MAYOR WALSH ANNOUNCES FREE TAX SERVICES AVAILABLE TO MAXIMIZE REFUNDS FOR BOSTON RESIDENTS

 MAYOR WALSH ANNOUNCES FREE TAX SERVICES AVAILABLE TO MAXIMIZE REFUNDS FOR BOSTON RESIDENTS 

Boston Tax Help Coalition to provide remote and community-based tax preparation services 

BOSTON - Wednesday, February 3, 2021 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced that the Boston Tax Help Coalition has launched the 2021 tax season and is once again offering free tax preparation for residents who earn $57,000 per year or less. In response to COVID-19, the Boston Tax Help Coalition and community partners have modified their tax services, providing them both in the community and remotely to ensure that all qualified residents can file safely while maximizing their tax refunds and credits, including the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). Tax preparation is available in English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, Cape Verdean Creole, Portugese, French, Vietamese, Manderin, and Cantonese. Qualified residents must call 311 or visit www.bostontaxhelp.org for an appointment. Unlike prior years, walk-in services will not be provided. 

"I urge all qualified Bostonians to take advantage of the Boston Tax Help Coalition's safe and free tax preparation," said Mayor Walsh. "The experts at the Boston Tax Help Coalition can help residents who have been financially impacted by COVID-19 maximize their refund and receive the highest EITC due."

The EITC is a refundable credit for low wage workers that lifted 5.6 million people out of poverty in 2018, including 3 million children. In 2020, the average EITC amount returned to taxpayers was $2,461. Yet, according to the IRS, 20 percent of all eligible filers do not receive the credit, with approximately $10 million dollars of EITC left unclaimed in Boston. 

Due to the pandemic and extensive job losses, many taxpayers' refunds could be negatively impacted. To protect taxpayers from losing much-needed refund dollars, Congress created a "Lookback Provision" under the most recent stimulus. Individuals may elect to use their 2019 earned income to calculate their 2020 EITC if their 2019 earned income is more than their 2020 earned income.  Residents should bring a copy of their 2019 taxes with them to the tax appointment, whether with the Boston Tax Help Coalition or any other preparer, to ensure they get the largest EITC credit possible.

"Congratulations to the Boston Tax Help Coalition on the launch of our 19^th tax season," said Doreen Treacy, Vice President for Career Services at JVS. "Today the BTHC and partners launch free tax preparation: safely in the pandemic. What an accomplishment and what a resource to the community! In its first tax season, Coalition partners served 400 taxpayers at 12 sites and returned $800,000 dollars back to the community. Since then, the work has grown dramatically. Community partners now prepare an average of 13,000 returns, bringing back approximately $24 million directly to resident pockets annually-with most of that coming back into our communities as a local economic engine.  Since its founding, the Coalition has recruited and trained over 50,000 volunteers, prepared more than 180,000 free tax returns, and generated over $300 million in combined tax credits and refunds for Bostonians."

BTHC serves approximately 13,000 taxpayers annually, training hundreds of IRS-certified volunteers whose work returns $24 million in refunds and credits directly to taxpayers. In addition to tax preparation, the Coalition provides clients with other free services to improve their financial health.The Coalition connects taxpayers to Bank On Boston, an initiative launched by Mayor Walsh that helps residents identify banking services that are safe, affordable, and non-predatory. Trained Financial Guides also offer taxpayers the Financial Check-Up, a key component of Boston Builds Credit, the City's free credit building program. A Financial Check-Up is a one-on-one session in which a taxpayer can review his or her credit score with a guide and obtain personalized credit-building strategies. 

Part of the Mayor's Office of Financial Empowerment, the Boston Tax Help Coalition works to increase accessibility to its free tax services through outreach and materials in English and eight other languages: Arabic, Cape Verdean Creole, Chinese, Haitian Creole, Portuguese, Spanish and Vietnamese. Representing the City of Boston at today's tax launch was Yusufi Vali, Director of the Mayor's Office for Immigrant Advancement, whose office is working with the Boston Tax Help Coalition to strengthen immigrant participation in wealth building opportunities. Other speakers included Don Dill, Senior Tax Analyst, IRS National Partnerships; Sharon Scott-Chandler, Executive Vice President/Chief Operating Officer, ABCD and Doreen Treacy, Vice President of Career Services, JVS Boston.

MAYOR WALSH ANNOUNCES PARTNERSHIP BETWEEN BOSTON RACIAL EQUITY FUND AND NEW COMMONWEALTH FUND; DISTRIBUTES $735,000 TO SUPPORT RACIAL EQUITY INVESTMENTS

 BOSTON - Wednesday, February 3, 2021 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced the Boston Racial Equity Fund

will join efforts with the New Commonwealth Fund to advance racial equity and dismantle systemic racism in the City of Boston and Commonwealth of Massachusetts. To ensure these critical resources are swiftly invested in service of the communities most impacted by systemic racism and enduring economic and public health disparities, approximately $670,000 of the funds raised through the Boston Racial Equity Fund will be granted to the New Commonwealth Fund. An additional $65,000 will be granted to the City's Equity and Inclusion Cabinet to advance its research initiatives in collaboration with the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston.

"Our number one priority in the City of Boston is to embed equity into all of our work, and purposefully sustain the movement to achieve equity and dismantle systemic racism within longstanding practices," said Mayor Walsh. "We are glad to grant the funds raised to the New Commonwealth Fund to support communities of color and make Boston a city where everyone has opportunities to thrive. I thank all our Steering Committee members, partners and donors for their generous support, and I am confident that through the Fund and the work of our Equity and Inclusion Cabinet, our efforts will have an immediate impact" 

Mayor Walsh launched the Boston Racial Equity Fund in June 2020 and then nominated its Steering Committee members, several of whom also serve on the New Commonwealth Fund's leadership board. While fundraising for the Boston Racial Equity Fund will be momentarily paused in anticipation of the mayoral transition, all interested parties are encouraged to make a donation to the New Commonwealth Fund. By leveraging combined resources, these Funds will help manifest greater impact and drive transformative change at both the state and city level. 

"We are thankful to Mayor Walsh and the Boston Racial Equity Fund for taking these steps to help fulfill a mission we both share," said Greg Shell, Managing Director, Bain Capital Double Impact Fund, and a founder of the New Commonwealth Fund. "This generous support will help further our effort to stimulate economic growth and increase employment in the communities who need it most. We believe that this kind of cooperation gives us all the best chance to positively impact these communities, and to transform our great city".

In further support of this powerful partnership and to seed this grant, Mayor Walsh thanked AT&T for stepping up and committing a leadership donation of $500,000 to the Boston Racial Equity Fund with the understanding that it will now go to support the New Commonwealth Fund. 

"We are deeply grateful to Mayor Walsh, Jocelyn Sargent and the leaders of the New Commonwealth Fund, as well as the many civic leaders across Boston, including Chief Crockett, Pabral Chakrabarti of the Boston Federal Reserve, and Lee Pelton of Emerson College, for their commitment and leadership on the fundamental issue of racial equality," said Patricia Jacobs, AT&T Northern Region President. "At AT&T, we share their dedication to elevating diverse voices, and we're honored to play a small part in this most important endeavor."

This announcement also marks a collaboration between the City, its partners, and the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, which will inform a data-driven action agenda to address the racial wealth gap. A portion of the Fund will be earmarked to support data collection and research that broadly builds upon the Reserve Bank's 2015 Color of Wealth in Boston report. 

"Increasing wealth for Black, Latinx, and communities of color is central to making Greater Boston more equitable, and we're pleased to be invited to participate," says Prabal Chakrabarti, Executive Vice President and Community Affairs Officer at the Boston Fed. "We're exploring a number of questions that will ultimately provide relevant analyses and inform discussions about racial equity. Through these efforts and our existing programs we hope to help the region make progress in tackling the systemic challenges faced by communities of color."

'"There is no issue before us greater than delivering equity and justice for populations who have not benefited from our city's prosperity. The New Commonwealth Fund, The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and AT&T are powerful leadership partners to the City of Boston and our work to dismantle systemic racism and build pathways to generational wealth creation. Today we celebrate all the new opportunities our strategic collaboration will deliver for Boston residents." said Dr. Karilyn Crockett, Chief of Equity for the City of Boston, who has led the creation of this fund along with Dr. Lee Pelton, President of Emerson College and incoming President and CEO of The Boston Foundation.

麻州州長疫情匯報 2/3

 

30 pharmacies will be open next week.

波士頓市移民進步辦公室主任Yusufi Vali讚拜登的移民政策改革

波士頓移民進步辦公室主任Yusufi Vali。(檔案照片)

             (Boston Orange)美國總統拜登(Joe Biden)辦公室發出文告，列出”改革移民系統，讓家人在一起”，以處理不規則移民的根本原因，並簡化合法移民系統等等的步驟。波士頓移民進步辦公室主任Yusufi Vali特地發表聲明，讚揚該舉。

             Yusufi Vali表示，今天的這行政命令市朝向移民系統現代化的重要一步。在簡化合法移民系統並推廣移民融合上，波士頓市政府支持移民入籍，因為公民權將容許整個城市繁榮。川普政府的改變工共收費制度，使得人們更難成為永久居民，也在移民社區中製造了懼怕與不信任感。那使人們在病毒大流行期間得不到重要資源，這行政命令不僅只是從病毒大流行恢復，更是為所有人打造更好未來的一步。

           拜登總統文告內容: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2021/02/02/fact-sheet-president-biden-outlines-steps-to-reform-our-immigration-system-by-keeping-families-together-addressing-the-root-causes-of-irregular-migration-and-streamlining-the-legal-immigration-syst/。

三名波士頓市長候選人: 吳弭、Andrea Campbell、Annissa Essaibi George

波士頓市長候選人吳弭及其家人。(圖片來自競選網站)

         (Boston Orange 編譯)波士頓市今年的市級選舉，由於現任市長馬丁華殊(Martin J. Walsh)將離任，預計很熱鬧，但新冠病毒疫情繚繞，冬天風雪又剛來襲，暫時冷冷地，還只有3名候選人。

             這3人依宣佈參選順序，分別是36歲的吳弭(Michelle Wu)，38歲的Andrea Campbell，47歲的Anissa Essaibi George。她們三人都是波士頓市議員，都是女性，都年輕，都是移民後代或少數族裔。她們中的任何一人當選，波士頓市的歷史都將添一筆新紀錄。

             吳弭是在2020年9月15日正式宣佈參選的。她在芝加哥出生，父母是來自台灣的移民。她主張波士頓需要的市長，必須能夠承擔得起波士頓所面對的挑戰規模與緊迫性，包括持續進行中的新冠病毒大流行，以及推動處理系統系的種族歧視。

             吳弭說，”早在病毒大流行以前，照常行事的作法就已經讓波士頓人失望了，而新冠病毒暴露，惡化了我們城市中深深存在的不公平。在這危機時刻，不只是可能，更需要重新想像以社區為基礎的領導，抱希望與信念的行動。

波士頓市長候選人Andrea Campbell及家人。(圖片來自競選網站)

            Andrea Campbell在吳弭宣佈的一個星期之後，也宣佈參選市長。她在波士頓出生，長大。她說她對波士頓市的不公平，有親身經歷，她會把目標放在處理低收入黑人及拉丁裔人社區和波士頓城中心經濟的巨大差異上。

             她說，在這清算我們國家，我們城市的意義深遠時刻，波士頓需要的領導人不只要了解，還必須要親身經歷過我們居民每天面對的系統性不公平。他說，她參選市長，就是為了要做為那名領袖，把城市團結起來迎面對抗不公平，最後讓波士頓市成為一個對任何人來說都行得通的城市。

波士頓市長候選人Anissa Essaibi George。(圖片來自競選網站)

         上星期，Anissa Essaibi George也宣佈參選波士頓市長了。她列舉了要把波士頓市帶出新冠病毒大流行需要做的事，還把重心放在被醫療危機彰顯出來的住宅，醫療護理等的現存不公平。

            她說，她相信波士頓會認為不公平，不正義是錯的，要迎頭痛擊。會扶持每個稱之為家的人。

             目前離11月2日的大選，甚至9月的初選，都還有一段日子，目前波士頓市議員們預計本週將投票決定，是否取消遞補選舉。

             波士頓市的健康及人民服務長Marty Martinez已表態有意參選，在萬寧路(Menino)市長時代，就曾經參選市長的波士頓市不分區市議員米高法拉提(Michael Flaherty)據說也有興趣。

             根據Politico，有意參選波士頓市長的人還包括南波士頓民主黨人，麻州參議員Nick Cillins，波士頓經濟發展長John Barros，以及波士頓民主黨麻州眾議員Jon Santiago。

             麻州眾議員麥家威(Aaron Michlewitz)，以及薩福克郡獄政官Steve Tompkins上個月都宣佈不會參選波士頓市長。

            波士頓警察局局長葛羅斯William Gross，早前宣佈有90%會參選，上週卻突然宣佈退休，而且不會參選市長。

麻州總檢察官第七屆暑期工獎助金3/5截止申請

 AG HEALEY OPENS GRANT APPLICATION PERIOD FOR SEVENTH ANNUAL SUMMER JOB PROGRAM FOR YOUNG PEOPLE

Deadline for Applications is March 5; Applicants are Required to Detail their Ability to Safely and Successfully Run a Program Amid the Ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic 

BOSTON – Attorney General Maura Healey today opened the seventh annual application period for her office’s summer jobs grant program for young people across the state. The deadline for applications is March 5 and applicants must detail their plans to run their programs successfully and safely, in light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

This year’s Healthy Summer Youth Jobs Program will use funds secured by the AG’s Office in child labor-related settlements to provide funding to organizations to hire young people for jobs that focus on health and wellness. The program enables young people to have a direct impact in their communities by working in jobs that promote good nutrition, physical fitness, and healthy living.

“Our summer job program provides hundreds of young workers across Massachusetts with an opportunity to learn new skills, challenge themselves, and make a real difference in their communities,” AG Healey said. “We’re pleased to be continuing this program for a seventh year, and we know that our grantees will ensure that our young people stay safe and healthy while working.”           

Last year, the AG’s Office awarded nearly $300,000 in grant funding to 73 organizations across the state. The grantees adapted to the pandemic in a number of ways, including providing personal protective equipment (PPE), social distancing, and transitioning to virtual workspaces. The AG’s Community Engagement and Fair Labor Divisions held webinars on workers’ rights for all young people employed through the grant program. 

Examples of jobs that have received funding in the past include, but are not limited to:

·       Collaborating on a public health project focused on food security.

·       Assisting as a coach, team leader, or mentor with a sports or physical fitness program designed for young people.

·       Fostering a green environment by building and maintaining a community garden or urban farm.

·       Educating and mentoring young people about healthy relationships.

Since launching the program in 2015, the office has awarded nearly $1.85 million to organizations to fund more than 1,000 jobs for young people across the state

The AG’s Office will issue grants to municipalities, other government offices, quasi-public entities, and non-profits within the state. Nonprofit applicants must be in full compliance with statutory requirements for annual filings with the AG’s Non-Profit Organizations and Public Charities Division. Grantees must pay employed youth a minimum wage of $13.50 per hour. The office will prioritize applicants who are seeking to hire low-income youth workers with the grant funding.

Grant awards will fund youth employment from July 5, 2021 through Sept. 3, 2021. Interested applicants can visit the AG’s website for more information and for application instructions. Applications must be received by 5 p.m. on Friday, March 5, 2021.

吳弭競選波士頓市長: 倡議數位公平 打造市有寬頻網路

吳弭想要打造是有寬頻網路。(圖片取自吳弭競選網站)

             (Boston Orange周菊子綜合報導) 波士頓市長候選人吳弭(Michelle Wu)心中的理想波士頓市，是個人人都可上網，沒有數位落差的城市。今(2)日一早，她的競選團隊發表了一份有5項要點的”數位公平”藍圖。

             其中的重點之一是，吳弭想要探討打造一個市有寬頻網路，以為所有市民，小企業提供真正可負擔，品質又好的上網服務的可行性。

             吳弭指出，波士頓市有將近15%家庭未訂購網路服務，還有3萬2000多戶人家完全沒有上網途徑，而這些大都是黑人，拉丁裔人，以及移民家庭。在新型冠狀病毒大流行逼使整個社會數位化之際，市民間的數位落差也更加明顯。

             為彌平差距，讓波士頓市成為每一個人的城市，就要推動數位公平。她草擬了分成5個部份的”數位平等計畫”。

             這5個部分的重點為，1. 在波士頓市內打造市有寬頻網路，經由科技提供教育，經濟，2. 在市府服務中鼓勵數位正義，3. 經由科技獲取醫療平等，4. 讓交通上的流動性與連接性發揮槓桿作用，5. 讓領導層為更廣泛的改變做好準備。

             吳弭認為，要讓波士頓市成為每一個人的城市，就得在這數位世界中，讓每個人都可以取得並懂得使用這科技。所以她將要破除市政府部門之間的藩籬，打造數位資源，促進合作，並和諸如波士頓市的創新與科技局，以及地方上非牟利組織合作，優先處理在全市各鄰里持續溝通中的數位平等議題。

             她計畫全面檢視所有市府擁有的樓宇，查察其結構，做維修更新，以消除打造可負擔但可靠，又高效的市府寬頻網路服務的障礙。

             她打算在人權委員會內，成立一個由社區主導的科技道德委員會，以確保市府服務在採購及使用科技上，符合道德標準。

             在波士頓公共衛生委員會中成立醫療及數位平等辦公室，加速推動遠距醫療(telemedicine)。

             擴大人們取得精神醫療及支援的途徑，並推動成立州政府層級的工作小組，重點放在郊區的遠距醫療服務上。

             由於家庭網路服務得付費，波士頓大約有8%的家庭只用手機上網，還不斷查看用量，以確保使用量不會超過每個月的數據量限制，以免得多付費，或失去服務。吳弭為此認為在麻州灣區地鐵局(MBTA)已把無線網路擴展到通勤鐵路(commuter rail)之際，她希望能動用市府資源，沿著巴士路線，在巴士站為民眾設立免費，安全的公共無線網路，並和MBTA合作，找出聯邦政府資源，把這免費無線網路服務，擴展到MBTA地鐵站去。

             波士頓環球報稱，新英格蘭電纜及電訊協會會長(New England Cable & Telecommunications Association) Timothy Wilkerson表示，該會已經在和波士頓市政府商議，朝向為低收入家庭民眾提供免費或低廉寬頻網路的可行性。

麻州新冠病毒累計確診人數打破50萬大關 2/1 新增2210人確診30人死亡 全世界1億390萬人確診約225萬人死亡

              (Boston Orange 整理報導)新冠病毒(COVID-19)疫情趨緩，但累計數目驚人。2021年2月1日，根據約翰霍普金斯大學數據，全世界累計確診人數已達1億329萬8719，新增372,222人。累計死亡人數達223萬4565人，新增7,562人。

              美國的累計新冠病毒確診人數為2627萬8706人，新增9,8295人。累計死亡人數為44萬2710人，新增1,408人。

              新冠病毒疫情已橫掃全世界192個國家。

              麻州的疫情已漸回緩，累計確診人數已打破50萬大關，有500,415人，今日新增2270人確診，30人死亡。累計死亡人數已達14,317，快要打破1萬5000大關了。

              根據州政府公佈的數據，目前有1676人因為新冠病毒住院，其中373人住在重症病房，222人插管。今日有88,302人做了分子檢測，累計做過檢測的人已達1372萬1200人次。七天的平均確診率已下降至3.53%。

              在新英格蘭各州中，羅德島州累計確診人數有11萬5956，從1月29日迄今，新增1518人確診，19人死亡。累計死亡人數為2173。共有254萬5504人次做過病毒檢測。

              緬因州累計39543人確診，595人死亡。

              新罕布夏州，截至1月31日，累計65695人確診，1057人死亡。

              佛蒙特州，累計12083人確診，175人死亡。

              康州，累計253,954人確診，7119人死亡。

              波士頓環球報指出，一月是美國新冠病毒死亡人數最多的一個月，有95000人辭世。

              麻州今日開始進入施打疫苗第2階段，在暴風雪來襲之際，進展順利，不過有些人因為這場風雪，必須重新預約施打疫苗日期。

              由於許多人急著打疫苗，希望早日脫離為病毒所困的夢靨，但各處查問，都不得要領，他們的家庭醫師也都表示手中無疫苗，不知何時能拿到，讓他們十分氣惱。尤其是一些老人家，紛紛表示，許多其他州都已經有很多人接種疫苗了，為什麼麻州那麼慢，麻州州長查理貝克(Charlie Baker)最近數日在匯報疫情時也一再強調，州政府收到的疫苗數量有限，為了讓需要最孔急的那批人有機會先注射疫苗，所以制定階段性施打疫苗計畫，目前也將視情況調整，希望民眾體諒。

                        查詢麻州疫苗相關情況，可上網   https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massachusetts-covid-19-vaccination-phases。