to remove barriers and increase education levels; (8) recent examples and categories of successful paths out of poverty for youth, families and neighborhoods; (9) successful approaches and innovative system change efforts to reduce poverty and violence within the commonwealth and throughout North America; and (10) recommended action by the public, private and non-profit sectors to achieve the poverty reduction goals stated above. The commission shall also produce data and estimates and shall conduct analysis on the potential long-term municipal and state government savings that would result from effective gun violence and poverty reduction efforts throughout the commonwealth as the number of people in need of government safety-net spending is reduced. The commission shall establish a methodology for calculating annually relevant and appropriate metrics of poverty in the commonwealth.
(c) The commission shall consist of the following members: the governor, who shall serve as chair; the secretary of public safety and security, or a designee; the secretary of administration and finance, or a designee; the secretary of housing and economic development, or a designee; the secretary of health and human services, or a designee; 1 appointee to be chosen by the speaker of the house of representatives; 1 appointee to be chosen by the minority leader of the house of representatives; 1 appointee to be chosen by the president of the senate; 1 appointee to be chosen by the minority leader of the senate; 1 appointee to be chosen by the Massachusetts Mayors’ Association; 1 appointee to be chosen by the chair from a chamber of commerce in the commonwealth; 1 appointee to be chosen by the Associated Industries of Massachusetts, Inc.; 1 appointee to be chosen by the Retailers Association of Massachusetts, Inc.; 1 appointee to be chosen by the Massachusetts Non-Profit Network, Inc.; 1 appointee to be chosen by the Massachusetts Association for Community Action; 1 appointee to be chosen by the chair from a non-profit organization assisting low-income individuals and families; 1 appointee to be chosen by the Massachusetts AFL-CIO; 1 appointee to be chosen by the Gun Owners Action League; 1 appointee to be chosen by the Massachusetts Coalition to Prevent Gun Violence; and 1 appointee to be chosen from the Massachusetts Workforce Investment Board. The commission shall be staffed by a social impact consulting firm or a Massachusetts based philanthropic foundation through a procurement managed by the secretary of administration and finance.
(d) The commission shall report its findings to the general court, along with draft legislation necessary to carry its recommendations into effect, by filing the report on or before January 1, 2015 with the clerks of the house of representatives and the senate, the house and senate chairs of the joint committee on children, families and persons with disabilities, the house and senate chairs of the joint committee on labor and workforce development, the house and senate chairs of the joint committee on economic development and emerging technologies, the house and senate chairs of the public safety and homeland security committee, and the chairs of the house and senate committees on ways and means.