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Page 12 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 2021 Beacon Hill Roll Call By Bob Katzen A message from Bob Katzen, Publisher of Beacon Hill Roll Call: Thanks to the many readers who have been joining me on Sunday nights between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. for my talk show “The Bob Katzen Baby Boomer and Gen X Fun and Nostalgia Show.” Our recent special guests include Jerry Mathers (Beaver Cleaver) and Tony Dow (Wally Cleaver) from the timeless sitcom “Leave it to Beaver,” Mike Lookinland who played Bobby Brady during the fi ve-year run of the iconic sitcom “The Brady Bunch” and Tina Louise who played Ginger Grant on “Gilligan’s Island.” Tune in every Sunday from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. as we jump in my time machine and go back to the simpler days of the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Stop by my website at www.bobkatzenshow.com and say hi. There are many ways you can listen to the show from anywhere in the world: If you have a smart speaker, simply say, “Play WMEX on RADIO.COM” Download the free RADIO.COM app on your phone or tablet Listen online at: www.radio.com/1510wmex/listen Tune into 1510 AM if you still have an AM radio THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call records local representatives’ and senators’ votes on roll calls from the week of December 28, 2020 to January 1, 2021. OVERRIDE BAKER’S VETO OF BILL TO INCREASE ABORTION ACCESS (H 5179) House 107-50, Senate 32-8, overrode Gov. Charlie Baker’s veto of a bill that would allow abortions after 24 weeks in the case of lethal fetal anomalies and lower the age from 18 to 16 at which a minor can choose to have an abortion without parental or judicial consent. “I strongly support a woman’s right to access reproductive health care, and many provisions of this bill,” said Baker in a letter that accompanied his veto. “I support, for example, the provision that would enable a woman to access an abortion where the child would not survive after birth, and the modifi cations to the judicial bypass process that make it more accessible to minors who are unable to obtain the consent of a parent or guardian. I also support the changes that eliminate many outdated requirements and the 24-hour waiting period.” “However, I cannot support the sections of this proposal that expand the availability of later-term abortions and permit minors age 16 and 17 to get an abortion without the consent of a parent or guardian,” continued Baker. “With the passing of the ROE Act, Massachusetts has codifi ed reproductive rights, protected vulnerable populations, empowered women, created an environment for healthier families, combated racial injustice, and made it loud and clear, that Massachusetts values are contrary to the values of the current president, and the deeply conservative Supreme Court that Donald Trump and his right-wing colleagues and allies have helped create,” said Sen. Jamie Eldridge (D-Acton), Senate chair of the Judiciary Committee. “There are no surprises here,” said Catholic Action League Executive Director C.J. Doyle. “Elected offi cials are profi cient at cost-benefi t analyses. Democratic legislators know they have more to fear from a progressive primary challenger than they do from a pro-life Republican in the general election. This vote marks the completion of a historic reversal. For most of the 20th century, Bay State Democrats, at the state and local level at least, were socially conservative, while Republicans were socially liberal. As late as 1978, a pro-life Democrat, Ed King, ran against a pro-abortion Republican, Frank Hatch, for governor. Now, Charlie Baker notwithstanding, legislators from both sides refl ect their national parties.” “The passage of these reforms to improve abortion access is a historic milestone for reproductive freedom in Massachusetts,” read a statement from the ROE Act Coalition which includes the ACLU of Massachusetts, NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts and Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts. “Today, the commonwealth reestablished itself as a national leader in health care by removing political barriers to abortion and becoming the fi rst state to legislatively ease burdensome restrictions on young people’s access to care. The Legislature’s leadership means no Bay State family who receives a devastating diagnosis later in pregnancy will ever be forced to fl y across the country to access compassionate care and no 16- or 17-year-old will ever be forced to navigate the court system to access the health care they need. This legislation will signifi cantly improve the health and wellbeing of Massachusetts residents and represents an important step in removing medically unnecessary barriers to abortion care in our state.” “The ROE Act was introduced nearly two years ago,” said Myrna Maloney Flynn, president of Massachusetts Citizens for Life. “Every day since then, thousands of Massachusetts Citizens for Life members, who reside in every corner of our state, used their voices to speak for those who cannot. They learned the truth about this irresponsible and dangerous legislation and bravely spread that truth within their communities—even during a pandemic. Almost as disheartening as this new law is the fact that legislators rammed this damaging bill through during COVID-19, inserting it into the state budget, knowing our opposition could not fi ght it in person due to quarantine restrictions.” Flynn continued, “So while we pause today to grieve for the many lives that will be severely damaged and lost as a result of the ROE Act, we anticipate, much as abolitionists did, the inevitability of a brighter tomorrow. Pro-lifers know setbacks. What we don’t know how to do is give up, look the other way, and allow injustice to stand.” “It’s heartbreaking to see that our legislators are so enslaved to Planned Parenthood,” said Andrew Beckwith, executive director of the Massachusetts Family Institute. “There are over 18,000 abortions every year in Massachusetts, which averages out to the deaths of more than 125 on the heads of every state representative and state senator who voted to override the governor’s veto.” “Abortion is health care,” responded the ROE Act Coalition. “This legislation will signifi cantly improve the health and wellbeing of Massachusetts residents and represents an important step in removing medically unnecessary barriers to abortion care in our state. Tens of thousands of Massachusetts voters advocated to improve access to safe, legal abortion and applaud the legislatures’ unwavering leadership in the face of a global pandemic, infl ammatory attacks from anti-abortion activists, and a governor who stood in the way of meaningful reform.” “Sen. Chandler’s offi ce does not respond to libelous and out of touch statements like the one from Mr. Beckwith,” responded Kevin Connor, the communications director for the Worcester Democrat. “One might remind him that the vast majority of Massachusetts voters support abortion.” (A “Yes” vote is for the bill expanding abortion. A “No” vote is against it.) Rep. Joseph McGonagle Sen. Sal DiDomenico No Yes MORE VETOES Gov. Baker vetoed millions of dollars in funding in the $46.2 billion fi scal 2021 state budget. This is in sharp contrast to last fi scal year when, in an unusual move, the governor signed the fi scal 2020 state budget into law without vetoing any of the $43.3 billion in spending approved by the House and Senate. BHRC | SEE PAGE 13 Sa enir Sa y Senior Senio BY JIM MILLER Is Social Security Income Taxable? Dear Savvy Senior, I understand that a portion of my Social Security benefi ts may be taxable when I retire. Can you tell me how to calculate this? Ready to Retire Dear Ready, Whether or not you’ll be required to pay federal income tax on your Social Security benefi ts will depend on your income and fi ling status. About 35 percent of Social Security recipients have total incomes high enough to trigger federal income tax on their benefi ts. To fi gure out if your benefi ts will be taxable, you’ll need to add up all of your “provisional income,” which includes wages, taxable and non-taxable interest, dividends, pensions and taxable retirement-plan distributions, self-employment, and other taxable income, plus half your annual Social Security benefi ts, minus certain deductions used in fi guring your adjusted gross income. How to Calculate To help you with the calculations, get a copy of IRS Publication 915 “Social Security and Equivalent Railroad Retirement Benefi ts,” which provides detailed instructions and worksheets. You can download it at IRS.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p915. pdf or call the IRS at 800-8293676 and ask them to mail you a free copy. After you do the calculations, the IRS says that if you’re single and your total income from all of the listed sources is: Less than $25,000, your Social Security will not be subject to federal income tax. Between $25,000 and $34,000, up to 50 percent of your Social Security benefi ts will be taxed at your regular income-tax rate. More than $34,000, up to 85 percent of your benefi ts will be taxed. If you’re married and fi ling jointly and the total from all sources is: Less than $32,000, your Social Security won’t be taxed. Between $32,000 and $44,000, up to 50 percent of your Social Security benefi ts will be taxed. More than $44,000, up to 85 percent of your benefi ts will be taxed. If you’re married and fi le a separate return, you probably will pay taxes on your benefi ts. To limit potential taxes on your benefi ts, you’ll need to be cautious when taking distributions from retirement accounts or other sources. In addition to triggering ordinary income tax, a distribution that signifi cantly raises your gross income can bump the proportion of your Social Security benefi ts subject to taxes. How to File If you fi nd that part of your Social Security benefi ts will be taxable, you’ll need to fi le using Form 1040 or Form 1040SR. You also need to know that if you do owe taxes, you’ll need to make quarterly estimated tax payments to the IRS, or you can choose to have it automatically withheld from your benefi ts. To have it withheld, you’ll need to complete IRS Form W-4V, Voluntary Withholding Request (IRS.gov/pub/irs-pdf/ fw4v.pdf), and fi le it with your local Social Security offi ce. You can choose to have 7 percent, 10 percent, 12 percent or 22 percent of your total benefi t payment withheld. If you subsequently decide you don’t want the taxes withheld, you can fi le another W-4V to stop the withholding. If you have additional questions on taxable Social Security benefi ts call the IRS help line at 800-829-1040. State Taxation In addition to the federal government, 13 states – Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont and West Virginia – tax Social Security benefi ts to some extent too. If you live in one of these states, check with your state tax agency for details. For links to state tax agencies see TaxAdmin.org/statetax-agencies. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. nior ior

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