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The Massachusetts State Senate has passed a $76 million plan to prevent the further spread of COVID-19 and its variants by providing residents with greater access to tests, vaccines and masks, prioritizing communities disproportionately impacted by the pandemic and frontline workers.
The plan also provides increased flexibility for unemployment insurance recipients to address overpayments of pandemic unemployment benefits and funds an expanded multilingual campaign to notify unemployment claimants of their legal rights. Much of the funding of the bill is expected to be eligible for reimbursement by the federal government.
“As the omicron variant continues to disrupt our communities, it’s critical that the commonwealth provide greater access to tests, vaccines and masks for our residents and frontline workers,” said state Sen. Patrick O’Connor, R-Weymouth. “The legislation we passed makes key investments in these areas and others that will help us respond to the current situation.”
The legislation includes a $50 million investment to further increase the availability and encourage usage of testing and vaccination throughout the state. This allocation includes $7 million to assist community organizations promoting vaccine awareness and education in disproportionately impacted communities and $5 million to expand the capacity of community health centers to test and vaccinate, including funding to hire additional staff. Notably, $5 million is allocated for increasing vaccination rates among 5- through 11-year-olds, an age group now eligible to be vaccinated but whose rates remain low in comparison to older residents.
The bill also establishes a grant program, in consultation with the Massachusetts Cultural Council, for cultural institutions to help promote vaccine awareness and education.
The bill also allocates $25 million for the state to purchase and distribute high-quality masks in Massachusetts, with priority given to education and health care workers.
In response to reports that the Department of Unemployment Assistance is seeking to collect overpayments in pandemic unemployment benefits that were paid to some residents through no fault of their own, the bill provides funding for the DUA to conduct a multilingual, easy-to-understand public information campaign to notify claimants of their legal rights. The bill also extends the period during which DUA can reconsider a determination of overpayment and requires that the department produce a report detailing the status of overpayments.
The bill also extends the authorization for several COVID-19 emergency measures adopted earlier in the pandemic, such as those related to health services in assisted living facilities, liability protections for health care providers, remote notaries, flexibility for local governments and nonprofits to hold meetings virtually, outdoor dining and beer, wine and cocktails to-go. The bill also requires the secretary of health and human services to develop a vaccine equity plan and directs the department of public health to publicly post guidance on effective mask usage and recommended testing, quarantine and isolation periods. Finally, the bill sets the date for this year’s state primary election on Tuesday, Sept. 6.
With a version of this legislation having previously passed the House of Representatives, both the House and Senate will work to reconcile the bill.
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