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Page 18 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JANUARY 14, 2022 Beacon Hill Roll Call By Bob Katzen With today’s edition, we begin coverage of the 2022 Massachusetts legislative session with our weekly Beacon Hill Roll Call report. This iconic feature is a clear and concise compilation of the voting records of local state representatives and state senators at the State House. Beacon Hill Roll Call provides an unbiased summary of bills and amendments, arguments from floor debate on both sides of the issue and each legislator’s vote or lack of vote on the matter. This information gives readers an opportunity to monitor their elected officials’ actions on Beacon Hill. Many bills are reported on in their early stages, giving readers the opportunity to contact their legislators and express an opinion prior to the measure being brought up for final action. The feature “Also Up on Beacon Hill” informs readers of other important matters at the Statehouse. Beacon Hill Roll Call is written and provided by Bob Katzen, a former Boston radio talk show host at WRKO, WMEX, WITS and WMRE. Bob has been providing this feature to hundreds of newspapers across the Bay State for 47 years (since 1975). Bob founded Beacon Hill Roll Call in 1975. He was inducted into the New England Newspaper and Press Association (NENPA) Hall of Fame in 2019. Fun Fact: Bob invented the “Bagel Route” when he was 10 years old. It’s like a paper route but Bob took pre-orders from neighbors and delivered bagels every Sunday morning. A note from Bob Katzen: Hey Readers: Start off following the 2022 Legislature with something that you will read every weekday morning. There aren’t many things out there that are free and valuable. But MASSterlist is a rarity. 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: The Massachusetts Legislature officially began its 2022 session last week. The House and Senate held brief sessions with little of the ceremonial pageantry that usually accompanies the beginning of a new year on Beacon Hill. The Massachusetts Statehouse is the last state capitol building in the nation that is still completely closed to the public, and in addition, most legislators and staff members continue to work and vote remotely amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. There were no roll calls in the House and Senate last week. This week, Beacon Hill Roll Call begins a recap of the 2021 session. Here are some of the bills that were approved by the House and Senate and signed into law by Gov. Charlie Baker in the 2021 session. Most bills that were still pending at the end of the 2021 are carried over into 2022 in the same status they had in 2021. $48.1 BILLION FISCAL 2022 BUDGET (H 4002) House 160-0, Senate 40-0, approved and Gov. Charlie Baker on July 16, 2021 signed into law, after vetoing several items, a $48.1 billion fiscal 2022 state budget for the fiscal year that began on July 1. The budget was based on new estimates that tax collections in fiscal year 2022 will increase by more than $4.2 billion above the amount originally predicted by the governor, the House and the Senate. In light of the pandemic, elected officials had for months braced themselves for a substantial decrease in tax revenues and a cut in some programs and/or even a tax increase. The new estimates also led to the cancellation of a planned withdrawal from the state’s Rainy Day Fund of at least $1.5 billion. Officials also project a $1.1 billion deposit into the fund which will drive its balance to $5.8 billion by the end of fiscal year 2022. The budget also cancels a plan to raise fees on Uber and Lyft rides in order to generate new money for cities and towns, the MBTA and other infrastructure projects. Other provisions include a $350 million fund that could be used in future years to help cover the cost of the $1.5 billion school funding reform law passed in 2019; permanently extending the state’s tax credit for film production companies in Massachusetts; and a new law, based on a bill filed by Sen. Mark Montigny (D-New Bedford) that will provide victims of violent crime and human trafficking enhanced protections. “[This budget] … upholds our Senate values, charts a hopeful path forward for our commonwealth and more importantly reflects our priorities,” said Senate Ways and Means chair Mike Rodrigues (D-Westport). “We maintain fiscal responsibility and ensure our commonwealth maintains healthy reserves for years to come. It safeguards the health and wellness of our most vulnerable populations and new supports for children and families.” Although she ultimately voted for the budget, Sen. Diana DiZoglio (D-Methuen) said that she objected to the fact that legislators were given only a few hours to read the 434-page bill before voting on it. The budget was released late on a Thursday night and was voted on Friday afternoon. DiZoglio said that positioning members to take a vote on something they did not get adequate time to review is not acceptable. “If we keep doing this over and over again, it’s not going to magically become acceptable,” she said. “The fact that we didn’t get even a day to review this is very disappointing. But what’s more disappointing … is the fact that those in our communities who have a stake in what happens in the bill before us, those it will impact most—our schools, our elderly populations, those who are coming from positions of powerlessness, those folks, probably many of them, still don’t even know that we’re taking this bill up. And yet we continue to call what happens in this chamber part of the democratic process.” (A “Yes” vote is for the budget.) Rep. Joseph McGonagle Yes Sen. Sal DiDomenico Yes $400 MILLION FOR NEW SOLDIERS’ HOME IN HOLYOKE (H 3770) House 160-0, Senate 40-0, approved and on May 20, 2021 Gov. Baker signed into law a bill authorizing $400 million to fund the construction of a new Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke. The push to construct the new home follows the deaths of 77 veteran residents in 2020 as a result of a COVID-19 outbreak at the current facility. The bill also provides $200 million to increase geographic equity and accessibility of long-term care services for Bay State veterans with a focus on areas that are not primarily served by the soldiers’ homes in Chelsea or Holyoke. “Rebuilding the soldiers’ home in Holyoke and increasing access to services for our veterans is necessary and long overdue, especially after tragically losing many residents of the soldiers’ home to a COVID-19 outbreak last year,” said Sen. Cindy Friedman (D-Arlington). “This funding will ensure that the commonwealth’s veterans are met with the services that they deserve and that address their unique and changing needs.” “As the senator for the city of Holyoke and the Soldiers’ Home, I know what this new home means to so many in our community,” said Sen. John Velis (D-Westfield), Senate chair of the Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs. “This has truly been a long and emotional process that started well before this legislation was first filed. From the very start, families and veterans gave me a very clear message: ‘Get this done.’ We could not let them down and I am proud to say that we have not let them down … The funding authorized in this bill will ensure that the future residents of the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home and veterans across our commonwealth receive the care with honor and dignity that they have earned in service to our nation.” (A “Yes” vote is for the bill.) Rep. Joseph McGonagle Yes Sen. Sal DiDomenico Yes ROADS AND BRIDGES (H 3951) House 160-0, Senate 40-0, approved and Gov. Baker signed into law on May 28, 2021 a bill that includes authorizing $200 million in one-time funding for the maintenance and repair of local roads and bridges in cities and towns across the state. The $350 million package, a bond bill under which the funding would be borrowed by the state through the sale of bonds, also includes $150 million to pay for bus lanes, improvement of public transit, electric vehicles and other state transportation projects. “When building a better normal post-pandemic, investment in transportation infrastructure is crucial,” said Sen. Pat Jehlen (D-Somerville). “Our communities should feel that their infrastructure is reliable and making it easier for them to go back to their normal activities.” This legislation recognizes that in addition to the backlog of local roads in need of repair, there is an unmet need for local projects that benefit all modes of transportation,” said Rep. Bill Straus (D-Mattapoisett), House chair of the Committee on Transportation. “And I am pleased that the Legislature was able to provide municipal assistance for road work and expanded funding for towns and cities to advance public transit and reduce congestion.” (A “Yes” vote is for the bill.) Rep. Joseph McGonagle Yes Sen. Sal DiDomenico Yes HELP BUSINESSES AND WORKERS (H 90) House 157-0, Senate 40-0, approved and Gov. Baker signed into law on April 1, 2022 a bill that supporters said will stabilize the state’s unemployment system and provide targeted tax relief to employers and workers. Provisions exclude Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans from being taxed by the state in 2020; exclude $10,200 of unemployment compensation received by an individual with a household income of less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level from gross income for tax purposes; and create a mechanism ensuring all employees will be able to access 40 hours of paid sick time for any COVID-related issues, including testing positive, needing to quarantine or caring for a loved one. Other provisions waive penalties on unemployment insurance taxes; freeze unemployment insurance rates paid by employers and extend the state’s tax filing deadline from April 15, 2021 to May 17, 2021. Businesses would also face a new surcharge, in the form of an excise tax on employee wages, through December 2022 to help repay interest due in September on the federal loans. “The House and Senate enacted legislation to make important updates to our state’s Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund, which has provided an ecoBAKER | FROM PAGE 17 possible protection against COVID-19. There are almost 1,000 locations in the Commonwealth for residents to receive a COVID-19 vaccine or booster. Visit VaxFinder.mass. gov to book an appointment. Massachusetts National Guard On Tuesday, Governor Charlie Baker activated 500 additional members of the Massachusetts National Guard to support the state’s health care nomic lifeline for so many families in need,” said Rep. Josh Cutler (D-Duxbury), House chair of the Committee on Labor and Workforce Development. “Our actions today will prevent a sharp increase in rates on our businesses, help stabilize the fund over the longer term, provide tax relief to lower income jobseekers and ensure that needed jobless benefits continue to flow.” “Massachusetts employers faced a significant increase in their unemployment insurance costs, with employers’ experience rates scheduled to jump from $539 to $858 per worker this year,” said Republican House Minority Leader Rep. Brad Jones (R-North Reading). “This legislation mitigates that increase by freezing the rate schedule. Restaurants and small businesses, already struggling financially during the COVID-19 pandemic, secured federal Paycheck Protection Program loans to keep their businesses afloat and save employees’ jobs during the pandemic faced a collective tax bill of $150 million. This legislation will make sure their forgiven loans will not be subject to state taxes.” “Over the past year, thousands of Massachusetts workers have lost pay, or even lost their jobs, because they needed to stay home from work due to COVID symptoms, or to recover after receiving a vaccine,” said Steve Tolman, President of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO. “Countless other workers have gone to work even when they might be sick because they can’t afford not to get paid. Workers need Emergency Paid Sick Time.” (A “Yes” vote is for the bill.) Rep. Joseph McGonagle Yes Sen. Sal DiDomenico Yes 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 filed. 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 3-7, the House met for a total of 34 minutes and the Senate met for a total of 16 minutes. Mon. Jan. 3 House 11:00 a.m. to 11:10 a.m. Senate 11:08 a.m. to 11:16 a.m. Tues. Jan. 4 No House session No Senate session Wed. Jan. 5 House 11:09 a.m. to 11:22 a.m. Senate 11:10 a.m. to 11:12 a.m. Thurs. Jan. 6 House 11:00 a.m. to 11:11 a.m. Senate 11:13 a.m. to 11:19 a.m. Fri. Jan. 7 No House session No Senate session Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com system. This order expands the National Guard activation of 500 members announced on December 21, 2021, to support non-clinical functions in the Commonwealth’s hospitals. Prioritized uses for the newly activated 500 members will be to provide additional non-clinical staffing at community hospitals and high-volume emergency departments, public hospitals, skilled nursing facilities and dialysis centers. These guard personnel will be deployed beginning the week of January 17.

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