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THE MALDEN ADVOCATE - Friday, February 8, 2019 Page 19 an can eventually become speaker. Opponents of term limits said the voters elect their representatives and the representatives, not some arbitrary term limit, should decide who leads the House. They said this restriction would make a speaker serving his fi nal two years a lame duck. They noted that it would reduce the speaker’s power in dealing with Gov. Charlie Baker and Senate President Karen Spilka. (A “Yes” vote is for the 8-year term limit. A “No” vote is against the limit.) Rep. Paul Donato Rep. Steven Ultrino No No EQUAL PAY FOR ALL LEGISLATORS (H 2019) House 5-152, rejected a proposed House rule that would require the House’s director of Human Resources and the Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) Offi cer to develop a proposal by November 15, 2020 for the equitable compensation of all House members. Supporters said members should earn the same amount of money regardless of what leadership position they hold or what committee they chair. They noted the proposal is based on the pay structure for the U.S. Congress where only a few positions have higher salaries. They said that this pay equity will eliminate members siding with the speaker in order to get a plum committee assignment. Opponents said the speaker and representatives in the leadership and committee chairs have a much heavier work load and deserve a higher salary. They said this issue was settled in January 2017 when the Legislature overrode Gov. Baker’s veto of some legislative pay hikes. They noted the director of Human Resources and the EEO Offi cer could not legally adjust the base salary of a legislator because of a constitutional amendment that increases or decreases legislative salaries to the same rate as increases or decreases in the median household income for the commonwealth for the preceding twoyear period, as determined by the governor. (A “Yes” vote is for equal pay. A “No” vote is against it.) Rep. Paul Donato Rep. Steven Ultrino No No TELEVISE INFORMAL SENATE SESSIONS (S 9) Senate 39-0, approved a joint rule requiring the Joint Committee on Rules to study and issue a report on the feasibility of online broadcasting of informal sessions of the House and Senate in the same manner and format as formal sessions are currently broadcast. Currently informal sessions are not broadcast. Informal sessions are ones in which there are no roll call votes and everything is approved or rejected on an unrecorded voice vote. However, at an informal session, a single legislator can hold up consideration of a bill until the next formal session by doubting the presence of a quorum. A quorum is when 81 members of the House or 21 members of the Senate are present. Since only a handful of legislators attend these sessions, the session would be adjourned for lack of a quorum. Supporters said that some informal sessions are not the brief, quiet sessions that they used to be. They said major legislation is sometimes approved at informal sessions and the public should be able to watch these online. (A “Yes” vote is for the study.) Sen. Jason Lewis Yes CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPORTS BY 5 P.M. (S 9) Senate 8-31, rejected a proposed Sen. Lewis shares 20192020 Legislative Agenda BOSTON – Last month State Senator Jason Lewis fi led dozens of bills for the 2019-2020 legislative session. “I’m excited to champion a bold legislative agenda for the 2019-2020 legislative session,” he said. “I fi led 98 bills that would advance equality, opportunity, justice, and sustainability for our communities and the entire Commonwealth. I’m also pleased to co-sponsor several hundred bills fi led by my Senate and House colleagues.” The bills Sen. Lewis fi led address many policy areas and issues, including shared prosperity, education and childcare, healthcare and wellness, a sustainable future, and social justice. To read more about individual bills, please visit the senator’s website, SenatorJasonLewis.com, send him an email at Jason.Lewis@masenate.gov, or contact his State House offi ce at (617) 722-1206. new joint rule requiring that legislators receive a copy of any conference committee version of a bill by 5 p.m. on the day prior to voting on the bill. Current rules set the deadline at 8 p.m. Both rules prohibit the Legislature from voting on the bill prior to 1 p.m. the following day. Supporters of the new rule said the 8 p.m. deadline gives members only 17 hours to read and understand what are often long and complicated bills. They argued the 5 p.m. deadline would give legislators three more hours to read the measure. Opponents of the new rule said the 8 p.m. deadline has worked well for several years. They noted the extra three hours between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. is often when the staff completes the package of the report. (A “Yes” vote is for the 5 p.m. deadline. A “No” vote is against the 5 p.m. deadline and favors the current 8 p.m. one.) Sen. Jason Lewis No MATTERS ALLOWED AT INFORMAL SESSIONS (S 8) Senate 6-33, rejected a rule that would prohibit tax hikes from being considered at an informal session of the Senate. Informal sessions are ones in which there can be no roll call votes and everything is approved or rejected on an unrecorded voice vote. Supporters of the rule said it is unfair to allow tax hikes to be brought up at these lightly attended sessions often without informing members of the agenda. Opponents said the rule is unnecessary because any single member who shows up at a lightly attended informal session can doubt the presence of a quorum, and at which point the session would end because there is not a quorum. (A “Yes” vote is for prohibiting tax hikes from being brought up at informal sessions. A “No” vote is against the restriction.) Sen. Jason Lewis No SESSIONS BEYOND MIDNIGHT (S 8) Senate 6-33, rejected a rule requiring a unanimous vote in order for any Senate session to continue beyond midnight. Current law requires a two-thirds vote to go past midnight. Supporters said requiring unanimous consent will virtually put an end to post-midnight sessions. They argued it is unnecessary and irresponsible to work while legislators are exhausted and taxpayers are asleep. Opponents said the rule is undemocratic and will allow one legislator to end Senate debate and action. (A “Yes” vote is for requiring a unanimous vote to continue beHOW LONG WAS LAST WEEK’S SESSION? Beacon Hill Roll Call tracks the length of time that the House and Senate were in session each week. Many legislators say that legislative sessions are only one aspect of the Legislature’s job and that a lot of important work is done outside of the House and Senate chambers. They note that their jobs also involve committee work, research, constituent work and other matters that are important to their districts. Critics say that the Legislature does not meet regularly or long enough to debate and vote in public view on the thousands of pieces of legislation that have been fi led. They note that the infrequency and brief length of sessions are misguided and lead to irresponsible late-night sessions and a mad rush to act on dozens of bills in the days immediately preceding the end of an annual session. During the week of January 28-February 1, the House met for a total of nine hours and 12 minutes while the Senate met for a total of four hours and 31 minutes. Mon. January 28 House 11:02 a.m. to 11:06 a.m Senate 11:05 a.m. to 11 09 a.m. Tues. January 29 No House session No Senate session Wed. January 30 House 11:01 a.m. to 8:05 p.m. No Senate session Thurs. January 31 House 11:04 a.m. to 11:08 a.m. Senate 11:18 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. Fri. February 1 No House session No Senate session Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com yond midnight. A “No” vote is against requiring it.) Sen. Jason Lewis No HARASSMENT PREVENTION TRAINING FOR REPRESENTATIVES State representatives of both parties attended a mandatory harassment training session last week. The session lasted slightly under an hour and went over the policy and procedures in place to address sexual harassment issues and allegations. It also outlined the resources available to an aggrieved party. “It was a helpful and informative introductory session to the new policies and procedures in place to deal with the variety of issues that sexual harassment presents,” said House Republican Minority Leader Brad Jones (R-North Reading.) “It will be the fi rst of many such training/educational sessions with future off erings designed to cover the entire legislative staff .” by Helping Seniors Extend Their Driving Years Dear Savvy Senior, What tips or resources can you recommend to help elderly seniors extend their driving years? My dad, who’s 82, is still a decent driver, but I worry about his safety going forward. Inquiring Daughter Dear Inquiring, With more than 40 million licensed drivers in the U.S. over the age of 65, there are lots of resources available today to help keep older drivers safe and behind the wheel longer. Here are some simple steps you can take to help keep your dad driving safely. Get his eyes checked: Because about 90 percent of the information necessary to drive is received through our eyes, getting your dad’s eyes checked every year to be sure his vision and eyewear is up to par is an important fi rst step. Check his meds: Does your dad take any medicine or combination of medicines that make him sleepy, lightheaded or loopy? If so, make a list of all his medications (prescription and over-the-counter) and dietary supplements, and take it to his doctor or pharmacist for a review. You can also get help with this online at RoadwiseRX.com. Evaluate his driving: To stay on top of any potential driving issues, you should take a ride with your dad from timeto-time watching for problem areas, such as: Does he drive at inappropriate speeds, tailgate or drift between lanes? Does he have diffi culty seeing, backing up or changing lanes? Does he react slowly, get confused easily or make poor driving decisions? For more tips, see the National Caregivers Library driving assessment checklist at SeniorDriverChecklist.org. If your dad needs a more thorough evaluation, you can turn to a driver rehabilitation specialist who’s trained to evaluate older drivers. This type of assessment typically costs between $100 and $200. To locate a professional in your area, visit AOTA.org/ older-driver or ADED.net. Take a refresher course: AAA and AARP both have older driver refresher courses that can help your dad tune-up his driving skills, and learn how to adjust for slower refl exes, weaker vision and other agerelated changes that affect driving. Taking a class may also earn him a discount on his auto insurance. To locate a class, contact your local AAA (AAA.com), or AARP (AARP.org/ drive, 888-227-7669). Most courses cost around $15 to $30 and can be taken in the classroom or online. Another good resource to look into is CarFit. This is a free assessment program that will help your dad adjust his vehicle for a better fi t, making it easier and safer to drive. CarFit events are held around the country in select locations. See Car-Fit.org to look for one near you. Make some adjustments: Recognizing your dad’s driving vulnerabilities and making small changes on when and where he drives can go a long way in helping keep him safe and driving longer. Adjustments may include not driving after dark or during rush hour traffi c, avoiding major highways or other busy roads, and not driving in poor weather conditions. You can fi nd more tips at AAA Senior Driving at SeniorDriving.AAA.com. And fi nally, when it gets to the point that your dad’s driving isn’t safe anymore and he needs to quit, The Hartford Financial Services Group and MIT AgeLab off ers two helpful resources. Go to TheHartford.com/lifetime – click on “Publications” on the menu bar – and download or order the “At the Crossroads” and/ or “We Need to Talk” guides. 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. Like us on Facebook advocate newspaper Facebook.com/Advocate.news.ma

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