Romney gets spending bill
Includes funding for Bish probe
DAN RING; STAFFThe Republican (Springfield, MA), dring@repub.com
BOSTON -
Legislators yesterday sent a $25 million spending bill to the governor that
would provide $15.4 million in back pay for court-appointed lawyers in
addition to funding for the Molly Anne Bish investigation and
Monson school district.
Some unpaid lawyers have refused to take new
cases. The bill will pay the money owed them from the prior fiscal year,
which ended June 30.
Terrence M. Dunphy of Springfield, who is owed
about $8,000 by the state, said he can't afford to work for the $39 an hour
the state pays him to represent defendants charged with serious felonies.
Dunphy said he will continue to reject new cases.
"I can't get someone to repair a dishwasher for
those prices," Dunphy said yesterday.
The spending bill includes $350,000 for the
Worcester County district attorney's investigation into the death of Bish,
who disappeared while working as a Warren lifeguard; $79,608 for the Monson
school district and a provision to force communities to charge at least $50
for a marriage license.
Charles R. Rasmussen, a spokesman for House
Speaker Thomas M. Finneran, D-Boston, said the state typically pays some
bills late, such as money for private contractors to remove snow. Rasmussen
said yesterday's bill was a "deficiency" budget to provide money for
accounts left short in the fiscal year that ended June 30.
"They are getting paid up," Rasmussen said of
the court-appointed lawyers.
Dunphy said legislators didn't move until
lawyers like himself protested by refusing to take new cases.
"They were forced into it," he said. "This was
not voluntary on their part. They couldn't care less."
The state, contracting with the Committee for
Public Counsel Services, pays about 2,500 private lawyers each year to
handle 90 percent of some 225,000 cases involving defendants who are too
poor to pay for lawyers. The committee also has 115 full-time public
defenders on staff.
The court-appointed lawyers receive $30 an hour
for a district court case; $39 an hour for most Superior Court cases and $54
an hour for murder cases. Only New Jersey and Wyoming pay less.
The minimum hourly rate for court-appointed
lawyers in Connecticut and New Hampshire is $45 and $60 respectively. New
York pays $90 an hour.
The bill also increases the minimum fee for a
marriage license to $50, up from $4, effective Sept. 1. The bill says the
state must receive $46 of the $50. Communities with fees more than $4 can
add the excess on top of the $50, the bill says.
Montague Town Clerk John J. Zywna said he
doesn't want to raise his town's fee beyond the current $15.
"It's ludicrous," Zywna said yesterday. "It's
another opportunity for the commonwealth . . . to squeeze the pockets of
little communities and then turn around and take the booty."
Gov. W. Mitt Romney supports the money for the
court-appointed lawyers, but he needs to study the rest of the bill, said
Nicole St. Peter, a spokeswoman.
Monson and two other school districts in the
eastern part of the state received additional Chapter 70 education aid.
Rasmussen said the state had erred in calculating the amount of money owed
to the districts.
The money for the Bish investigation
will pay for overtime for investigators and some DNA testing, Rasmussen
said.
The bill also creates a 20-member commission to
study the state's laws governing public construction projects. Municipal
officials have been pushing for changes in bid laws that could lower costs
of projects.
Material from the Associated Press was used in
this report.
December 6, 2000
News in Brief
Lawmakers boost Worcester DA budget
Boston Herald
State lawmakers have approved a $250,000 supplemental addition to the
Worcester County district attorney's budget so detectives can continue to
investigate cases including the disappearance of teen lifeguard Molly Bish.
Within two months of trying to find the Warren teen, last seen June 27 at
her Commins Pond lifeguard post, District Attorney John Conte was forced to
cut back his investigative staff from 24 to 12.
By August, he had spent $225,000 of his $315,000 budget and had requested a
supplement. The cost of the Bish investigation was initially estimated at
$37,000 a week.
Conte, who could not be reached for comment last night, may spend the
extra money on any of the investigations in his county's 60 cities and
towns.
December 5, 2000
HOUSE PASSES FUNDS FOR DA'S BUDGET \ OVERTIME ACCOUNT IS NEARLY DEPLETED
Worcester Telegram & Gazette (MA)
Author: Chris Echegaray
With Worcester District Attorney John J. Conte's overtime budget almost
depleted, legislators have approved $250,000 that will help detectives
continue the investigation of missing Warren teen-ager Molly Bish.
Yesterday, the state House of Representatives approved the money for the
60 cities and towns under Mr. Conte's jurisdiction.
``Well, I think this (funding) is very important and it goes beyond
Warren,'' state Rep. David H. Tuttle, R-Barre said. ``We have to make sure
that if, God forbid, this happens again, the resources are there.'' However,
the money must be approved by the Senate, which is informally convening this
week.
State Sen. Stephen M. Brewer, D-Barre, said that in a worst case
scenario, the informal session can be held up, but he does not foresee a lot
of opposition to granting the money.
``The $250,000 is more aligned with what he (Conte) needed,'' Mr. Brewer
said. ``The district attorney will be able to deploy detectives in a more
meaningful way.''
Mr. Conte initially filed a request for $350,000 this summer after
countless hours had been logged by state police detectives and search teams
involved in the probe of the missing teen-ager.
``We're very happy with that and it allows us to get back to a couple of
things that we really have to do,'' Mr. Conte said.
Molly disappeared from Comins Pond June 27 shortly after she was dropped
off by her mother, Magdalen Bish. A man in a white car was seen by Mrs. Bish
the day before her daughter's disappearance. Police have received more than
4,000 leads in the case.
The state police crime lab still has in its possession a white car that is
similar to the one seen at the town beach. The car was impounded several
months ago.
``We've been concentrating pretty heavily on our last lead at this
present time,'' Mr. Conte said. ``We still have to get back to a lot of
those leads.''
Mr. Conte has said that the investigation, which includes detectives working
out of Warren's Town Hall, has tallied about $37,000 a week in overtime
during the height of the investigation.
John J. Bish, Molly's father, said yesterday that the money will give
detectives the opportunity to work past 5 p.m. and on weekends, if needed.
``I know that they have been somewhat limited by the funding,'' he said.
``This is very good news and we are happy because they do need the money. In
that pile of leads, I think there is one piece of information we are looking
for. The unfortunate part of this is that not enough people are available to
really go through all that information.''
While detectives work the case, the Bishes keep themselves busy by
holding child identification events and benefits to help their advocacy for
child safety. They had 120 children in Hardwick this past weekend for an
identification program. Mr. Bish said that a benefit Christmas carol concert
will be held at 8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday at St. Paul's Church in Warren.
There is a $100,000 reward for information on the whereabouts of Molly, and
the conviction of the person or persons responsible for her disappearance
September 27, 2000
EXTRA INVESTIGATION MONEY DELAYED
Bradford L. Miner, Worcester Telegram & Gazette (MA)
WARREN -- As state police detectives continue the investigation into the
June 27 disappearance of Molly A. Bish, legislators are
working on a supplemental budget that includes money to replenish the
accounts from which the investigators are paid.
District Attorney John J. Conte's request for $350,000 to bolster
depleted overtime accounts is included in Gov. Paul Cellucci's supplemental
budget request.
The House Ways and Means Committee is expected to report on the
appropriation bill within the next couple of weeks, state Rep. David H.
Tuttle, R-Barre, said yesterday.
The district attorney last month scaled back the number of detectives
assigned to the case of the missing 17-year-old lifeguard because of budget
constraints, but Conte insisted follow-up of more than 5,000 leads and tips
from across the country was moving ahead.
Detectives have spent countless hours following leads and questioning people
since Miss Bish disappeared from the beach at Comins Pond after her
mother, Magdalen Bish, dropped her off for work.
Mr. Tuttle said yesterday that the governor's budget has been in Ways and
Means longer than might be expected because committee chairman Paul R.
Haley, D-Weymouth, has been out of the country.
Mr. Haley, a former Navy fighter pilot, is a member of the Naval Reserve.
According to Mr. Tuttle, Mr. Haley has been on a two-week tour of duty
overseas.
``While Paul was gone, Mr. Conte met with the other members of Ways and
Means. They had some reasonable questions about how the money had been
spent, and Mr. Conte answered their questions,'' Mr. Tuttle said.
``With all of the prep work done, we're just waiting now for the chairman's
stamp of approval. Once the bill is released from committee, I'd like to see
the House act on it fairly quickly, and within two to three weeks have the
bill approved and sent to the Senate,'' he said.
Mr. Tuttle said he had no doubt the money would be approved by the House
and Senate.
``One of the things that we've been trying to stress in talking to
legislators is that this money isn't just for the Bish investigation,
but for any investigation in the 60 cities and towns that Mr. Conte's office
covers.
``These guys who've been putting in the hours and doing all the legwork
have families to feed, so Sen. Brewer (Stephen M. Brewer, D-Barre) and I
have been working with Mr. Conte to see that this supplemental appropriation
is approved as quickly as possible,'' Mr. Tuttle said.
Elizabeth Stammo, spokesman for Mr. Conte, said yesterday that the
investigation is ongoing and there have been no significant developments in
the case.
August 25, 2000
TIGHT FUNDS PROMPT CUTS IN BISH PROBE
Boston Globe
Tight money for overtime has forced staffing cutbacks in the
investigation of the disappearance of lifeguard Molly Bish.
Authorities suspect the Warren teenager was abducted on June 27 from her
post at a town beach. Worcester District Attorney John Conte said
yesterday that he has cut back to about a dozen detectives in the case.
There were about two dozen earlier. He said he hopes the state
Legislature will approve another $350,000 for overtime.
August 24, 2000
Bish probe costs blamed for cuts
HOLLY ANGELO, STAFF Union-News (Springfield, Mass.)
The governor is expected to file the request for $350,000 in supplemental
funding early next week.
WARREN - The number of detectives working the
Molly Bish case has been cut in half as Worcester County District
Attorney John J. Conte places a check on his dwindling overtime account and
waits for additional state funding.
At the height of the investigation, 25 detectives worked the case.
"Right now, we're down to about 10 or 12 detectives," Conte said
yesterday from the investigation's command post inside Warren Police
Department headquarters. "We've cut back on the overtime. We want to make
sure if there's an emergency, we have something to turn to."
Bish disappeared on the morning of June 27 from Comins Pond, where
she was preparing to start her lifeguard duties for the day. Detectives
believe the 17-year-old girl was abducted, but have not ruled out she ran
away. Close to 6,000 tips have come in on the case.
"We're waiting for the governor to file the supplementary request," Conte
said.
State Sen. Stephen M. Brewer, D-Barre, and state Rep. David H. Tuttle, R-Barre,
have asked Gov. A. Paul Cellucci to file a request with the Legislature for
$350,000 in supplemental funding for Conte's overtime account so the
investigation can continue. The governor was supposed to file the request
this week, but Conte and Brewer said they've been told it won't happen until
Tuesday.
Conte's overtime account was budgeted for $384,000 in fiscal year 2001,
which runs from July 1 to June 30, 2001. The overtime account is not only
for the Bish case, but for any other cases that crop up within
Conte's district, which includes 60 towns and cities.
So far this fiscal year, Conte has used more than $250,000 of his overtime
budget, much of it on the Bish case. His office has been averaging
$37,000 a week in overtime costs.
"In the legislative process you never know," Brewer said. "It may not
happen at all. It may happen next year. It may happen in two or three
weeks."
"Some (legislators) are reticent about it already. One of the strongest
points I'm going to make is if it's a perpetrator, he's still out there.
Statistics show he'll do it again."
Neither state Sen. Mark Montigny, D-New Bedford, who chairs the Senate
Ways and Means Committee, nor state Rep. Paul R. Haley, D-Weymouth, who
chairs the House Ways and Means Committee, could be reached for comment
yesterday.
No matter what happens with the $350,000 request, Conte vowed yesterday the
investigation would continue.
"We're going to be here no matter what happens," he said.
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