from State Rep. Robert S. Hargraves

The proportion of Republicans in the 2007-2008 Legislature has shrunk to just 12 percent of the total membership. In addition, the Governor's Office is now in Democratic hands for the first time since 1990. Despite these daunting numbers, my colleagues and I in the minority party are not folding up our tents. Indeed, our caucus has come forward with an ambitious legislative agenda that proposes solid advances in the crucial areas of affordability, innovation and competitiveness, conserving our resources, strengthening, protecting and empowering our communities, and restoring confidence in government. I believe that many of these ideas stand a good chance of actually being passed into law during the next two years, and I would like to share some of them with you. For reasons of brevity, I will limit myself in this column to only three of the five areas covered by the minority plan:

AFFORDABILITY

• Create a First-Time Homebuyer's Savings Account for aspiring homeowners to save for a home tax-free. The money in the account must be spent on housing related expenses, such as a down payment, closing costs, fees or private mortgage insurance (PMI).

• Establish a Closing Costs Assistance Program that gives income-eligible first-time homebuyers a grant of up to $2,500 to pay for closing costs when they purchase a home. To qualify, homebuyers must have a First- Time Homebuyer's Savings Account with a balance of at least $1,000.

• Create a tax deduction for rent and mortgage expenses and homeowner's insurance up to $6,500.

• Create a tax deduction for utility payments, including gas, electric, water and sewer up to $2,500.

• Create a better tax deduction for college tuition and costs, student loan repayment and child care expenses up to $11,000.
• Require the Department of Revenue to choose and announce the specific date in August of the tax free holiday by July 15th every year.

• Allow Massachusetts residents 65 and older to include home heating costs in the list of expenses used to qualify for the senior circuit breaker tax credit.

• Create a tax credit for companies that provide for or subsidize their employees' child care expenses.

• Work to successfully implement the health care initiatives passed last session through bipartisan cooperation. Moving forward, House and Senate Republicans will exhaust every option to make sure this legislation increases consumer choice in insurance coverage and options and uses market forces to help constrain costs.

PROTECTING AND EMPOWERING OUR COMMUNITIES

• Aim to send 40 percent of the state's new growth revenues from the income tax, sales tax and capital gains tax back to local communities as local aid every year.

• Exempt cities and towns from having to pay the state's gas tax when fueling municipal vehicles.

• Increase the threshold for certain public construction to make it easier for cities and towns to build smaller projects outside of public bidding limits.

• Support for municipalities to opt-in to the Group Insurance Commission, cutting the cost of providing health care for municipal employees.

• Require communities to submit copies of new school design plans to the local fire and police departments when they apply for state school building funds. A central registry of plans would be created so that state police could also gain access in case of an emergency.

• Collect DNA samples from all people arrested for serious crimes.

• Protect citizens' identity and credit information from abuse.

RESTORING CONFIDENCE IN GOVERNMENT

• Prevent the government from seizing private property where there is not a clear public interest at stake.

• Create special commissions to handle redistricting of congressional and state legislative districts in Massachusetts, instead of having the Legislature make those decisions according to partisan politics.

• Establish a two-year cycle for the budget to help state and local leaders make better plans for the use of resources over time.

• Require a 2/3 vote of the Legislature to take money out of the state's "Rainy Day Fund."

• Prevent abuse of the state pension system by capping individual pension benefits to 400% of the statewide average. Benefits also would be limited to those based on actual compensation, and abusive transitions between different retirement groups would be prevented.

• Streamline state government by cutting costs and making services more "user-friendly" for individuals, businesses, and municipalities.

If you have any comments or suggestions about these proposals, my office would appreciate hearing about them. We can be reached at the State House at 617-722-2305 or via e-mail at rep.roberthargraves@hou.state.ma.us.