State Senator Anthony Petruccelli (D-East Boston) successfully added language to the Crime Bill, which was recently signed into law by Governor Patrick, that would close a loophole exploited by sex offenders.  The language added to the bill by the Senator would require the probation department to track all sex offenders who are required to wear a GPS bracelet no matter where they reside.    Under prior law, if a registered sex offender claimed to be homeless and residing in a shelter, then the court exempted him/her from wearing the tracking device.  The void in the law was brought to Senator Petruccelli’s attention by a Revere family who had firsthand experience with this issue.  “I am most proud of this legislation because it will have a profound impact…

Predatory lending, no-doc loans and subprime mortgages all contributed to high level of foreclosures in East Boston—a neighborhood not quite decimated by the problem but an example of how bad things got for a blue collar community when the economy tanked

With home foreclosures continuing to rise in the state in spite of the improving economy, the Senate and House sent final consumer protection legislation to the Governor this week that protects both homeowners and tenants from mortgage fraud and arbitrary evictions.

“The economic climate has made it difficult for many residents of the Commonwealth to keep their homes,” said Senator Anthony Petruccelli. “This bill will implement a number of measures to assist them in staving off foreclosure, while also protecting tenants from unreasonable evictions.”

BOSTON (July 29, 2010) –With home foreclosures continuing to rise in the Commonwealth in spite of the improving economy, the Senate and House sent final consumer protection legislation to the Governor that protects both homeowners and tenants from mortgage fraud and arbitrary evictions.

“The economic climate has made it difficult for many residents of the Commonwealth to keep their homes. This bill will implement a number of measures to assist them in staving off foreclosure, while also protecting tenants from unreasonable evictions,” said Senator Anthony Petruccelli (D-Boston).

After a spirited debate on the Senate floor last week, where he had to fight thirteen opposing views, Senator Anthony Petruccelli was able to get a local referendum amendment into the Senate’s version of the state’s casino bill by a vote of 25-13. The amendment would allow only East Boston residents, most impacted by plans to put a resort-style casino at Suffolk Downs racetrack, to vote whether or not they want a casino in their back yard instead of Boston as a whole.

Monday June 21, 2010 at Mount Hood Golf Course, Melrose.

To see pictures click here

On June 30 starting at 6:30 p.m. at the Don Orione/Madonna Shrine, 111 Orient Ave. proponents and opponents of casino gambling at Suffolk Downs will be getting together at a forum sponsored by the Times-Free Press and organized by John Ribeiro.

This is the first public forum to discuss the issues related to expanded gambling.

Following a special meeting by the Boston Public Library’s Board of Trustees and threats from the state legislature to withhold BPL funding unless they kept libraries open, the trustees approved a recommendation to delay the planned closure of the Orient Heights Branch Library in East Boston.

The recommendation to keep Orient Heights and three other library branches in the city open was brought to the Board of Trustees by Boston Public Library President Amy E. Ryan and included news of additional City of Boston funds earmarked for the library in FY11, which begins on July 1, 2010. She said the move was to provide the city with more time for planning the re-purposing of the buildings and the delivery of library services in the affected communities.

It’s a monumental project that will forever transform Maverick Square by investing federal stimulus funds to create a brand new health care facility in the area.

On Monday, East Boston Neighborhood Health Center (EBNHC) officials, joined by local elected officials and leaders of the health care industry, broke ground on what is sure to become an anchor development in the square.

Senator Anthony Petruccelli stood with Suffolk Downs Racetrack at a Senate hearing last Tuesday on expanded gaming in the state.

Petruccelli testified alongside Suffolk Downs’ Chief Operating Officer Chip Tuttle saying that the benefits for his district (which includes East Boston, Revere and Winthrop) far outweighs the negative impacts a resort-style casino at Suffolk Downs on the Eastie-Revere line.

The hearing was in response to the Senate’s plan to allow the state to license three resort-style casinos while keeping a ban on slot machines at the state’s four racetracks like Suffolk Downs.

Senator Anthony Petruccelli’s has begun a new season of campaigning for re-election and serving a larger district than he did back when he was East Boston’s State Representative, campaigning hasn’t been easy and usually lasts from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. It’s a delicate tightrope act of balancing fatherhood with campaigning while continuing his duties as a State Senator on Beacon Hill.

All the work, all the hours, all the joys and frustration that go along with a campaign come down to one thing-winning. With West End Republican Frank Addivinola planning to take Petruccelli on, the incumbent senator said he’s confident he will do just that during the state’s November 2 primary election.

State senators this week are debating their proposal for a $27.8 billion state budget, which cuts the spending bill by $750 million from last year and will likely lead to further reduced services and more layoffs.

“Our budget is not going to be good news,” said state Sen. Jack Hart (D-South Boston). “We’re worse off than we were last year.”

Hart and state Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz (D-Jamaica Plain) are pushing budget amendments – similar to the ones attached to the House version of the budget – forcing city officials to keep open four libraries slated for closure, as well as amendments that attempt to restore funding to local groups and organizations such as the Dorchester Youth Collaborative, Codman Square Health Center, and St. Peter’s Teen Center.

The library amendments, the details of which senators were still hashing out as the Reporter went to press, have also received support from Sen. Steven Tolman (D-Brighton) and Sen. Anthony Petruccelli (D-East Boston). Another amendment would restore $4 million for youth jobs, bringing the figure back to $8 million.

The funding that had been cut for the state’s health study that would once and for all shed light onto how Logan International Airport is affecting the health of residents in a five mile radius has been re-established legislatively by Senator Anthony Petruccelli

BOSTON –With home foreclosures continuing to rise in the Commonwealth in
spite of the improving economy, the Senate and House sent final consumer
protection legislation to the Governor that protects both homeowners and
tenants from mortgage fraud and arbitrary evictions.

“The economic climate has made it difficult for many residents of the
Commonwealth to keep their homes. This bill will implement a number of
measures to assist them in staving off foreclosure, while also protecting
tenants from unreasonable evictions,” said Senator Anthony Petruccelli
(D-Boston).