September 2006

October 2006

Sannicandro Sentinel Online
Dedicated to Outstanding Constituent Service & Response

In This Issue

Tom Needs Your Help!
Seniors: Prescription Advantage Information
Keep Our Communities Strong
Support Deval Patrick!
Bullet Proof Vest Money Approved
Veteran Support -- MERIT Plan
Re-elect Tom!

Dear Tom,

Thanks for reading the October edition of the Sannicandro Sentinel. This issue includes useful information for seniors and updates about what's happening in the legislature.

The November election is just one month away and there is still a lot of work to be done to elect a Governor that will help make our communities strong-- please see below for ways you can volunteer to help elect Deval Patrick for Governor.

Tom Needs Your Help!
Send Tom back to the State House

Please click on the link below to contribute to Tom's campaign. He needs your contribution in order to continue working hard for Ashland, Framingham, the disabled and seniors!

Click here to help get Tom re-elected!

Seniors: Prescription Advantage Information
Announcement regarding Prescription Advantage for Seniors enrollment deadlines

Prescription.Drug.All

Keep Our Communities Strong
Support Deval Patrick!
Help Deval Patrick become the next Governor of Massachusetts.

Please click here to show your support for Deval Patrick to be the next Governor of Massachusetts. Deval brings the vision, leadership and skills needed to help get Massachusetts moving again.

Click on their names to learn more about Deval Patrick and Lieutanant Governor candidate Tim Murray.

Click here to sign up as a volunteer for the Patrick/Murray team!

Bullet Proof Vest Money Approved
Specifics of the deficiency budget, H4304, which passed in the legislature during the last week of Sepember

On September 28th the legislature enacted a deficiency budget that includes $5,000,000 in state reimbursements for bullet proof vests to local police departments as part of the House Deficiency budget for FY06. The $5,000,000 appropriation will go to cover the costs of bullet proof vests that are not entirely picked up by the federal Department of Justice program, which also reimburses police departments for new or replacement bullet proof vests. Representative Tom Sannicandro filed HD4874 – An Act Authorizing State Reimbursements for Bullet Proof Vests in November of 2005.

“It is vital that we provide our local law enforcement with the tools they need to provide safety and security” said Sannicandro. “This appropriation takes the cost burden off of cities and towns to provide necessary equipment and shifts it to where it belongs – on the state and federal level.”

Other items included in the deficiency budget:

$34M for Massachusetts Nursing Association
$9.4M for Board of Higher Ed
$10M for the various property tax relief measures that were included in the MERIT bill
$2M to cover the costs of mosquito spraying
$141K for State Police overtime deficiencies for various district attorney offices
$4.4M for costs incurred as the result of National Guard tuition and fee waivers

Veteran Support -- MERIT Plan
The legislature passed critical legislation, known as the Ed Connolly MERIT Bill to support our veterans

The highlights of the MERIT plan include:

- The establishment of a five-year, 100 percent property tax exemption for eligible surviving spouses of veterans and National Guard members killed or missing in action or who otherwise died as a direct result of a combat injury for the first five years after the service member's death.

- Providing a local option to allow a municipality to suspend the payment of real property taxes due by a member of the National Guard, or Reserves, or their dependants while the member is on active duty.

- Increases to property tax exemption amounts for veterans.

- Increase in Gold Star Spouse Property Tax exemption by granting a $2,500 property tax exemption for eligible surviving spouses of veterans killed in combat or missing in action or who otherwise died as result of a combat injury or terrorist act.

- Providing free tuition to veterans at Massachusetts state schools.

Re-elect Tom!
Information about how you can help send Tom back for a second term.

Please register for campaign updates from Tom Sannicandro by clicking here. It is important that we have volunteers to make calls, put up yard signs, knock on doors and raising money to send Tom back to continue his work in the legislature.

Tom has been a leader on education funding, special education, disability, senior and health care related issues while in the legislature. We're counting on your support to make sure Tom is re-elected on November 7th.

To help Tom get re-elected click here...

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Learn More About Tom

Tom Sannicandro

Committee to Re-Elect Tom Sannicandro

email: tom@tomworksforus.com

phone: 617-722-2090

fax: 617-626-0692

web: http://www.tomworksforus.com