紐英倫客家鄉親會慶祝天穿日 歡聲笑語、美食滿桌

紐英倫客家鄉親會理事們和嘉賓同慶天穿日。 (周菊子攝)

        (Boston Orange 周菊子麻州報導)睽違三年後，紐英倫客家鄉親會2月12日晚在大波士頓中華文化協會的牛頓市會址，實體聚會，慶祝「天穿日」。約50名協會理事、配偶及嘉賓，歡聚一堂，開懷暢敘，紛紛笑說終於又見面了。

紐英倫客家鄉親會會長謝如鍵(左起)歡迎波士頓經文處處長孫儉元、波士頓僑務委員
郭競儒，波士頓僑教中心主任潘昭榮，以及孫處長的母親達黔英參加天穿日慶祝。
(周菊子攝)

             紐英倫客家鄉親會會長謝如鍵指出，照客家人的習俗，農曆新年要從12月25日一直慶祝到正月20日，但是為了配合鄉親們的時間，選在2月12日這天慶祝天穿日，邀鄉親齊聚一堂，享用大家親手烹製，外面吃不到的客家古早味菜餚。現任美洲臺灣客家聯合總會總會長的該會前會長宋玉琴，也特地準備了「樟之細路」，「浪漫台三線介紹」，「台灣客家美食」，「客家米食文化」，「書珊的傳統婚禮」等多部影片，讓人進一步認識客家文化。

紐英倫客家鄉親會會長謝如鍵(右) 拿出紅包抽獎。 (周菊子攝)

             當晚應邀出席的嘉賓有波士頓經文處處長孫儉元、僑教中心主任潘昭榮，僑務委員郭競儒，以及僑務諮詢委員蔣宗壬、史美芳夫婦等人。抽獎的獎品也很多，包括獲邀但未能出席的前任波士頓僑務委員陳家驊的2瓶紅酒，客家之友蔡坤喜醫師和前會長宋玉琴各2個紅包，現任會長謝如鍵也捐出5個紅包，。

前任客家鄉親會會長周一男、余國豪等客家鄉親取用佳餚。 (周菊子攝)

             孫儉元處長還記得去年是各人拿一個客家菜便當，在線上慶祝。這天能夠見面，他非常高興。他祝客家鄉親們兔年安康，心想事成。潘昭榮主任則代表僑委會新任委員長徐佳青，以及僑教中心同仁祝鄉親們兔年鴻圖大展。

             由於當晚的司儀陳裕逢在主持節目時一路插科打諢，在會長及嘉賓致詞時問紅包準備得夠不夠，提醒不要講太長，說總會長得有特別介紹等，惹得鄉親們頻頻爆笑，鼓掌，會場氣氛十分熱絡。

陳玉瑛、王豫靈、曾秀梅等客家鄉親面f前擺著一桌佳餚。 (周菊子攝)

             美洲臺灣客家聯合總會總會長宋玉琴在會中報告，以往客家聯合會每2年舉辦一次懇親大會，但2018年起，礙於經費，沒再繼續。今年他們希望以旅遊的方式，邀鄉親相聚、交流。目前預訂2個旅遊方案，1個是大約九月出發的日本九州9日遊，一個是在世界客家博覽會期間的八天七夜台灣環島遊。

             客家鄉親慶祝天穿日的一大重點是享用客家美食，12日這晚出席鄉親們各顯身手，從許炳煌和曾秀梅做的麻糬，陳裕逢的擂茶、滷筍干，鄭雪卿的艾草糕，鄭玉春的油飯，林岱的三層糕，畢儒宗的紅豆年糕，滿滿的一桌美食，吃得人食指大動。波士頓僑務委員郭競儒更是在會後好奇探問，這些客家菜那麼好吃，是不是該催促鄉親們開客家菜餐廳。 (僑務電子報: 紐英倫客家鄉親會同慶天穿日 客家美食飄香歡聲滿堂|北美洲 | 僑務電子報 (ocacnews.net)

左起，客家鄉親鄭雪卿、曾政明、曾建泉，陳裕逢、鄭玉春，張小慧圍桌歡聚。

左起，林紀澤，黃淑英，劉悅慧，徐滿嬌，劉秀春，後排左起曾泰明，陳裕逢。

陳玉瑛(左)和邱西薔為抽獎做準備。

美洲臺灣客家聯合總會總會長宋玉琴把紅包發給抽獎得主余媚鳳。

美洲臺灣客家聯合總會總會長宋玉琴和她先生賴嘉章一起調整放映機，準備播放
客家文化影片。

畢儒宗(左)從紐英倫客家鄉親會會長謝如鍵(右) 手中拿到抽獎品，紅酒一瓶。

黃怡菁(左)從紐英倫客家鄉親會會長謝如鍵(右) 手中拿到紅包一個。

波士頓歌劇院 3/22-26 推出"藍鳥的堡壘"和:四首歌"混合劇

BLENDING BARTÓK’S “BLUEBEARD’S CASTLE” WITH ALMA MAHLER’S “FOUR SONGS” AT A SOUTH BOSTON CRUISE TERMINAL

Anne Bogart directs Bartók’s one-act opera with Alma Mahler’s romantic songs.

BLO Music Director David Angus conducts.

Ryan McKinny and Naomi Louisa O’Connell star as Bluebeard and Judith.

Performances March 22-26 with an intimate audience experience installed

inside the Flynn Cruiseport Boston.

BOSTON – February 14, 2023 – A brand-new production that blends Bela Bartók’s 1918 one-act opera Bluebeard’s Castle with 1915’s Four Songs (Vier Lieder) by his contemporary Alma Maria Schindler-Mahler – and immerses audiences in a multi-room installation including a pre-show musical salon – arrives at the Flynn Cruiseport Boston for four performances March 22-26. The experience is led by legendary stage director Anne Bogart, who wowed audiences in 2019 with BLO’s production of Poul Ruders’ The Handmaid’s Tale.

The production of Bluebeard’s Castle/Four Songs stars American bass-baritone Ryan McKinny (far l.) as Bluebeard and Irish mezzo-soprano Naomi Louisa-O’Connell (l.) as Judith.

Bluebeard’s Castle (Béla Balázs, librettist) tells a twisted folktale of the fictional Duke Bluebeard who brings his hastily wed wife Judith to visit his foreboding fortress of a home for the first time. In exploring the castle and her new relationship, Judith begins to realize she faces the same desperate fate that befell Bluebeard’s previous wives. Much has been made of whether Bartók, Baläzs and the source material intended the castle’s rooms of atrocities as literal or figurative. Either way, the opera explores the depths of an intense emotional and psychological relationship.

Four Songs is one of three song cycles Mahler wrote before her marriage to Gustav Mahler. The songs, “Licht in der Nacht,”
“Waldseligkeit,” “Ansturm” and “Erntelied” ponder love both turbulent and passionate, and the healing beauty of nature. Mahler’s composing career was quashed in deference to her husband’s wishes; only 17 of her more than four dozen compositions survive. 

“When I began thinking about how to approach Bluebeard,” Bogart says, “I realized Bartók’s music is extraordinary – dark and labyrinthine – some of the most dynamic, powerful music you will hear. But it clearly needed a companion piece – written by a woman. We are dealing with the stark differences between the male and female experiences inherent in Bartók’s work.” 

Bogart says blending the two distinctly different works counterbalances Bartók’s “excitingly dynamic, powerful and very male” music with Mahler’s lighter, more humanistic songs. Bringing female-composed music into the production adds depth to the character of Judith, Bogart says, “giving her an agency not otherwise shown in the story.” 

BLO Music Director David Angus, who conducts the performances, found a recently revised orchestration for Bartók’s opera created in 2020 by German conductor Eberhard Kloke; it makes its New England premiere with this production. Angus says this chamber orchestration retains the music’s power and allows for a more intimate experience into the psychological world that Bogart is creating. The settings for Mahler’s songs are re-orchestrated by contemporary arranger Julian Reynolds for a chamber orchestra; Angus describes them as “delicate and beautiful” and says “they deserve to have a much wider audience.” 

THE EXPERIENCE

The production itself takes the audience on a journey, starting at the street level from which huge escalators transport them up into the massive Cruiseport building. Once inside, audiences enter a curtained corridor leading to a cabaret/salon reminiscent of those Alma Mahler might have hosted as a leading New York City socialite. A pianist (Yukiko Oba) plays music by women composers including Amy Beach, Margaret Bonds, Lili Boulanger, Florence Price and Clara Schumann (a Spotify playlist is here). Audiences then move to a performance space where O’Connell as Judith opens the performance singing two of Mahler’s lieder. 

“Bluebeard’s Castle/Four Songs illustrates a production and programming philosophy that has, for more than a dozen years, shaped the identity of Boston Lyric Opera,” says Stanford Calderwood General Director & CEO Bradley Vernatter. “These site-specific installations – Pagliacci in a North End ice rink, or Anne Bogart’s The Handmaid’s Tale at the Harvard basketball stadium – have yielded some of BLO’s most rewarding artistic triumphs,” Vernatter says. “I’m so happy this production allows us  to work again with the brilliant Anne Bogart, who knows well how to create a beautiful production and a memorable experience for audiences.” 

The artistic team for Bluebeard’s Castle/Four Songs includes set designer Sara Brown (most recently for BLO, designed Fellow Travelers, 2019), costume designer Trevor Bowen (Champion, 2022), lighting designer Brian H. Scott, Boston-based movement director Victoria L. Awkward (Romeo & Juliet, 2022) and intimacy director Angie Jepson. For more information on the artistic team, click here. 

TICKETS

Tickets to Bluebeard’s Castle/Four Songs start at $25 and are available through BLO Audience Services online at blo.org, by phone at 617.542.6772, or via email at boxoffice@blo.org.

ABOUT BOSTON LYRIC OPERA

Now in its 46th Season, Boston Lyric Opera’s programming remains faithful to tradition while blazing new ground, building audiences, and creating new ways to enhance the opera-going experience. Since its founding in 1976,  Boston Lyric Opera continues to celebrate the art of the voice through innovative productions and public programming. BLO has produced world and U.S. premieres, commissions, and co-productions of note, ranging from live stage productions to films streamed worldwide on its platform, operabox.tv.

辦講座，發蔬果，募捐款 波士頓慈濟積極深入社區服務

波士頓耆英居家護理護士林玉梅 (右)在翻譯志工協助下為耆英講談心造健康。 (周菊子攝)

        (Boston Orange 周菊子麻州綜合報導) 慈濟基金會波士頓聯絡處自從在波士頓華埠增設服務處之後，積極為華人社區服務，不但掃街、募款、發放蔬果，還在爭取到波士頓市政府的Homebuddy計畫補助款後，和波士頓耆英居家護理 (Boston Senior Home Care) 合作，在Kenmore廣場的Abbey大樓，舉辦系列醫療講座。

會場。

2月10日這天，波士頓慈濟人醫組負責人鄧淑芳和組內慈濟人童斐君安排了一場「心臟健康」講座，請來在澳洲第一個做開心手術的雪梨Adventist醫院受訓，曾在波士頓的Spaulding等大醫院工作過25年，持有護士資格，目前在波士頓耆英居家護理為耆英服務的林玉梅以心臟為主題，講解血液流通，心臟疾病，高血壓基本知識，為什麼鹽有關係等，教老人家如何保持心臟健康，避免心臟病。

波士頓耆英居家護理租戶資源輔導員Kristen Rogers和翻譯志工，波士頓慈濟
的童斐君，講者林玉梅。 (周菊子攝)

2月11日這天，波士頓慈濟蔬果發放組的曲洋、林碧華、黃湘霏、李豐等人在華人經濟發展協會大樓的5樓，辦理蔬果發放。十幾、廿名志工，從事前和登記領取蔬果者溝通，向長興豆腐，瓜菜公司採購青剛菜，茄子，橘子等各色蔬果，到安排動線，滿臉笑容地迎接領蔬果民眾，臨別還送上一片小餅乾，讓逾百名領取蔬果民眾滿心歡喜。

會場。

也是2月11日這天，波士頓慈濟的金花師姊等慈濟人，還實踐慈濟「入人群」志業，在波士頓華埠內沿街拜訪商家，為土耳其地震災民募款，也勸請商家擺放慈濟募款箱。金花師姊透露，在他們連續多次沿街拜訪後，華埠商家逐漸熟悉慈濟，不少商家見到他們，馬上就從收銀台抽出現鈔捐款，還熱情招呼，讓人非常感動。

波士頓慈濟在麻州牛頓市自置會址後，亟思擴大服務，商得華經會以較廉宜價格承租場地後，就更積極的在波士頓華埠舉辦講座，掃街，發放蔬果，入人群等各種活動。

金花師姊 (右一)和慈濟志工發放蔬果後，開檢討會。 (波士頓慈濟提供)

                      波士頓慈濟負責人長金滿表示，慈濟志業包括急難救助，人文，醫療、教育，慈善等，他們希望藉著奉獻、服務，讓世界更美好，歡迎有需要的人和他們聯繫。  (部分內容轉載自僑務電子報:  

青剛菜，茄子等蔬菜，堆在蔬果發放現場。

  

慈濟師姐們在華埠牌樓前集合，再出發沿街拜訪華埠商家。(波士頓慈濟提供)

   

PowerCorpsBOS 和洛士百利社區學院合作建立跨入樓宇營運行業管道

MAYOR WU ANNOUNCES NEW POWERCORPSBOS CAREER PATHWAY IN BUILDING OPERATIONS The City partners with Roxbury Community College and A Better City to further support workforce training to bolster a pipeline to local green jobs

 

BOSTON - Monday, February 13, 2023 - Today, PowerCorpsBOS joined A Better City and Roxbury Community College (RCC) for an orientation event to receive an overview of the newest PowerCorps building operations career pathway, skills to support the transition to energy efficiency and carbon reduction in Boston buildings. This program is a partnership between PowerCorpsBOS, Roxbury Community College’s Center for Smart BuildingTechnology and A Better City (ABC). Program participants will study at RCC’s Center for Smart Building Technology and receive in-service learning opportunities within large buildings coordinated by A Better City.   “Creating career pathways through skills and job training is essential to growing our green workforce, especially as we work to transition more buildings to renewable, efficient energy,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “I’m grateful to our partners for working with us and the students participating for their commitment to helping lay the foundation for a clean, green future.”  PowerCorpsBos works to train residents for green jobs after program completion, while focusing on career pathways into jobs that work to mitigate climate change to protect the environment. The first PowerCorps cohort graduated in December. All of the 21 program graduates either have a new green job or are enrolled in additional training. An ‘earn and learn’ program, PowerCorpsBos pays members to participate in hands-on training and provides them with career readiness support, and connections to employers in the green industry. PowerCorpsBOS is a partnership that is led by the Worker Empowerment Cabinet and the Environment Department, in collaboration with Community Safety, Office of Youth Employment and Opportunity, and Boston Centers for Youth & Families. The goals of PowerCorpsBOS are to promote workforce development for young people in growing industries while supporting environmental stewardship.   “The core mission of PowerCorpsBos is to create pathways to earn a livable wage while also helping to care for the environment,” said Davo Jefferson, Executive Director of PowerCorpsBos. “We are grateful to partner with RCC and ABC to ensure PowerCorps graduates are able to move directly into careers in the green building industry.”   “In Boston, 70 percent of our greenhouse gas emissions come from the building sector,” said Reverend Mariama White-Hammond, Chief of Environment, Energy and Open Space. “By creating a building operations career pathway through PowerCorps, these graduates are preparing for high quality careers which will support our carbon neutrality goals.”  “Congratulations to PowerCorpsBOS for creating this innovative partnership with Roxbury Community College and A Better City,” said Trinh Nguyen, Chief of Worker Empowerment. “Expanding opportunities for sustainable jobs at living wages is part of the City and Worker Empowerment’s mission and we look forward to facilitating this new pathway.”  The building operations pathway is training for jobs that reduce greenhouse gas emissions in large buildings by teaching participants skills to maintain building operations at peak efficiency. The curriculum is being offered by RCC’s Center for Smart Building Technology in their state of the art lab and includes topics ranging from conducting energy audits to maintaining electrical, HVAC and plumbing systems. Participants will learn on the job with the goal of transitioning to an employee at the end of the six month training program.  A Better City has supported this partnership by working with member businesses and institutions to establish in-service learning opportunities in Boston-based large buildings. Participating organizations include the City of Boston, Beacon Capital Partners and their building operator partner, NEWMARK, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, C&W Services, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, JLL, and MassGeneral Hospital. A Better City's work has been made possible by support from the Linde Family Foundation and the Barr Foundation.  The inaugural PowerCorps cohort were trained in urban forestry. The 21 graduates assisted 87 acres of public land, removed 284 bags of invasive material, worked with 18 service project partners, planted 61 trees, underwent 16 hours of tree climbing training, earned three college credits from UMass Mount Ida in Arboriculture, talked to 68 employees in private to public industry, worked with four different City departments, pruned 32 trees, attended International Society of Arboriculture New England chapter conference, participated in 12 hours of mock interviews, and completed 16 hours of financial literacy courses. Graduates worked with Boston Housing Authority and UMass Mount Ida Campus to learn skills like tree protection, including pruning, felling, limbing, and bucking.   The City of Boston’s green jobs program is inspired by the Philadelphia PowerCorpsPHL model that builds opportunities for young people by tackling pressing environmental challenges and developing the skills required to secure meaningful work. The priority of PowerCorpsBOS is to create equitable and inclusive workforce pipelines into green jobs for historically marginalized young people. Priority populations include returning citizens, court-involved residents, youth who have experienced homelessness or housing instability, and young people who have been in foster care. In Boston, the program is designed with “earn and learn” practices to ensure that members enter and succeed in career green job pathways. Members go through specifically tailored phases, in a field of their choosing, that embed service and equity, as well as direct connections to job openings. The program also offers connections to continuing education opportunities, including through the City’s Tuition Free Community College program. Not only current PowerCorps members, but also their families and alumni who are Boston residents, are eligible for TFCC.  "This partnership is not only a wonderful opportunity but essential to diversify the industry and create economic self-sufficiency for our community members,” said RCC Interim President Jackie Jenkins-Scott. “RCC is proud to offer both workforce and degree programs in Smart Building Technology, ensuring Boston residents are leaders in this growing field.”   "Public private partnerships are a vital strategy for building a green and growing city for everyone,” said Yve Torrie, Director of Climate, Energy & Resilience at A Better City. “This PowerCorpsBOS partnership is poised to enhance our City’s economic health and competitiveness, while promoting equitable growth for the in-demand jobs of today and tomorrow. We are immensely grateful to the City of Boston for their vision, to RCC for their curriculum expertise, and to the participating A Better City member companies and institutions for stepping up to provide real-world training and employment opportunities.”   “We are thrilled to support the City of Boston’s program to build and train a workforce that will run the energy efficient buildings of the future,” said Jim Tierney, JLL New England Market Director and A Better City Board Chair. “A Better City member companies are providing state-of-the-art buildings as a training opportunity for hands-on experience in building operations. These buildings showcase the latest in technology and sustainability preparing trainees for the jobs of the future.”

波士頓黃氏宗親會慶兔年新春 中領館副總領事李仕鵬籲支持祖國和平統一

波士頓黃氏宗親會兔年春宴合影。瑞獅後的嘉賓及主人家，右起依序為紐英崙伍胥山公所伍輝民，波士頓黃氏宗親會主席黃偉健，麻州參議員Nick Collins，波士頓市議會議長Ed Flynn，麻州眾議員麥家威 (Aaron Michlewitz)，中領館副總領事李仕鵬，領事陳曲鋒，黃氏元老黃國威，伍胥山公所
總長伍煥華，全美黃氏總長黃耀明，伍氏元老伍伯和等人。 (周菊子攝)

右起，黃瑞瑜、黃周麗桃、波士頓市議會議長夫人，黃展唐，波士頓市議會議長Ed Flynn，
中領館副總領事李仕鵬，黃氏主席黃偉健，黃光沐，中領館領事陳曲鋒，麻州眾議員
Aaron Michlewitz，麻州參議員Nick Collins，伍氏元老伍伯和。 (周菊子攝)

        (Boston Orange 周菊子波士頓報導)波士頓黃氏宗親會約500名宗親及嘉賓，2月11日晚在帝苑大酒樓，慶祝兔年新春，以黃氏醒獅隊2頭瑞獅拋出「人才輩出，族旺枝繁」，「恭喜發財，會務興隆」的吉祥話拜年，為宗親祈福。

麻州參議員Nick Collins(左一)和麻州眾議員麥家威(右一) 頒表揚狀給黃氏公所主席黃偉健
(左二)、黃光沐 (右二)。(周菊子攝)

             黃氏宗親會婦女組主席黃周麗桃以粵語、普通話、英文說明今年是兔年，祝福每個人快樂、健康後，率婦女組合唱團，在元老黃國威，2名黃氏主席黃偉健，黃光沐帶領下，一起獻唱黃氏祖訓及新年好，為黃氏春宴拉開序幕。

黃氏婦女組和元老、主席獻唱黃氏祖訓及新年好兩首歌。 (周菊子攝)

                 黃氏宗親會主席黃偉健接著致歡迎詞，介紹與會嘉賓，包括遠從加州來的全美黃氏元老黃惠喜，來自芝加哥的總長黃耀明，中國駐紐約總領事館副總領事李仕鵬，領事陳曲鋒，以及波士頓本地政要，麻州參議員Nick Collins，眾議員麥家威(Aaron Michlewitz)，陳德基，波士頓市議會議長愛德華費連 (Ed   Flynn) ，不分區市議員Ruthzee Louijeune，波士頓市消防局局長Paul F. Burke，當晚代表波士頓市長吳弭 (Michelle   Wu)  出席的波士頓市亞裔聯絡員黃楚嵐等人。

波士頓市議會議長Ed Flynn (中)頒發表揚狀給黃氏公所，由主席黃偉健(左)、黃光沐(右)
代收。 (周菊子攝)

              李仕鵬副總領事在會中代表黃屏總領事向出席眾人拜年。他在大約2分半鐘的致詞中，以普通話稱黃氏宗親會有逾百年歷史，「成立以來一直團結會員，關心所有鄉親福祉，為中美兩國的交流合作，做出了積極貢獻，為祖籍國的發展建設積極提供助力」，特別是中領館前幾次到訪，開展領事社區服務時，黃氏宗親會提供了大量幫助。新的一年，他祝願黃氏宗親們闔家幸福，萬事如意。同時他也希望黃氏宗親會繼續關心、支持中美關係的發展，支持祖國的和平統一大業，支持祖籍國的繁榮和建設。

黃氏醒獅隊的瑞獅獻吉。(周菊子攝)

            在麻州選區重劃後，轄區包括華埠的參議員Mike Collins，這天首次以華埠代表的身份，出現在華埠社區活動中。他和麻州眾議員麥家威還聯袂送給黃氏宗親會一份表揚狀，由黃氏公所主席黃偉健、黃光沐代表接受。麥家威笑說，他擔任代表華埠的麻州眾議員以來，已歷經多次參議員換人情況，但他相信Mike Collins會繼續留在這位置上。

           波士頓市議會議長Ed Flynn稱呼到會的各個政要後，稱許黃氏宗親會在社區內持續的為移民服務，支持移民的權益，以及人民接受公共教育的權利，因應處理反亞裔暴力及種族歧視等問題。他也頒發了一份表揚狀給黃氏宗親會。

波士頓黃氏宗親會婦女組主席黃周麗桃 (後中)招呼嘉賓，前右起，黃惠喜，黃耀明，
中領館副總領事李仕鵬，伍氏元老伍伯和。 (周菊子攝)

全美黃氏元老黃官羨(中)和麻州眾議員麥家威 (Aaron Michlewitz) ，黃氏宗親黃定國
都是多年老友。(周菊子攝)

            當晚來自芝加哥的總長黃耀明，伍胥山公所的總長伍煥華其後也應邀致詞。紐約中領館還帶了許多兔寶寶布偶，送給黃氏宗親，祝賀新年。

               波士頓黃氏宗親會目前有3名全美元老，黃官羨、黃國威，當晚都在座，黃立輝則因故缺席。曾任黃氏公所主席，後升任美東總長的黃仁宇，原本也將在總長任期屆滿後，升任元老，但月前驟然辭世。黃氏宗親們私下頗為感慨，紛紛表示歲月靜好，身體健康才最重要。

黃氏元老，波士頓的黃國威和芝加哥的黃氏總長黃耀明和來美任職數年，卻是第一次
到波士頓的中領館副總領事李仕鵬加強溝通。

AG CAMPBELL CO-LEADS COALITION IN SUPPORT OF FEDERAL PROPOSAL TO CREATE A MORE AFFORDABLE REPAYMENT PLAN FOR STUDENT LOAN BORROWERS

AG CAMPBELL CO-LEADS COALITION IN SUPPORT OF FEDERAL PROPOSAL TO CREATE A MORE AFFORDABLE REPAYMENT PLAN FOR STUDENT LOAN BORROWERS

AG Commends Proposed ‘Meaningful Improvements’ to Income-Driven Repayment; Calls for Additional Relief, including for Parent Borrowers

 

            BOSTON – Today, Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell co-led, alongside Attorney General Rob Bonta of California, a coalition of 22 state attorneys general in submitting comments to the U.S. Department of Education in response to proposed changes to the Income-Driven Repayment (IDR) program. The coalition commends the Department’s proposal to create the most affordable income-driven repayment plan ever made available to federal student loan borrowers and called on the Department to make additional changes that would provide critical assistance to struggling borrowers.

 

IDR plans enable borrowers to make payments based on income and family size and offer the possibility of loan forgiveness after 20 or 25 years of qualifying payments. 

 

“No one should have to choose between paying student loan bills or paying for basic human necessities,” said AG Campbell. “My colleagues and I commend the U.S. Department of Education for proposing reforms that will make a significant difference in the lives of borrowers, while also recognizing more should be done to ensure every borrower has an affordable path out of student loan debt.” 

 

In their letter to Secretary Miguel Cardona the attorneys general applaud the Department for proposing “meaningful improvements” to IDR and emphasize that the proposed regulatory reforms will make monthly IDR payments more affordable, eliminate enrollment disincentives, help borrowers avoid ballooning loan balances, and prevent needless defaults.

 

In addition to these significant improvements, the letter also calls on the Department to expand relief to parent borrowers and defaulted borrowers and to adopt additional measures to remedy past harms and ensure the program’s success moving forward.

 

As the coalition explains in the letter, IDR plans, which first became available in the 1990s, were intended to ensure that borrowers’ monthly payments would be affordable and that borrowers would not be saddled for life with student loan debt. However, existing IDR plans have failed to meet these goals due to faulty servicing, needless administrative complexity, and design flaws. 

 

The coalition applauds the U.S. Department of Education’s proposal to address past problems by creating a vastly more affordable IDR plan. In particular, the letter commends the Department’s plan to protect more borrower income from repayment, enroll delinquent borrowers automatically in IDR and count certain periods of forbearance towards loan forgiveness. Additionally, the coalition commends the Department for eliminating the harmful practice of unpaid interest accrual, which causes those borrowers in greatest need of assistance to face rapidly growing loan balances while in IDR. These proposed changes will help prevent needless defaults, get rid of deterrents to IDR enrollment and stop borrowers from needing to choose between buying basic necessities and paying their student loan bills. 

 

            In their letter, the coalition also calls upon the Department to adopt additional measures to ensure that IDR will benefit more borrowers, including:

 

·       Making consolidated Parent PLUS loans eligible for the most affordable repayment plan—Revised Pay As You Earn (REPAYE);

·       Creating a simpler path for borrowers in default to enroll in IDR;

·       Counting all past forbearance and repayment periods and certain deferment periods toward IDR loan forgiveness; and

·       Expanding the reach of the Department’s proposals to provide retroactive relief to borrowers who have suffered from the historic mismanagement of the federal loan repayment system.

 

In addition to the newly proposed IDR plan, the U.S. Department of Education has announced other debt relief initiatives to address the past problems with IDR, including the One-Time IDR Adjustment. Through the One-Time IDR Adjustment, borrowers whose loans are owned by the U.S. Department of Education can receive credit toward IDR loan forgiveness for past repayment periods and certain deferment and forbearance periods—even if they have never previously enrolled in IDR, potentially enabling them to receive forgiveness much sooner. Federal loans that are privately-owned must be consolidated into the Direct Loan Program by May 1, 2023 to benefit from the One-Time IDR Adjustment. To learn how to find out if federal loans are privately or federally owned, please visit www.mass.gov/ago/WhoOwnsMyLoans.   

For more information on federal loan debt relief opportunities, borrowers can visit the Massachusetts AG’s website at www.mass.gov/ago/studentloans. Massachusetts residents who are seeking student loan help or information can also file a Student Loan Help Request or call the AG’s Student Loan Assistance Helpline at 1-888-830-6277.

 

            A full copy of the letter can be found here.

 

            Joining AG Campbell and AG Bonta in issuing this letter, are the attorneys general of Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, New Mexico, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Washington, Wisconsin, and Vermont.

 

            This matter was handled by Managing Attorney Yael Shavit, of the AG’s Consumer Protection Division and Student Loan Ombudsman Arwen Thoman, of the AG’s Insurance & Financial Services Division.

波士頓黃氏宗親會 500人喜迎兔年 (黃定國圖片輯)

民主黨麻州黨主席 Gus Bickford 宣佈今年4月卸任

民主黨麻州黨主席Gus Bickford (左) 和時任波士頓市議員的吳弭 (Michelle Wu) 在龍鳳九樓
為民主黨籌款。 (檔案照片，周菊子攝)

           (Boston Orange 綜合編譯) 麻州民主黨今 (11) 日宣佈，2016年接任的黨主席Gus Bickford，將於4月底卸任。他在位6年半，為民主黨贏回包括州長一職在內的20個全州性席位，也讓民主黨在麻州議會成為超級多數黨。

                                                    Gus Bickford今日在民主黨的麻州委員會會議中，向民主黨的活躍黨員宣佈這訊息。他預訂留任到4月24日，直至麻州民主黨為繼任人選舉辦特別選舉之後。他公開表示，他和麻州州長奚莉 (Maura Healey) 都支持曾獲提名參選麻州副州長，也是民主黨全國委員會執委的Steve Kerrigan繼任。

                                                    Gus Bickford的職位任期4年，要等到2024年11月才到期。他在民主黨拿回6席全州性職位，奚莉當選為麻州的首名女州長，也是公開的同性戀者州長的11月選舉大勝之後，就說他已準備好卸任。

                                                        他在一個電話訪問中表示，到了某個階段，就得”翻頁”，而這是非常好的時機。所以選舉一結束，就成了”我的日子要怎麼過”的問題。

                                                            Gus Bickford今年59歲，曾為聯邦參議員Elizabeth Warren，以及麻州前任總檢察長Martha Coakley工作，1990年為Evelyn Murphy競選州長後，參與過4次美國總統選舉，在競選方面有幾十年經驗，會開發數據庫，專長於接觸選民。民主黨全國委員會主席Jaime Harrison稱許他推動全國民主黨遇見未來。

                                                        Elizabeth Warren說他是政治機器，打從內心的去競爭，而且知道怎麼贏。

                                                        民主黨在2020年做的一次內部調查，發現Gus Bickford違反禁止他參與競爭激烈的初選的黨規。該調查發現他鼓勵一群大學生民主黨員寄信給那時候的國會議員參選人Alex Morse，引發了Morse在初選中挑戰聯邦眾議員Richard Neal不成功之際，Gus Bickford行為不當的指控。

                                                        不過幾星期後，他輕鬆贏得連任黨主席的結果，還說他知道怎麼幫人打贏選戰。

                                                            近年來，民主黨的選舉戰績很好。從2016年起，民主黨翻轉了19個席為，包括13席議會席位，以及2個在鱈魚角，長期由共和黨人執掌的席位。在去年11月的選舉後，民主現在掌握全州性的每一個民選職位，聯邦眾議員的所有9個席位，以及麻州議會200席中的171席。

                                                    民主黨全國委員會副執行主任劉煒 (Roger Lau) 在一份聲明中稱Gus Bickford是全美國的超群絕倫競選數據專家，最棒的組織思想之一。