THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, JAnuARy 6, 2023 Page 11 Immaculate Pastor, local officials and business owners support MassBadge Immaculate Church Pastor Michelet Pierre Rene, left, is shown with, from left, Father Joseph ChaCha Marwa, Boston Police Steven Sedlis, Edilson DeOliveira, owner of Oliveira’s Restaurant, Salvy Sacro, of Sacro Companies, Pastor Dieumosthene Michel, State Senator Sal DiDomenico, and City Councillor Wayne Matewsky during December’s MassBadge event. BEACON | FROM PAGE 9 ate response by the speaker, Senate president and Governor Elect Maura Healey is to support broad tax cuts and tax eliminations that everyone will benefit from. Massachusetts is on the verge of returning to the days of Taxachusetts unless these broad tax cuts are adopted and they must be done so very quickly because the negative impacts associated from Question 1 will not wait.” REVENGE PORN (S 3167) - Senate approved a proposal that would prohibit the posting of sexually explicit images of another person online without their permission—commonly referred to as “revenge porn.” The practice is often used by ex-spouses or ex-partners. Massachusetts is one of only two states that does not have a law about this crime. Another provision changes current law under which minors, under 18 years of age, who share explicit images of themselves or other minors can be charged with violating Massachusetts child pornography laws and are required to register with the Sex Offender Registry. The bill allows minors to be diverted to an educational program that would provide them with information about the consequences of posting or transmitting indecent visual depictions of minors. Sen. Jamie Eldridge (D-Acton), the Senate chair of the Judiciary Committee, said the bill addresses the highly charged subjects of juvenile sexting and revenge porn. “I’m pleased that the Senate is taking action on a unified bill this week,” said Eldridge. “I commend the victims for their passionate advocacy and applaud their courage in coming forward to tell their stories.” “Under current law, when faced with an incident of sexting among teenagers, the police are forced with either charging them with a felony or doing nothing,” said sponsor Rep. Jeff Roy (D-Franklin). “The bill … provides law enforcement officers with a middle ground that will allow them to educate kids about the consequences of their actions without ruining their lives. It will have a tremendous impact on people who have become entangled in the web and transmittal of images that can cause traumatic and lifetime harm through a diversion program that will educate them about the legal and personal consequences of ‘sexting.’” The House approved a different version of the measure in May. The Senate version now goes to the House for consideration. THEFT OF CATALYTIC CONVERTERS (S 3169) – The House approved and sent to the Senate a bill that would create a “chain of custody” for used catalytic converter sales. A catalytic converter is a device that converts the environmentally hazardous exhaust emitted by a vehicle’s engine into less harmful gasses. The measure requires the buyer to keep records of each converter purchased, from which vehicle it was removed from and who the seller was. These records would be made available upon request to law enforcement. Supporters explained that several communities have seen a rise in catalytic converter thefts because the converters use platinum, palladium or rhodium to operate. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, the values of these precious metals contained inside catalytic converters have skyrocketed and is staggering. As of March 2022, rhodium is valued at $20,000 per ounce; palladium at $2,938 per ounce; and platinum at $1,128 per ounce. For thieves, this means a catalytic converter might be a better score than the average wedding band or gold watch. “Many scrapyards and black-market buyers have an open call out for catalytic converters, which they turn around and sell to metal recyclers,” says the Cavallo and Signoriello Insurance Agency in Massachusetts. “Ten years ago, a thief could earn between $20 and $200 per stolen converter. Today, thanks to the spike in the value of these metals, that range is more like $300 to $850, for just a few minutes of work.” “Catalytic theft is an epidemic,” said House sponsor Rep. Steve Howitt (R-Seekonk). “It is not only very costly to the vehicle owner, if they do not have comprehensive insurance, it creates an inconvenience to have repairs done. This bill would try to tighten up the market in Massachusetts for these thieves to pawn their stolen goods.” The House approved a different version of the measure in October. The Senate version now goes to the House for consideration. MINIMUM WAGE HIKE FROM $14.25 TO $15 PER HOUR EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1 – Effective January 1, 2023 the state’s minimum wage rises from $14.25 per hour to $15 per hour. This hike is the final one of five annual increases mandated by a law passed in 2018 that has brough the minimum wage from $11 per hour in 2018 to the current $15 per hour. In addition, the minimum wage for tipped workers will increase from $6.15 per hour to $6.75 per hour—provided that their tips bring them up to at least $15 per hour. If the total hourly rate for the employee including tips does not equal $15 at the end of a shift, the employer is required to make up BEACON | SEE PAGE 16 EXPERIENCED SNOW PLOW DRIVER FOR DRIVEWAYS $40. PER HOUR PLEASE CALL: 781-521-9927
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