Representative Jeffrey N. Roy (D-Franklin) joined his colleagues in the Massachusetts House of Representatives to pass its FY16 budget which emphasizes economic growth through investments in multiple areas including education and local aid, reform to the state’s transportation system, and an acute focus on improving behavioral health services.

The $38.05 billion spending bill highlights the House’s ongoing commitment to fiscal prudence and targeted investments, a practice that has resulted in Massachusetts retaining its AA+ bond rating, the highest in the state’s history. The budget includes no new taxes or fees and reduces its reliance on one time revenue sources. For the first time since 2007, it does not withdraw any funds from the Commonwealth’s stabilization fund, leaving the balance in excess of $1 billion.

“The House of Representative’s budget demonstrates that through fiscal prudence and thoughtful investments we can achieve sustainable economic growth and set the standard for aiding citizens facing adversity,” said House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo (D-Winthrop). “As in the past, we have had the foresight to take immediate action on issues like transportation reform and local aid funding, while laying the foundation for long-term excellence through early education and care and workforce development.  I am particularly proud of our focus on behavioral health which emphasizes the need to consider prevention, access and recovery. I thank Chairman Dempsey and the members of the House for their outstanding work on this budget.”

“This budget strikes the right balance between fiscal discipline and smart investing in the programs and services that matter most to our constituents,” said Representative Brian S. Dempsey, Chair of the House Committee on Ways & Means (D-Haverhill).  “I thank Speaker DeLeo for his leadership in ensuring that this budget reflects the priorities of all members of the House of Representatives as reflected in its bi-partisan and unanimous support. The House budget devotes funding to invest in our future by providing significant new resources to early education, school aid, and economic development, while also proposing creative new solutions to tackle the Commonwealth’s challenges especially in the areas of opiate addiction and homelessness.”

“This budget is a true reflection of our commitment to investments in education and economic development, while also proposing creative new solutions to the Commonwealth’s challenges,” said Representative Roy, a member of the House Committee on Ways & Means. “I thank Speaker DeLeo and Chairman Dempsey for their work in helping us build a strong set of policy statements in a fiscally prudent manner that gained unanimous support among the House members. I am also delighted that we were able to secure funds the purchase of school safety zone lighting for Franklin and Medway, along with $50,000 for the Horace Mann Park and statue.”

The budget enhances the House’s longstanding reputation as a champion of municipalities. FY16 marks the first time that Massachusetts has access to slots revenue, providing a new funding stream of about $105 million. Investments in local aid include a $35 million increase to Unrestricted General Government Aid and an all-time high in chapter 70 funding of $4.5 billion, providing an increase of $25 per pupil.

The budget takes immediate steps to address systemic management problems at the MBTA by including a series of procurement reform tools such as a 5-year moratorium on the Pacheco Law. The budget will call for an independent audit of the T’s maintenance protocols and fiscal liabilities. It also strengthens the Inspector General’s  internal special unit to monitor the quality, efficiency and integrity of the department’s operating and capital programs. These updates follow the two transportation reform plans accompanied by major funding increases the House has passed since 2009.

Further distinguishing Massachusetts as a national leader in education, this legislation makes targeted investments in early education and care (EEC) that underscore the House’s ongoing commitment to the Commonwealth’s youngest students. The budget creates a framework to support expanded access to high-quality EEC programming while recognizing the efforts of our EEC workforce. Provisions include:

• $5 million to help attract and support high-quality educators;

• $5 million for childcare vouchers which will move 833 children off of the existing waitlist;

• $4 million to support the delivery of high-quality EEC programming through efforts that include improved access to technical assistance, training and workforce development.

Recognizing that education and economic development are intrinsically paired, the budget restores funding to two of the House‘s hallmark programs. It also enhances the House’s focus on bolstering job opportunities for residents of all skillsets in diverse regions of the Commonwealth.

• MassCAN: $1.5 million to establish widespread, progressive computer science curriculum in public school through a public-private matching program;

• Talent Pipeline: $1.5 million to encourage young innovators to get a head start on their futures by matching stipends for interns at innovation start-ups, and to provide mentoring opportunities for new entrepreneurs;

• Continues to fund the Massachusetts Manufacturing Partnership, a program that has shown early results in closing the skills gap.

The FY16 budget strengthens behavioral health efforts in last year’s budget and the landmark substance addiction law through numerous investments and programs. Many of the provisions focus on co-occurring disorders and finding sustainable ways to aid in both prevention and recovery including:

• More than $10 million in new funding for programs focused on substance addiction prevention and treatment, including $3.6 million new transitional support services beds;

• $2.2 million for new residential recovery beds;

• $2.5 million to expand patient access to Vivitrol;

• More than $13 million for the Department of Mental Health to annualize and expand community placements to free up beds in the DMH pipeline.

In additional to behavioral health and substance addiction initiatives, the House’s budget includes numerous provisions to support Massachusetts’ most vulnerable citizens.

• As it has in the past, the House focuses its homelessness efforts on prevention, this year devoting $20 million in new funding to programs that have achieved proven results. Funding for the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP) is increased to an historically-high level to help families stay in their homes and out of the costly shelter program;

• Massachusetts has proven itself as a national leader in supporting those with developmental disabilities. It also allocates $12 million in new funding for autism services and maintains critical programs within the Department of Developmental Services;

• Ensures that there will be no waitlist for elder homecare services;

• Nearly triples funding for witness protection services.

The House budget includes a number of local budget items including $60,000 the purchase of school safety zone lighting for Franklin, $60,000 the purchase of school safety zone lighting for Medway, and $50,000 for a park and statue in honor of Horace Mann. Mann was born in Franklin on May 4, 1796 and Rep. Roy has been working hard to secure these funds for a fitting memorial to the father of public education as part of the downtown re-vitalization project.

The budget will now go to the Senate.

Rep. Roy speaking with instructor Bob Vozzella and Superintendent Steve Dockrey at Tri-County’s new advanced manufacturing site.

State and federal officials will join representatives from local manufacturing companies at Tri-County Regional Vocational Technical High School on Friday, March 27, for a roundtable discussion about the state of the advanced manufacturing industry and its ever-growing need for skilled workers.

The roundtable, hosted by Tri-County administrators, Representative John Fernandes (D-Milford), and Representative Jeffrey Roy (D-Franklin), will begin at 8:45 a.m. in the school’s library.

U.S. Representative Joseph P. Kennedy III and Massachusetts Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Jay Ash are among the officials who will be in attendance. They will be joined by representatives from the 495/MetroWest Partnership, MassDevelopment, and National Grid. Manufacturers from all of Tri-County’s 11 sending towns will also be in attendance.

“As you know, manufacturing is vitally important to the Massachusetts economy,” said Representative Roy. “It is the sixth largest employment sector here, and is helping to lead us out of the recession. In Massachusetts, manufacturing contributes to more than 10 percent of gross state product (GSP). Currently there are 7,680 manufacturing establishments in Massachusetts that employ more than 275,000 residents. Over the next five years, manufacturing establishments are expected to expand their employment by an estimated 65 percent. In order to sustain this growth, we need to help by developing a strong nexus between educational and training opportunities and the specialized worker skills required by these companies to ultimately succeed.”

This will be the third roundtable held at Tri-County in just over a year. Previous meetings focused on addressing the skilled labor shortage in Massachusetts. This year’s event will focus on progress made since those roundtables and the work that still needs to be done.
“The Tri-County manufacturing roundtables have been very successful. It is a great opportunity to bring manufacturers, educators, and legislators together to address the anomaly of manufacturing in Massachusetts – plenty of good jobs exist, but manufacturers can’t find enough appropriately-trained people to fill them,” said Representative Fernandes, Founder and Chairman of the Joint Bi-Partisan Legislative Manufacturing Caucus. “With collaborative efforts like these, we are beginning to see concrete solutions take shape.”

Tri-County used recommendations from the previous roundtables to purchase manufacturing equipment in fall 2014. The CNC Toolroom Vertical Machining Center and the CNC Toolroom Turning Center were purchased through the FY14 Vocational Opportunity Challenge (VOC) Grant.

Shortly after purchasing the equipment, Tri-County partnered with the Wentworth Institute of Technology. In January, the college launched its first class in Tri-County’s newly renovated advanced manufacturing facility. Instructor Bob Vozzella said some of his students drive more than an hour to take the 15-week Machine Tool Setup and Operation course.

The new equipment will also be used by the high school’s Engineering Technology Program. The program uses a hands-on exploratory approach with state-of-the-art technologies and tools to introduce students to various engineering concepts. This machinery will allow the instructors to implement advanced manufacturing concepts as part of their curriculum.

“The equipment will not be idle during the day, since the Engineering students will be trained to use code to design and create parts for projects. Our robotics team at times will need to create unique parts, and having this equipment will be invaluable. These two machines are of the highest industry standard, and will offer one more career pathway for students in the Engineering program,” said Jean George, Tri-County’s Vocational Coordinator.

While the two machines are a good start, the school hopes to add more equipment and expand its operations.

“Hopefully, the roundtable will allow Tri-County to highlight how much we have accomplished with two new machines in a short period of time,” said Tri-County Superintendent-Director Stephen Dockray. “Our goal is to partner with the state and local manufacturing firms to provide a high quality Advanced Manufacturing Program and begin to provide the skilled labor force that is so badly needed.”

As part of a story on State symbol’s, Channel 5’s Chronicle came to Franklin to learn more about the origins of the bill to make the ladybug the State insect. You can view the clip from the show by clicking on the image below:

Chronicle segment on State polka, insect and tartan.

Last year marked the 40th anniversary of the Franklin 2nd Grade class that passed Legislation to make the Ladybug the official state bug of the Commonwealth. And a few weeks ago, the Franklin legislative delegation presented their commemorative Ladybug to the town for this occasion.

Rep. Roy participated in the segment to remind everyone that they can play a direct role in their government and to honor the work of the students from 40 years ago.

After a summer of touring and festivals, the ladybug sponsored by Franklin’s State Legislative delegation has found a new home. And where better than the home of Franklin’s government.

On Tuesday, February 10, 2015, Representative Jeffrey N. Roy (D-Franklin), Senator Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland) and Senator Richard J. Ross (R-Wrentham) will be hosting a ceremony delivering the delegation’s ladybug to town officials. They will also commemorate the 40^th anniversary of the class project that successfully traversed the legislative process and made the Ladybug the official bug of the Commonwealth.

In 1974 Ms. Pamela Johnson’s second grade class from the Kennedy School in Franklin was learning about the Legislative process when they decided that they would like to make a difference and try their hand at legislating. Since Massachusetts already had an official state bird, tree and fish, they decided that the State needed an official bug. Ms. Johnson’s class pooled its resources and with the direction of their State Representative worked through the committee process, visited legislators, lobbied on the bill’s behalf and ultimately passed the bill that made the Ladybug the official Bug of the Commonwealth.

“Forty years ago, that second grade class got the ultimate civics lesson and had a direct hand in legislating,” said Representative Jeffrey Roy.  “For one of the students in the class — former Rep James Vallee — it sowed the seeds for a 19 year run on Beacon Hill. I am thrilled to honor and recognize that class today, and hope that this ladybug will be a reminder to everyone who visits Town Hall that they can play a direct role in their government.”

“The ladybug story is a shining example of how an idea can be translated into law,” said Senator Spilka. “I hope that the Franklin delegation’s ladybug will be a constant symbol of the power of civic engagement, encouraging more people in our community to get involved in the political process and make their voices heard.”

“We truly live in a remarkable state when citizens, no matter what age, have the ability to impact the legislative process,” said Senator Ross. “Forty years later, this testament remains true, and it is a privilege to recognize the success of the Kennedy School with this ladybug that will reside in Franklin Town Hall for generations to come.”

The brief ceremony will take place on February 10 at 6 p.m. at the Franklin Municipal Building. 355 East Central Street Franklin, MA 02038. Any questions can be directed to Christopher Yancich at 617-722-2400 or by email at Christopher.Yancich@MAhouse.gov

State Representative Jeffrey Roy (D-Franklin) announced today that constituent office hours will be held in Medway and Franklin for the Month of February on the following days:

Medway – Saturday, February 7th 10:00-11:00AM, Muffin House Café, 116 Main Street Medway, MA 02053

Franklin – Thursday, February 26th, 8:30-9:30AM, Franklin Senior Center, 10 Daniel McCahill Street Franklin, MA 02038

Christopher Yancich, his legislative aide, will be accompanying him.

All office hours are open to any residents of Franklin and Medway who may have questions or concerns that they wish to bring to his attention. Walk-ins are welcome; no appointment necessary. He looks forward to hearing from you.

He also invites all constituents to call him at his State House office at (617) 722-2400, stop by Room 134 in the State House, or email him by clicking here.

On Tuesday, January 10, 2015 Massachusetts State Representative Jeffrey Roy (D – Franklin) hosted a Life Sciences Development Meeting in Franklin, MA. Local biotechnology companies, Franklin town officials and members of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center joined the discussion about the opportunities within the Life Sciences Industry, the potential for future development within the region and what Franklin has already done to successfully attract and retain life science companies.

Cornerstones of Life Sciences Industry range from pharmaceuticals and medical devices to diagnostics and biotechnology. Thanks to its world-class academic institutions and medical centers, its talented and innovated workforce and its industry-sector leading companies, Massachusetts has firmly established itself as a global leader in the Life Sciences and has fully committed the state’s economic well-being to the development and advancement of these Industries.

“Franklin has positioned itself well to attract life science businesses to the area,” said Representative Roy “In 2014 its BioReady ranking was elevated from Gold to Platinum signifying Franklin’s readiness to work with biotechnology companies interested in locating in the area. On top of that, it has great schools and reasonable housing prices, making it a great place to live, work and raise a family.”

“Franklin has been the perfect community for growing my start up business to the point of having close to a hundred employees,” said Dr. Gregory Chiklis, President and CEO of Franklin’s ZeptoMetrix Corporation. “It has been due to the support and resources available to me in Franklin that we have been able to grow ZeptoMetrix.”

“The Life Sciences are the fastest growing industry sectors in Massachusetts,” said Susan Windham-Bannister, Ph.D., President and CEO of the Massachusetts Life Sciences Center, the agency charged with implementing the state’s ten-year, $1 billion Life Sciences Initiative. “All regions across the state and workers at all skill levels are benefiting as the life sciences ecosystem continues to grow and thrive. We are excited about Representative Roy’s efforts to bring leaders together to discuss strategies for regional life sciences growth in and around Franklin, and we look forward to a continued partnership in those efforts.”

“I am very excited that Rep. Roy brought together this group of educators, government officials and industry leaders to shine a light on all that Franklin has to offer to biotech and other businesses,” said Attorney Michael Doherty of Doherty, Ciechanowski, Dugan & Cannon, P.C. “I am hopeful that we will be able to encourage businesses to locate to one of our industrial parks in Franklin.” Doherty, Ciechanowski, Dugan & Cannon, P.C. is a firm that represents local business in Franklin and surrounding communities.”

“As Chief Medical Officer of a well-established Boston biotechnology company, I believe that Franklin offers all the attributes and ingredients to create a dynamic and vibrant environment for the development of innovative treatments to address unmet medical needs of patients,” said Dr. Michael Sabolinski, founder of Sabolinski, LLC. “Among these are access to medical centers of excellence, key opinion leaders in multiple therapeutic areas, and experts in clinical research. I look forward to the growth of biotechnology in Franklin, and am excited about the opportunities that the town presents for both start up and well established Companies.”

“It was wonderful that Representative Roy brought the players to the table to help jumpstart Franklin’s efforts in economic development and the life sciences,” said Jeff Nutting, Franklin Town Administrator.

“I would like to thank Rep. Roy for putting together the life sciences meeting. He and our Town Administrator Jeff Nutting are doers and put together an excellent program,” said Robert Vallee, Franklin Town Council’s Chair. “I look forward to getting the entire Town Council involved in the discussion and pursuing this issue as hard as we can.”

“Franklin has done much to attract a higher level of commercial and industrial investment to our industrial areas, including creation of priority development sites and economic development areas, and streamlining of permitting processes for biotechnology uses,” said Bryan Taberner, Franklin’s Director of Planning and Community Development. “The Town currently contains a cluster of life sciences companies, including bio-storage, robotics, medical devices and instrumentation, and biotechnology. I look forward to working with Representative Roy to attract additional life science companies to this great community.”

“What sets Franklin apart from many communities is the collaboration and commitment of all stakeholders,” said Maureen Sabolinski, Superintendent of Schools “Our elected and town officials work in concert with business and higher education to meet the needs of our community members and always strive to improve all public services. The shared sense of community enables stakeholder to establish a shared vision and mission.”

With Massachusetts as a foundation, Franklin’s attractiveness for business development has created a unique opportunity to provide positive economic growth, help advance the development of the Life Sciences and benefit the global community.

Much has been said over the years about the business climate in Massachusetts. In the legislature, we have worked hard on economic development here, and it’s good to see that it has paid off.

Forbes magazine has ranked Massachusetts 13th in its list of the Best States for Business in 2014. You can read the details by clicking here. The ranking measures six vital categories for businesses: costs, labor supply, regulatory environment, current economic climate, growth prospects and quality of life.

The Milford Daily News ran an editorial on the topic and noted that for decades, critics have “been telling the world that Massachusetts is a terrible place to do business, doing incalculable damage to the state’s reputation and its economy.” But, as the editorial noted, a “more realistic appraisal of our state comes from those outside it, especially those who aren’t looking for political advantage within the state or special favors from its government.” And that’s where Forbes magazine comes in; giving Massachusetts a respectable showing at number 13, with the top score in New England.

In the legislature, we are committed to doing what is necessary to continue to make Massachusetts a great place to live, work, and raise a family. We still have a lot of work to do, but it’s good to see that we are headed in the right direction. Let’s keep it up.

Franklin Food Pantry Director Erin Lynch on a training run with Representative Jeff Roy.

The Third Annual Turkey Trot 5K Family Fun Run will take place on Thanksgiving morning, Thursday, November 27th. The lollipop course will begin and end at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (LDS Church) at 91 Jordan Road in Franklin. Sponsored by the Feed the Need organization located in Hull, MA, the race is open to runners and walkers of all ages, featuring medals for best overall, first, second and third and for men, women and children by age category. A free raffle and continental breakfast will follow the race.

Feed the Need races started back in 2003 to support food pantries and shed light on hunger issues in local communities. The first such race took place here in Franklin in 2005, an idea of the LDS Church to help give back.“The race was renamed the Franklin Turkey Trot and began taking place on Thanksgiving morning three years ago when my son Hayden asked if he could plan the race as his Eagle Scout project – it has really hit its stride since,” remarked Krystal Whitmore, Director of the Franklin Turkey Trot.

“We are inspired by the fantastic turnout for the Franklin race. It is wonderful to see something so simple create this great sense of community bonding and giving back on the holiday of Thanksgiving.” Erin Lynch, Executive Director for the Franklin Food Pantry agrees, “When people come out on this special holiday to get involved it shows a uniting and protecting of our community – our larger family – from the threat of hunger. We are grateful to Feed the Need for spearheading the race and raising awareness.”

Erin has been preparing to run this year’s race for several weeks with Franklin’s State Representative Jeffrey Roy. “Representative Roy and I decided to run the race in 2014 to bring more attention to the aspect of building sustainable solutions to end hunger. Jeff has been a huge supporter of our role in the Healthy Futures Franklin initiative, a collaboration launched by the Hockomock Area YMCA. We are all working together to improve the health of the community, and increasing access to nutritious food is a critical step.”

“Franklin is a town that prides itself in connecting with one another in the face of adversity,” said Representative Jeffrey Roy “On the issue of hunger, Franklin Food Pantry is at the heart of a collaborative network of organizations, individuals and volunteers who partner throughout the year to make food and healthy, life changing programs available to our neighbors. The Franklin Turkey Trot is one of those events where it all comes together and I would like to thank Erin Lynch for issuing me the challenge several months ago to join her in healthy living and training to run this year.”

Entry Fee for the Turkey Trot $20 or 20 cans of food (or box of personal toiletries). To participate in the Turkey Trot, please pre-register online by clicking here. Register in person at LDS Church on Wednesday night, November 26th, 7-9pm or on race day, 6:45-7:45am. The first 100 participants to pick up their race bibs on Wednesday night will receive a T-shirt.

As part of the mission to provide immediate hunger relief and healthy sustainable solutions, the Franklin Food Pantry has increased the amount of fresh produce offered, resulting in a 43% increase in households returning on a regular basis for their fruits and vegetables. From June through October the pantry hosts a weekly Healthy Futures Market, where families receive produce as well as cooking demonstrations and healthy recipes courtesy of Cooking Matters. Also implemented this year was the new Healthy Futures™ shelf, which offers healthy alternatives such as Gluten-Free, Low Sodium, Low Sugar, and Whole Grain options for each family to choose from.

Other ways to donate:

To make a donation to the Franklin Food Pantry, please visit The Pantry located at 43 West Central Street, Route 140. Donations are accepted during business hours, Tuesday-Friday, 9:00am -1:00pm and on Saturdays from 9:00-11:30am. Non-perishables may be dropped off after hours in the bin by the front door, or monetary donations may be mailed to Franklin Food Pantry, PO Box 116, Franklin, MA 02038.

About Feed the Need

Feed the Need is a volunteer organization dedicated to promoting education and awareness of local hunger issues by sponsoring physical activities and events.

About Franklin Food Pantry

The Franklin Food Pantry is a registered 501(c) 3 non-profit organization FEIN #04-327663. Established in 1987, the mission of the Franklin Food Pantry is to provide immediate hunger relief and healthy sustainable solutions, by empowering the community through resources, education and collaboration. It is part of the Greater Boston Food Bank network and depends entirely on support and donations from volunteers, corporate partners and the community at large. The Franklin Food Pantry currently serves more than 600 households throughout the local community; distributing more than 186,000 pounds of food and provisions annually. Families receive monthly food supplies; weekly produce and bread; and special seasonal items of holiday meal packages and school supplies. Please visit the website by clicking here, and like Franklin Food Pantry on Facebook by clicking here, or call 508-528-3115.

It was an exciting 2014 election with many open races on the ballot. The turnout was impressive at 60 percent, and voters had an opportunity to let their voices be heard.

I am grateful for the opportunity to serve a second term in the House of Representatives. I look forward to working with Governor Baker and the rest of my colleagues on Beacon Hill to continue to make Massachusetts a great place to live, work and raise a family.

I thank you for expressing your confidence in me through your vote and look forward to working with you again over the next two years.

You can view pictures from the day by clicking here.

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court upheld the right of candidates to solicit signatures on nomination papers at supermarkets located on private property. Steven Glovsky sought to solicit signatures for his nomination to the second district seat on the Governor’s Council on the sidewalk immediately outside the entrance to a supermarket owned by Roche Bros. Supermarkets, Inc. in Westwood, MA.

The court observed that in many rural and suburban communities, the local supermarket may serve as one of the few places in which an individual soliciting signatures would be able to approach members of the public in large numbers. From the standpoint of a signature gatherer, there could hardly be a more ideal or efficient spot to conduct one’s business than the single entrance and exit of a supermarket or giant grocery store.

The court went on to say that to deprive the candidate of access to the public where the assorted products have been consolidated under a single roof could “substantially impair” the fundamental rights protected by art. 9 of the Massachusetts Constitution. The supermarket invites the public at large to shop at its property and offers numerous amenities to attract a significant number of people with diverse needs and interests.

You can read the details of the case by clicking here.