Legislation
As your State Senator I have been busy working on legislation I filed on a wide range of issues including Energy Efficiency, Corporate Tax Loopholes, and Worker Fairness. Below are some of the bills I have been working on during the 2007-2008 session.
Health Care Costs
H. 2197, An Act Controlling Health Care Costs and Improving Health Care Quality proposes a series of changes and initiatives to increase the value of medical care by improving payment methods, enhancing transparency, promoting health behavior, and creating accountability. H.2197 will increase health care quality while decreasing costs, thus promoting better health and economic stability for all residents of our Commonwealth.
Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC)
H. 3036, An Act to Increase Working Families Income through the EITC secures an increase of the refundable state ETIC from 15% to 30%, or up to an additional $680 per household. The Act also directs the Department of Revenue to engage in an aggressive outreach campaign to ensure all eligible workers learn about and claim this credit. Approximately 314,152 working families in Massachusetts claimed Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) in 2005.
Combined Reporting
H. 3026, An Act Requiring Combined Taxable Income Reporting would require all entities subject to the corporate income tax in the Commonwealth, when filing their tax returns, to list all of the profits realized by all of their related subsidiaries. Combined reporting is the method of determining the amount of a corporation's profits that are subject to taxation that most accurately reflects its total profits. As such, it is also the most effective means of preventing corporations from artificially shifting profits from one state to another to avoid their fair share of state tax burdens. Massachusetts loses millions of dollars in corporate tax revenue each year, since the reporting method the state uses - known as separate entity reporting - allows corporations to funnel some, if not all, of their profits out of the state in order to reduce the taxes they pay here.
Green Buildings
H. 3024, An Act to Establish A Green Building Income and Excise Tax Credit, seeks to promote better environmental standards for building construction and design and increase the demand for new clean technologies and environmentally preferable building products and services through a Green Building Tax Credit.
Interagency Agreements
H.2195, An Act Establishing Interagency Agreements to Provide Home and Community-Based Services will open access to community based services for those with adult onset disabilities. This legislation directs the Secretary of the Executive Office of Health and Human Services and the Secretary of the Executive Office of Elder Affairs to establish interagency agreements for the purpose of providing better access to flexible home- and community-based supports for individuals with adult-onset disabilities. These supports are critical in helping individuals maintain their independence and productivity.