Politics & Government
Easton Legislators Co-Sponsor Bill for Marathon Victims
Claire Cronin (D-Easton) and Tom Kennedy (D-Brockton) co-sponsored "An Act Providing for Home Modifications and Moving Expenses for Certain Victims of the Boston Marathon Bombings"
Submitted to Easton Patch:
On Monday, April 29, Representative Claire D. Cronin (D-Brockton) and Senator Thomas P. Kennedy (D-Brockton) jointly filled an emergency bill to support victims of the Boston Marathon tragedy. The bill is quickly gaining bi-partisan support.
The bill, HD 3615, "An Act Providing for Home Modifications and Moving Expenses for Certain Victims of the Boston Marathon Bombings" will allow a one-time payment of up to $10,000 for each of the fourteen individuals who lost either a limb, or the use of a limb, as a result of the bombings. The funds may be used to assist in making home modifications to make homes handicapped accessible. For those who do not own their homes or for those who find it simply more feasible to relocate, the funds may also be used for expenses associated with relocating.
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“Two weeks ago, we collectively felt the horror and shock of the Boston Marathon bombings. For most of us, the impact will lessen over time. But for those who have lost a limb, the struggle is just beginning,” said Rep. Cronin.
Rep. Cronin, whose father was an amputee, said “I know the struggles he faced on a daily basis. Simple, ordinary tasks were difficult. Because his leg was amputated above the knee, he was not a candidate for a prosthesis. Our home was originally not accessible.”
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Forty-one years ago, Senator Kennedy incurred a spinal injury that left him a quadriplegic and confined to a wheelchair. “I have an intimate understanding of how difficult it can be to assimilate back into everyday activities. This legislation will provide those persons injured timely resources to retrofit their homes with the necessary modifications that will help ease their transition into daily routines,” said Senator Kennedy.
“I am honored to co-sponsor this bill which will offer some assistance to those individuals and families whose lives were upended on April 15,” said Representative Jeffrey N. Roy (D – Franklin). “The funds will help ease the journey to recovery and offer the means to keep them in their homes, if possible.”
Those who lost limbs will return home to an uncertain future and a “new normal”. Very few families have prepared for the financial hardship that accompanies the necessity of home modification. This piece of legislation aims to make this difficult time a little bit easier for the victims of this senseless tragedy.
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