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Government Briefs: Trees, Awards, Working Moms
Staff Reports,
03:25PM / Tuesday, May 09, 2017
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More Trees: Pittsfield won a $3,000 2017 Urban and Community Forestry Challenge Grant for Phase II of the Wellesley Park Tree Replacement Project. The one-acre park is located at 50 Wellesly St. The funds came from $112,500 in matching grants provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Forest Service the Massachusetts ReLeaf Trust Fund. 
 
 
 
Fire Training: State Fire Marshal Peter J. Ostroskey announced that the Department of Fire Services has been awarded $426,087 from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's fiscal 2016 Assistance to Firefighters Grant program. The funds will be used to purchase two critical training props for the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy: a self-contained breathing apparatus, or SCBA, a mobile maze trailer and a portable simulated burn prop. These training props will be used at both the Stow and Springfield campuses and transported to local fire departments.
 
 
 
Working Moms-to-be: A long overdue bill may soon become law according to state Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier, D-Mass. A pregnant workers fairness act was favorably reported by the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development, of which the representative is vice chair, and is the main item on the calendar for the House of Representatives on Wednesday. The bill would offer pregnant women enhanced protections in the workplace, including access to bathroom breaks, relief from lifting heavy objects, and the right to a chair or seat. The bill does not require any business to take on an undue burden in accommodating a pregnant worker.
 
"During the hearing process I heard heart wrenching testimony from women who were mistreated by their bosses, and I became more convinced that we need this law in place as soon as possible," said Farley-Bouvier.
 
Other provisions in the bill may include: light duty, assistance with manual labor, and private non-bathroom space for expressing breast milk. The legislation now moves to the House of Representatives for a vote from the membership.  
 
 
 
Clean Water: Option Institute and Fellowship in Sheffield was one of 55 recipients of annual Public Water Systems Awards by the Department of Environmental Protection a part of National Drinking Water Week, and the only one in Western Massachusetts.
 
The public water supply has made improvements over the last few years by clearly posting equipment and procedures for taking actions, measurements, logs, maintenance and has only one survey item: an ongoing reminder about non-conforming sources and the limitations related to such. Its sources, structures, and treatment are all well-maintained.
 
The awards, presented since 1991, acknowledge the many dedicated drinking water professionals whose accomplishments in maintaining consistent and safe delivery of  potable water to the residents of the commonwealth are worthy of special commendation.  
 
 
 
Wiretap Update: The Baker-Polito administration has filed legislation to update the commonwealth's wiretap statute to recognize the evolution in communication technologies over the past 50 years and provide law enforcement with better resources to pursue violent and heinous crimes, including gang-related homicides and rape. By making modest adjustments to a statute written in 1968, drafted with the assistance of the Attorney General's Office, officials say this bill will give law enforcement and the courts the ability to solve more cases and was announced at a State House press conference with the support of the attorney general, district attorneys and members of the law enforcement community.
 
"Our priority is to keep our communities safe, and this bill is aimed at modernizing state law to give law enforcement more tools to investigate and prosecute some of the most heinous crimes, such as murder and human trafficking," said Gov. Charlie Baker. "As several state judges have noted, overhauling this law to address 21st century technology will help law enforcement better protect the people of Massachusetts."
 
Attorney General Maura Healey acknowledged the importance of updating the statute to assist law enforcement with criminal investigations while protecting privacy rights.
 
"This legislation has been a priority of my office for years, as we have long recognized that we need updated statutes and tools to match the organizations we face and to fight the most violent and egregious crimes in the 21st century," she said. "I want to thank our partners in law enforcement, EOPSS, and the Governor's Office for their commitment to this issue by filing this bill today, and to my team for their work in shaping the language reflected in today's revisions."
 
The proposal calls for expanding the list of "designated offenses" that may be investigated with a wiretap when they are committed in connection with organized crime: the illegal use, possession, theft, transfer or trafficking of firearms, including machine guns, or of silencers; money laundering; enterprise crime; certain illegal gambling offenses; violations of the Intimidation statute; and crimes involving the manufacturing or dissemination of child pornography.
 
 
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