AG HEALEY SUPPORTS SEC PROPOSAL REQUIRING COMPANIES TO DISCLOSE FINANCIAL RISKS OF CLIMATE CHANGE

AG HEALEY SUPPORTS SEC PROPOSAL REQUIRING COMPANIES TO DISCLOSE FINANCIAL RISKS OF CLIMATE CHANGE

Multistate Comments Argue for Greater Disclosure to Meet Growing Investor Demands and Protect Residents’ Retirement Savings and Other Investments

             BOSTON – Attorney General Maura Healey today joined a coalition of 19 attorneys general in support of a proposal by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) spelling out requirements for public U.S. companies to provide accurate and detailed information about the financial risks their businesses face from climate change.

             This week, nearly one-third of the U.S. population was under an extreme heat warning, and a once-in-a-century drought is causing ongoing losses in revenue from agriculture, tourism, and more. These impacts will only worsen in the coming years. The coalition’s letter argues that mandatory climate change-related disclosures are essential to guard U.S. and global financial systems against systemic risks associated with climate change and to protect investors, including the millions of residents with investment-based retirement savings, as well as the states’ own public pension funds.

             “The climate crisis is here, it is destructive, and it is expensive,” AG Healey said. “It threatens to wreak serious havoc on our financial markets and the investments that our residents have made to fund their retirements or pay for their children’s college. We support the SEC in taking this essential step to require companies to disclose the climate-related risks to their businesses.”

             As the coalition discusses in the letter, investors have been clear that climate-related risks are material to their investment decisions and they need specific, comparable disclosures about those risks, including their greenhouse gas emissions, and more information about how companies are managing them. The physical impacts of climate change already threaten companies and their operations, and those effects will only grow as extreme weather events caused or exacerbated by climate change increase in intensity and frequency. Extreme weather events caused or exacerbated by climate change, such as hurricanes, wildfires, extreme heat, and extreme drought, have cost U.S. companies more than $760 billion in the past five years alone. Already, climate-related disaster costs have increased from an average cost of $19.5 billion per year in the 1980s to $148 billion in 2021. Many other costs from climate change, such as short-term and long-term healthcare costs resulting from extreme heat and wildfire smoke inhalation, are also mounting.

 At the same time, companies face economic impacts from government efforts and market pressures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, transition economies to clean energy sources, and bolster climate resilience. Without reliable, standardized disclosures about company emissions and these risks, investors – including the Commonwealth and its residents – are unable to meaningfully compare companies or accurately price the risks companies face. The coalition underscores that the proposed rule will also help prevent companies from “greenwashing” their businesses with misleading claims to investors about their climate risks and transition plans. The letter also points out that the SEC’s proposed rule is fully within the SEC’s authority to establish disclosure requirements to protect investors.

 Last year, AG Healey also worked with a coalition of attorneys general to call on the SEC to prescribe climate change-related disclosures like the ones in the proposed rule. The letter submitted today further encourages the SEC to strengthen and improve the proposed rule, including by defining certain terms, expanding the rule’s scope, and accelerating the timelines for compliance. Earlier this year, AG Healey co-convened a public webinar series, Seeing the Dangers Ahead: How Regulators and Advocates Can Harness Physical and Financial Risk Data to Tackle the Climate Emergency, which included a session on climate financial risks and the increasing importance to investors of greater climate risk disclosures by companies.

 AG Healey has sought to protect Massachusetts investors from deceptive statements about climate risk through enforcement of the Massachusetts Consumer Protection Act. In 2019, AG Healey sued ExxonMobil, alleging that the global oil company has been unlawfully misrepresenting, omitting, denying, and downplaying the risks that climate change poses to its business, as well as failing to disclose to Massachusetts investors the systemic financial risks from climate change. Just last month, Massachusetts’ high court unanimously held that AG Healey could move forward with this lawsuit, which also alleges the company is unlawfully deceiving consumers about the climate dangers of its fossil fuel products and by “greenwashing” itself as an environmentally friendly company.

AG Healey joins the attorneys general of California, Colorado, District of Columbia, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, New Mexico, Nevada, New York, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, Washington, and Wisconsin.

This matter is being handled for Massachusetts by Assistant Attorneys General Margaret Sullivan, Julia Jonas-Day, and Grace Gohlke and Bureau Deputy Chief Christophe Courchesne of AG Healey’s Energy and Environment Bureau, with assistance from AG Healey’s Insurance and Financial Services Division.

波士頓台灣夜市 6/25 見 優惠停車$10

 

波士頓經文處處長孫儉元踏進麻州眾議會 慶祝友好關係30年

波士頓經文處處長孫儉元在麻州眾議會議場致詞。(波士頓經文處提供)

        (Boston Orange 周菊子波士頓綜合報導) 駐波士頓台北經濟文化辦事處處長孫儉元 6月16日應邀見證麻州眾議會通過友台決議案，慶祝麻州與台灣締結姊妹關係30週年，以及新英格蘭地區州議員台灣連線麻州分會的成立。

經麻州眾議會亞裔黨團主席黃子安居間奔走，麻州眾議會早於5月初已傳出將成立新英格蘭地區州議員台灣連線麻州分會的消息。

6月16日與波士頓經文處關係良好，幾乎每年都參加雙十國慶酒會的麻州眾議會現任議長Ronald Mariano，今年與黃子安攜手，積極推動麻州議會通過新的友台決議案，還給波士頓經文處送上大禮，成立了新英格蘭地區州議員台灣連線的麻州分會，使得新英格蘭地區的友台州議員陣容更加強大。

麻州眾議會亞裔黨團主席黃子安致詞。 (波士頓經文處提供)

麻州眾議會議長Mariano 在通過新的友台決議案時，重申台灣和麻州關係友好。他還特別強調近年國際情勢更加動盪，台灣遭受之威脅益增，他們更希望展現對台灣的堅定支持。在場所有眾議員在Mariano致詞後，均報以熱烈掌聲。

波士頓經文處孫儉元處長感謝麻州眾議會議長

麻州眾議會亞裔黨團部分成員與孫儉元處長合影。(波士頓經文處提供)

Mariano和所有眾議員力挺台灣。他表示，2022年是台灣與麻州建立關係的30週年，他很高興能夠代表台灣政府及人民，再次到麻州議會議場親訪，為議員們說明，在2021年間，麻州和台灣之間的雙邊貿易額近20億美元，創10年新高，相信在「台美21世紀貿易倡議」架構下，台美經貿關係將大幅成長，台灣與麻州的經貿往來也將增加。他期盼台美能進一步簽署雙邊貿易協定，台灣能加入「印太經濟架構」。

在感謝Mariano議長及眾議會少數黨領袖Bradley Jones支持成立「新英格蘭地區州議員台灣連線麻州分會」之後，孫儉元處長還強調期待更多州議員加入，籲請眾議員們支持台麻州簽署教育合作備忘錄。

波士頓經文處指出，台灣官員上一次受邀進入麻州眾議會議場是在2009年。

創舞台 訂 6/25 演出 「基隆鬼」

 CHUANG Stage, Pao Arts Center, and Asian American Theatre Artists of Boston (AATAB)

announces new bilingual performance A Ghost of Keelung

BOSTON (June 20, 2022) – CHUANG Stage in collaboration with Pao Arts Center and Asian American Theatre Artists of Boston (AATAB) announces A Ghost of Keelung, presenting on Saturday, June 25, 2022, at 6 p.m. at Mary Soo Hoo Park on the Rose Kennedy Greenway.

Written by Jamie Lin and directed by Audrey Seraphin, The Ghost of Keelung is a bilingual radio play in English and Mandarin with live foley sound effects. The show takes audiences on a time-traversing auditory adventure of ancestral love, mistakes and revenge, hidden in the coastal memories of 1960s Taiwan.

Radio plays traditionally rely solely on sound to bring their stories and characters to life. This performance will be a unique radio play presentation where audiences will witness the actions of the actors, sound engineers, and foley artists in real time as their performances bring the play to life.

The event is a special collaboration with the Rose Kennedy Greenway Conservancy and Pao Arts Center as a part of the Summer 2022 outdoor VISIONS/VOICES performance series, activating artist Cheryl Wing-Zi Wong’s YEAR OF THE TIGER installation in Mary Soo Hoo Park. The VISIONS/VOICES series celebrates the cultural power that flows through the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities across the Asian diaspora in ways that vocalize both struggles and joys.

“As a Taiwanese-American, I relate deeply to the blending of cultures and multilingualism experienced by our Taiwanese characters,” said Jamie Lin. “The relationship between Mei Hua (the show’s protagonist) and her fellow Taiwanese is a reflection of the way Black, Indigenous and people of color, especially Asians, have learned to repress parts of themselves in order to survive in majority-white spaces.”

The show is also a part of Found in Translation series—a multilingual play reading and community workshop series produced for Boston, in collaboration with Pao Arts Center and Asian American Theatre Artists of Boston (AATAB). Found in Translation aims to amplify the power and complexities of being multilingual, immigrants, or identifying as AAPI in the Greater Boston area, connecting the AAPI community through artistic conversations about race, language and identity.

“A lot is going on in the AAPI Arts and Culture scene in Boston—it is just that the word cannot spread outside of Chinatown or our AAPI artist community as easily for a variety of reasons,” said Sarah Shin, Co-Founder and Lead Producer of AATAB. “I hope that our visibility and inclusion are recognized as a necessity in Boston and that all of the different communities can support, uplift and invite each other to our spaces to share and celebrate each other.”

CHUANG Stage’s mission is to cultivate joyful and challenging AAPI stories that create change in the world. The Ghost of Keelung is one of the steps in CHUANG Stage’s endeavor to exemplify AAPI narratives and theater talents in the Greater Boston area. CHUANG Stage envisions a future in the American theatre moved forward by theater artists and audiences of Asian descent, through producing new works that contribute to language and spatial justice, equity and accessibility, global perspectives, anti-racist practices, immigrant visibility, and care for the community.

“We are extremely grateful for local talents like Jamie Lin and Audrey Seraphin joining us to celebrate stories and voices native to Boston,” said Alison Yueming Qu, Co-Founder and Executive Director of CHUANG Stage. “Boston’s Taiwanese American community is vibrant in Chinatown and crucial to our city’s development. In presenting The Ghost of Keelung, we hope to uplift this community’s rich history and language heritage.”

This project is made possible in part by the Live Arts Boston grant from The Boston Foundation, and the Boston Cultural Council/Reopen Creative Boston grant from the Mayor's Office of Arts and Culture.

Tickets are free with a suggested donation of $10. For registration and more information, visit https://www.paoartscenter.org/events/2022/found-in-translation-the-ghost-of-keelung or contact hello@chuangstage.org.

麻州總檢察長Maura Healey加入15州聯盟要保護工人免於報復

 AG HEALEY JOINS COALITION DEFENDING STATES’ AUTHORITY TO PROTECT WORKERS FROM RETALIATION

Amicus Brief Filed in New York Lawsuit Following Alleged Retaliation from Amazon Against Workers

 

            BOSTON – Attorney General Maura Healey joined a coalition of 15 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief defending states’ authority to protect workers from retaliation when they speak up about unsafe working conditions and other workplace violations.

 

In the amicus brief, the coalition supported New York Attorney General Letitia James’ request to reinstate her lawsuit against Amazon for failing to take adequate health and safety precautions for workers at its New York facilities and for unlawfully retaliating against employees for protesting unsafe work conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

In May, a New York state appellate court dismissed James’ lawsuit, ruling that because the disciplined employees had participated in protests that the court viewed as linked to a unionization drive, New York’s retaliation claims were preempted by the National Labor Relations Act (NLRA). The NLRA governs collective bargaining and other coordinated efforts by workers. The coalition has since filed an amicus brief supporting James’ request that the lower appellate court allow New York to appeal the decision to the state’s highest court, the Court of Appeals.

 

“Many states have existing laws in place to protect workers from retaliation for speaking up on issues involving working conditions, such as pay, discrimination, and workplace safety,” said AG Healey. “But if courts begin holding that these laws are preempted by federal labor law, as the New York court did, then states will be prevented from utilizing these laws to protect workers who organize to advocate for themselves and their co-workers. I am joining my colleagues today in filing this amicus brief calling on the court to allow states to protect workers from retaliation by their employers.”

 

The coalition argues that the appellate court’s ruling would excessively limit the ability of states to protect workers when employers retaliate against them for speaking up collectively. According to the brief, the ruling expands NLRA preemption to include claims with relatively weak ties to collective action by employees. While there are anti-retaliation protections at the federal level, most states have established even more robust laws that protect employees who report workplace misconduct from termination or other adverse action.

 

AG Healey has always advocated for the rights of employees in the workplace, and worked to combat all forms of worker exploitation. At the beginning of the pandemic, in Spring 2020, AG Healey led a coalition  of 14 attorneys general calling on Amazon to improve health and safety policies at their warehouses. The AG’s sixth annual Labor Day Report revealed that in fiscal year 2021, the AG’s Office assessed more than $8.1 million in restitution and penalties on behalf of working people in Massachusetts. The AG’s Office also protects employees from exploitation and wage theft through community education and strong partnerships with workers’ advocacy and community groups.

 

The brief was led by Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul. Joining AG Healey and AG Raoul in filing the amicus brief are the attorneys general of California, Connecticut, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Hawaii, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Nevada, New Jersey, New Mexico, Oregon and Vermont.

MAYOR WU JOINS STATE AND CITY OFFICIALS TO CELEBRATE THE GROUNDBREAKING OF BOSTON’S FIRST LGBTQ+-FRIENDLY AFFORDABLE SENIOR HOUSING COMMUNITY

MAYOR WU JOINS STATE AND CITY OFFICIALS TO CELEBRATE THE GROUNDBREAKING OF BOSTON’S FIRST LGBTQ+-FRIENDLY AFFORDABLE SENIOR HOUSING COMMUNITY  Former Barton Rogers School will provide 74 mixed-income rental units for seniors, with over 10,000 square feet of community space

 

BOSTON - Friday,  June 17, 2022 - Mayor Michelle Wu today joined state and City officials, Pennrose, LGBTQ Senior Housing Inc., and the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) to break ground on The Pryde, Boston’s first designated LGBTQ-friendly housing development for older Bostonians. When complete, the renovations of the former Barton Rogers School in Hyde Park will preserve the original 1899 building and its two additions from 1920 and 1934 while creating 74 new mixed-income rental units that will be welcoming to seniors 62 years and older. All units will be deed-restricted in perpetuity and will provide affordable, safe housing for seniors across a wide variety of incomes.  “Building a city for everyone means ensuring that as our residents age, they can stay here in the City with safe, affordable housing that is welcoming to all,” said Mayor Michelle Wu. “This new development will be an incredible asset to the neighborhood, offering not just housing, but gardens, walking trails, an art studio with gallery space, and other community benefits to truly make our LGBTQ+ seniors feel at home. As we celebrate Pride Month, this is a shining example of how Boston can breathe new life into existing spaces for the benefit of our residents.”  “Older adults are the fastest-growing population in Massachusetts, and housing needs for this population are unique – and in high demand in every region. The Pryde in Hyde Park is the first of its kind in Massachusetts to provide tailored housing for our LGBTQ neighbors to age in this vibrant neighborhood,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “We are thrilled to continue investing state and federal funds to increase housing opportunities in the Commonwealth.”  The redevelopment is being led by Pennrose and LGBTQ Senior Housing, Inc. who worked extensively with the local community in Hyde Park to meet the needs of residents. The Pryde is located near shops and restaurants and a variety of cultural and outdoor amenities, including the Menino Arts Center and the public library. It is also close to two MBTA commuter rail stops serving the Fairmont and Providence lines.   “The Hyde Park community has completely embraced us and our plans for this building, as a welcoming and friendly complex,”  said Charlie Adams, Regional Vice President at Pennrose. “This treasured neighborhood asset served the neighborhood well for 100 years, and will now serve it for another 100 years not just for residents but for the community at large with over 10,000 square feet of gathering space.”    The new building will include elevators for accessibility, central air, on-site laundry facilities, a large community space for programming, and an art studio with gallery space for residents on the first floor. It will also be the new home office of the 54th Regiment organization. There will be a courtyard with green space that will also feature a community garden and recreational space available to all the residents. In accordance with the City of Boston’s Building Emissions Reduction and Disclosure Ordinance (BERDO), The Pryde will include energy-efficient heating and cooling systems, as well as Energy Star rated appliances, and will have environmentally friendly design features throughout.   “LGBTQ seniors face higher rates of housing discrimination, lower incomes, higher unemployment, increased food insecurity, and deal with the legacy of trauma and social isolation, with fewer traditional supports,” said Aileen Montour, president of LGBTQ Senior Housing, Inc. “We are proud to work closely with all project partners - the city, the state, DHCD -  and to have the unwavering support of Mayor Wu to help address this inequity in Boston through affordable, inclusive housing that sets an example for other cities throughout the country. Our older adults especially appreciate the opportunity to live authentically and unapologetically in a supportive community - we feel seen, heard and cared about.”  "At HUD, we are focused on housing and community development with a dedication to equity, inclusive communities, and quality, affordable homes for all," said Michele Perez, Assistant Deputy Secretary for HUD's Office of Field Policy and Management. "HUD's greatest hope is that these efforts are sustainable and become a normal, natural way we operate. That is why it is so inspiring to be here to break ground on The Pryde today."  Of the 74 total income-restricted rental units in the new Barton Rogers development, eight will be rented to households of individuals who are homeless or who require rental assistance. Another three will be deeply affordable units for seniors with incomes up to 30% Area Median Income (AMI), seven units will be available to households earning 50% AMI, and thirty-two units will be available to a two-person household earning less than 60% AMI, eight households earning up to 80% AMI, and sixteen units will be set aside for 100% AMI.     The William Barton Rogers Middle School was built in 1899 on 74,000 square feet of land in Boston’s Hyde Park neighborhood. The original building was expanded twice, once in 1920, and then again in 1934. In the more than 100 years of its operation as a Boston Public School, it served as a high school, and later a middle school. Before its closure in June 2015, the Rogers School put an emphasis on the performing arts and inclusivity for all.  “We need in every community a safe haven with open doors for all. A place where you can be who you want to be,” said Pat Tierney, a local neighborhood advocate. “We thank Pennrose and LGTBTQ Senior Housing Inc.,  the City of Boston, and partners for giving Hyde Park The PRYDE.”      Financing for The Pryde includes $4 million from the City of Boston Mayor’s Office of Housing including $2 million of Community Preservation Act funding; $3.825 million from the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD); TD Bank, facilitated through Redstone Equity, provided over $16.4 million in Federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) and Federal Historic Tax Credit equity, and over $21 million in construction financing. The Commonwealth is providing $2.95 million of State Low Income Housing Tax Credits which generate over $12 million in equity and $1.8 million of State Historic Tax Credits which generate over $1.6 million in equity; Massachusetts Housing Partnership is providing over $6.6 million in permanent loans, the Community and Economic Development Assistance Corporation (CEDAC) is providing $750,000 of Community Based Housing (CBH) funding; the Federal Home Loan Bank Of Boston is providing $650,000 of Affordable Housing Program funds; LGBTQ Senior Housing is providing funding in the amount of $350,000.  The groundbreaking builds on Mayor Wu’s initiatives to address Boston’s housing affordability, including filing a Home Rule Petition relative to real estate transfer fees and senior property tax relief, signing an Executive Order relative to affirmatively furthering fair housing, convening a Rent Stabilization Advisory Committee to inform future legislative proposals, announcing the City’s new Chief of Planning, and the results of the Citywide land audit.

麻州公共衛生署新發現一宗染猴痘個案 迄今7宗

(Boston Orange 編譯) 麻州公共衛生署 (DPH) 16日宣佈，又發現一宗民眾染患「猴痘 (monkeypox)」個案。加上這一宗，從5月迄今，麻州已共發現7宗「猴痘」染患案。

最新這宗個案的染患者為一名成年男性，最近出國旅行過。

最初的檢測是週三在牙買加平原的麻州公共衛生實驗室做的，確認檢測將由美國疾病防治中心 (CDC) 執行。麻州公共衛生署正和地方公衛人員，病患，及醫療護理提供者合作，以辨識有哪些人和染患者接觸過。

該名患者現已隔離。

根據美國疾病防治中心資訊，今年以來，美國境內共發現84宗染患猴痘個案，其中包括5月18日確認，在麻州的第一宗染患個案。

迄今在美國境內或全球，還無人因為染患猴痘死亡，染患者一般都在2到4週內復原。儘管許多的早期個案都和國際旅遊有關，最近的個案則有多宗為男同性戀者。

麻州公共衛生署從即日起，將每週四向公眾匯報「猴痘」染患個案，以及其他重要資訊。下一次的匯報預定為6月23日。更新的染患個案數據，也可在CDC的網站上查詢 2022 U.S. Map and Case Count。

Massachusetts Public Health Officials Confirm One New Case of Monkeypox

 

DPH will update cases weekly; updated case counts also available

through CDC

 

BOSTON (June 16, 2022) – The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) today announced an additional case of monkeypox in an adult male with recent international travel, bringing the total number of monkeypox cases in the Commonwealth to seven since May. Initial testing was completed late Wednesday at the State Public Health Laboratory in Jamaica Plain; confirmatory testing will be done at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). DPH is working with local health officials, the patient, and healthcare providers to identify individuals who may have been in contact with the patient while he was infectious. The individual is currently isolating to prevent spread to others.

 

Current data from CDC indicate that there have been 84 cases of monkeypox virus this year in US residents; this includes the first identified case in Massachusetts which was confirmed on May 18. There have been no deaths in the US or globally related to this outbreak and patients generally recover fully in 2-4 weeks. Although many of the early cases were associated with international travel, recent cases are not. Gay and bisexual men and other men who have sex with men make up a large proportion of the cases identified to date. However, the risk is not limited to the LGBTQ community, and anyone who has been in close contact with someone who has monkeypox is at risk.

 

Starting today, DPH will update the public on monkeypox in Massachusetts each Thursday, including case counts and other important information. The next update will be issued Thursday, June 23. Updated case counts can also be obtained on the CDC’s website: 2022 U.S. Map and Case Count.

 

While the virus does not spread easily between people, people can spread the infection once they develop symptoms. Transmission occurs through direct contact with body fluids and monkeypox sores, by touching items that have been contaminated with fluids or sores (clothing, bedding, etc.), or less commonly, through respiratory droplets following prolonged face-to-face contact. In many of the recent cases, the locations of the rash lesions suggest transmission during sexual contact. Examples where monkeypox can spread and where it does not:

• Monkeypox can spread through:
• Direct skin-to-skin contact with rash lesions. Sexual/intimate contact, including kissing while a person is infected.
• Living in a house and sharing a bed with someone. Sharing towels or unwashed clothing.
• Respiratory secretions through face-to-face interactions (the type that mainly happen when living with someone or caring for someone who has monkeypox).
• Monkeypox does not spread through:
• Casual conversations. Walking by someone with monkeypox in a grocery store, for instance. Touching items like doorknobs.

 

Clinicians are asked to be alert to the possibility of monkeypox virus infection in individuals who have rash illnesses consistent with monkeypox. Early symptoms of monkeypox can include fever, headache, sore throat, and swollen lymph nodes, but rash may be the first symptom. Rash lesions start flat, become raised, fill with clear fluid (vesicles), and then become pustules (filled with pus). A person with monkeypox can have many lesions or may have only a few. More complete information about how to recognize monkeypox is available here.

 

Actions for people to consider to help reduce the risk from monkeypox include:

 

• Avoid large gatherings like raves and dance parties where you may have lots of close body contact with others
• Ask any partner, especially new partners whose health status and recent travel history you are not familiar with, if they have any symptoms of monkeypox
• Stay informed by reading information available on the DPH and CDC websites

 

As the CDC advises, if you believe you may have monkeypox, you should contact your health care provider. If you need to leave your home, wear a mask and cover your rash or lesions when around others. Those who live with or care for someone who may have monkeypox should wear a mask and disposable gloves if they need to have any direct contact with lesions and when handling any clothes or bedding if the person cannot do it themselves. They should also wash their hands regularly, especially after contact with the person who is infected or with their clothes, bed sheets, towels and other items or surfaces they may have touched.

 

Clinicians should consult with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health at 617-983-6800 to determine if testing is indicated. Consultation is required before submitting specimens.

 

For more information about this virus, visit https://www.mass.gov/monkeypox and https://www.cdc.gov/poxvirus/monkeypox.

 

麻州 8月13、14日 購物免銷售稅

 Sales Tax Holiday dates set

It’s the information everyone has been waiting for. The sales tax holiday date has been set and will take  place on August 13-14 this year. The sales tax exemption applies for those two days to any retail purchase in Massachusetts of $2,500 or less with some exceptions. Find out what is and isn’t included in the sales tax exemption holiday by reviewing the FAQs.

    (Boston Orange) 麻州稅務局宣佈，今年 (2022)的銷售稅假日，已訂為8月13及14兩日。

    在這兩天中，除了少數例外，民眾購買任何價格在2500元以下的零售品，都不需要付銷售稅。，

波士頓慈濟 6/18 再掃街

 

槍枝安全組織創辦人 Giffords 支持 Maura Healey 參選麻州州長

Giffords Endorses Attorney General Maura Healey for Governor of Massachusetts

Washington DC — Giffords PAC, the gun safety organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, announced its endorsement of Attorney General Maura Healey for Governor of Massachusetts. Giffords and Healey held a roundtable with gun violence prevention leaders in Chelsea, Massachusetts on Wednesday.

Former Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords:

“For years, Attorney General Maura Healey has fought side-by-side with us to end gun violence. She has dedicated her career in public service to ending gun violence, by supporting commonsense gun reforms and calling for gun manufacturers to be held liable for facilitating the illegal trafficking of firearms. Maura Healey is the type of leader Massachusetts needs to enact solutions that will keep schools, streets, churches, and neighborhoods safe. She is a gun safety champion with the courage to lead, and we are proud to endorse her bid for governor.”

Attorney General Healey:

"Congresswoman Gabby Giffords is an inspiration. She has stood against hate and for common sense gun safety reform in our communities, and it’s an honor to have her support in our campaign. We know that Massachusetts' strong gun laws save lives and should serve as a national model to better protect our kids, our families, and our communities."

As the chief law enforcement officer in her state, Maura Healey has worked across party lines with local, state, and federal law enforcement to support commonsense gun reforms, including efforts to get illegal guns off the street and to regulate assault weapons. She has successfully defended several challenges to her state’s strong gun laws in court, and she’s joined forces with survivors of gun violence—including Gabby Giffords—to stand up to the gun lobby.

But despite this progress, she knows there is still work to be done to keep her constituents safe—and she’s prepared to take action. In office, she has been a leading advocate for universal background checks and bans on bump stocks, as well as a vocal proponent of extreme risk protection orders. In 2020, she also sued the Trump administration to stop the deregulation of 3D-printed ghost guns and later partnered with state law enforcement officials to prosecute ghost gun holders. As governor, Maura Healey will continue her efforts to mitigate the devastating effects of gun violence on families and communities in Massachusetts. With rates of violence spiking to record highs, it is more imperative than ever that voters elect gun safety champions like her to office.

 

Governor Baker Nominates Attorney Janine M. Simonian as Associate Justice of the District Court

Governor Baker Nominates Attorney Janine M. Simonian as Associate Justice of the District Court

 

BOSTON – Today, Governor Baker nominated Attorney Janine M. Simonian as Associate Justice of the District Court.

 

“Attorney Simonian is well-suited for this new role on the District Court,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “I am pleased to submit this nomination to the Governor’s Council for their advice and consent.”

 

“Attorney Simonian will bring valuable experience to the District Court if confirmed,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “We are proud to submit her nomination for consideration.”

 

The District Court hears a wide range of criminal, civil, housing, juvenile, mental health, and other types of cases. District Court criminal jurisdiction extends to all felonies punishable by a sentence up to five years, and many other specific felonies with greater potential penalties; all misdemeanors; and all violations of city and town ordinances and by-laws. The District Court is located in 62 courts across the Commonwealth.

 

For more information about the District Court, visit their homepage.

 

Judicial nominations are subject to the advice and consent of the Governor’s Council. Applicants for judicial openings are reviewed by the Judicial Nominating Commission (JNC) and recommended to the governor. Governor Baker established the JNC in February 2015 pursuant to Executive Order 558, a non-partisan, non-political Commission composed of volunteers from a cross-section of the Commonwealth's diverse population to screen judicial applications. Twenty-one members were later appointed to the JNC in April 2015.

  

About Janine M. Simonian

 

Janine M. Simonian began her legal career as a law clerk for Ronald A. Wysocki, Attorney at Law, in 2001. In 2004, she joined Geary and Associates as an associate attorney before joining the Northwestern District Attorney’s Office in 2006 as an Assistant District Attorney. Since 2013, Attorney Simonian has served as an Assistant District Attorney at the Hampden Country District Attorney’s Office and has worked within the Domestic Violence and Adult Sexual Assault Unit. She is also an active member of the community, previously serving on the Norris Elementary 6th Grade Committee, volunteering at the KEVS Foundation Annual Hockey Tournament and coaching youth soccer in Southampton. Attorney Simonian received her bachelor’s degree from Hood College in 1998, her Master of Social Work from the University of Connecticut in 2000 and her Juris Doctorate from New England School of Law in 2003.