Page 14 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JANUARY 7, 2022 Beacon Hill Roll Call By Bob Katzen GET A FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO MASSTERLIST–Join more than 22,000 people, from movers and shakers to political junkies and interested citizens, who start their weekday morning with MASSterList—the popular newsletter that chronicles news and informed analysis about what’s going on up on Beacon Hill, in Massachusetts politics, policy, media and influence. The stories are drawn from major news organizations as well as specialized publications selected by widely acclaimed and highly experienced writers Chris Van Buskirk and Keith Regan who introduce each article in their own clever and never-boring, inimitable way. MASSterlist will be e-mailed to you FREE every Monday through Friday morning and will give you a leg up on what’s happening in the blood sport of Bay State politics. For more information and to get your free subscription go to: www.massterlist.com/subscribe THE HOUSE AND SENATE: There were no roll calls in the House and Senate last week. This week, Beacon Hill Roll Call reports on the number of times each representative sided with Gov. Charlie Baker on his 25 vetoes of mostly state budget items in 2021. A two-thirds vote is required to override a gubernatorial veto. In a full 160-member House, the governor needs the support of 54 representatives to sustain a veto when all 160 representatives vote—and fewer votes when some members are absent or a seat is vacant. Baker fell short of that goal as 35 votes was the most support he received on any veto. The House easily overrode all 25 vetoes, including four that were overridden unanimously. It was mostly the 29 GOP members who voted with the Republican governor to sustain the vetoes but no Republican representative voted with Baker 100 percent of the time. The four GOP members who voted with Baker the most times are Reps. Shawn Dooley (R-Norfolk), 21 times (84.0 percent); Norman Orrall (R-Lakeville), 19 times (76.0 percent); Brad Jones (R-North Reading) and Donald Berthiaume (R-Spencer) who both voted with Baker 18 times (72.0 percent). The three GOP members who supported Baker the least number of times were Rep. Jim Kelcourse (R-Amesbury) who voted with Baker only 12 times (48.0 percent); and Reps. Marc Lombardo (R-Billerica) and David Vieira (R-Falmouth) voted with Baker only 13 times (52.0 percent). The vetoes had little support among the 129 Democrats in the House. One hundred and twenty-fi ve (96.9 percent) did not support the governor even once. The other four (3.1 percent) voted with Baker to sustain only one veto (4.0 percent). They are Reps. Nika Elugardo (D-Jamaica Plain); Chris Markey (D-Dartmouth); Joan Meschino (D-Hull); and David Robertson (D-Tewksbury). NUMBER OF TIMES REPRESENTATIVES SUPPORTED GOV. BAKER’S VETOES IN 2021 Here is how your representative fared in his or her support of Baker on the vetoes. The percentage next to the representative’s name represents the percentage of times that he or she supported Baker. The number in parentheses represents the actual number of times the representative supported Baker. Rep. Joseph McGonagle 0 percent (0) HOW 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 December 27-31, the House met for a total of 29 minutes and the Senate met for a total of 37 minutes. Mon. Dec. 27 House 11:04 a.m. to 11:27 a.m. Senate 11:05 a.m. to 11:28 a.m. Tues. Dec. 28 No House session No Senate session Wed. Dec. 29 No House session No Senate session Thurs. Dec. 30 House 11:01 a.m. to 11:07 a.m. Senate 11:13 a.m. to 11:27 a.m. Fri. Dec. 31 No House session No Senate session Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com S y Senior How to Get Your Affairs in Order Sa e a H t G t Y Dear Savvy Senior, I would like to get my personal, legal and fi nancial information organized so my kids will know what’s going on when I’m no longer around. Can you off er any tips on the best way to do this? Unorganized Emma Dear Emma, Organizing your important papers and getting your personal and fi nancial aff airs in order is a smart idea and wonderful gift to your loved ones. Here are some tips to get you started. Get Organized The fi rst step in getting your aff airs in order is to gather up all your important personal, fi - nancial and legal information so you can arrange it in a format that will benefi t you now, and your loved ones later. Then you’ll need to sit down and create various lists of important information and instructions of how you want certain things handled when you die or if you become incapacitated. Here’s a checklist of areas you need to focus on. PERSONAL INFORMATION Contacts: Make a master list of names and phone numbers of close friends, doctors, and professional advisers such as your lawyer, accountant, broker and insurance agent. Medical information: Include a list of medications you take, along with any allergies and illnesses. Personal documents: Include such items as your birth certifi cate, Social Security card, marriage license, military discharge papers, etc. Secured places: List all the places you keep under lock and key such as safe deposit boxes, safe combination, security alarms, etc. Digital assets: Make a list of all your digital assets, including everything from social media accounts to online banking accounts to home utilities that you manage online. It should include usernames and passwords. Use Rutgers Digital Assets Inventory Worksheet (njaes.rutgers.edu/money/pdfs/ digital-assets-worksheet.pdf) as a guide. Pets: If you have a pet, give instructions for the care of the animal. End of life: Indicate your wishes for organ and tissue donation and write out your funeral instructions. If you’ve made pre-arrangements with a funeral home include a copy of agreement, their contact information and whether you’ve prepaid or not. BY JIM MILLER A Seni nior i i O d ni r ior LEGAL DOCUMENTS Will, trust and estate plan: Include the original copy of your will and other estate planning documents you’ve made. Financial power of attorney: This document names someone you trust to handle money matters if you’re incapacitated. Advance health care directives: This includes a living will and medical power of attorney, which spell out your wishes regarding your end-of-life medical treatment when you can no longer make decisions for yourself. FINANCIAL RECORDS Financial accounts: Make a list of all your bank accounts, brokerage and mutual fund accounts, and any other fi nancial assets you have. Debts and liabilities: Make a list of any loans, leases or debts you have – mortgages owed, car loans, student loans, medical bills, credit card debts. Also, make a list of all credit and charge cards, including the card numbers and contact information. Company benefi ts: List any retirement plans, pensions or health benefi ts from your current or former employer including the contact information of the benefi ts administrator. Insurance: List the insurance policies you have (life, longterm care, home, auto, Medicare, Medigap, prescription drug, etc.) including the policy numbers, agents, and phone numbers. Property: List real estate, vehicles and other properties you own, rent or lease and include documents such as deeds, titles, and loan or lease agreements. Taxes: Include the location of your tax records and your tax preparer’s contact information. Keep all your organized information and fi les together in one convenient location, ideally in a fi reproof fi ling cabinet or safe in your home. Also be sure to review and update it every year, and don’t forget to tell your kids where they can fi nd it. If you need help, get a copy of “Get It Together: Organize Your Records So Your Family Won’t Have To” at Nolo.com for $17.50 for the downloadable versions, or $20 for a printed copy. 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.
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