Tammy Duckworth and Congressional Leaders Introduce Comprehensive College Affordability Legislation

Tammy Duckworth and Congressional Leaders Introduce Comprehensive College Affordability Legislation

Fully-paid for In the Red Act strengthens Pell Grants, invests in community college, and enables more Americans to refinance their student debt at lower interest rates

[WASHINGTON, DC] – Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth (IL-08) today introduced a comprehensive package of fully paid-for reforms to make college more affordable for all Americans. The Congresswoman’s In the Red Act would help put our nation on a path toward debt-free college, increase the maximum Pell Grant to keep pace with skyrocketing costs, invest in our country’s community colleges, enable borrowers to refinance student debt at lower interest rates and increase accountability among colleges and universities to ensure students are receiving high-value degrees and credentials. Duckworth’s proposal is cosponsored by House Education and the Workforce Committee Ranking Member Bobby Scott (VA-03), Subcommittee on Higher Education Ranking Member Rubén Hinojosa (TX-15) and Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02).

“I put myself through college with student loans, Pell Grants, and a heck of a lot of waitressing,” saidCongresswoman Duckworth. “And I’m still paying off my student loans today—so I know how tough paying for school can be. But every day, an affordable education is growing further and further out of reach for middle-class families, limiting young Americans’ prospects for the future and threatening both our economic growth and global competitiveness. Our In the Red Act will make the common-sense reforms we need to make college more affordable—which should be one of our top priorities in this nation.”

“Higher education should be a path to prosperity, not a path into suffocating debt. But unfortunately, college costs and student loan debt are holding back an entire generation and creating a drag on economic growth for our country,” said Senator Tammy Baldwin. “The idea that the next generation will be able to go further and do better than the last one is the heart of the American dream. That is why I will fight for the commonsense solutions offered in the In The Red Act.”

Not only would the In the Red Act help reduce rising costs and make higher education more affordable, but those benefits would come at no cost to taxpayers. The legislation, which was introduced by Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) in the Senate, is paid for by closing tax loopholes that only benefit special interests at the expense of everyday taxpayers. More information about these loopholes is available here.

“I have always believed that expanding accessibility and affordability in higher education transforms lives, increases America’s global competitiveness, and gives millions of Americans an opportunity to enter the middle class,” said Congressman Hinojosa. “However, today, too many Americans are struggling to access a college education due to rising college costs and inordinate amounts of student loan debt. As Ranking Member on the Higher Education and Workforce Training Subcommittee, I am proud to serve as an original cosponsor of the In the Red Act. This Act will put our nation on a path to debt-free college, strengthen Pell grants, enable more Americans to refinance their student loans at lower interest rates and increase accountability in higher education.”

“I am pleased to support Rep. Tammy Duckworth’s introduction of the In the Red Act, which will go a long way toward helping relieve the burden of college debt for America’s middle-class,” saidCongressman Courtney. “We know that individuals with college degrees will earn substantially more than those without a degree throughout their lifetime, but the costs associated with getting that degree have put a college education out of reach for many young Americans. Rep. Duckworth’s comprehensive approach to making college more affordable, which includes my student loan bill, the Bank on Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act, will help make college once again attainable for millions of Americans.  I am proud to join Rep. Duckworth as an original cosponsor of her bill, and I intend to encourage my colleagues to support this critical piece of legislation.”

The comprehensive In the Red Act includes the following provisions to make college more affordable and help put us on the path to debt-free college:

Allow Borrowers to Refinance Student Loans at Lower Rates

The In The Red Act will allow student loan borrowers to refinance their outstanding student debt at lower interest rates, saving more than 24 million student loan borrowers billions of dollars in interest—roughly $1,896 each. The In The Red Act incorporates Congressman Joe Courtney’s Bank on Students Emergency Loan Refinancing Act and would allow students to refinance their student loans and take advantage of lower interest rates — the same way people refinance a mortgage, a car loan or business debt. This reform would give student loan borrowers the ability to refinance their debt at the same low rates offered to new borrowers in the student loan program in the 2013-2014 school year.

Strengthen Pell Grants to Keep Pace with Rising Costs

The In The Red Act will adjust Pell Grants for inflation, so they keep pace with rising costs and don’t continue losing value. This provision authored by the Higher Education Subcommittee Ranking Member Rubén Hinojosa would give 9.2 million students an additional $1,300 in grant funding to pay for college costs and prevent the purchasing power of Pell Grants from eroding and pushing higher education further out of reach for Pell Grant recipients.

Make A New Investment in Community College

By creating a new federal-state partnership to make two-year community colleges tuition-free, the In The Red Act provides a more affordable opportunity for students to gain the skills they need to succeed. This investment would help students earn an degree or learn other skills needed for their chosen careers without also being burdened by significant student debt. Through the inclusion of Committee on Education and the Workforce Ranking Member Bobby Scott’s America’s College Promise Act, the In The Red Act could save full-time community college students almost $4,000 in tuition each year.

Ensure Colleges Provide Students with High-Quality Degrees

The In The Red Act would help increase accountability for higher education institutions and create strong incentives that help protect students and ensure they are able to graduate with high-value degrees and credentials. States would need to take a number of steps including providing high-quality academic and occupational training programs and adopting institutional reforms and innovative practices that improve outcomes for students.

Close Special Interest Loopholes to Make College More Affordable

The In The Red Act would put this country on a fiscally-responsible path to debt-free college by closing tax loopholes that benefit special interests in order to pay for the legislation’s reforms. The In The Red Act includesCongressman Lloyd Doggett’s Stop Subsidizing Multimillion Dollar Corporate Bonuses Act to close a major loophole in current corporate tax law by preventing unlimited tax write-offs for performance-based executive pay. The legislation would also close the carried interest tax loophole for hedge fund managers, enact the “Buffett Rule” to ensure millionaires pay their fair share, close the stock options loophole, and incorporateWays and Means Committee Ranking Member Sander Levin’s Stop Corporate Inversions Act to prevent American companies from evading U.S. taxes.

Additional information about these college affordability reforms is available here.

CITY OF BOSTON RELAUNCHES HUBWAYBIKESHARE SYSTEM, ANNOUNCES EXPANSION OF SERVICE STATIONS

CITY OF BOSTON RELAUNCHES HUBWAYBIKESHARE SYSTEM, ANNOUNCES EXPANSION OF SERVICE STATIONS

Boston Announces Plans for New Bike Stations in Roxbury and North Dorchester

BOSTON - Thursday, April 28, 2016 - The Boston Transportation Department/Boston Bikes today officially re-launched the full New Balance "The Hubway bike-share system offers residents and visitors a healthy, affordable way to travel throughout our city and I am excited that this year we are expanding the service to reach even more neighborhoods," said Mayor Martin J. Walsh. "As demand continues to grow, I look forward to working with our partners to explore additional opportunities to provide this active transportation service to the people of Boston." A celebration of the return of the Hubway bikes was held today at the Hubwaystation in front of the New Balance Experience Store on Boylston where Commissioner Fiandaca of the Boston Transportation Department joined Matt LeBretton, New Balance Vice President for Public Affairs. The popular bike-share system recently recorded the four millionth trip taken by Hubway users since the system's launch in 2011. "We look forward to New Balance Hubway's strongest season ever, with 10 new stations planned for Roxbury and North Dorchester in 2016, a fifth birthday celebration this summer, and our 5 millionth trip anticipated for this Fall," said Boston Transportation Commissioner Fiandaca. "With these new stations, Boston continues to be a national leader in its commitment to equity in bike-share. The City of Boston would like to thank the Barr Foundation for supporting the establishment of these new stations with a $525,000 grant, as well as for partnering with us to ensure that Boston is a sustainable and vibrant city for all residents and visitors." "From its first to its four millionth ride," said Mary Skelton Roberts, Senior Program Officer at the Barr Foundation. "New Balance Hubway has demonstrated that Boston can lead, and that Bostonians will embrace new, innovative ways to close transportation gaps, and to enhance mobility for residents and visitors. It is our privilege to be able to support this latest expansion into Roxbury and North Dorchester, to better connect more people to more places they want and need to go for work, school, and play throughout the region." The Boston Transportation Department will hold community workshops to invite public input into the plans for the new stations. Following the workshops, crews from local youth-based organizations will conduct surveys of possible locations for new stations, with opportunities for residents to participate by text message, online and in-person. These participation options are being providing in an effort to engage as many people in the community as possible in the process.  Public planning for the new stations will conclude with an Open House on June 9 and 11. Below is more information about the workshops and open houses: Community Workshop - May 12, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m., Roxbury YMCA Community Workshop - May 14, 10:00 - 11:30 a.m., Dudley Sq. Library Community Open House - June 9, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m., Roxbury YMCA Community Open House - June 11, 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., Grove Hall Library The New Balance Hubway system is regional public transportation by bike, owned by the municipalities of Boston, Brookline, Cambridge and Somerville.  Since opening in 2011, Hubway users have logged over six million bicycle miles, burning 168 million calories and offsetting nearly 2,000 tons of CO2 emissions.  Hubway has nearly 13,000 annual members and last year sold more than 91,000 24-Hour subscriptions, 8,700 72-Hour subscriptions, and 3,400 monthly subscriptions. In 2015 alone, Hubway riders took 1,122,475 trips and pedaled approximately 2.1 million miles. About Hubway: New Balance Hubway is metro-Boston's bike-sharing system with more than 1,600 bikes at 160 stations in Boston, Cambridge, Brookline and Somerville.  The City of Boston has the longest-running subsidized bike-share membership program in the country, offering Hubway memberships to low-income residents for just $5 per year.  For more information about subsidized memberships please visit http://www.bostonbikes.org/ or call #617-635-1470.  Find out more about the New Balance Hubway system, station expansions, deployments, and outages/closures at www.thehubway.com, on Twitter and on Facebook at  www.facebook.com/Hubway.

AG HEALEY ASSESSES MORE THAN $326,000 IN RESTITUTION AND PENALTIES AGAINST CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES IN FIRST QUARTER OF 2016

AG HEALEY ASSESSES MORE THAN $326,000 IN RESTITUTION AND PENALTIES AGAINST CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES IN FIRST QUARTER OF 2016

Part of an Ongoing Effort by the AG’s Office to Address Wage Theft in the Industry

       

BOSTON – As part of an ongoing effort to address wage theft in the construction industry, Attorney General Maura Healey has issued 29 civil citations against construction companies from January 2016 through March 2016, an increase from the previous two quarters. Restitution for employees of the various employers totaled nearly $260,000 and the companies were fined a total of more than $68,000. 

            “Wage theft is a real issue in Massachusetts, including in the construction industry where dishonest companies continue to cheat their employees,” AG Healey said. “Our office is working to level the playing field so that workers are paid fairly and contractors who follow the rules are not at a disadvantage.”

            Violations in these cases included the failure to pay proper wages, failure to pay overtime, retaliation and failure to furnish records for inspection. For work performed on public construction projects in the state, the violations included the failure to pay the prevailing wage, failure to submit true and accurate certified payroll records, and failure to register and pay apprentices appropriately.

The AG’s Office issued citations against the following construction companies in the first quarter of 2016:

• AK Electric, Inc. and owner Anibal C. Alves for more than $61,000 in restitution and penalties for violations relating to work performed on a public construction project at UMass Amherst;
• Boston Electric & Telephone Corp. and its owner Gerard Cardillo for more than $48,000 for failing to pay the proper prevailing wage and failing to submit true and accurate certified payroll records;
• C&M Construction d/b/a CM Construction and its owner William A. Leone for more than $14,000 in restitution and penalties for failure to pay the proper overtime and failure to furnish records to the AG’s Office;
• Felix Painting and its owner Felix Mendez Soto for more than $12,300 in restitution and penalties for failure to pay the proper overtime rate; and
• Glenshane III, LLC and its owner Patrick McKenna for more than $8,000 in restitution and penalties for failure to pay the proper overtime rate.

The AG’s Office cited 11 other companies for more than $180,000 in restitution and penalties for various violations.

           

            AG Healey is committed to protecting the economic security of Massachusetts residents, particularly vulnerable workers. These cases were handled by AG Healey’s Fair Labor Division, which is responsible for enforcing the laws regulating the payment of wages, including prevailing wage, minimum wage and overtime laws.

            Workers who believe that their rights have been violated in their workplace are encouraged to call the Office’s Fair Labor Hotline at (617) 727-3465. More information about the state’s wage and hour laws is also available in multiple languages at the Attorney General's Workplace Rights website www.massworkrights.com.

亞美專協公佈2016未來領袖獎得主

NAAAP Boston Announces 2016 Future Leader Award Winners

BOSTON, MA - The National Association of Asian American Professionals Boston Chapter (NAAAP Boston) is proud to announce that Tina Huang, Cindy Tao, and Lincy Shen are the three winners of the 2016 NAAAP Boston Future Leader Award which includes the Richard and Chou Lee Future Leader Award, the MassMutual Future Leader Award, and the Liberty Mutual Future Leader Award. 

Each student will receive a $5,000 scholarship award at the NAAAP Boston Scholarship Awards Luncheon on May 21st. The celebration will be held at Hotel Marlowe in Cambridge from 11:30am to 1:30pm. 

This year, NAAAP Boston is excited to have Nina Liang, City Councilor of Quincy, join us as the featured speaker. Nina is the first Chinese American to be elected to the city's public office and we are honored to have a leader who strongly represents the Asian American community speak at the luncheon. 

NAAAP Boston’s Future Leader Award is the premier scholarship for Asian American high school students in the Greater Boston area. With the purpose of aspiring leaders in the Asian American community, this scholarship awards outstanding students based on their academic achievements, extracurricular involvement, community service, work experience, financial circumstances and leadership potential. Since the inception of the Future Leader Award in 1987, the NAAAP Boston has awarded over $150,000 to 80 high school seniors.

About the Three Future Leader Award Winners

Tina Huang 

2016 Richard and Chou Lee Future Leader Award 

Tina Huang is currently a senior at Boston Latin School. She is Vice President of Boston Latin School Connect, welcoming new students and incoming freshman and supporting their transition to high school. Tina is also a member of the National Honors Society, Asian Students in Action, and  WolfPack Volunteers.  Outside school, she also serves as student ambassador for Americans Promoting Studying Abroad where she promotes student exchange programs between the US and China.  She is very involved with the Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center where she worked as a front desk assistant. Tina also serves on the organization’s Youth Advisory Group and worked on a campaign raising awareness of on critical issues including healthy eating/life style and air pollution in Chinatown. Her goal is to create a bridge between Chinatown and the larger Boston community. 

Cindy Tao 

2016 MassMutual Future Leader Award 

Cindy Tao is currently a senior at Boston Latin Academy. Her goal is to be a child psychologist because she loves being around kids. She works at VIETAID, first as a tutor and now as a teaching assistant in teaching math to elementary school students. In addition, Cindy taught Vietnamese American history at VIETAID’s summer enrichment program to 6-8 year old students. She also volunteered at St. Joseph Rehab and Nurse Care Center. At Boston Latin Academy, she is Editor of the Yearbook Committee, and Chief of Staff of Student Government. In addition, she is Vice President of the Asian Student Association Club where she helped put together “Asian Night” which showcases diversity within the Asian culture. 

Lincy Shen 

2016 Liberty Mutual Future Leader Award 

Lincy Shen is currently a senior at North Quincy High School. She is president of the Math Club. She is a member of the National Honor Society, Foreign Language Honor Society, Science Olympiad, and Academic Decathalon. Lincy also played on the Girls Junior Varsity Tennis Team. Outside school, Lincy volunteered at Quincy Asian Resources Inc. and Uplift Afterschool Program. She currently works on the Youth Staff at the Chinese Progressive Association where she led and planned the Chinatown Library campaign.  Her goal is to build her own language skills and help new immigrants by providing translations and financial literacy.

Governor Baker Reviews Progress of MBTA Infrastructure Investments in Ashland

Governor Baker Reviews Progress of MBTA Infrastructure Investments in Ashland

Replacement of 26,000 rail ties to allow lifting of heat speed restrictions along Worcester Commuter Rail Line

ASHLAND – Governor Charlie Baker today visited a Keolis work site in Ashland to review the progress on infrastructure upgrades the MBTA is making as part of a larger effort the MBTA, its Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB) and leadership are making to improve service, access, accountability and reliability for riders and taxpayers. In Ashland and along the Framingham-Worcester Commuter Rail Line, the MBTA is replacing over 26,000 rail ties between March and early June, to allow more efficient travel and lift speed restrictions due to heat that have been in place since the MBTA obtained the line in 2012. To date, over 10,000 of the 26,000 ties along the line have been installed and put the project three weeks ahead of schedule. 

“Riders and taxpayers deserve and depend on a cost-effective and world-class transit system that can get them to work, school or wherever they need to be in a safe and timely way,” said Governor Baker. “Since last winter, the MBTA and its new leadership have undertaken a renewed focus on the important work of reducing costs and investing in infrastructure improvements to the core system that will ultimately mean more reliable public transit for commuters.”

The MBTA has invested over $600 million this fiscal year for State of Good Repair deferred maintenance, including an $83 million winter resiliency program, system-wide station improvements, and track, signal, and power system upgrades and the MBTA’s Fiscal Year 2016 capital investment plan calls for over $1.05 billion in long-term infrastructure, vehicle and station upgrades, including 325 new busses to replace the MBTA fleet. Additionally, a $104 million effort to refurbish 86 Green Line trolley cars is underway and the MBTA has hired a new Chief Procurement Officer to ensure timely and cost-effective investments.

“Access to reliable transportation plays a crucial role in the lives of people throughout the Commonwealth, and while we still have much work to do, the Baker-Polito Administration, MassDOT and the MBTA remain dedicated to the goal of improving the transit system for riders,” said MassDOT Secretary and CEO Stephanie Pollack.

As part of the winter resiliency work, nearly 70,000 linear feet of brand new third rail between JFK/UMass Station and Quincy on the Red Line and more than 36,000 linear feet of heater element infrastructure that includes conduit, wiring, and junction boxes have been installed to support the Red Line’s third rail heating systems. Along the Orange Line, more than 200,000 linear feet of new wiring for third rail heating and 5,321 linear feet of snow fencing have been installed.

“We continue to invest capital dollars to improve services for our riders, including the refurbishing of Green Line trolley cars and winter resiliency work to reduce weather impacts on the Red and Orange lines,” said MBTA General Manager Frank DePaola. “This work is essential to preserving the integrity of our vehicles and service.”

In June 2015, Governor Charlie Baker appointed a Fiscal and Management Control Board (FMCB) to help oversee the system’s operations and finances and increased the MBTA’s direct aid in his Fiscal Year 2016 budget by 50% to $187 million, a historic level continued into Fiscal Year 2017. The FMCB, MassDOT and MBTA have since increased the MBTA’s capital spend capacity to a record $799 million in Fiscal Year 2015 and made progress in reducing the Fiscal Year 2017 budget deficit from $242 million to $80 million; increasing own-source revenue by $10 million; reducing employee overtime hours and costs by over 50% with new leave and attendance policies; reducing dropped bus trips by 40% and energy costs by $12.5 million.  The MBTA is the fifth-largest transit agency in the U.S., serving over 1 million passengers a day.

公民銀行撥款25,000 支持BCNC教人管理錢

BCNC partners with Citizens Bank on “Citizens Helping Citizens Manage Money” Initiative

Citizens Bank presents a $25,000 check to Boston Chinatown Neighborhood Center (BCNC) to support Financial Literacy Program.
BOSTON –
Build a Better Life Financial Literacy Program.

(Left to Right): Jerry Sargent (President, Citizens Bank, MA),
Deborah B Goldberg (State Treasurer, MA), Giles Li (Executive Director,
BCNC), and Debby Wiesen (Director of Adult Education, BCNC).

BCNC’s Build a Better Life Financial Literacy Program is a free workshop series with topics that include, protecting your money, managing credit, paying for college, buying a house or car and planning for your financial goals, among other topics.
“Massachusetts citizens are walking a financial tightrope and are in need of the basic necessities that can help them become financially successful,” said Jerry Sargent, President of Citizens Bank, Massachusetts. “Through our Citizens Helping Citizens Manage Money” program, we are working together with state and nonprofit organizations to empower our fellow citizens with the knowledge and resources they need to budget, save, invest and be fiscally healthy.”

BULGER COMPANION SENTENCED TO 21 MONTHS IN PRISON FOR CRIMINAL CONTEMPT

BULGER COMPANION SENTENCED TO 21 MONTHS IN PRISON

FOR CRIMINAL CONTEMPT

BOSTON – Catherine Greig, the longtime companion of convicted killer James “Whitey” Bulger, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Boston in connection with her refusal to testify before a federal grand jury.  The investigation centered on whether others assisted her and Bulger during the 16 years they were fugitives from justice. 

“Ms. Greig had a choice – to either assist or defy a Court Order.  She had complete control over her own fate.  Her repeated defiance translated into criminal contempt and has ultimately cost her more time in prison,” said United States Attorney Carmen M. Ortiz.  “First, her role in harboring James Bulger, a murderer, resulted in the victims’ families being forced to lie in wait for justice.  Then Ms. Greig’s continued and deliberate effort to protect accomplices extended the injustice, and she will now face the consequences of that decision.”

“The FBI has never wavered in its pursuit to bring Catherine Greig to justice,” said Harold H. Shaw, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation.  “Today’s sentence shows that defying a court order and refusing to testify about who harbored, or otherwise assisted her life on the run with Mr. Bulger, is not without consequence.  Her actions adversely impacted the government’s efforts to seek answers for Bulger’s victims, and hold accountable anyone who may have helped them during their sixteen years as fugitives.”

Ms. Greig, 64, was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor, IV to 21 months in prison to be served consecutively to her current sentence, and three years of supervised release to be served concurrent to the term imposed during her prior conviction.  In February 2016, she pleaded guilty to one count of criminal contempt.  

Greig is currently serving an eight year sentence for her 2012 conviction of identity fraud and harboring James J. Bulger.  The sentence imposed today will be served after she completes her initial eight year sentence.

U.S. Attorney Ortiz and FBI SAC Shaw made the announcement today.  The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Mary B. Murrane of Ortiz’s Criminal Division. 

大波士頓土地信託會結盟維護、爭取可負擔住宅 （圖片）

(Boston, MA)  On April 27, leaders of community organizations from across the City will launch the Greater Boston Community Land Trust Network. Community land trusts are a critical and proven strategy to prevent displacement, promote permanently affordable housing and ensure that residents have a control over neighborhood development. As rising housing costs threaten the ability of low and moderate income households to stay in their communities, these neighborhoods are organizing to promote the creation of new community land trusts. 

Who: Tenants and homeowners from neighborhoods across Boston, as well as leaders from affordable housing and urban agriculture organizations, City of Boston representatives and elected officials

When: Wednesday, April 27, 2016, 6:00-8:00pm

Where: Great Hall of Codman Square Health Center, 6 Norfolk Street, Dorchester

The launch comes one month after the Mayor’s Office of Housing Innovation named community land trusts as one of four solutions for driving down the cost to build, buy, and own middle-income housing in the City of Boston. A recently released report by the Senate Special Commission on Housing includes land trusts as a strategy to mitigate gentrification. 

At the event, leaders of the Network will outline a set of policy recommendations to support the use of Community Land Trust as a tool for neighborhood stabilization by increasing access to land, capital, technical assistance and homeowner resources.

The launch will also feature the release of a report by Tufts University Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning Department about the potential benefits of community land trusts in Boston, including examples of successful land trust collaborations in other cities across the country.   Neighborhood leaders will also talk about plans to develop land trusts in different neighborhoods. 

The Greater Boston Community Land Trust Network includes Chinatown Community Land Trust, City Life/Vida Urbana, The Coalition for Occupied Homes in Foreclosure (COHIF), Dudley Neighbors, Inc., Mattapan United, New England United for Justice, The Urban Farming Institute, Greater Bowdoin/Geneva Neighborhood Association, Alternatives for Community and Environment and Boston Tenant Coalition.

Residents and representatives from Network organizations will be available for interviews before and at the event.