Gobi Puts Support Behind Legislation Aimed at Assisting Business Owners

BOSTON (March 5, 2021) - Senator Anne Gobi (D-Spencer) joined her colleagues today in circulating letters supporting a pair of legislative initiatives aimed at assisting business owners who were negatively impacted back the COVID-19 pandemic. The two bills that require immediate attention by the legislature are aimed at concerns over taxing federal PPP loans and the solvency of the Unemployment Insurance Fund.

Gobi had this to say on the actions needing to be taken, "Our businesses have suffered during the pandemic and it is vital that they receive necessary assistance. As a co-sponsor of the bills I will work to make sure they pass as soon as possible to provide needed relief, the same relief large corporations receive as do small businesses across the country."

The first piece of legislation, An Act providing financial relief to small businesses during the COVID-19 pandemic, would ensure that loans offered through the federal Paycheck Protection Program are not subject to state taxation, further burdening the business owners they were targeted to help. These loans are forgiven by the federal government, and and if the legislature does not take action before March 15th many small businesses may be forced to pay a 5% tax on the income received through the program.

The second letter circulated addressed support for Governor Baker's bill H.55, An Act financing a program for improvements to the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund and relief to employers in the Commonwealth, which will freeze the experience rate of employers for calendar year 2021 and calendar year 2022 at rate schedule "E" and ensure the solvency of the fund. During the pandemic many businesses were forced to lay off employees as a result of state-mandated closures and health concerns, and without legislative action employers who were paying $539 in unemployment insurance taxes per worker in 2020 will see their rates jump significantly, to $858 per worker. If enacted, the bill will provide timely relief for Massachusetts businesses by freezing this scheduled rate increase, while also ensuring the positive solvency of the Unemployment Trust Fund through bonding. If action is not taken, Massachusetts businesses will experience great economic hardship, and unemployment may begin to rise once again.

For more information please contact Senator Gobi’s office by email at Anne.Gobi@MASenate.gov.

Mount Grace Fights Food Insecurity in Our Community

For Mount Grace’s 2020 Annual Appeal, supporters were given the option to add $5 towards their donation that would go directly towards fighting food insecurity in the Mount Grace region. "The pandemic has had a huge effect on all of us, between the anxiety, social isolation, and loss. For some of us, those impacts have been magnified with additional financial devastation. This is one way the Mount Grace community has come together to help keep food on the table for all of us," shared Executive Director Emma Ellsworth. Mount Grace received over $500 from supporters and will be donating it equally among two organizations that Mount Grace has collaborated with in the past to conserve the land they now farm on, Noonday Farm in Winchendon and Just Roots in Greenfield.

Noonday Farm in Winchendon is a nonprofit founded by Beth Ingham and Bob Jennings to serve residents of Winchendon and Gardner. The farm provides free organic food to those in need and offers educational programs in growing healthy food and sustainable living practices. 90% percent of what Noonday Farm produces is donated to local organizations that provide food for families experiencing poverty and food insecurity. Back in 2013, Mount Grace protected the 18.5-acre farm with a Conservation Restriction. 'We are so grateful for this donation from Mount Grace as it will allow us to buy seeds for this upcoming season and grow the much-needed produce to feed our communities in Gardner and Winchendon," said Beth.

In 2008, Mount Grace began working in Greenfield to create a community garden to secure local food production by and for the community. Widespread support in town for the idea of a community farm soon led to the creation of Just Roots and plans to site a community farm on 32 acres at the old Town Farm, which the Town of Greenfield protected with an agricultural preservation restriction in June 2011. Just Roots now leases this land, which became the Greenfield Community Farm.

Just Roots in Greenfield is a farm with a mission: to increase access to healthy local food by connecting people, resources, land, and know-how. Their Franklin County based CSA operation of 250 members is notable for its flexible sliding scale and payment plans, which results in at least half its memberships going to low-income households. Farm Field Trips demonstrate the benefits of healthy food for visitors of all ages. FEASTivals—free community monthly meals —offer up healthy, prepared meals available for pickup or delivery at several locations in town. Just Roots has expanded by integrating with healthcare partners to bring the CSA to 150 food-insecure patients of Boston Children's Hospital clinic sites in Hampden and Hampshire counties. They are vigilantly working to build the systems change necessary to ensure everyone gains equitable access to local, healthy food. "We are delighted to accept this generous donation made possible by Mount Grace which will contribute to the CSA subsidy pool for low-income Franklin County residents," shares Jessica O'Neill, Executive Director of Just Roots.

Audit Reveals Unexplained $95,000 Variance at Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation

Variance referred to the Attorney General’s Office

Boston, MA (March 10, 2021) - Today, an audit of the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation (OCABR), conducted by State Auditor Suzanne M. Bump, identified significant failures with the organization’s reconciliation of financial records and the collection of fees that may have cost the Commonwealth up to $196,426. Bump’s audit outlined issues with revenue reporting that resulted in a $95,026 variance which has since been referred by OCABR to the Attorney General’s Office for further investigation. The audit examined the period of July 1, 2017 through June 30, 2019.

"One of the core duties of any state agency is to be a good steward of public dollars. This audit makes clear the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation has fallen short of this benchmark on multiple fronts," Bump said of the audit. "The agency must get to the bottom of the revenue variance as quickly as possible but, more importantly, put in place controls so these financial mistakes never happen again."

Bump's audit showed OCABR did not reconcile revenue information in its financial records to the information in its home improvement contractor (HIC) registration database and to the information in the state’s accounting system, the Massachusetts Management Accounting and Reporting System (MMARS). When reconciling the information between these systems, auditors found the revenue OCABR recorded in MMARS was $95,026 lower than what it recorded in its internal HIC system, which could represent a loss of funds. OCABR was made aware of the discrepancy and performed an internal investigation, but was unable to determine the cause of the variance.

The audit also found OCABR did not collect up to $101,400 in HIC registration and Residential Contractor's Guaranty Fund (RCGF) fees from contractors. Auditors found 676 instances in which the agency allowed contractors to pay a $100 fee to renew their licenses even though the fee was paid more than 30 days past the expiration date of their current registration. These late contractors should have instead paid a fee of $250, which includes a reapplication fee of $150 and a $100 fee into the Residential Contractor’s Guaranty Fund.

The audit recommends OCABR develop policies that require staff to perform regular reconciliations of its financial records and establish segregation of duties over the receipt, recording, deposit, and reporting of revenue. It also recommends the agency create procedures for the approval process for changes of application fee types. Finally, the audit encourages OCABR to take steps to ensure its website is easy to navigate and contains complete, accurate information.

Additionally, the audit found OCABR has been adequately administering the HIC arbitration process.

OCABR operates within the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development. The office investigates consumer problems, conducts surveys of consumer needs, establishes programs to help consumers understand their rights and responsibilities, implements consumer protection policies, and monitors the marketplace to promote fair and honest competition. It oversees five regulatory agencies, including the Division of Banks, Division of Insurance, Department of Telecommunications and Cable, Division of Professional Licensure, and Division of Standards. In fiscal year 2019, it received $1,608,890 in state appropriations.

The full audit report is available here.

Gobi Files Bill Addressing Lost Revenue to MassWildlife

BOSTON (March 8, 2021) - Senator Anne Gobi (D-Spencer), co-Chair of the Massachusetts Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus and past Chair of the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources, and Agriculture, has filed a bill in the 192nd session of the General Court aimed at addressing lost revenue that the state is failing to reimburse to the Massachusetts Division of Fish and Wildlife. SD. 1453, An Act to Reimburse the Inland Fisheries and Game Fund, would target the more than $1 million/year the agency forfeits each year by providing free hunting and fishing licenses to residents aged over 70 that is not currently being reimbursed by the state.

Gobi had this to say on the bill, "Our sportsmen and women play a critical role in conservation and the fees from licenses have made sure land is set aside, not just for hunting and fishing but for many types of recreation such as hiking and bird watching. Offering free license to those over a certain age is the right thing to do, especially now when we want people to enjoy the outdoors. Reimbursing that lost revenue is also the right thing to do. I appreciate the support I have received including from the Nature Conservancy and the Trustees."

The losses accrued in this area are expected to grow as the 70+ population increases. While the state does offset discounted licenses for those aged 65-69, they have failed to address the growing losses from the hunting and fishing licenses of those aged over seventy. This legislation targets that inconsistency while raising desperately needed funds for the agency tasked with overseeing sportsmen and women's activities while conserving and restoring critical habitat.

For more information on the legislation, please contact Senator Gobi’s office by email at Anne.Gobi@MASenate.gov.