Legislative News dsmc

Our Legislation to Restore State Hospital Cemeteries

In the Winter of 2001 Senator Fred Berry (D) and Representative Ted Speliotis (D) sponsored Senate Bill 1530 that would help to establish a special fund to insure that all cemeteries on state facility property would be restored, properly memorialized and kept up in-perpetuity. The money for this special fund would come from .5% of the sale or lease of state hospitals or other state owned properties. The money would be used to take care of - not just state hospital cemeteries -but also forgotten cemeteries at the old state schools for people with mental retardation, public health hospitals, prisons and any other state run institutions that have cemeteries.

The Danvers State Memorial Committee supports Senate Bill 1530. We testified before the State Administration Committee in the Spring of 2001 and we are proud to say that our Bill passed that committee chaired by Senator Diane Wilkerson (D) and Representative Geoffrey Hall (D).

The Bill is now before the Senate Ways and Means Committee. We have to let the members of that committee hear our collective voices. Our bill will get easily "lost" and overlooked unless our Senators hear from us loud and clear!

Here's what you can do to help!

Read our fact sheet about Senate Bill 1530. Click here to read

Write a letter and send it to your State Senator and Representative to support the bill. Click here for sample letters

Call your State Senator and Representative and tell them why you support this bill. Click here for an idea of what you could say

Do you need the name, address and telephone number of your State Senator and Representative? Click here and then find the name of your city or town to find out!

Read the full text of our Senate Bill 1530 by clicking here