The Joint Committee on Agriculture would like to share upcoming USDA grant opportunities that may be of interest to schools and other eligible organizations in your districts

On behalf of the Healey-Driscoll Administration, the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security’s Office of Grants and Research (OGR) is pleased to make available approximately $330,000 in state funds for municipalities, public colleges and universities, and nonprofit organizations to purchase automated external defibrillators (AED) for public safety and first responder vehicles.

This notice is to inform you of an upcoming in-person public information meeting for the Structural Cleaning and Painting, Steel and Concrete Repairs on the Tobin Bridge project in Chelsea. This project consists of location-specific cleaning and painting of the upper and lower sections of the Tobin Bridge and the Beacon Street Ramp in Chelsea.

On behalf of the Healey-Driscoll administration, the Executive Office of Public Safety and Security (EOPSS) is pleased to offer an exciting professional work experience for students enrolled in an institution of higher learning. This paid summer internship program is an in-person internship within EOPSS agencies to provide students from diverse backgrounds a real-world experience in public service. This program is designed to provide students with professional exposure to a variety of public safety-related agencies across the Secretariat, including:

• EOPSS
• Massachusetts State Police
• Massachusetts State Police Crime Lab
• Office of Grants and Research
• Massachusetts Parole Board
• Municipal Police Training Committee
• Sex Offender Registry Board
• Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency
• Department of Criminal Justice Information Services
• Department of Fire Services
• State 911
• Office of the Chief Medical Examiner
• Massachusetts National Guard
• Massachusetts Department of Correction

Students can find more information about this program and apply at the following link: https://www.mass.gov/how-to/apply-for-an-internship-with-the-executive-office-of-public-safety-and-security. Applications and documents must be submitted by December 1, 2023.

Below and on MassDEP’s website, please find information on the upcoming application round under the Sewage Notification Assistance Grant Program. These grants assist regional and municipal wastewater utilities and systems in meeting the Department’s regulatory requirements for public notification of discharges of wastewater, including Combined Sewer Overflows and Sanitary Sewer Overflows.

Additional details on eligible applicants and projects, goals of the grant program, and application deadlines can be found in the Notice of Grant Opportunity and the Grant Opportunity Summary.

A virtual bidders conference will be held at 1:00 PM on October 11, 2023. Interested applicants should register for the conference by emailing [email protected] with the subject line “FY2024 Sewage Notification Assistance Grant Bidders’ Conference Details.” Grant applications are due to MassDEP by November 10, 2023

As more people become infected again with COVID-19, there continues to be some confusion regarding prevention and how the CDC guidelines should be used to protect yourself and others. We have received numerous inquiries regarding these guidelines and the best practices to stay healthy, maintain spread, and protect public health. Amid rising COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, I want to update you on where we are on COVID-19, provide you with helpful information on COVID-19 preventive measures and mitigation, and address concerns regarding misinformation on CDC guidelines. 

The Biden administration has announced a $600 million funding initiative to produce new at-home COVID-19 tests and is relaunching a website for Americans to order up to four free tests per household in anticipation of a potential increase in COVID cases during the fall and winter months. These tests are designed to detect the most common COVID variants circulating and should be used by the end of this year. At-home testing is essential to slow the spread of the virus and reduce the number of new cases across the Commonwealth as the weather gets colder and more events move indoors, increasing the risk of transmission. Starting Monday, September 25, people can place orders at COVIDTests.gov. 

MCC is launching the FY24 STARS Residencies program. STARS Residencies support residencies that bring students and teachers together with practicing artists, scientists, and humanists to create rich cultural experiences. Any Massachusetts school serving grades K-12, independent teaching artists/scientists/humanists, and non-profit organizations may apply. To learn more about the program, see the MCC website linked here. Applications are due by October 24^th.

FY24 STARS Residencies Program – Grants ranging from $2,500 - $6,100

Application opens: Sept. 21, 2023

Info sessions: Sept. 29, Oct. 5, and Oct. 13, 2023

Application deadline: Oct. 24, 2023 11:59pm (ET)

A message from National Grid:

Yesterday we announced our winter heating season rates for National Grid electric and gas customers in Massachusetts, effective November 1. As proposed, overall monthly electric bills are expected to be 27 percent lower than a year ago, driven by winter electricity supply costs 46 percent lower than the 2022-23 winter heating season.  In total, the monthly bill of a typical residential electric customer using 600 kWh will decrease from $293 during the 2022-23 winter heating season to approximately $213 during the 2023-24 season.  The change in electricity supply costs is partly due to stabilizing global energy markets as well as a recent decision by the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities that shifted our procurement schedule, allowing for more stable rate fluctuations throughout the year. National Grid advocated for this change, and we’re hopeful this will reduce price volatility for our customers going forward.

For gas customers, National Grid has pending proposals with the Department of Public Utilities which, if approved, would result in a monthly winter bill for an average Boston Gas residential heating customer using 111 therms per month of $263, an increase of $8, or 3 percent, compared to rates last winter. While a decrease in electric rates from last year is welcome news, we’re conscious that many of our customers still struggle to pay their bills.

With that in mind, we will continue our Customer Energy Savings Initiative to provide ongoing assistance this winter, hosting in-person Customer Energy Assistance events across Massachusetts. Customers can meet directly with National Grid representatives and our energy assistance partners at these community-based events to get the help they need, take action to control their energy costs, and enroll in available financial assistance and related programs that can provide support this winter. 

Through the Customer Energy Savings Initiative, over the past 12 months National Grid has

• Facilitated more than $43 million in HEAP funding to help Massachusetts customers supplement energy bills over the last 12 months,
• Helped more than 25,000 customers sign up for Balanced/Budget Billing, and
• Has more than 255,000 customers enrolled in National Grid's discount rate, with participating income-eligible electric customers receiving a 32% discount. 

For upcoming dates and times, please visit ngrid.com/heretohelp. National Grid will remain dedicated to doing all that we can to control our operational costs to offset future delivery side bill impacts.  We will continue to make decisions and prioritize programs to help our customers in the coming years.