Strong Turnout at CPA Legislative Briefing

Apr. 7, 2015: Over 50 legislators and legislative aides joined the Coalition at the State House to hear about the current status of the Community Preservation Act in Massachusetts, and to learn more about pending CPA legislation filed by Representative Stephen Kulik and Senator Cynthia Stone Creem. The briefing was part of a series to support environmental legislation on Beacon Hill, sponsored by Representative Frank Smizik.

Representative Kulik, Vice Chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means, opened with a few remarks about CPA and its importance statewide. Coalition Executive Director Stuart Saginor expressed the urgent need for both short- and long-term solutions to keep the CPA Trust Fund strong for Massachusetts’ 158 CPA communities. In the short term, the Coalition is once again advocating for another transfer from the FY15 state budget surplus, if available, to the CPA Trust Fund. A proposed solution for the long term is contained in HB2587/SD670, An Act To Sustain Community Preservation Revenue, which calls for an adjustment in the CPA fees collected at the state's Registries of Deeds. A hearing date for the bill has yet to be announced.

Following the strong turnout, the Coalition is looking forward to working with legislators to sustain funding for the Community Preservation Act.