2022 Year in Review
Dear friend,
As we begin the 193rd Session of the General Court (2023-2024), I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the last two years. As I enter my 5th year of public service as your state representative, I am humbled to have followed in the footsteps of Steve Kulik. Not every legislator is as lucky as I was to have someone like Steve as a mentor and friend.
I will forever be grateful to him for his lifetime of public service. I am honored to be doing this work alongside a group of skilled, caring and selfless legislators here in western MA who are truly committed to the constituents they serve.
This is a tremendous time of change. Yesterday, I was sworn into office for my third term. Today, I stood in the House Chamber as Massachusetts made history with the swearing-in of Governor Healey and Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll. I am especially excited about the opportunity to work alongside these dynamic leaders in support of our shared communities.
Below please find an overview of what we have been able to accomplish together and there is still much more work for us to do! As always, please do not hesitate to reach out if you have questions, comments or concerns. I can be reached by email anytime at natalie.blais@mahouse.gov.
CONSTITUENT SERVICES
One of the most rewarding parts of being a state representative is the ability to assist constituents when you are facing problems with state government. My office stands ready to advocate on your behalf with the appropriate state agencies to be sure that your request is given every possible consideration. We frequently assist constituents with issues relating to Unemployment, Registry of Motor Vehicles, MassHealth, Social Service Referrals, Elder Services, Veterans Affairs, Section 8 Housing, Utilities, and more. Please don’t ever hesitate to reach out to my office via email at natalie.blais@mahouse.gov or 413-362-9453 for assistance.
Additionally, it is important that I hear from you about the bills you support and oppose during the next legislative session. The more I hear from you, the better I can advocate on your behalf as bills make their way through the legislative process.
LEGISLATION
In total, I introduced 58 bills this session. Thirty-nine bills were policy-related and specifically addressed many of the priorities I have heard directly from you. The remaining 19 were classified as “Home Rule Petitions.” These bills are requested by communities in the 1st Franklin District and are meant to allow for a new power or an exemption from an aspect of state law.
Bills Introduced by Rep. Blais and Passed into Law
E-bike Incentive Program
Allocates $1 million to establish a state rebate program that would offer $500 rebates for e-bike buyers and $750 rebates for low-income e-bike buyers.
An Act promoting local energy investment and infrastructure modernization (aka Grid Modernization Bill)
This law will modernize the grid system in Massachusetts to allow for the transition to green energy and give residents of the Commonwealth a voice in their clean energy future through the creation of an advisory board. It requires utility companies to proactively upgrade the electricity transmission and distribution grid to improve reliability and resiliency and accommodate the anticipated significant shift to renewable forms of energy.
An Act expanding equitable access for solar energy net metering (aka “Single Parcel Solar” Bill) - co-filed with Rep. Mindy Domb
The expansion of solar energy is necessary to reduce greenhouse gas pollution. Net-metering makes solar affordable, allowing solar panel owners to sell excess energy back to the electricity grid. Currently, only one entity on a single tax parcel of land can participate in net-metering. As a result, solar panels become less affordable for residents of condominium or apartment complexes or low-income housing, as well as farms or separate buildings on municipally-owned land.
The law will loosen the “single parcel rule” by allowing, in certain circumstances, for net metering for multiple facilities on the same parcel and eliminate the “donut hole” for on-site solar energy net metering, allowing Class I solar systems up to 25kW to be exempt from the cap.
Municipal Relief from Transportation Infrastructure Enhancement Fund Reporting Requirements
Per statute, the Transportation Network Company (TNC) Division of the Department of Public Utilities must collect a $0.20 per-ride assessment on all TNC rides (such as Uber and Lyft) originating in the Commonwealth. Half of the funds are distributed to MassDevelopment and the Commonwealth's Transportation Fund, while the other half is distributed to Massachusetts cities and towns based on the amount of rides initiated in each community.
Communities receiving funds are required to submit an annual spending report to the state detailing the projects and the amount used. Municipalities are also required to appropriate the funds in order to use them. The spending report must be submitted regardless of the amount received by each city or town.
Whether a town receives pennies or millions of dollars, they are all subject to the same requirements, creating an unnecessary bureaucratic burden for the majority of cities and towns across the Commonwealth. This is particularly frustrating for small towns with staff that are already stretched thin.
This law lessens the reporting requirements for municipalities that receive per ride assessment amounts of less than $25,000 annually and gives flexibility to those municipalities to spend the limited sums without further appropriation.
Additionally, several bills I introduced advanced outside of the legislative process -
An Act expanding agricultural preservation restrictions for hemp cultivation (co-filed with Rep. Smitty Pignatelli) - In May 2021, the Department of Agricultural Resources put out new guidance stating that after holding statewide listening sessions, the department decided to let hemp be grown on APR land. This is a significant win for farmers across the Commonwealth.
An Act regarding a farmland protection and viability action plan - Massachusetts has many policies and programs to protect farmland, but no unified plan or set of comprehensive goals that they all work to support. Funding was included in the budget to develop a statewide Farmland Action Plan using land use data to guide state investment, policy, and regulation.
An Act improving access to dental care in the Commonwealth - In 2021, the Baker-Polito Administration announced a 65% increase in dental reimbursement rates for our Community Health Centers, fulfilling the goal of this bill that I filed with Senator Jo Comerford to expand dental care access.
Finally, I was proud to lead the effort on the House-side to establish a MA Office of Outdoor Recreation. As a result of the bill offered on the Senate-side by former Senator Adam Hinds, the Commonwealth now joins 17 other states around the country that have created similar offices. Additionally, the office will focus on the following efforts:
Coordinating outdoor recreation policy;
Identifying funding opportunities for programs and infrastructure;
Enhancing public access and recreation infrastructure;
Supporting the outdoor recreation economy;
Advancing equity and access to outdoor recreation opportunities; and,
Promoting Massachusetts as a great place to work, live, and enjoy outdoor recreation
You can always find additional information on my website regarding:
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As a reminder, you can create a personalized page to track legislation of interest to you at malegislature.gov.
BUDGET
One of the most important parts of my job as your state representative is bringing resources back to the 1st Franklin District. This is a challenge in a district that spans over 500 square miles. In order to deliver the maximum impact, I work alongside communities and organizations to develop budget priorities and strive to identify the funding streams available to move as many of these priorities as I possibly can.
Local
$100,000 for the Town of Sunderland Parks and Playground Improvements
$50,000 for the Town of Montague Facilities Improvements
$50,000 for the Red Gate Farm Expansion Project
$15,000 for the Town of Leverett’s 250th Celebration
$100,000 for Franklin County Children's Advocacy Center Mental Health Services
$7.5 million for emergency storm damage repairs
$500,000 for Community Action Pioneer Valley Facility Construction
$2.9 million for Williamsburg Greenway
Statewide
$15 million for state-owned-land PILOT program bringing total to $45M
Increased funding for the Buy Local statewide program by $250,000 bringing the total to $750,000
$4 million for Agricultural Fairs Recovery Fund
$10 million for a COVID-19 Tourism Recovery Fund
STATE GRANT FUNDING
I was proud to work alongside legislative colleagues in western Massachusetts, the Franklin Regional Council of Governments, Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, and Berkshire Regional Planning Commission to host a virtual workshop series for municipalities to better understand grant funding opportunities available from the state. Over 175 municipal officials from the four western counties registered for the series.
As a result of these efforts, we were able to maximize the amount of state money flowing to our communities. This included:
$1 million to reconstruct a section of route 66 in Huntington
$2.2 million for the Bridge of Flowers
$882,000 for Cummington for Stage Road culvert replacement
BOSTON TO WESTERN MA
Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture Committee Tour
In September 2021, I was proud to host the Chairs of the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture (ENRA) for a CT River Valley Farm Tour in collaboration with Senator Comerford and Reps. Mindy Domb and Dan Carey.
Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development Committee Tour
I welcomed the Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development Committee to Sunderland. I am extremely grateful to committee chair Carole Fiola for her tenacity and leadership of this dynamic committee.
Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development Tour
I invited Undersecretary Ashley Stolba and Assistant Secretary for Communities & Programs Juan Vega the Executive Office of Housing and Economic Development (EOHED) to:
Ashfield to visit a crumbling retaining wall
Deerfield to learn more about the Connecting Community Initiative and
Shelburne Falls to experience the Bridge of Flowers, which is facing some structural challenges
Public Safety Complex Tour
I also invited Auditor Suzanne M. Bump and Rep. Carlos Gonzalez, Chair of the Joint Committee on Public Safety to tour public safety complexes in Ashfield and Conway to raise awareness about the need to advance legislation I introduced in the House to create an independent public safety building authority.
The proposed building authority is similar to existing authorities that help finance municipal school buildings and libraries, that will administer matching funds for local public safety and municipal office buildings. Assistance would be provided to municipalities for the construction of new municipal public safety or municipal office buildings or for the remediation or improvement of such existing public safety or municipal buildings. Municipalities could receive up to $1,000,000 of assistance for each project and shall be required to contribute no less than 50 percent of the costs of any funded project
COMMISSIONS
Rural Schools Commission
One of the highlights of the last session was the opportunity to work alongside Senator Adam Hinds as co-chairs of the Rural Schools Commission. The 36 recommendations included in the report are a reflection of the dedicated efforts of its members and a robust public input process. As we begin the 193rd session, I am working closely with House leaders, legislative colleagues, and stakeholders across the Commonwealth to develop policy and budget solutions to address the recommendations included in the final report. You can learn more about the Rural Schools Commission here.
Western MA Rail Governance Commission
Speaker Mariano has appointed me to serve on the Western MA Rail Governance Commission. The legislature established this commission to investigate and receive public testimony concerning potential public entities with the ability to design, permit, construct, operate and maintain passenger rail service proposals in western MA. As part of the process, there will be six public hearings. The first meeting was held December 9, 2022, in Pittsfield. There will also be hearings held in Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire counties.
REDISTRICTING
I am heartbroken to be losing the Hampshire/Hampden/Franklin county towns in the 1st Franklin District including Williamsburg, Goshen, Chesterfield, Cummington, Plainfield, Worthington, Chester, Huntington, Middlefield and Shutesbury as a result of redistricting. I am grateful for the strong relationships I have been fortunate to develop with individuals and local officials since I was first elected.
The new 1st Franklin District will consist of Ashfield, Bernardston, Buckland, Charlemont, Colrain, Conway, Deerfield, Hawley, Heath, Leverett, Leyden, Monroe, Montague, Rowe, Shelburne, Sunderland, Whately and precincts 5, 6, 7, and 8 in Greenfield. I have been hard at work getting to know these new communities, establishing new relationships and earning the trust and confidence of residents.
I am excited about the opportunity to represent the interests of many of the precincts in the City of Greenfield and will never stop fighting for rural communities.
LOOKING AHEAD
As we finish up this two-year legislative cycle, I am looking ahead to determine what bills I will file and re-file by the January 20, 2023, deadline. I am excited about the partnerships we have developed together to advance legislation pertaining to climate change, infrastructure, public transportation, local food systems and so much more. I look forward to working with you all on these efforts.
STAY CONNECTED
I continue to offer virtual office hours every Friday morning from 8 - 9 am. Contact corinne.coryat@MAHouse.gov or 413-362-9453 to receive the zoom link.
If this time does not work for you, please do not hesitate to reach out to arrange for a more convenient time that works better for you.
I hope you find this information helpful and wish you all the very best in the New Year. If you have questions or comments, please do not hesitate to reach out. I remain deeply grateful for your continued partnership and support.