Page 22 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JANUARY 21, 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 infl uence. 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 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. Beacon Hill Roll Call records local senators’ votes on roll calls from the week of January 10-14. There were no roll calls in the House last week. MAKE ADOPTION BY FAMILY MEMBERS EASIER (S 2616) Senate 39-0, approved and sent to the House a bill that would repeal a current law which prohibits adoption of children by family members including older siblings, aunts and uncles. The proposal would allow these family members, with the permission of the county probate courts, to legally adopt their family members. Current law only allows these family members to apply to become a guardian. Sponsor Sen. Joan Lovely (D-Salem) said that this archaic law was put in place at the beginning of the last century to prevent the potential for inheritance abuse, but the commonwealth has since adopted legal protections, such as conservatorships, to prevent this from occurring. “Our families are often our largest sources of support and what a family looks like can mean diff erent things to diff erent people,” said Lovely. “I fi led [the bill] to better refl ect the realities of the lives of Massachusetts residents who love and care for one another … our most vulnerable youth deserve to be cared for by the people who know and love them, and who can best assess their needs.” (A “Yes” vote is for the bill). Sen. Sal DiDomenico Yes MAKE OBTAINING ID CARDS EASIER FOR HOMELESS PERSONS (S 2612) Senate 39-0 approved and sent to the House legislation that would make it easier for homeless youth and adults to secure free state ID cards. The measure would allow homeless service providers or other state agencies to provide the individual with documentation to prove residency. Supporters said that currently, a person experiencing homelessness faces prohibitive fees and documentation requirements when trying to obtain an ID card. They noted that ID cards are necessary for applying for jobs, enrolling in school, interacting with law enforcement, accessing government buildings, opening fi nancial accounts and many other basic services that many take for granted. “As the state begins to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn, the Legislature must ensure that individuals experiencing homelessness have the same fundamental opportunities to live happily,” said the measure’s sponsor Sen. Harriette Chandler (D-Worcester). “One fundamental key to accessing basic services are state-issued IDs. Currently, people experiencing homelessness face signifi cant fi nancial and bureaucratic barriers when they attempt to obtain an ID. Now is the time to break down bureaucratic barriers that fuel the cycle of poverty and to ensure equality for all the commonwealth’s residents as we look towards a post-pandemic world.” (A “Yes” vote is for the bill). 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 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 10-14, the House met for a total of 39 minutes and the Senate met for a total of three hours and nine minutes. Mon. Jan. 10 House 11:02 a.m. to 11:13 a.m. Senate 11:16 a.m. to 11:26 a.m. Tues. Jan. 11 No House session No Senate session Wed. Jan. 12 No House session No Senate session Thurs. Jan. 13 House 11:00 a.m. to 11:28 a.m. Senate 11:21 a.m. to 2:20 p.m. Fri. Jan. 14 No House session No Senate session Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com S y Senior Tax Breaks for Caregiver Sa e BY JIM MILLER B k f Dear Savvy Senior, Are there any tax breaks that you know of for family caregivers? I help fi nancially support my 82-year-old mother and would like to fi nd out if I can write any of these expenses off on my taxes. Supplemental Sam Dear Sam, There are actually several tax credits and deductions available to adult children who help look after their aging parents or other relatives. Here are some options along with the IRS requirements to help you determine if you’re eligible to receive them. Tax Credit for Other Dependents If your mom lives with you and you’re paying more than 50 percent of her living expenses (housing, food, utilities, health care, repairs, clothing, travel and other necessities), and her 2021 gross income was under $4,300, you can claim your mom as a dependent and get a nonrefundable tax credit of up to $500. If you happen to split your mom’s expenses with other siblings, only one of you can claim your mom as a dependent, and that person must pay at least 10 percent of her support costs. This is called a “multiple support agreement.” The IRS has an interactive tool that will help you determine if your mom qualifi es as a dependent. Go to IRS. gov/help/ita, scroll down to “Credits,” and click on “Does My Child/Dependent Qualify for the Child Tax Credit or the Credit for Other Dependents?” Medical Deductions If you claim you mom as a dependent and you help pay her medical, dental and/ or long-term care expenses, and weren’t reimbursed by insurance, you can deduct the expenses that are more than 7.5 percent of your adjusted gross income (AGI). So, for example, if your adjusted gross income is $80,000, anything beyond the fi rst $6,000 of your mom’s medical bills – or 7.5 percent Seni of Elderly Parents a nior C i ni r ior of your AGI – could be deductible on your return. So, if you paid $8,000 in medical bills for her, $2,000 of it could be deductible. You can also include your own medical expenses in calculating the total. You should also know that your state might have a lower AGI threshold, which means you might get a break on your state income taxes even if you can’t get one on your federal income taxes. To see which medical expenses you can and can’t deduct, see IRS Publication 502 at IRS.gov/pub/irs-pdf/ p502.pdf. Dependent Care Credit If you’re paying for inhome care or adult day care for your mom so you are free to work, you might qualify for the Dependent Care Tax Credit which can be worth as much as $4,000. To be eligible your mom must have been physically or mentally incapable of self-care and must have lived with you for more than six months. To claim this tax credit, fi ll out IRS Form 2441 (IRS.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f2441. pdf) when you fi le your federal return. Flexible Health Savings Accounts If you have a health savings account (HSA) or your employer offers a flexible savings account (FSA), you can use them to pay for your mom’s medical expenses if she qualifi es as a dependent. But be aware that if you use an HSA or FSA to pay for your mom’s medical costs, you can’t take a tax deduction on those expenses too. For more information, see IRS Publication 969, “Health Savings Accounts and Other Tax-Favored Health Plans” at IRS.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p969. pdf. 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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