November 2010 E-Newsletter: Working for Massachusetts |
Dear Friends, JOB GROWTH October marked the 10th straight month of job growth in our country, with 159,000 new private sector jobs. Businesses added more than 100,000 jobs in both August and September as well. That means we've seen four months of private-sector job growth above 100,000 – which is the most consistent increase in four years. So far, 1.1 million private-sector jobs have been created this year nation-wide.
We know that in order to create the jobs that Massachusetts and our
entire nation need, we have to accelerate our economic growth and create
jobs at a faster pace. Last year, I voted for the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act, which continues to provide essential funding across
the country. The Massachusetts Recovery and Reinvestment Office reports
that nearly $48 million has been spent in our 7th District since July,
expanding clean energy, maintaining schools, and supporting housing
projects. HEALTH CARE
Data released at the end of October showed that as of October 1, 2010,
3,330 seniors in our 7th Congressional District of Massachusetts have
received the $250 'donut hole' checks. These checks are being provided
as a part of the new health care reform legislation, to help close the
Medicare prescription drug coverage gap. In total, seniors in our
district have received a total of $825,000 to help pay their high drug
costs.
AIR CARGO
I have been concerned about air cargo security since
the terrorist attacks on 9/11. In 2007, I successfully offered
amendments to the bill implementing the recommendations of the 9/11
Commission that require screening of 100% of air cargo carried on
passenger planes by August 2010. Previously, the billions of pounds of
freight transported in the cargo bays of passenger aircraft were not
screened for bombs or other dangerous materials. While the
Administration continues to implement this mandate for passenger planes,
the recently foiled Yemen air cargo bomb incident underscores the
importance of screening all air cargo.
ACCESSIBILITY OF TECHNOLOGY FOR AMERICANS WITH DISABILITIES
The new law will: IN THE DISTRICT Weatherization for Massachusetts Homes Massachusetts continues to benefit from investments from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Department of Energy announced that as of September 30, 2010, Massachusetts has weatherized more than 6,900 homes with funding from the Recovery Act and the Weatherization Assistance Program, plus more than 2,800 additional homes with annual funding. In total, the state has already weatherized more than 9,700 homes since the Recovery Act began. As a result, the state will now have access to an additional $61 million in Recovery Act weatherization funding to continue providing energy efficiency services to Massachusetts' low-income families. The Recovery Act funding for the Weatherization Assistance Program is also creating thousands of jobs locally – putting carpenters, electricians, and factory workers back to work installing insulation, upgrading appliances, and improving heating and cooling systems. According to state reports, the weatherization program supported more than 14,000 jobs in the third quarter of 2010, including more than 300 jobs in Massachusetts. Medical Equipment for Malden In October, I was excited to announce that we secured a $141,000 federal grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to help with the purchase of medical equipment for use in various departments across the City of Malden. Rep. Markey meets with Christine DiPietro, Director of the Malden SeniorCenter, and Tom Glynn, part-time driver of the newly purchased Senior Center van. With this grant, the City of Malden has already purchased two handicap accessible vans for use by the Malden Senior Center. A portion of the funding will also go towards the purchase of a bone density scanner, wheelchairs, automatic emergency defibrillators for half a dozen public facilities, electric beds for the school department's nurses' offices, and medical testing equipment for the Fire Department. As the 111th Congress reconvenes before drawing to a close next month, there is much more to be done. We must continue to put Massachusetts residents back to work, support our small businesses and confront the urgent challenges our country is facing. I am committed to making sure our communities have the resources they need, and I look forward to working together to create a brighter, safer and more prosperous future for all of our residents. Please continue to contact me with any questions or concerns. You can email me, sign up for my newsletter, and stay up to date on the latest issues by visiting my website: http://markey.house.gov/ . You can also follow me on Facebook , Twitter , and YouTube . Please pass this message on to your friends and neighbors! Sincerely, |