Hello All,
Some of you may have seen this story re: the liquor store owners
disgusting celebration
Toasting sales tax repeal Owners
plan ‘Tea Party,’ hope for boost in alcohol biz
By Donna
Goodison | Wednesday, December 22, 2010 |
http://www.bostonherald.com | Business & Markets
They
won’t be disguised as American Indians, and they won’t be protesting
taxation without representation by the British. But they will visit
the site of the Boston Tea Party - this time to herald the repeal of
taxes.
Massachusetts package store owners will gather at the
Congress Street bridge next Thursday to ring in the new year that’ll
see the lifting of the state sales tax on alcohol that took effect
only last year.
There they’ll stage a ceremonial dumping of
“alcohol” into Boston Harbor - sans the real stuff because
“revolutionaries” 237 years after the fact don’t want to run afoul
of open container laws.
Voters in November passed a state
ballot question that called for repealing the 6.25 percent sales tax
on alcohol, but many consumers aren’t aware the tax will disappear
on Jan. 1, according to Tina Messina, co-owner of the Wine
Connextion in North Andover.
Messina estimates her store - a
13-mile drive from the New Hampshire State Liquor Store in Salem -
lost 10 percent to 15 percent of its business from Bay Staters
seeking tax-free booze.
The New Hampshire Liquor Commission
announced in August that its annual sales of liquor and wine topped
the half-billion-dollar mark for the first time.
“I think an
awful lot of that had to do with Massachusetts consumers taking
advantage of no sales tax,” Messina said. “We’re hoping that the
repeal of this will bring those customers back here and keep them
back here.”
The Massachusetts Department of Revenue,
meanwhile, estimates that it collected about $97 million in alcohol
sales taxes in fiscal 2010. The state expected to rake in $110
million this fiscal year from the tax, but now will lose about $46
million of that due to its repeal.
The two Gordon’s Fine
Wines & Liquors stores in Waltham have seen low double-digit drops
in business since the state sales tax on alcohol was enacted.
“When people are having parties, weddings or bar mitzvahs or
company outings, and they’re purchasing a significant amount of
beverages, the trip is worthwhile to go to New Hampshire,” owner
Rick Gordon said.
At next week’s Tea Party-like party, he
added, “We’re just going to show that the citizens of Massachusetts
have spoken, and that through a lot of hard efforts of the package
stores and Massachusetts Package Stores Association, we were able to
get this tax repealed.”
The coalition, including
members of the collaborative will be having a counter demonstration
to get out our side of the story. The more people we have the more
attention the press will pay to us. Please attend and/or send seem
people to support our cause.
We are going to be handing
out fliers on Congress Street (Tea Party Ship) from Noon till 1pm on
Thursday everybody is welcome to join us. Please pass the word.
Bob Monahan PhD, LADAC I Executive Director South
Shore Recovery Home President Recovery Homes Collaborative
As you all probably know by now, our
campaign to defeat the repeal of the alcohol tax fell short 52%
to 48%. I want to first thank all those who worked to help try
and defeat this question. I would be remiss if I did not give a
special thanks to John McGann of Gavin Foundation for all his
hard work on the Committee on behalf of the Recovery Homes
Collaborative and our clients. We were outspent by the liquor
industry 3 million dollars to $200,000. Its hard to get a
message out against that kind of money. What now? We will be
discussing our plans for the future at our next RHC meeting
Tuesday Nov 9th at 1 pm. We have several options that are being
discussed with the Coalition and our friends in the Legislature.
We are of course going to demand that the funding and resources
necessary to insure that those who honor us by asking us to walk
with them on their journey of Recovery are available for our
programs. In this battle we will need your help more than ever.
Thanks
You might be interested in
this story:
VOTERS REPEAL ALCOHOL TAX, REJECT SALES TAX
CUT
By Michael Norton STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE
NOV. 2, 2010...Massachusetts voters on Tuesday chose to
repeal the 2009 tax on retail alcohol sales by passing
Question 1 while rejecting another proposal, Question 3, to cut
the sales tax from 6.25 percent to 3 percent.
The
alcohol tax was ripped by opponents as an extra levy on an
already-taxed product, an added burden on struggling consumers,
and a disadvantage for package stores, especially those near the
New Hampshire border.
The repeal is set to take effect
on Jan. 1, 2011,before lawmakers are scheduled to reconvene for
a new legislative session.
"The voters supported
Question One because it's unfair to double-tax one product and
because it was putting too many local businesses at a
competitive disadvantage," P.J. Foster, a spokeswoman for the
Yes on One Committee, said in a statement late Tuesday night.
Supporters of the tax, which had passed after years of
efforts, said it had helped bolster substance abuse treatment
programs and argued that alcohol should not be exempt from the
sales tax because it is not a necessity.
"We're
disappointed," Vic DiGravio, co-chair of the Committee Against
Repeal of the Alcohol Tax, told the News Service late Tuesday
night as election results showed 52 percent favoring repeal and
48 percent opposed.
In her statement, Foster said, "We
certainly support the continued funding of substance abuse,
which have been funded by the state for years and were funded
at the same level this pastyear. We will work to make sure
they maintain atleast the same level of funding."
In the
days before the election, tax repeal supporters outspent those
trying to keep it, with package stores and alcohol industry
distributors contributing more than $1.26 million. The Yes on
One Committee spent a total of $2.75 million to convince voters
to overturn the tax. Supporters of keeping the tax raised
approximately $200,000.
DiGravio said polls showed the
question failing only ten days ago, before a major advertising
campaign by repeal proponents. "Clearly the money the alcohol
industry threw at this made a big impact," he said. "What's most
regrettable to us is we just didn't have the money to match
them."
The Legislature instituted the tax in the summer
of 2009, trying to boost state revenues during the recession
and give treatment programs a reliable funding source.
The state collected $97 million from the tax in the last 10
months of fiscal 2010, according to the Department of
Revenue, a total projected to rise to $111 million for the full
fiscal 2011 budget year.
Question 3, slashing the state
sales tax, failed after a concentrated push to defeat it
by public employee unions and major business groups. Opponents
of the question said its passage would have forced $2.5 billion
in cuts to education, local aid and health care programs and
undercut investments in infrastructure needed to support
business. All four candidates for governor opposed the tax
cut, which would have taken effect on Jan. 1, 2011.
With
93 percent of precincts reporting, 57 percent opposed the tax
cut and 43 percent supported it.
The reduction would
have given Massachusetts the lowest sales tax rate in New
England, with theexception of sales tax-free New Hampshire.
Business Leaders Against Question 3, anchored by the
Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and Associated Industries of
Massachusetts (AIM),recently launched a radio ad campaign
against the tax cut. The Massachusetts Teachers' Association
ran television commercials detailing cuts in education funding
if the question passed.
Supporters of Question 3 said
its passage would have put $688 into taxpayers' pockets each
year and forced state government to cut spending. Libertarian
Carla Howell, who pushed the ballot initiative, said many
businesses favored the tax cut. Howell said no retail business
owner "in his right mind" would oppose a sales tax cut.
A study released this month by the Beacon Hill Institute at
Suffolk University concluded the tax cut would create 27,199
private sector jobs, increase annual investment by $73 million
and raise wages by $1.03 billion. It also concluded the revenue
loss to state government from the tax cut would be $2.08
billion rather than the $2.5 billion projected by the
Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation.
Supporters of
Question 3 also cautioned during the campaign that its
defeat may stir Beacon Hill to raise taxes. Bob
Monahan PhD, LADAC I Executive Director South Shore
Recovery Home President Recovery Homes Collaborative
Posted 11/01/10
Please see below and take action.
We are just a few inches from the finish line!
Bob
Monahan PhD, LADAC I Executive Director South Shore
Recovery Home President Recovery Homes Collaborative
Could you guys send this message out
to your core groups ELECTION DAY TOMORROW – Polls show a tight
race on Question 1 HERE’s HOW YOU CAN HELP Please
take a moment to call into the radio shows below to tell people
about the 20% jump in sales tax receipts for alcohol in October.
We need you to make 3 key points · Alcohol sales
are up 20 percent and the sales tax has not hurt
business, and liquor industry has spent at least 2.75 million
on the campaign · No special tax break for alcohol.
If this_ passes Mass. will be the only state that exempts
alcohol fromt he sales tax. Horrible idea. · Money
goes for prevention, treatment, recovery. Here are a few
studio line numbers to call into Todd and Tom 6-9 am tomorrow
morning WRKO 617-266-6868
Dan Rea 8-12 tonight WBZ:
617-254-1030
Peter Blute WCRN Worc. 6-9 tomorrow
morning: 508-438-0965
This is in conjunction with the "Vote NO On 3" folks to
help out at the polls on Election Day. Please use the password
to go in and sign up for where and when you can help out.
Thanks
Bob Monahan PhD, LADAC I Executive Director
South Shore Recovery Home President Recovery Homes
Collaborative
----- Forwarded Message -----
Bob,
Please forward the link, email and phone number
for Celia at MassVote for members to be a sign up to work the
Polls. They can view the doc, determine where they can man and
then notify Celia and she will fill in.
If we keep working hard we will
indeed have something to celebrate.
Bob Monahan PhD,
LADAC I Executive Director South Shore Recovery Home
President Recovery Homes Collaborative
-----
Forwarded Message -----
Maryanne and John,
Attached is the
flyer for the election night gathering at Firefly's in
Quincy. Please encourage people to rsvp to Ellen at her e-mail
address so we have a sense of how many people to expect. Thank
you.
Vic
VICKER V. DIGRAVIO III
President/CEO 251 West Central
Street, Suite 21 Natick, MA 01760 T 508.647.8385 x11 F
508.647.8311 www.ABHmass.org
Posted 10/24/10
Some good news from Sunday Globe
Poll
"Another anti-tax initiative on
the ballot, a proposal to eliminate the sales tax on alcohol,
also appears to be headed for defeat. A majority of respondents,
52 percent, said they opposed the tax cut, with 37 percent in
favor" Bob Monahan
PhD, LADAC I Executive Director South Shore Recovery Home
President Recovery Homes Collaborative
Getting down to the wire. We need a big push to make sure
everyone knows what's at stake. Please see below and don't
forget the Comedy night September 23rd to raise money for the
campaign.
Thanks
Bob Monahan PhD, LADAC I
Executive Director
South Shore Recovery Home
President
Recovery Homes Collaborative
No
Special Tax Break for Alcohol
Vote NO on
Question 1
7 Weeks to go!!!
Help Defeat Question 1
Dear No
on Question 1
campaign supporter,
There are just 7 weeks until
election day, November 2nd.
We can defeat Question
1 because voters believe
that alcohol does not
deserve a special tax break
and that saving lives by
funding vital prevention and
treatment services is the
right thing to do. To win,
however, we need to get word
out to as many voters as
possible to vote No
On Question 1.
We need your help!
Please send the following
e-mail to 25 of your
family, friends and
colleagues TODAY. The
e-mail asks voters to take
three immediate steps to
defeat Question
1.
Thank you for all of your
support. Please act today
and get this e-mail out to
at least 25 of
your family, friend and
colleagues.
PLEASE EMAIL THIS
LETTER TO 25 FRIENDS
AND FAMILY:
Dear friend:
I
am writing to ask you to
vote
No on Question 1
on Election Day in
November. Question 1
would give a special tax
break to alcohol.
Currently, alcohol sold
in stores is subject to
the state sales tax,
just like any other item
you may buy. Proceeds
from the tax fund
prevention and treatment
programs. If Question 1
passes, however, alcohol
sold in stores will be
exempt from the sales
tax and
funding for vital
prevention and treatment
services will be
decimated,
jeopardizing the
well-being of hundreds
of thousands of
individuals across
Massachusetts..
I
will be voting
No on Question 1
because I am opposed to
alcohol receiving a
special tax break. The
only items that should
be exempt from the sales
tax are necessities like
food, clothing and
prescription medication.
Alcohol, like
cigarettes, is not a
necessity and does not
deserve a special tax
break.
I'm doing everything I
can between now and
Election Day to defeat
the alcohol industry's
attempt to get a special
tax break for alcohol
sold in stores. Please
join me in helping to
defeat the alcohol
industry's campaign for
a special tax break by
voting
No on Question 1.
Below are three
important steps you can
take to defeat Question
1. We need your help
right away.
1.
Share this e-mail with
25 friends and
colleagues.
2.
Visit the
No on Question 1
website,
www.NoOn1MA.com,
to sign up as a
campaign supporter. You
can sign up to receive a
bumper sticker and
e-mail updates about the
campaign. The website
has lots of information
on why it's so important
to vote
No on Question 1.
You can also sign-up to
follow the campaign on
Facebook
and Twitter.
3.
Donate to the campaign.
No contribution is too
big or too small. Go to
www.NoOn1MA.com/donate
to make a contribution
to help us get our
message out to
voters. Donations can
also be made payable to
the Committee Against
Repeal of the Alcohol
Tax, c/o Association for
Behavioral Healthcare,
251 W. Central Street,
Natick, MA 01760.
Thank you very much. We
need your help. Please
act today so that in
November we can all vote
No on Question 1.
Attached you will find 2 endorsement letters supporting your
campaign to fight the repeal of the alcohol tax.
We have 125 organizations already signed up but they are mostly from
the field itself. We want and need to have more organizations and
individuals from all areas and walks of life to give us their
endorsements. We are asking that you send out these letters to your
e-mail list, Boards of Directors, Vendors, any and all organizations
that will lend their support to our cause.
Bob Monahan PhD, LADAC I
Executive Director
South Shore Recovery Home
President
Recovery Homes Collaborative
Posted 07/23/10
Subject:
Fwd: FW: Campaign Launch to Defeat the Repeal of the Alcohol Tax
Please attend. We need as many people as we can to show up. This
will be a press event so if its sparsely attended they will take
note of that just as they will if there is a big crowd. This is
battle for our survival as a system. Hope to see everyone there.
Bob Monahan PhD, LADAC I
Executive Director
South Shore Recovery Home
President
Recovery Homes Collaborative
Committee
Against
Repeal of the
Alcohol Tax
PLEASE JOIN US!
Campaign Launch to
Defeat
the Repeal of the Alcohol Tax
Wednesday, July 28th
2:30 PM
Out front
of State House,
Beacon
Street, Boston
On November 2nd’s Massachusetts voters will be asked whether or not to
repeal the sales tax
on alcohol.
VOTE No on 1
Alcohol is not a necessity does not deserve a
special tax exemption. The only goods in Massachusetts
exempt from the sales tax are necessities like food,
clothing, and prescriptions. If anything should be taxed,
products like cigarettes and alcohol should be.
Revenues from the alcohol tax provide dedicated funding for
healthcare services for more than 100,000 residents with
behavioral health problems. Massachusetts has some of the
highest rates of alcohol and drug abuse in the country - the
last thing we need is to take money away from prevention and
treatment services to make alcohol more accessible. The
alcohol tax literally saves lives by deterring underage
drinking and funding treatment services to help people beat
addictions and getting their lives back on track.
Nearly every state has a sales tax on alcohol. With
Massachusetts facing a serious budget deficit, don't give
alcohol a special exemption.
Committee
Against
Repeal of the
Alcohol Tax
c/o
Association
for Behavioral Healthcare, 251 W. Central Street, Suite 21,
Natick, MA
01760
Secretary of State Announces Ballot
Question Numbers
Repeal of
Alcohol Tax is Question 1
This morning Secretary of State
WIlliam Galvin announced the ballot
question numbers for the November
2nd state election. The repeal of
the alcohol tax will be Question 1
on the ballot.
VOTE No on 1
Alcohol is not a necessity does not
deserve a special tax exemption.
The only goods in Massachusetts exempt
from the sales tax are necessities like
food, clothing, and prescriptions.
If anything should be taxed, products
like cigarettes and alcohol should be.
Revenues from the alcohol tax provide
dedicated funding for healthcare
services for more than 100,000 residents
with behavioral health problems.
Massachusetts has some of the highest
rates of alcohol and drug abuse in the
country - the last thing we need is to
take money away from prevention and
treatment services to make alcohol more
accessible. The alcohol tax literally
saves lives by deterring underage
drinking and funding treatment services
to help people beat addictions and
getting their lives back on track.
Nearly every state has a sales tax on
alcohol. With Massachusetts facing a
serious budget deficit, don't give
alcohol a special exemption.
What You Can Do to
Help Defeat Question 1
Sign
up for the campaign
Sign up at
info@dontrepealalcoholtax.com
by emailing us your name and email
address. Receive campaign updates, the
latest news, schedules and events
Write
a letter to the editor
Public opinion is critical to winning in
November. Write a letter to the editor
of your local newspaper about why you
are voting no on the repeal of the
alcohol tax.
Contribute
Statewide ballot campaigns are very
costly. Every dollar helps.
Please donate to the Committee Against
Alcohol Tax Repeal, c/o Association for
Behavioral Healthcare, 251 W. Central
Street, Suite 21, Natick, MA 01760
Visit
our Website
Visit our website
at
www.NoOn1MA.com.
You can check out the latest news, sign
up to help the campaign.
Spread
the Word to Vote NO
Email, web, facebook, tell your
colleagues, friends and family how
important it is to defeat the repeal of
the alcohol tax and why it's important
to vote NO in November.
Contact Information
Committee Against Repeal of the
Alcohol Tax
c/o Association for Behavioral
Healthcare, 251 W. Central Street, Suite
21, Natick, MA 01760
The following is some of the
information that was discussed at the RHC meeting on Tuesday
7/13/2010. Bob is on vacation this week and left instructions
for any information that is imperative to the RHC to be sent.
Per conversation with Judy McDonough the following attachments
are for RHC luncheon on Sept. 16, 2010. One of the attachments
is for the price. The other is the invitation for you to send
out for any guest you want to invite. On the invitation the
address is for Edwina Martin House you will need to change that
information with the director's name, name of your business and
address.
The underlined information below
is what you need to change on the invitation.
Please RSVP by
September 10th 2010
Judy McDonough
Edwina Martin House
678 North Main Street
Brockton,
MA 0230
Posted 07/14/10
Hello everyone,
The following is some of the
information that was discussed at the
RHC
meeting on Tuesday 7/13/2010.Bob is on vacation this
week and left instructions for any information that is
imperative
to the
RHC
to be sent. Per conversation with Judy McDonough the
following attachment is a letter for each home to send
to their area Senator and/or Representive when a client
from that area is amitted to their home. The letter is
on RHC letterhead and it will be necessary for you to
fill in the areas that apply to your individual home and
sign the letter.
On November 2nd'sstate
electionthe liquor
industry will ask
Massachusetts voters to
repeal the sales tax on
alcohol.This
sales tax provides
dedicated funding
forsubstance abuse
prevention, treatment
and recovery services.Passage
of the question would
jeopardize funding of
these programs.
The
Committee Against
Repeal of the Alcohol Tax
is hosting regional campaign
meetings to inform you about
the campaign and what YOU
can do to help defeat the
repeal!!! PLEASE join us
for one of the meetings:
Monday, July 19 -
WORCESTER
10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
AdCare Hospital
95 Lincoln Street -
Worcester, MA
Tuesday, July 20 - WEST
SPRINGFIELD
10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
AdCare Hospital
117 Park Avenue - West
Springfield (If
parking lot is full, please
park at
neighboring
Bickford's Restaurant)
Thursday, July 22 -
BROCKTON
9:30 AM to 10:30 AM
High Point Treatment Center,
Inc. - High Point Cafeteria
10 Meadow Brook Road -
Brockton
Tuesday, July 27 -
PEABODY
9:30 AM to 10:30 AM
CAB Health Recovery Services
Zero Centennial Drive -
Peabody
Thursday, July 29 -
BOSTON
9:30 AM to 10:30 AM
AIDS Action
75 Amory Street - Boston
Please register for one of the
meetings by emailing
c/o Association for Behavioral Healthcare,
251 W. Central Street, Suite 21, Natick, MA
01760
Posted 07/08/10
Members of the RHC
Below is a schedule of the regional meetings being held by the
"Campaign Against the Repeal of the Alcohol Tax" of which we are
a part. Please check the dates and locations and attend those in
your area.
I
cannot stress enough the importance of not only attending but
getting others, Board Members, Alumni, Recovery supporters,
etc., to attend as well.
We had a significant victory this year in getting the House,
Senate, and Governor to establish the "Substance Abuse Treatment
and Prevention Fund". What this means however is that 100% of
our funding will now come from the alcohol tax. If there is no
tax our funding will be diminished severely. We need all
the support, both actively and financially, that we can get if
we are to defeat this referendum.
We all realize that running a House and/or other programs takes
much time and effort. However if the Tax is repealed we may not
have to worry about that. So our priority needs to be to do
whatever we can to support this campaign.
Thanks
Bob Monahan PhD, LADAC I
Executive Director
South Shore Recovery Home
President
Recovery Homes Collaborative
Committee
Against Repeal
of the Alcohol Tax
You Are Invited: Regional Campaign Field Meetings
On November 2nd’s state election the
liquor industry will ask Massachusetts voters to repeal the
sales tax on alcohol. This sales tax provides dedicated funding
for substance abuse prevention, treatment and recovery
services. Passage of the question would jeopardize funding of
these programs.
The Committee
Against Repeal
of the Alcohol Tax is hosting regional campaign
meetings to inform you about the campaign and what
YOU can do to
help defeat the repeal!!! PLEASE join us for one of the
meetings:
Monday, July 19 - WORCESTER
10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
AdCare Hospital
95 Lincoln Street - Worcester, MA
Tuesday, July 20 – WEST SPRINGFIELD
10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
AdCare Hospital
117 Park Avenue - West Springfield (If
parking lot is full, please park at neighboring Bickford’s
Restaurant)
Thursday, July 22 - BROCKTON
9:30 AM to 10:30 AM
High Point Treatment Center, Inc. – High Point Cafeteria
If you have any
further questions, you can reach me at 617-773-7023.
RLM/edd
Posted 07/01/2010
Hello
Everyone
The Governor signed the 2011 fiscal year budget yesterday All in all
the budget that the Governor signed will not effect the RHC funding.
He did, as a result of the FMAP not being refunded in Washington,
end up vetoing 3.4 million from the Substance abuse line items
however none of those items directly effect the existing Residential
programs. We will continue to work with the other provider groups to
get this funding restored. The really good news is that he left the
language creating the "Commonwealth Substance Abuse Treatment and
Prevention Fund" intact which means we now have a dedicated fund, to
which the alcohol tax will go, to fund our programs each year. Good
news indeed. Thanks for all your calls and e-mails urging the
Governor to sign this. See the summary below:
"Dear MCAS Members:
This afternoon, Governor Patrick signed the FY 2011 budget into law,
vetoing $457.6 million. $372 million of the vetoes are due to the
unrealized extension of the expanded Federal Medical Assistance
Percentage (FMAP) rates. The remaining $85.5 million in vetoes are
attributed to uncertain Lottery funds and uncertain estimates "of
anticipated federal assistance for the needy".
The Governor vetoed $3.4 million from the Bureau of Substance Abuse
Services. Again, this is in line with the projected breakdown of
General Fund vs. FMAP budget relief fund contained in the FY 2011
Conference Committee report.
The Governor did not veto the Substance Abuse Treatment and
Prevention Fund.
Line-Item 4512-0225 for compulsive gambling remains funded at
$500,000, also due to the unrealized extension of expanded FMAP.
A breakdown of vetoes for the Bureau of Substance Abuse Services
primary line-items is below.
Bureau of Substance Abuse Services
Line item/program
Conference Committee Report FY 2011
Governor's FY 2011 Vetoes
FY 2011 GAA
4512-0200
BSAS Programming & Operations
$75,924,448
-$1,409,000
$74,515,802
4512-0201
Step-Down Services
$4,800,000
$0
$4,800,000
4512-0202
Secure Treatment Facilities for Opiate Addiction
$4,000,000
-$2,000,000
$2,000,000
4512-0203
Intervention, Care Management, and Young Adult Treatment Pilot
Program
$1,500,000
$0
$1,500,000
TOTAL
$86,224,448
-$3,409,000
$82,815,802"
Bob Monahan PhD, LADAC I
Executive Director
South Shore Recovery Home
President
Recovery Homes Collaborative
Just a reminder about the meeting with
Michael Botticelli on Friday, July 2, 2010 at 10:00 A.M.
(conference Room 3B)
Bureau of Substance
Abuse Services
250 Washington St.
Boston Mass. 02108
The Bureau of
Substance abuse Services has some new security protocols please
let me know if you will be attending Fridays meeting.
Any further questions
you can reach me at 617-773-7023.
RLM/edd
Posted 06/28/10
Hello
All,
As you know the House and Senate passed the budget which came out of
Conference Committee and which now goes to the Governor for him to
sign, veto line items or reject it all.
We need you to do 2 things:
1) Call and write your Reps and Senators to thank them for their
support. While you are at it invite them to our September gratitude
luncheon where we can thank them publicly.
2) Call and write and e-mail the Governors office asking him to sign
the budget and support the Commonwealth Substance Abuse Treatment
and Prevention Trust Fund, As well as funding for the Bureau of
Substance Abuse Services line items and the Gambling line item as
well.
This is very important please make your calls and/or e-mails.
Bob Monahan PhD, LADAC I
Executive Director
South Shore Recovery Home
President
Recovery Homes Collaborative
Posted 06/25/10
Attached
please find a copy of the line items for Substance Abuse in the
Conference Report. Note that they have included what will be lost as
a result of the FMAP not be refunded in Washington. Also note that
the Substance Abuse Trust fund is still in place and that the loss
in the main line item from FMAP is only 1.85%, family programs are
level funded, the diversion program are cut 50% but all in all we
will be in pretty good shape if the Governor agrees with and signs
this version.
Bob Monahan PhD, LADAC I
Executive Director
South Shore Recovery Home
President
Recovery Homes Collaborative
Posted 06/25/10
Hello
All
It gives me great pleasure to be able to inform you that Speaker of
the House Robert DeLeo has graciously accepted our invitation to be
our guest speaker and honoree at the RHC annual gratitude luncheon,
Thursday, September 16th, noon to 3pm, at Florian Hall on Hallet St
in Dorchester. Please be sure to let all your Legislators know that
he will be our guest when you send out your invitations.
Thanks
Bob Monahan PhD, LADAC I
Executive Director
South Shore Recovery Home
President
Recovery Homes Collaborative
Posted 06/24/10
Below
please find a summary of what came out of the Conference Committee.
Once again we seem to have done very well. Especially preserving the
level funding and the Trust Fund for the alcohol tax revenues. Of
course we are far from out of the woods. The repeal of the alcohol
tax must be defeated and the federal funding for FMAP needs to be
pushed through. We will need donations to support the effort to
fight the repeal referendum and action to get our legislators to
continue their support. We will keep you appraised of what needs to
be done.
Thanks
Dear MCAS Members:
The legislature's FY 2011 budget conference committee released its
proposed compromise budget late Wednesday night. In most cases, the
conference committee report recommends that funding for the
Department of Public Health (DPH)/Bureau of Substance Abuse Services
(BSAS) be maintained at FY10 spending levels. Most importantly, it
appears that the conference committee recommendations would preserve
all existing community-based services funded by DPH/BSAS.
The conference committee report also includes language creating the
Commonwealth Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Fund into
which all revenues from the sales tax on alcohol will be deposited.
This fund will ensure that proceeds from the alcohol tax are used
to fund substance use disorder prevention and treatment services.
Due to ongoing uncertainty around Congressional approval for the
extension of enhanced Medicaid reimbursement, the conference
committee recommends establishment of a dedicated fund to receive
such revenues should Congress ultimately vote to approve the
extension. It is estimated that Massachusetts could receive as much
as $750 million in additional federal funding if Congress acts.
The conference committee has sought to preserve DPH/BSAS funding in
spite of this uncertainty about federal reimbursement levels. The
conference committee report identifies portions of certain line
items to receive the additional federal money. In doing so,
however, it appears that the legislature is identifying where future
cuts will be made should Congress fail to approve the extension of
the enhanced Medicaid reimbursement.
It is expected that both the House and Senate will vote to approve
the conference committee report on Thursday and send it to Governor
Patrick for his review. The Governor will then have ten days to
review the budget before deciding to sign it, veto it, or return it
to the legislature with proposed amendments.
Bob Monahan PhD, LADAC I
Executive Director
South Shore Recovery Home
President
Recovery Homes Collaborative
Posted 06/18/10
I
cannot stress enough how important this issue is to our budget
plans. If this FMAP money is not put into the budget we will
lose 3.6% of our funding. AS you all know we have been
successful in getting our line items level funded so far. This
will not be the case if the FMAP is cut out of the federal
budget. Please write call and e-mail Senator Browns office
requesting that he vote in favor of the extension of the Federal
Medical Assistance Percentage expanded rates.
Thanks
Bob Monahan PhD, LADAC I
Executive Director
South Shore Recovery Home
President
Recovery Homes Collaborative
Dear MCAS Members:
Senator Brown has publicly declared that he
is planning to vote against FMAP funding. Yesterday, he took
a preliminary vote against this critical funding extension.
Please call Senator Brown and ask
him to reconsider his position and support FMAP funding.
The U.S. Senate is expected to vote this week
on a six month extension of the expanded Federal Medical
Assistance Percentage (FMAP) rates that, if passed, will
provide approximately $700 million in additional federal aid
to Massachusetts in the fiscal year that begins on July 1.
FMAP is the percentage by which the federal government
reimburses states for Medicaid expenses.
The state budget passed by both the
Massachusetts House of Representatives and the Massachusetts
Senate is based on the assumption that Congress will approve
this additional relief for Massachusetts. If Congress
doesn’t act soon, however, the state legislature may make
additional cuts to the state FY11 budget. As you may recall
Governor
Deval Patrick recently announced that he has
recommended that an additional $800 million in spending be
cut from the proposed FY11 state budget. The Governor has
proposed to cut this amount by implementing an across the
board 3.6% reduction in spending. Only Local Aid, Chapter
70 school aid, and debt service payments would be exempt
from the Governor’s proposal.
If the Legislature were to adopt the
Governor’s proposal, the Department of Mental Health’s
budget could be cut by almost $23 million and the Department
of Public Health/Bureau of Substance Abuse Services budget
could be cut by almost $3 million. Additionally, MassHealth-funded
behavioral health services could face significant
reductions.
Action Requested
Please call Senator Brown TODAY
and ask him to reconsider his position and support
a six month extension of the expanded FMAP rates. Also,
please share this action alert with all of
your staff, volunteers and clients. Contact information for
Senator Brown and talking points are below.
Senator Scott Brown
Phone: (202) 224-4543
Fax: (202) 228-2646
Talking points:
Please
support the extension of the expanded FMAP rates in
H. R. 4213.
Preservation
of important state-funded services for individuals
with mental health and
substance use disorders is dependent upon the
Senate extending expanded
FMAP rates as soon as possible.
Without
expanded FMAP, the state budget will be cut by
approximately $800 million,
leaving many Massachusetts residents without access
to vital behavioral
healthcare services.
Please do not hesitate to contact
me if you have any
questions about this request.
Thank you.
The CORI bill is in conference committee to determine which version
will be agreed upon. We met with members of the conference committee
and urged them to pass the Senate version. Below is an e-mail with
examples of letters to send to the members of the House and Senate
conference committee asking them to support the Senate version.
Please take a minute to e-mail these Legislators, (particularly if
any of them are your Reps) asking for that support.
Thanks
We are now entering the last and critical phase of our work to get sentencing reform passed in Massachusetts this legislative session. The six legislators who have been appointed to the conference committee are:
Sen. Cynthia Creem (D-Newton)
Sen. Steven Tolman (D-Brighton)
Sen. Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester)
Rep. Eugene O'Flaherty (D-Chelsea)
Rep. Christopher Speranzo (D-Pittsfield)
Rep. Daniel Webster (R-Pembroke)
As you know, the Senate passed a crime bill in 2009 that included sentencing reform: parole eligibility and work release for drug offenders. Last month, the House passed its crime bill, which did not include sentencing reform; instead, it focused mainly on CORI (criminal records) reform. The conference committee's job is to draft a compromise bill. Our job is to convince the committee to include the Senate's sentencing reforms in the compromise bill.
Please write to the conference committee.
FAMM needs you to tell lawmakers that voters support sentencing reform. We will start by writing to the conference committee members.
Sample message. Here is a sample message. If you choose to draft your own, please stay focused on mandatory minimum sentences, the needs of drug offenders and their families, and public safety.
TO:
Please cut and paste these email
addresses to send one email to all six committee members:
SUBJECT LINE: Include sentencing reform in crime bill
Dear conference committee members:
I am a member of Families Against Mandatory Minimums. I support the sentencing reforms included in S.2220 - parole eligibility and work release for drug offenders who are serving mandatory minimum sentences.
Many drug offenders are serving overly harsh sentences of 10 or 15 years, even longer. As a matter of public safety, more drug offenders need to be eligible for parole and at an earlier date. The Parole Board can then decide, on a case by case basis, who is a good candidate for parole. Ex-offenders who return to the community under supervision are more likely to succeed as wage earners who can support their families and pay taxes. They are less likely to reoffend.
Drug offenders should also be able to take part in work release programs during the mandatory part of their sentence. It undermines public safety to restrict their ability to obtain the job skills needed to earn an honest living.
Both of these measures are common sense counterparts to CORI reform and its emphasis on the successful reentry of ex-offenders. I urge you to include sentencing reform in the conference committee's crime bill.
Sincerely,
[your name & address]
Please contact FAMM's Massachusetts Project if you have any questions. We want to make sure that our members have the information you need to change the law - and change lives.
Contact FAMM's Massachusetts Project:
By phone:
(617) 543-0878
By email:
bdougan@famm.org
By mail: P.O. Box 57, Newton
MA 02468
Sincerely
yours,
Barbara J.
Dougan
Massachusetts Project
Director
Families Against Mandatory
Minimums (FAMM)
HERE IS A SECOND SAMPLE MESSAGE
To the members of
the conference committee:
We write with
regard to the Conference Committee which will be reconciling
the two pending bills on CORI reform and sentencing. Last
December the Senate passed a wide-reaching reform bill, S.
2220, which addressed needed CORI reform changes, as well as
some of the long-overdue reforms to mandatory minimum
sentences. We hope that the Conference Committee will
recommend adoption of the Senate version of this bill.
The failure of
mandatory minimum sentencing has long been evident. The
populations of Massachusetts prisons and jails continue
swell, in large part due to the out-dated and ineffective
mandatory sentences for many of the drug offenses. It should
now be obvious to all that the sentences are excessively
harsh, and may, in fact, be more harmful to society than
helpful. After the sentences are served, most of the
offenders are released directly to the street, with no
parole or other supervision. The recidivism rate is over
50%. These mandatory minimum sentences simply do not reduce
crime.
On top of the
lack of effectiveness, there is the incredibly excessive
cost. The smallest reforms in sentencing, such as those
proposed in S. 2220, will have significant fiscal impacts,
saving millions in the state budget spent warehousing
individuals, and freeing those funds up for parole,
treatment and education.
While we are sure
you have seen this before, we are enclosing a copy of the
MBA Drug Policy Task Force report on the Failure of the War
on Drugs in Massachusetts. The facts are there, and should
provide you with the evidence and the policy reasons to
adopt the Senate bill.
The only factor
which can possibly delay these reforms is the perception
that the public wants harsher laws on sentencing. In fact,
the public is receptive to treatment-based reforms, and
certainly favors programs that are known to reduce
recidivism. Not acting is actually harmful to the public
interest. Not acting will keep recidivism, and the attendant
victimization of our citizens, high.
THANK YOU
Posted 06/23/10
IMPORTANT!
They are at it again. In the process of debating the Gambling bill
in the Senate 2 amendments were put in to eliminate the alcohol tax
. Please contact your Senator and ask them to defeat these
attempts. See below.
Thanks
Dear MCAS Members:
The Massachusetts Senate is expected to begin debate on its
gaming legislation (S. 2495) today at 1:00 p.m. There are
two proposed
amendments that would eliminate the sales tax on alcohol:
The sales
tax on alcohol produces over $100 million dollars in
dedicated funding for public health services for residents
with behavioral health problems.
A May 2010
poll of Massachusetts voters found that 58% oppose the
repeal of the tax 62% of voters in towns that border New
Hampshire oppose repealing the tax.
Both the
House and Senate dedicated revenues from the alcohol tax to
a Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Fund in
the FY 2011 budget. The fund will help fund critical
substance abuse prevention, treatment and recovery support
services for 100,000 people.
In the May
2010 poll, voters indicated that they are more
willing to support the alcohol tax if the revenues are
dedicated to treatment and prevention.
·Voters
also believe that alcohol does not deserve a special
exemption from the sales tax as it is not a necessity like
food, clothing, or prescription medications.
FYI: I will be sending a letter to each
Senator on behalf of MCAS as well, and will send a copy of
that letter to you when done.
Connie
Posted 06/07/2010
Your calls are still needed!
$700 million at risk for FY '11 state budget
Contact U.S. Senators John Kerry
and Scott Brown now
June 7, 2010
Dear Members:
Your calls are still urgently needed to prevent the
loss of $700 million in federal funds for the fiscal
year FY 2011 state budget. The impact on
your budgets could be devastating if the Federal
Medical Assistance Percentages (FMAP) are not
extended in Senate bill HR 4213. It is
anticipated that debate will start as soon as
tomorrow.
And of course, please feel free to send this
message on to your networks. If you have
questions, please contact
Michael Ripple.
Thank you for your advocacy for our essential
sector and the people of the Commonwealth.
Sincerely,
Michael
Michael Weekes
President/CEO
Providers' Council
Posted 06/07/2010
Hello everyone,
The
agenda for Tuesday's meeting at 1:00 p.m. on 6/15/2010 is
attached.
Any questions you can reach me at
617-773-7023.
RLM/edd
Posted 06/04/10
Hello everyone,
The regular schedule
meeting (6/11/2010) with Michael Botticelli has been
rescheduled. The next meeting will be on July 2,
2010 (Friday, 10:00A.M.-11:00A.M.)
The agenda will be sent
in another email before the meeting.
If you have any questions
you can reach me at 617-773-7023.
RLM/edd
Posted 06/02/10
Campaign
for Addiction Prevention, Treatment and Recovery
Advocacy & Action Day to
support the
Substance Abuse
Prevention and Treatment Fund
Tuesday, June 8th
State House, Boston
Grand Staircase, 2nd
floor
Program begins at 11:00 AM
REGISTER
TODAY!
Sign-up today and we will have
an individualized packet ready for you when you arrive!
The State Legislature is
considering establishing a dedicated “Substance Abuse
Prevention and Treatment Fund” from the retail alcohol sales
tax as part of the state budget debate. This fund is
critical to providing prevention, treatment and recovery
services to more than 100,000 people.
Come to the State House
June 8th and
Tell your State Legislators
to support the
Substance Abuse
Prevention and Treatment Fund
** Security entering the State House is strict –
Please arrive early and bring the least you can with you
(bags, etc).
The regular schedule
meeting for the Recovery Home Collaborative of Mass has been
rescheduled to Tuesday, June 15, 2010 so that everyone will be
able to attend the Rally for the Campaign for Addiction
Prevention, Treatment and Recovery at the State House on
Tuesday, June 8, 2010.
It is very important that
we get as many people as possible to show up on June
8, 2010 to Rally for the Campaign for Addiction
Prevention, Treatment and Recovery.
If you have any questions
you can reach me at 617-773-7023.
Across Massachusetts,
tens of thousands of high school
juniors and seniors — including a
couple hundred in Taunton tonight —
are engaged in the time-honored
traditions associated with the prom.
Choosing dresses, renting tuxedos,
washing cars, buying corsages — it's
a rite of passage that provokes
anxiety for everyone concerned.
Especially parents.
Safety has always
been a prime concern around prom
season, because many teens associate
prom with drinking — frequently
binge drinking. And far too many,
still, end up getting behind the
wheel of a car after consuming
alcohol.
Local school and law
enforcement officials are reaching
out to thwart drunk driving around
prom season by an aggressive
campaign of education and
prevention. In Norfolk County, the
Avon Coalition for Every Student
released a survey showing that
alcohol-use and binge drinking rates
have dropped in recent years. While
those numbers remain too high, the
survey may help alleviate peer
pressure by showing that not
everyone drinks.
In Western
Massachusetts, the Pittsfield
Prevention Partnership, in
collaboration with MADD
Massachusetts, will launch the Prom
Season Sticker Shock Campaign at
area liquor stores.
The campaign consists
of teams of young people,
accompanied by an adult chaperone,
placing stickers on multi-packs of
alcoholic beverages (beer, wine
coolers, etc.) and paper bags at
participating package stores. The
stickers read, “Hey You!! It is
ILLEGAL to provide alcohol for
people under 21!”
These and many other
programs at the state and local
level received a boost last year
with passage of the alcohol sales
tax at retail stores. The tax will
bring in about $110 million this
year — a drop in the bucket weighed
against the billions of dollars in
lost productivity, healthcare,
counseling and law enforcement costs
tied to alcohol and drug abuse.
The retail sales tax
on alcohol funds services targeting
underage drinkers such as the
substance abuse hotline, youth
intervention services, residential
programs and recovery homes and
driver education classes following
OUI arrests.
For underage
drinkers, alcohol’s toll is tragic.
Recent federal statistics show that
Massachusetts is among the highest
of all states for past month’s
alcohol use by underage drinkers —
32.1 to 40.5 percent of 12 to 20
year olds — and that 8.4 to 10.1
percent of those youth purchased the
alcohol themselves.
Underage drinking
remains a serious problem and
requires constant vigilance by
families, local and state officials.
According to the most recent data
for Massachusetts students in grades
9-12:
• 46 percent had at
least one drink of alcohol on one or
more occasion in the past 30 days;
• 28 percent had five
or more drinks of alcohol in a row
(i.e. binge drinking) in the past 30
days;
• 5 percent had at
least one drink of alcohol on school
property on one or more of the past
30 days.
Despite the ongoing
social, healthcare and law
enforcement problems associated with
addiction, the alcohol industry is
pushing a ballot question this fall
to repeal the alcohol retail sales
tax.
Those who have
struggled with addiction understand
that youths need all the help they
can get to avoid destructive
behaviors. We need the resources to
provide that help, and the alcohol
retail sales tax is part of the
solution.
Vic DiGravio and
Maryanne Frangules co-chair the
Campaign for Addiction Prevention,
Treatment and Recovery, which seeks
to retain the retail sales tax on
alcohol
Posted 05/14/10
FYI
To RHC Members:
We are happy to
report that the amendment to repeal the sales tax on
alcohol offered by Senators Tisei, Tarr, Knapik and
Hedlund was ruled out of order because it was beyond
the scope of the municipal relief legislation being debated
by the Senate. Thank you for all of your efforts to contact
Senators yesterday and today in opposition to the amendment.
We do expect that
the same senators will offer a similar amendment when the
Senate debates the fiscal year 2011 state budget the week of
May 24. We will keep you posted on this as further
developments take place.
Once again, thank
you for all of your support.
Thanks,
Posted 05/12/10
Hello everyone,
The next meeting with
Michael Botticelli will be on Friday, May 21, 2010 at 10:00A.M.
Another email will follow
along with the agenda.
If you have any questions
you can reach me at 617-773-7023.
RLM/edd
Posted
05/11/10
See
Attached please see the flyer for the Rally to support the
Substance Abuse Trust Fund that was put in the House Budget and
is now on its way to the Senate. The importance of this fund
cannot be underestimated. Not only for its funding of our
programs but for the need to garner support for our campaign to
defeat the Alcohol Tax rollback.
Please make it a point to get to the Statehouse, along with all
the supporters you can bring, attend the rally and then speak to
your Senator and ask for their support not only for our line
items but for the Trust Fund as well.
Read the flyer for more information, especially this part,
Register
TODAY!
Sign-up today and we
will have an individualized packet ready for you when you
arrive!
Please email your
name, street address and city/town to dont.repeal.alcohol.tax@gmail.com
to register for the Lobby Day.
You will be well armed to make your case.
Thanks
Bob Monahan PhD, LADAC I
Executive Director
South Shore Recovery Home
President
Recovery Homes Collaborative
Posted 05/05/10
Hello everyone,
The
agenda for Tuesdays meeting
on 5/11/2010 at1:00p.m. is attached.
Any questions you can
reach me at 617-773-7023.
RLM/edd
Posted 05/04/10
FYI
Dear Residential Treatment provider:
Please take a moment and look
this
opportunity over - On June 1st, BSAS is
presenting NIATx Fundamentals
- Improving Access and Retention through Process Improvement
at the Crowne
Plaza Hotel in Worcester,
from 9:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. Treatment
programs across the
nation and overseas have found enormous benefit from the
NIATx model.
Won’t you consider this opportunity?
To Register - follow this link, - then simply click
on the Blue
"Register" button on the
right side of the brochure.
NIATx has helped agencies across the country
get clients
into treatment more quickly, keep clients in treatment
longer, and at the same
time has improved staff morale in many cases as well as
helped the
agency’s bottom line. NIATx has grown tremendously and has
been
embraced by behavioral health programs of all types. In
recent years, NIATx members have realized significant
improvements in many
areas:
34 percent reduction in
waiting times
33 percent reduction in
no-shows
21 percent increase in
admissions
22 percent increase in
treatment continuation
NIATx has now worked with nearly 1800
treatment agencies to
help them improve access to and retention in treatment.
Here’s what attendees said about the
NIATx Fundamentals course last October in Worcester
Far
and away the best BSAS affiliated thing I’ve ever been
involved in.
Presenters were fantastic
More, more, more. This stuff
is great.
The breakout groups take the ideas presented
and make the
process real. I feel able to utilize the steps now.
NIATx seems really, really practical.
The experience of calling
my program as if I was a client was really enlightening.
Interaction among
peers was really good.
This was excellent. Lynn is a dynamite
presenter!
Helps to see that change, in small doses,
yields real big
results
I really enjoyed the group projects.
Lynn Madden is an excellent
presenter/facilitator and NIATx
is very attractive. Thanks for presenting this training.
Please
don’t miss out
- register today and bring a colleague to take maximum
advantage of this
training. If you have questions, contact me at
617-624-5097.
Attached you will find the "Standing Orders" section of the new
drug testing regs promulgated by the Mass Health people. Please note
that they require new standing orders every 30 days. We will be
discussing what this means to our drug testing policies in the
programs and what we can do to comply without perhaps getting into
difficulties with the Mass Health people.
Bob Monahan PhD, LADAC I
Executive Director
South Shore Recovery Home
President
Recovery Homes Collaborative
Posted 04/28/10
Campaign for Addiction
Prevention, Treatment and Recovery
April 27, 2010
To: Campaign
Supporters
Fr: Vic
DiGravio and Maryanne Frangules, Co-Chairs
Attached is a copy of yesterday’s vote on the alcohol
tax. A yes vote
was a vote to send Amendment 43 to study; thereby
maintaining the alcohol tax. A no vote was a vote
against the study and would have allowed a vote to eliminate
the alcohol tax.
If your
Representative voted YES, please take a moment to
call or email them to thank them for their vote in support
of the alcohol tax.Contact information is
available
here.
In addition,
an amendment was filed to the FY 2011 House Ways and Means
budget that would have moved MassHealth members from the
Primary Care Clinician Plan (and thus the behavioral health
carve out) to MassHealth managed care plans over a
three-year period.This
amendment was rejected yesterday.
The House did adopt an
amendment to create a study commission to determine whether
the Commonwealth can save money by moving all MassHealth
members to managed care plans. This report must be filed by November 15, 2010.
We will monitor this development as well.
We will
continue to provide updates as the budget process moves
forward.
Thank
you for your ongoing advocacy!
Posted 04/27/10
April 27, 2010
To: Campaign
Supporters
Fr: Vic
DiGravio and Maryanne Frangules, Co-Chairs
In the last 24 hours, the effort to repeal the alcohol tax
has gained momentum in the House FY 2011 budget debate. Please call your State
Representatives ASAP today and ask them to oppose
Amendment 43 which would repeal the tax on alcohol sold in
stores.
If you are unsure who your Representative is or need contact
information, click
here.
Talking Points
·
The sales tax on alcohol is estimated to raise about $110
million to support substance abuse treatment and prevention.
·
Using taxes to raise prices on alcohol is among the most
effective deterrents to drinking and underage binge drinking
that researchers have discovered; it is better than law
enforcement, media campaigns or school programs.
·Research
shows that underage binge drinking decreases in proportion
to the increase in taxes on beer. Adolescents
are much more sensitive to even minor price increases and
therefore do not drink as much when taxes are imposed.
Please share this action alert with your colleagues,
volunteers and board members.
There is an attempt to
appeal the amendment on the alcohol tax. Please contact (by
email, phone) speaker of the house, your state and local
representives that you would like to to DEFEAT
the attempt to appeal the amendment on the alcohol tax.
The following is a
website with a list of Massachusetts Senate and House Leadership
this will have the contact information you need:
http://www.mass.gov/legis
You can reach me at
617-773-7023.
RLM/edd
Posted 04/20/10
Hello everyone,
The
agenda for the
meeting on Friday, April 23rd is attached. The meeting will take
place in Room 5A (address is on the agenda).
If you have any questions
you can reach me at 617-773-7023.
RLM/edd
Posted 04/16/10
Hello everyone,
I
have attached a letter to
the Editor on the RHC stationary please send this letter to your
local newspapers.
Please feel free to make any changes including the closing with
your Name, Title and Name of your house.
I just wanted to send a quick note to thank all of you for
contributing to what was a very successful Legislative Breakfast at
the State House yesterday. We had a great showing with twice as many
Representatives and Senators as last year either attended or sent
their aides, members of
the Governors Commission on Substance Abuse,
City Councilors, and many others were there to show support. Members
of the Mental Health and Substance Abuse committee spoke, including
the co-chairs Senator Jen Flanagan and Representative Liz Malia as
well as Senator Jack Hart, Rep Marty Walsh, Rep Brian Wallace, Rep
Jim O'Day, Senator Harriet Chandler and Michael Botticelli the
Director of the BSAS. Legislators from all over the State were in
attendance and both co-chairs expressed the opinion that due to the
crowd we would have to get a bigger meeting area for next years
breakfast. Most importantly they all expressed their support for the
those issues important to the Recovery Homes Collaborative. These
are to insure that our funding is not cut in this years budget and
to support a dedicated revenue stream from the new alcohol tax to
support substance abuse treatment programs. As importantly, to
support our efforts to insure that the ballot question to repeal the
alcohol tax is defeated if it makes it onto the ballot.
Thanks again for your help and we will be looking to all of you to
help with your legislators as we go forward.
Bob Monahan PhD, LADAC I
Executive Director
South Shore Recovery Home
President
Recovery Homes Collaborative
Posted 02/03/10
Hello Everyone.
Just to let you know what's going
on and to remind you of the importance of getting in contact with
your Legislators especially as far as the legislative breakfast on
the 11th of this month at the State House. Contact them, let them
know about it, and then meet them there. The Recovery Homes
Collaborative is part of the Campaign for Addiction and Recovery
that won the award so congratulations. Don't forget the Legislative
breakfast on Feb 11th at 10AM at the State House in the Members
lounge of the House.
The Governor’s FY 2011, budget was
released on January 27th and proposes overall funding
reductions for the DPH/Bureau of Substance Abuse Services,
although it appears that the proposed cuts would not impact
community-based services that are funded by the Bureau. In
addition, there are no significant cuts to behavioral health
services in the Mass Health budget. The Governor did not propose
any Mass Health rate cuts nor the elimination of any MassHealth
optional services. The Governor, however, does recommend the
consolidation of the DPH/Bureau of Substance Abuse Services line
items into one new line item: 4510-0700 Addiction Control Services.
This line item was funded at $81,184,876, which is about $3.5
million less than the current FY 2010 (post 9C cuts) appropriation.
The lines items to be consolidated into 4510-0700 include the
following:
4512-0200 (BSAS Programming and Operations)
4512-0201 (Post Detox Step-Down Services)
4512-0202 (Secure Treatment Facilities for Opiate Addiction)
4512-0203 (Intervention, Care Management, and Young Adult Treatment
Pilot Program), and
4512-0225 (Compulsive Gamblers’ Treatment Program)
Although the overall reduction in BSAS funding will not impact
current service programs, we believe proposed BSAS spending is below
the state’s Maintenance of Effort requirements for the federal
Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment (SAPT) Block Grant and
could thereby place some of this federal funding in jeopardy. We
will keep you informed and call you into action as needed as the
budget process moves forward. Campaign for Addiction Prevention,
Treatment and Recovery to Receive National Recognition We are
pleased to announce that the Campaign for Addiction Prevention,
Treatment and Recovery has been chosen by the National Council for
Community Behavioral Healthcare to be the recipient of the 2010
Award of Excellence for Grassroots Advocacy. This award is
wonderful recognition of our collective strength and the success of
our campaign to repeal the sales tax exemption on alcohol purchased
in stores. This award will be presented on March 16 at the
National Council’s 40th Annual Conference in Orlando, Florida and
Vic DiGravio, Campaign Co-Chair, will accept the award. Many
thanks to all of you for helping to make our campaign last year a
success! As you know, however, our success on this front may be
short lived. The package liquor store industry has mounted an
anti-alcohol tax ballot initiative and they have met the state
requirements to place a question on the ballot next November that,
if passed, would undo the repeal of the sales tax exemption on
alcohol purchased in stores and thereby eliminate this crucial
source of revenues to help fund addiction prevention, treatment and
recovery support services. We will be gearing up our Campaign
again this year to defeat this ballot question. More information
will be sent to you over the coming months as planning on this
front moves forward.
Thank you for your on-going
advocacy and support!
Bob Monahan PhD, LADAC I
Executive Director
South Shore Recovery Home
President
Recovery Homes Collaborative
I am resending this for those who may not of received
the previous one sent.
Hello Everyone,
As we discussed at our last RHC meeting we are trying to add
something to our information as to how Recovery Homes work to
increase revenue to the State. In the past we have focused on
how much treatment saves the State by not having to spend money
on other services. What we have failed to do is show how much
our clients contribute back into the system as they once again
become contributing members of society. We are trying to
quantify this by asking you to fill out the survey as best you
can. We are gathering data on taxes they are paying child
support court fines and fees etc. All of which goes directly
into the State coffers. Please respond as soon as possible so we
can have this data for the legislative breakfast and the current
budget discussions. The survey is attached.
Thanks
Bob Monahan PhD, LADAC I
Executive Director
Posted 01/15/10
Hello Everyone,
Attached is the
Invitation to Recovery
Homes Collaborative Of Massachusetts Legislative Breakfast.
Any questions you can reach me at
617-773-7023.
RLM/edd
Posted 01/14/10
Hello
Everyone,
There is a lot going on right now as far as the budget for the
next fiscal year. We are working hard, along with the other
groups that make up the Mass Coalition of Addiction Services, to
insure our Legislators support our Substance Abuse treatment
Line Items and institute a dedicated revenue stream to fund
those Line Items. All of which will be moot if the Alcohol Tax
Repeal passes. The Collaborative has joined with other members
of the Coalition to create a campaign to counter the liquor
industries attempt to get the money that will support treatment
of people who have a disease they want to do something about.
As part of our efforts to get the support we need from our
legislators the Recovery Homes Collaborative of Massachusetts
will be hosting our annual Legislative Breakfast on February
11th, Thursday, at 10AM in the House Members Lounge. Please
make sure that you can attend. Please contact your
Representatives and Senator and invite them to attend. This is
Vitally important! I cannot stress enough how much the
legislative support will mean. if you need any info on who your
legislator may be go on Mass.gov or call us.
You can reach me at
617-773-7023.
Thanks,
Bob Monahan PhD, LADAC I
Executive Director
South Shore Recovery Home
President
Recovery Homes Collaborative
Posted 01/06/10
Hello everyone
The agenda for Tuesday's meeting
on 1/12/2010 at 1o'clock is
attached.
If you have any questions you can
reach me at 617-773-7023.
RLM/edd
Posted 12/30/09
Hello everyone,
The agenda for Friday's meeting at
10:00A.M. on 1/8/10 is
attached.
If you have any questions you can
reach me at 617-773-7023.
the Governors Commission on Substance Abuse,
City Councilors, and many others were there to show support. Members
of the Mental Health and Substance Abuse committee spoke, including
the co-chairs Senator Jen Flanagan and Representative Liz Malia as
well as Senator Jack Hart, Rep Marty Walsh, Rep Brian Wallace, Rep
Jim O'Day, Senator Harriet Chandler and Michael Botticelli the
Director of the BSAS. Legislators from all over the State were in
attendance and both co-chairs expressed the opinion that due to the
crowd we would have to get a bigger meeting area for next years
breakfast. Most importantly they all expressed their support for the
those issues important to the Recovery Homes Collaborative. These
are to insure that our funding is not cut in this years budget and
to support a dedicated revenue stream from the new alcohol tax to
support substance abuse treatment programs. As importantly, to
support our efforts to insure that the ballot question to repeal the
alcohol tax is defeated if it makes it onto the ballot.
