Consolidated Amendment #C to H.3400

Consolidated Amendment "C" to H3400

Social Services and Veterans

Fiscal Note: $15,439,503

Amendment 66 has been re-categorized to Labor and Economic Development

Amendment 432 has been re-categorized to Labor and Economic Development

Amendment 559 has been re-categorized from Labor and Economic Development

Amendments from Social Services: 53, 63, 67, 71, 72, 122, 186, 191, 194, 196, 198, 219, 237, 238, 309, 364, 371, 394, 401, 420, 422, 446, 456, 484, 566, 568, 582, 603, 607, 612, 615, 616, 629, 632, 634, 638, 661, 673, 695, 705, 706, 711, 796, 809, 831, 848, 859, 860, 871, 894, 907, 911, 916, 970, 976, 1014, 1028

Amendments from Veteran Services and Soldiers Homes: 101, 102, 146, 157, 160, 221, 242, 249, 263, 264, 268, 301, 302, 334, 338, 341, 425, 465, 493, 519, 527, 559, 761, 785, 826, 937, 1011, 1043

Mr. Dempsey of Haverhill and others move to amend the bill in section 2, in item 1410-0010, by adding the following words:- ; provided, that not less than $30,000 shall be expended for the Veteran’s Oral History Project at the Morse Institute Library in Natick; provided further, that not less than $35,000 shall be expended for the Vietnam Veterans of America organization in Massachusetts, to provide assistance for Veterans in filing claims to receive all existing medical and financial benefits that they are entitled to in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts; provided further, that not less than $85,000 shall be expended for the NEADS Assistance Dogs for Veterans program to train assistance dogs for veterans; and provided further, that not less than $50,000 shall be allocated for Heidrea for Heroes;

And move to further amend said item by striking out the figure “$3,222,497” and inserting in place thereof the following figure:- $3,422,497;

And further amend said section 2 by striking out item 1410-0012 and inserting in place thereof the following item:-

1410-0012 For services to veterans, including the maintenance and operation of outreach centers; provided, that the centers shall provide counseling to incarcerated veterans and to Vietnam era veterans who may have been exposed to agent orange and the families of such veterans; provided further, that not less than $200,000 shall be allocated for Nathan Hale Outreach Centers; provided further, that not less than $10,000 shall be expended to the New Patriots Veterans Outreach Center, Inc. in the city of Fitchburg for the purpose of updating the Center to be more handicap accessible; provided further, that not less than $50,000 shall be allocated to New England Veterans Liberty House; provided further, that that not less than $100,000 shall be expended for the Springfield Partners for Community Action's Veterans First Program to provide comprehensive outreach services to Veterans in Hampden County; provided further, that not less than $50,000 shall be expended for the Cape and Islands Veterans Outreach Center for the purpose of the Grace Veterans Program; and provided further, that centers shall provide services to veterans who were discharged after September 11, 2001 and the families of such veterans $3,283,641;

And further amend said section 2, in item 1410-0075, by striking out the words “Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology, Inc.” and inserting in place thereof the following words:- William James College, Graduate Education in Psychology;

And move to further amend said item by striking out the figure “$125,000” and inserting in place thereof the following figure:- $250,000;

And move to further amend said section 2, in item 1410-0250, by adding the following words:- ; provided, that not less than $30,000 shall be expended for transitional services at Our Neighbor’s Table in Amesbury;

And move to further amend said item by striking out the figure “$2,821,629” and inserting in place thereof the following figure:- $2,851,629;

And move to further amend said section 2, in item 1410-1616, by adding the following words:- ; provided, that not less than $50,000 shall be expended for maintenance and rehabilitation of the Massachusetts Vietnam Veterans Memorial located in the city of Worcester; provided further, that not less than $30,000 shall be expended for the Citizen Soldiers Monument in the town of Spencer; provided further, that not less than $25,000 shall be expended for a Civil War monument in the town of Barre; and provided further that not less than $10,000 shall be expended for maintenance services for the Korean War Memorial located in the Charlestown Navy Yard;

And move to further amend said item by striking out the figure “$100,000” and inserting in place thereof the following figure:- $215,000;

And move to further amend said section 2, in item 4401-1000, by inserting after the words “termination of their benefits;” the following:- ; provided further, that not less than $3,447,571 shall be expended for the young parents program; provided further, that not less than $2,000,000 shall be expended for the competitive integrated employment services program; provided further, that not less than $10,000 shall be expended for Family Services of the Merrimack Valley toward developing an outreach program to help locate and engage at-risk youths who are vulnerable to commercial sexual exploitation; provided further, that not less than $794,000 shall be expended for contracts entered into with the Massachusetts Office of Refugees and Immigrants with whom the department of transitional assistance entered into service agreements within fiscal year 2015;

And further amend said item by striking out the figure “$5,000,000” and inserting in place thereof the following figure:- $11,251,571;

And move to further 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 rent allowance shall be paid to all households incurring a rent or mortgage expense and not residing in public housing or subsidized housing; provided further, that a non-recurring children's clothing allowance of $150 shall be provided to each child eligible under these programs in September 2015;

And further amend said item by striking out the figure “$222,203,232” and inserting in place thereof the following figure:- $228,203,232;

And move to further amend said section 2, in item 4800-0038, by inserting after the words “fire setter programs” the following:- ; provided further, that not less than $25,000 shall be expended for Rick’s Place of Wilbraham to provide counseling services for youth who have experienced the death of a parent in the Pioneer Valley; provided further, that not less than $25,000 shall be expended for a feasibility study for the construction of a youth center and pertinent resources and community outreach in the city of Methuen; provided further, that not less than $25,000 shall be expended for Groundwork Lawrence for its youth summer jobs program; provided further, that not less than $50,000 shall be expended for 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 not less than $25,000 shall be expended for the planned learning achievement for youth program in Amherst, in collaboration with the department of elementary and secondary education, through an interagency service agreement; provided further, that not less than $75,000 shall be expended for the operation of the Catholic Charities Labouré Center and its Recovery Connections program; provided further, that not less than $100,000 shall be expended for the Fragile Beginnings program; provided further, that funds may be expended on programs that received funding in fiscal year 2015; provided further, that an amount not less than fiscal year 2015 shall be expended on children’s advocacy centers; provided further, that not less than $200,000 shall be expended for the Children’s Advocacy Center of Bristol County; and provided further, that not less than $50,000 shall be expended on the Plymouth County Children’s Advocacy Center;

And further amend said item by striking out the figure “$277,494,460” and inserting in place thereof the following figure:- $277,894,460;

And move further amend said section 2, in item 4800-0040, by inserting after the words “provided by the department” the following: ; provided further, that not less than $100,000 shall be expended for Square One Daycare, Inc. in Springfield;;

And further amend said item by striking out the figure “$44,610,551” and inserting in place thereof the following figure:- $44,710,551;

And further amend said section 2, in item 4800-1100, by striking out the figure “$201,511,365” and inserting in place thereof the following figure:- $201,819,297;

And further amend said section 2, in item 4800-1400, by inserting after the words “maintaining permanent housing” the following:- ; provided further, that not less than $150,000 shall be expended for the operation of the Portal to Hope servicing Everett, Malden, and Medford;

And further amend said item by striking out the figure “$24,448,905” and inserting in place thereof the following figure:- $26,148,905;

And further amend the bill by inserting after section 49, the following section:-

SECTION 49A: Chapter 233 of the General Laws is hereby amended by inserting after section 20M the following section:-

Section 20N. (a) No court shall permit or require, and no social worker employed by the department of children and families, or any other witness shall be required, to disclose such social workers home address or home telephone number in any court proceeding or in any proceeding preliminary thereto or in any documents filed with the court, except as otherwise ordered by the court; provided, that said order of the court includes conditions to limit the disclosure of such address or phone number so as to protect the privacy and safety of the social worker.

(b) Service of process, summons or subpoena upon a department of children and families social worker in any court proceeding and in any proceeding preliminary thereto, shall be made upon the agency employing such social worker and in accordance with the Massachusetts Rules of Civil or Criminal Procedure governing any service of process. For the purpose of such service the employing agency, upon request, shall certify to the summoning party the name and work address of any such social worker as disclosed by its records, and service upon parties at a work address so certified shall be sufficient.

And further amend the bill after section 68, by inserting the following section:-

SECTION 68A. The department of transitional assistance, in collaboration with the executive office of health and human services, shall provide a report on current fraud detection measures within the agency and department to reduce fraud in public assistance benefit programs and to study the feasibility of implementing a biometric authentication system. The report shall include, but not be limited to, the cost savings that would result from the elimination of duplicate assistance fraud in public assistance programs and the feasibility of using biometric technology to create a reliable system of identification. The report, along with any legislative recommendations, shall be filed with the clerks of the house of representatives and the senate within 90 days of the passage of this act.