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Dear Tom,
Thanks for reading the August
edition of the Sannicandro
Sentinel. I am proud of what I
have accomplished for disabled
citizens in my first term as a
state representative and I
encourage you to read about it
below!
My re-election campaign is
kicking into gear for November
-- please see below for ways you
can be involved in my campaign
so that I can continue working
on issues important to you.
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Tom Saves Turning
22
Disability Issues
in the FY06 and FY07
Budgets
The Fiscal Year 2007
budget is great news
for Ashland and
Framingham – in
addition to large
Chapter 70
increases, a boost
in lottery aid and
increase in
earmarked funding,
Tom Sannicandro
formed a coalition
of 90 state
representatives and
led the charge for a
$2,000,000 increase
in funding for the
Turning 22
Department of Mental
Retardation (DMR)
item, a program that
provides essential
supports for
disabled young
people who are
turning 22 and
leaving the
financial support of
their school system
and entering
programs subsidized
by DMR. The increase
is the first since
the programs
inception six years
ago.
The increase of
$2,000,000 was
included in the
conference committee
budget but vetoed by
Governor Romney.
Speaking on the
floor of the House
of Representatives
on July 25, Tom
Sannicandro spoke
about how the
increase in funding
“helps people with
intellectual
disabilities live
full and productive
lives -- and also
helps disabled
people live
independently from
their families with
housing assistance,
transitional
assistance, day
programs and many
other necessary
services.”
Republicans and
Democrats joined
together to
unanimously override
the governor’s veto
and increase funding
to Turning 22 so
that every disabled
young person turning
22 in FY07 has
access to meaningful
supports.
The Turning 22
increase in funding
was built upon the
success Sannicandro
had in FY06, when he
successfully
advocated for an
increase of $500,000
in the DMR Family
Supports line item.
Sannicandro’s maiden
speech to his
colleagues focused
on the need to
increase awareness
of disability issues
and the importance
of adjusting funding
to meet the
increased demand for
adequate and
accessible
disability support.
To contact Tom click
here
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SPED Caucus
Advocating for
Increased Funding to
Municipalities for
Special Education
Services & the
Rights of Special
Education Students
Within the
legislature there
are different
caucuses that
include legislators
and advocates from
all around the state
that focus on
successfully
advancing
legislation that
pertains to that
particular caucus’
mission. An example
of some of these
caucuses are the
Children’s Caucus,
the Elder Caucus,
the Regional School
Caucus and as of
this year, the
Special Education
caucus, founded and
co-chaired by Tom
Sannicandro and
Barbara L’Italien
(D-Andover).
The first
legislative caucus
of its kind, the
SPED Caucus is a
bi-partisan
collection of
legislators and
advocacy groups
dedicated to
enhancing the lives
of disabled young
people and their
families by writing,
supporting and
enacting legislation
and budget items
that focus on
special education
costs and the
quality of life for
special education
students.
One of the main
priorities of the
caucus is to
gradually phase
transportation costs
into the special
education circuit
breaker, which
reimburses cities
and towns for some
special education
costs. Also, the
caucus is focused on
raising the special
education
reimbursement rate
to cities and towns
– currently the
state reimburses
only 72% of most
special education
costs, eventually
the caucus intends
to raise the
reimbursement to
100% of all special
education costs,
including a
transportation
reimbursement.
The Special
Education Caucus is
always looking for
new legislators and
advocacy groups to
get involved! If you
know someone who
lives outside of
Framingham and
Ashland please tell
them to contact
their legislators
and ask them to get
involved with the
caucus.
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