Electric Vehicle Demonstration Program Commercial Insurance
Section 32. Notwithstanding the provisions of section thirty of chapter twenty-nine of the General Laws or any other general of special law to the contrary, except applicable procurement and solicitation laws, the department of licensing and regulation is hereby authorized to procure comprehensive motor vehicle insurance coverage for electric vehicles purchased for use in the commonwealth's electric vehicle demonstration program, so called; provided, however, that nothing in this section shall be construed to require any additional state appropriated funds for the department of licensing and regulation; and provided further, that such coverage may continue or be renewed until the conclusion of said electric vehicle demonstration program.
Sewer Rate Relief
Section 33. Notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law to the contrary, funds in the Commonwealth Sewer Rate Relief Fund, established by section two Z of chapter twenty-nine of the General Laws, shall be available to mitigate sewer rate increases due to debt service obligations created by issuing eligible indebtedness. For the purposes of this section, eligible indebtedness shall be defined as debt issued on or after January first, nineteen hundred and ninety, which has a final date of maturity greater than five years after the date of issuance and which is incurred, wholly or in substantial part, to finance or refinance the costs of planning, design, or construction of any water pollution abatement project, or part thereof, required to be constructed to meet the provisions of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, 33 USC Sec. 1251 et seq., and sections twenty-six to fifty-three, inclusive, of chapter twenty-one of the General Laws, or any wastewater collection or transportation project related thereto; provided, however, that eligible indebtedness shall not include any indebtedness for which the issuer has received assistance provided from state grants; provided further, that eligible indebtedness shall include indebtedness incurred pursuant to loan agreements under the provisions of chapter two hundred seventy-five of the acts of nineteen hundred and eighty-nine, as most recently amended by chapter two hundred three of the acts of nineteen hundred and ninety-two, which exceeded fifty million dollars by June thirtieth, nineteen hundred and ninety-five, and the debt service attributable thereto for any year for purposes of this section shall be the net obligation borne by the issuer after application of any credits, subsidies, or assistance, however characterized, provided under the provisions of the aforementioned statutes; provided further, that no issuer, which shall be defined as any city, town, district, commission, agency, authority, board, or other instrumentality of the commonwealth or any of its political subdivisions, which is responsible for the ownership or operation of wastewater treatment projects, and is authorized to finance all or any part of the cost thereof through the issuance of eligible indebtedness, shall receive relief authorized herein in excess of twenty percent of its annual debt service obligations due to eligible indebtedness. The division of municipal services of the department of revenue, in consultation with the department of environmental protection, shall develop guidelines to certify an issuer's eligible indebtedness and shall create a process to equitably distribute funds to eligible issuers, in order to mitigate extraordinary increases in sewer costs; and provided further, that funds disbursed in fiscal year nineteen hundred and ninety-seven shall be disbursed on or before March thirty-first, nineteen hundred and ninety-seven. The board, office or commission responsible for setting sewer charges in every city, town, district, or commission that either receives aid itself or is a member of a regional entity that receives aid pursuant to the provisions of this section shall certify to said division of municipal services that is has reduced sewer charges to reflect its share of any such aid.
State Reclamation Board Trust Fund
Section 34. There is hereby established on the books of the commonwealth a separate fund to be known as the State Reclamation Board Trust Fund. Revenue and other financial sources credited to said fund shall include funds made available pursuant to chapter two hundred fifty-two of the General Laws, and interest income from investments performed by the state treasurer on behalf of the fund. Expenditures and other financial uses charged to said fund shall not be subject to appropriation, and shall include salaries and other costs of state employees, operational expenses, acquisition of capital equipment and property, and other expenses deemed necessary to the state reclamation board's successful operation as determined by the director of said board. The fund shall be exempt from any charges pursuant to the provisions of section five D of chapter twenty-nine of the General Laws. For the purpose of accommodating timing discrepancies between the receipt of revenues and related expenditures, notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law to the contrary the board may incur expenses and the comptroller may certify for payment amounts in anticipation of receipts.
Forest Land Transfer
Section 35. Notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law to the contrary, the department of parks and recreation and the department of natural resources shall enter into a memorandum of understanding regarding the standards of operations, access, and resource needs of those properties which shall be transferred to the department of natural resources from the department of parks and recreation in accordance with the recommendations of a working group convened by the secretary of environmental affairs to identify such properties. Where appropriate, said departments shall enter into interdepartmental service agreements to ensure the proper operation of and access to such properties.
Enterprise Funds for Health Facilities
Section 36. Upon completion of a request for information process, the secretary of family services may submit one or more proposals to the secretary of administration and finance regarding the financing of state facilities whereby health institutions financed by the department of public health services and state schools financed by the department of disability services may seek additional sources of income or restructure service delivery and retain reimbursement for services rendered. In order to implement such proposal or proposals, the secretary of family services may not establish enterprise funds for the purpose of receiving third-party reimbursements and other revenue and for supporting the cost of operations without the express approval and authorization of the secretary of administration and finance and the house and senate committees on ways and means.
Neighborhood Housing Services Loans
Section 37. Notwithstanding the provisions of chapter four hundred ninety of the acts of nineteen hundred and eighty, the division of municipal services may authorize neighborhood housing services corporations to retain or reloan funds received in repayment of loans made pursuant to the neighborhood housing services rehabilitation program and may allocate funds not reloaned by one corporation to another corporation.
Housing Level Verification
Section 38. Notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law, rule or regulation to the contrary, the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency and the secretary of family services are hereby authorized to conduct annual verifications of household income levels based upon state tax returns for the purposes of administering the housing subsidy program funded in item 1999-2000, rental assistance programs funded in item 4900-0040, and federal programs funded in items 3722-9011, 3722-9013, 3722-9014, 3722-9019 and 3722-9020, respectively, of section two of this act; provided, that as a condition of eligibility or continued occupancy by an applicant or a tenant, said Agency and said secretary may require disclosure of social security numbers by an applicant or tenant and members of the applicant's or tenant's household for use in verification of income eligibility. Said Agency and said secretary are hereby further authorized to consult with the department of revenue, the department of transitional assistance, and any other state or federal agency which they deem necessary to conduct such income verification; provided, that notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law to the contrary, said state agencies are hereby authorized and directed to consult and cooperate with said Agency and said secretary and to furnish any and all information in the possession of said agencies including, but not limited to, tax returns and applications for public assistance or financial aid. For the purposes of conducting such income verification, the secretary of family services is hereby authorized to enter into an interagency agreement with the commissioner of revenue to utilize the department of revenue's wage reporting and bank match system for the purpose of verifying the income and eligibility of participants in such federally assisted housing programs and members of the participants' households.
Authorization for Uncompensated Care Pool Payments
Section 39. Notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law to the contrary, the department of public health services is authorized and directed to take any appropriate action to obtain the maximum amount of federal financial participation available for amounts paid to hospitals, determined by the department to be disproportionate share hospitals in accordance with the requirements of Title XIX of the federal Social Security Act or any successor federal statute, for free care costs of such hospitals. Said appropriate action may include, but shall not be limited to, the assessment on hospitals for their liability to the uncompensated care pool pursuant to the provisions of chapter one hundred eighteen F of the General Laws. Said appropriate action shall include the establishment or renewal of an interagency agreement for purposes of making disproportionate share adjustment payments to hospitals qualifying for such payments in accordance with the commonwealth's state plan and relevant provisions of said Title XIX or any successor federal statute. Said department may expend without further appropriation amounts transferred to it from the uncompensated care trust fund, pursuant to said interagency agreement. In no event shall the amount of money assessed upon each hospital exceed the hospital's gross liability to the uncompensated care pool as determined by said department pursuant to the provisions of section fifteen of chapter one hundred eighteen F of the General Laws and section eleven of chapter six B of the General Laws. Any federal funds obtained as a result of actions pursuant to the provisions of this section shall be deposited in the General Fund. The state treasurer and the comptroller shall establish such procedures as may be necessary to accomplish the purpose of this section, including procedures to facilitate the expeditious assessment, collection and expenditure of funds pursuant to the provisions of this section.
Public Hospitals as Disproportionate Share Facilities
Section 40. Notwithstanding the provisions of any general or special law to the contrary, the department of public health services, hereinafter referred to as the department, is authorized and directed to take any appropriate action to obtain the maximum amount of federal financial participation available for amounts paid to hospitals, determined by the department to be disproportionate share hospitals in accordance with the requirements of Title XIX of the federal Social Security Act or any successor federal statute, for free care costs of such hospitals. Said appropriate action may include, but shall not be limited to, the assessment on hospitals for their liability to the uncompensated care pool pursuant to the provisions of chapter one hundred eighteen F of the General Laws. Said appropriate action may include the establishment or renewal of any necessary interagency agreements for purposes of making disproportionate share adjustment payments to hospitals qualifying for such payments in accordance with the commonwealth's federal state plan and relevant provisions of Title XIX or any successor federal statute. The department may expend without further appropriation amounts transferred to it from the uncompensated care trust fund under said interagency agreement. In no event shall the amount of money assessed upon each hospital exceed the hospital's gross liability to the uncompensated care pool as determined by the department pursuant to the provisions of section fifteen of chapter one hundred eighteen F of the General Laws and section eleven of chapter six B of the General Laws. Any federal funds obtained as a result of actions pursuant to this section shall be deposited in the General Fund. The state treasurer and the comptroller shall establish such procedures as may be necessary to accomplish the purpose of this section, including procedures to facilitate the expeditious assessment, collection and expenditure of funds pursuant to the provisions of this section.
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