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Page 8 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, FEbRuARy 24, 2023 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 Keith Regan and Matt Murphy 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: https://lp.constantcontactpages.com/su/aPTLucK THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call records local senators’ votes on roll calls from recent February sessions. There were no roll calls in the House or Senate last week. ALLOW 30 MINUTES BEFORE CONSIDERING NEW ITEMS (S 17) Senate 5-33, rejected a Senate rules amendment that would require a 30-minute recess before considering new items on the Senate agenda calendar. Current rules require a recess but do not specify the minimum length of the recess “This amendment would have ensured at least 30 minutes of time for the consideration of new matters pending before the Senate,” said Sen. Becca Rausch (D-Needham), one of only two Democrats to vote for the amendment. “Especially considering the magnitude of some of the legislation that comes to the fl oor, 30 minutes seemed like a reasonable amount of time to review the content.” “I respect the intent of the … amendment to ensure sufficient time to contemplate these issues coming before us,” said Sen. Joan Lovely (D-Salem). “But [I] would suggest that we don’t need a full 30 minutes to do so in every case.” (A “Yes” vote is for the 30-minute recess. A “No” vote is against it.) Sen. Sal DiDomenico No ELIMINATE REMOTE VOTING (S 17) Senate 3-35, rejected a Senate rules amendment that would strike the rule that allows a senator to participate remotely, from their home, offi ce or other location. In a Senate session. The rule was fi rst instituted during the pandemic. Amendment supporters said it is time to abolish remote voting and require senators to show up in person for Senate sessions. They argued that the remote voting system was reasonable and useful during the COVID epidemic but noted that remote voting ends up in senators not being able to talk and communicte with each other during the Senate sessions. Sen. Ryan Fattman (R-Suttin), the sponsor of the amenmdent, did not responnd to repeated attempts by Beacon Hill Roll Call asking him why he filed and supported the amendment. Amendment opponents said that remote voting is a good second option for senators who cannot be in the chamber because of illness, family matters and more. They noted remote voting increases opportunities for senators to vote instead of not being recorded on a roll call because they are not in the chamber. (A “Yes” vote is for striking the rule allowing remote voting and is therefore against remote voting. “A “No” vote is against eliminating the rule and therefore in favor of remote voting.) Sen. Sal DiDomenico No ALLOW MINORITY REPORTS (S 18) Senate 3-36, rejected a joint rules amendment that would allow opponents of a bill to issue a minority report on why they oppose a bill being reported out of a committee. Current rules allow senators to indicate that they oppose the bill but only the senators who support the bill are allowed to submit their reasons for supporting it. “Those in the minority of a committee decision should be allowed to offer a published record of why they dissented from the majority,” said Sen. Patrick O’Connor (R-Weymouth). “The Supreme Court allows the dissenting justices of a decision to off er a recorded opinion and I believe this avenue has helped shape future public policy for the better.” “As we know, members are free to cast their votes in favor or in opposition to a chair’s recommendation and such vote is recorded under the … joint rules,” said Sen. Joan Lovely (D-Salem). “The addition of a minority report could actually create some confusion for the public on trying to discern the intentions of the committee. I therefore ask my colleagues to vote no.” (A “Yes” vote is for allowing a minority report. A “No” vote is against allowing it.) Sen. Sal DiDomenico No ALSO UP ON BEACON HILL New bills fi led for consideration in the 2023-2024 session include: GENDER-NEUTRAL BATHROOMS (SD 316) – Would change the state building code to allow gender-neutral bathrooms in new construction and renovations of buildings. Supporters say that sex-segregated restroom facilities fail to accommodate the needs of every person, posing special diffi culty to transgender and gender nonconforming students. They note that research shows that nearly twothirds of transgender students avoid school bathrooms because they feel unsafe or uncomfortable. “Massachusetts strives to be welcoming to all,” said sponsor Sen. Jo Comerford (D-Northampton). “We were the fi rst state to vote to uphold rights against discrimination for all people. This bill would strengthen those protections in a small but very important way, by reducing daily stress for transgender and gender non-conforming people.” WARNING ON MOBILE PHONES (SD 2327) – Would require all mobile phones sold or leased to disclose, on product packaging, the following notice to consumers: “To assure safety, the Federal Government requires that cell phones meet radio frequency (RF) exposure guidelines. If you carry or use your phone in a pocket or the phone is otherBEACON | SEE PAGE 9

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