Senate Passes Bill to Improve Access and Efficacy of Unemployment Insurance
BOSTON Friday, April 3 -- Senator Anne Gobi (D – Spencer) and the Massachusetts State Senate on Thursday passed legislation that will provide additional Unemployment Insurance (UI) relief to low-income families, non-profit institutions and employers.
An Act Providing Additional Support to Those Affected by the Novel Coronavirus Through the Unemployment Insurance System builds on UI legislation passed by the Senate and signed into law waiving the one-week waiting period to receive benefits. It also follows the passage last week of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), which significantly increases UI benefits and expands eligibility during the coronavirus pandemic.
“This is such a stressful time and people are hurting,” commented Senator Gobi on the bill’s passage. “I will continue to work to provide relief as we get through this public health crisis together. This is not the end of assistance; it is one more important step on our road to recovery.”
Building off the Senate’s ongoing efforts to address the COVID-19 public health crisis and its impacts on workers, the bill includes four components to enhance the state’s UI system:
- Uncapping the UI dependency allotment;
- Extending the grace period for non-profit contributions;
- Protecting employers from increased UI costs due to coronavirus; and
- Ensuring 30 weeks of unemployment compensation during unemployment spikes.
Lifting the Cap on Dependency Allotment. This bill eliminates the 50% cap for the dependency allotment providing additional benefits to low-income families. This increase will be in addition to the $600 per week benefit add-on provided for in the CARES Act for all workers eligible for state or federal benefits.
Currently, UI recipients are entitled to an additional $25 per week for each child in the family, capped at 50% of a recipient’s base allotment. The result is that workers with particularly low allotments, such as low wage workers, can easily be capped out of receiving these additional amounts.
Non-Profit Contribution Grace Period. Presently, many non-profits self-insure for unemployment claims. This means that when layoffs in the sector occur, non-profits pay the cost of those benefits dollar for dollar at the next billing period. This bill provides a 120-day grace period for non-profits to make these contributions. This delay will allow the state to review additional changes that are warranted to mitigate the impact on non-profits. The CARES Act provides 50% reimbursement for self-insured benefit payments during theCoronavirus crisis.
Protection for Employers. Employers who participate in UI pay contributions based on their layoff experience. Like other forms of insurance, employers that are more likely to have workers use unemployment compensation are asked to pay more in the system. The system does not anticipate a situation where employers across a number of sectors have been forced to significantly reduce their workforces due to situations outside of their control. This bill prevents layoffs related to coronavirus from negatively impacting employer’s future UI contributions.
Extending Unemployment Benefit Period. The number of weeks of unemployment compensation available in Massachusetts is tied to unemployment rates around the state. This trigger did not anticipate a situation, however, in which unemployment grows rapidly in a very short period of time. This bill ensures that the 30-week benefit period is triggered by a significant uptick in weekly unemployment claims.
An Act Providing Additional Support to Those Affected by the Novel Coronavirus Through the Unemployment Insurance System now moves to the Massachusetts House of Representatives for consideration.
The Park Theatre Receives Major Gift
Second Auditorium Named for Mike King
Family of Michael B. King gifts $150,000 to Jaffrey theatre.
JAFFREY, New Hampshire (April 9, 2020) The Park Theatre announced today that Stephen and Ashley King have generously contributed to The Park Theatre to name the upper auditorium in honor of Steve's loving father, Michael B. King. Mike, as he was known throughout the region, was a trustee of The Park Theatre for over 14 years and founding member of the TEAM Jaffrey Park Theatre Restoration Committee. His passion for movies was very personal. He had been a projectionist in his youth, an avid student of film, and had amassed a significant collection of classic films on 16mm. Mike curated and ran The Park Theatre's free Summer Movie Nights and, in that capacity, gave tens of thousands of hours to the free film festivals and the Theatre's young people's Usher Club. For several years, Mike also presented films for the Dublin Lake Club.
In presenting the family's contribution to the Theatre, his son, Stephen said, "Ashley and I couldn't be happier to honor Dad in this way. To know that the King
Auditorium will live on as a tribute to his name would give dad a wide shy smile. We just love the Monadnock area and look forward to spending more time here up at the house with our family. Giving to the wider community through The Park Theatre, especially during their $50,000 gift match, seemed a perfect way to
contribute to an organization doing amazing things."
Mike King passed away in 2016 at the age of 82. Born in Binghamton, New York, he was raised in Marshfield Hills, Massachusetts. He was a resident of Dublin, a graduate of Dartmouth College and member of its Film Society; a Counselor at Camp Monadnock; Film Officer, Chair and Photographer, Art Department at Brooks School, North Andover, Massachusetts; Trustee, Sharon Arts Center, Traveling Artist-Lecturer for New Hampshire Humanities Council; and Film Curator at the Dublin Lake Club.
"Mike was one of those rare individuals whom, if we are lucky, we have the privilege of knowing, maybe once in our lives," noted Caroline Hollister, President of the Board of Trustees of The Park Theatre. "And if he was a great friend to his peers, he was unsurpassed in his understanding and patience with the young people he met and the students he taught. We are all so proud to have worked with him for as long as we had the chance. This recognition is such a fitting honor for Mike. He would be thrilled,” added Hollister.
The Michael B. King Auditorium will have seating for up to 112 people in a variety of configurations, making it a versatile and attractive space that overlooks the Jaffrey Town Common. It is planned to be an additional space for films, live performances, speakers, lecturers, "open mic" nights, poetry & play readings, and debates. Other planned events in the auditorium include educational classrooms for students and workshops for adults. As well it will be available to the region for meetings and dining as well as private parties, wedding rehearsal dinners, and other events.
The Michael B. King Auditorium joins the already-named main auditorium, honoring William David Eppes through a significant gift made by The Eppes-Jefferson Foundation, Inc. Approximately 450 patrons can be accommodated in the seating provided by two auditoriums.
Audit Shows State’s Board of Registration in Medicine Lacks Oversight of Health Services for Physicians
April 7, 2020 -- Boston, MA – In an audit released today, State Auditor Suzanne M. Bump strongly recommended that the Board of Registration in Medicine (BORIM) formalize its relationship with Physician Health Services (PHS), the commonwealth’s physician health program (PHP) provider. PHS provides consultation, assessment, support, and referrals for treatment of physicians, residents, and medical students who have potentially impairing health conditions (e.g., substance use disorders, mental health issues, and physical illness) that may compromise their ability to practice medicine. PHS is also responsible for resolving cases where no patient harm is suspected but involve allegations that a physician has practiced while impaired.
“BORIM owes it to both medical professionals and members of the public to be transparent, consistent, and performance-oriented in its PHP program. While it is typical for state medical licensing boards to refer potentially impaired medical professionals to an outside entity, it is highly unusual for boards to do so without a contract that addresses matters like due process, protocols and performance standards. While this audit should not be construed as implying any negative assessment of PHS’s operations, since this is an audit only of the state agency, BORIM’s board currently lacks solid information with which to ensure that the PHP program is attaining the goals of affording fair and effective treatment and of protecting the public,” Bump said. “The Board should enter into a formal contract that establishes quality benchmarks and periodic performance reviews.”
Bump’s audit, which examined the period of July 1, 2016 through June 30, 2018, calls on BORIM to enter into a formal contact with PHS that establishes the services it will deliver, processes for delivering them, quality standards it must meet, and periodic reviews of its performance.
Additionally, the audit revealed BORIM did not effectively monitor compliance reporting by PHS for some of the 27 physicians that had probation agreements. As a result, BORIM could not ensure these physicians did not return to active practice before their cases are resolved. Bump’s audit calls on BORIM to implement controls over monitoring activities to ensure policy compliance, timely submission of required reports, and prompt notification to PHS of physicians who require monitoring.
BORIM, which was established in 1894, is responsible for the licensing, regulation, and discipline of Massachusetts physicians and acupuncturists. In 2018, there were approximately 40,000 physicians and 1,800 acupuncturists licensed in the commonwealth.
The full audit report is available here.