REORGANIZE LABOR OFFICE (H 39)

House 153-0, approved Gov. Deval Patrick's measure that would reorganize the state's Office of Labor and Workforce Development. The plan includes a savings of $260,000 by elimination of the $125,000 position of Labor Director and the $135,000 Director of Workforce Development Director. It also moves their offices directly under the control of Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Joanne Goldstein.

Supporters said the changes would streamline operations and result in long-term savings of between $2.5 million and $4 million by the elimination of other positions and the consolidation of duplicative administrative functions.

The Senate has already approved the reorganization.

(A "Yes" vote is for the reorganization.)

Rep. Thomas Calter    Yes
Rep. James Cantwell    Yes
Rep. Geoff Diehl    Yes
Rep. Daniel Webster    Yes

ALSO UP ON BEACON HILL

SLOW PACE ON BEACON HILL - Consideration of the thousands of bill filed in the 2011-2012 session is making little visible progress on Beacon Hill. Only a handful of hearings have been held and both branches so far have mostly met in brief, informal sessions.

ONE DIMASI CODEFENDANT PLEADS GUILTY - Joseph Lally, a codefendant in the corruption case against former House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi and two others, pled guilty to charges of conspiracy, mail fraud and wire fraud. He has agreed to help prosecutors in exchange for a reduced prison sentence ranging from two to three years instead of nine years. DiMasi resigned and is awaiting trial on charges that he received $57,000 in payments from Cognos, a Canadian software company that he helped land nearly $20 million in state contracts. His case is scheduled to go to trial soon.

CRAIGSLIST STING - A state-sponsored sting operation has nabbed 20 allegedly unlicensed electricians who advertised on Craigslist. The operation, conducted by the state's Division of Professional Licensure, involved undercover agents responding to, meeting with and then busting "electricians" who advertised on the popular website. The individuals, many of whom would not give their last names to their potential "customers" and requested payment in cash, face fines of up to $1,000.

HAPPY NATIONAL WEIGHTS AND MEASURES WEEK - According to a press release from Gov. Patrick's Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation, the Patrick-Murray Administration's Division of Standards is celebrating National Weights and Measures Week from March 6-12. According to the release, the first weights-and-measures law was signed by President John Adams on March 2, 1799, "making this week the perfect time to recognize weights-and-measures operations in Massachusetts and around the country. In 1905, the National Conference of Weights and Measures was first established and convened."

The release goes on to say that the Standards Division's responsibilities include ensuring that retail scanners charge consumer the appropriate amount and gas pumps are properly dispensing gas. It also notes that the division includes nine full-time field compliance officers and provides services to 164 communities.

YOUR REP OR SENATOR MIGHT BE CALLING YOU SOON - Newly-elected State Treasurer Steve Grossman has enlisted the help of a new partner to inform some 40,000 individuals, charities and businesses that they are the owners of unclaimed money from the Massachusetts Unclaimed Property Division. The list will still be published biannually in some newspapers and online but now Grossman has also tapped the Legislature for help.

He has provided the 199 members of the Legislature with CDs containing the names of constituents in their districts who have unclaimed property that totals more than $500 in cash, or stock accounts in excess of 50 shares. The average number of names given to each senator to contact is 2,400 while the average for a representative is 600.

"People are generally wary of unsolicited contacts and read newspapers less than ever before, which has historically been the main form of outreach," said Grossman.

You can see if you have unclaimed property at www.findmassmoney.com or by calling 888-344-MASS (6277).

QUOTABLE QUOTES - Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) Special Edition

"Cleve (Killingsworth) agreed to resign on the condition that he would receive the same severance benefits that were called for if he were terminated under his employment contract. The entire board voted to proceed on that basis and honor his contract."

The BCBS Board of Directors acknowledging in a written statement that the entire board voted in favor of the severance package for ex-CEO Killingsworth including $1.4 million in 2010, $1.8 million in 2011 and another $925,000 in 2012.

"The cost of health insurance is not affected very much. It’s about $1 million that board members get paid. With $13 billion in revenue, it’s like pennies a year."

Massachusetts AFL-CIO President Robert Haynes defending the annual salary of 18 BCBS Board of Directors members, including his own $72,000 compensation.

"We are encouraged that Blue Cross has taken this positive step today to suspend director compensation ... In addition, we are continuing our review into the compensation and separation agreement of the former Blue Cross CEO."

Attorney General Martha Coakley on the decision of the 18 members of the BCBS Board of Directors to temporarily forego the controversial salary they receive for attending 26 meetings per year. Members are compensated a total of $1.2 million with individual compensation ranging from $56,000 to $89,000.

"The number of (campaign) donations from Blue Cross Board members to Attorney General Coakley demonstrates there are longstanding political relationships that raise questions about her ability to conduct an impartial review of their actions. Surely Attorney General Coakley can see that $65,000 in donations could lead a reasonable person to conclude there is a conflict of interest, and she should recuse herself from this case."

Massachusetts Republican Party Chairman Jennifer Nassour.

"We have an obligation to our members to use the premiums entrusted to us wisely. That's why we continually work to find new ways to be as efficient as possible."

From the Corporate Promise and Vision statement from BCBS on its website.

"He has either ignored our requests, told us he was not doing interviews when he actually was or today his spokesperson said he would not come on here because he would not be treated fairly by me on this show. To my knowledge, the last person to pay me that compliment was former House Speaker Sal DiMasi. And you know what happened to him."

NECN host Jim Braude on his invitations to Blue Cross Blue Shield Board member Paul Guzzi to appear on his show to talk about the Killingsworth controversy. The following day, Guzzi agreed to be on the show.

HOW LONG WAS LAST WEEK'S SESSION? Beacon Hill Roll Call tracks the length of time that the House and Senate were in session each week. Many legislators say that legislative sessions are only one aspect of the Legislature's job and that a lot of important work is done outside of the House and Senate chambers. They note that their jobs also involve committee work, research, constituent work and other matters that are important to their districts. Critics say that the Legislature does not meet regularly or long enough to debate and vote in public view on the thousands of pieces of legislation that have been filed. They note that the infrequency and brief length of sessions are misguided and lead to irresponsible late night sessions and a mad rush to act on dozens of bills in the days immediately preceding the end of an annual session.

During the week of March 7-11, the House met for a total of six hours and one minute while the Senate met for a total of 17 minutes.

Mon.   March 7        House  11:02 a.m. to  11:17 a.m.

Senate 11:00 a.m. to  11:14 a.m.

Tues.  March 8        No Senate session

No Senate session.

Wed.   March 9        House  11:03 a.m. to   4:46 p.m.

Senate 11:01 a.m. to  11:03 a.m.

Thurs. March 10       House  11:03 a.m. to  11:06 a.m.

Senate 11:04 a.m. to  11:05 a.m.

Fri.   March 11       No House session

No Senate session

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