(Editor's note: The following information was submitted by state Rep. James Miceli.)

Rep. James R. Miceli and his colleagues at the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed a supplemental spending bill that among other issues will halt a scheduled 25 percent spike in the cost of unemployment insurance.

Without legislative action, businesses in the Commonwealth would see an average of $141 per employee increase in their unemployment insurance tax bringing the total cost to $935 per worker which could have resulted in layoffs.  It will mark the fourth straight year lawmakers intervened to prevent the increase. 

The spending bill also includes an increase of $21 million in heating assistance for needy residents.  The extra assistance was needed after Congress cut more than a billion dollars from a home heating assistance programs this year. 

$35 million is also included in the bill for “adult day health” programs designed to assist the elderly and developmentally disabled residents to stay in their own homes rather than move into more expensive nursing home settings.

“I’ve always taken a great deal of satisfaction in being able to help the people I serve,” said Rep. Miceli.

“The component parts of the bill which started in the house not only address the people who need help but also gives help to the business community in Tewksbury and Wilmington.”