24

Page 24 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, MAy 30, 2025 approved or rejected one at a time on voice votes, some with debate and some without debate. To move things along even faster, the Senate also did its usual “bundling” of many amendments. GET A FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO MASSTERLIST – Join more than 30,000 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. MASSterList will be e-mailed to you FREE every Monday through Saturday 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 THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call records local senators’ and representatives’ votes on roll calls from the week of May 1923. All Senate roll calls were related to the Senate version of a $61.4 billion fi scal 2026 state budget. “BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE SENATE BUDGET DEBATE” Of the 1,058 amendments fi led by senators, only 21 came to a roll call vote. Many others were simply CITY OF EVERETT ~ Legal Notice ~ ~ Legal Notice ~ PUBLIC HEARING FOR PETITION FROM MASSACHUSETTS ELECTRIC COMPANY D/B/A NATIONAL GRID OF NORTH ANDOVER, MASSACHUSETTS & VERIZON, NEW ENGLAND To all parties interested in the public hearing. Be it hereby ordered: Massachusetts Electric Company d/b/a National Grid of North Andover, Massachusetts and Verizon New England requests permission to locate poles, wires, fixtures, including the necessary sustaining and protecting fixtures, along and across the following public way or ways hereinafter named. The following are the streets and highways referred to: No. # 30546042 – Garland Street - National Grid to relocate 1 JO pole on Garland Street beginning at a point approximately 230 feet Southeast of the centerline of the intersection of Bellview Avenue and Garland Street and continuing approximately 2 feet in a Southeasterly direction. National Grid to relocate pole# 2817-0 approximately 25 feet to provide additional entrance clearance to CHA Everett Hospital at 103 Garland Street, Everett MA Also, for permission to lay and maintain underground laterals, cables and wires in the above or intersecting public ways for the purpose of making connections with such poles and buildings as each of said petitioners may desire for distributing purposes. Your petitioner agrees to reserve space for one cross-arm at a suitable point on each of said poles for fire, police, telephone, and telegraph signal wires belonging to the municipality and used by it exclusively for municipal purposes. Wherefore it prays that after due notice and hearing as provided by law, it be granted a location for and permission to erect and maintain poles and wires, together with such sustaining and protecting fixtures as it may find necessary, said poles to be erected substantially in accordance with the plan filed herewith marked: Garland Street - Everett - Massachusetts. Hearing to be held with the Everett City Council, held on Monday at 7:00PM, on the 9th of June, 2025 at the Everett City Council Chambers, 3rd Floor, Everett City Hall. May 30, 2025 Instead of acting on each amendment one at a time, hundreds of the proposed amendments are bundled and put into two piles— one pile that will be approved and the other that will be rejected, without a roll call, on voice votes where it is impossible to tell which way a senator votes. Senate President Karen Spilka, or the senator who is fi lling in for her at the podium, orchestrates the approval and rejection of the bundled amendments with a simple: “All those in favor say ‘Aye,’ those opposed say ‘No.’ The Ayes have it and the amendments are approved.” Or: “All those in favor say ‘Aye,’ those opposed say ‘No.’ The No’s have it and the amendments are rejected.” Senators don’t actually vote “Yes” or “No,” and, in fact, they don’t say a word. The outcome was predetermined earlier behind closed doors. Supporters of the system say that any senator who sponsored an amendment that is in the “No” pile can bring it to the fl oor and ask for an up or down vote on the amendment itself. They say this system has worked well for many years. Critics say that most of the time members do not bring their amendment, which was destined for the “No” pile, to the fl oor for an up-or-down vote because that is not the way the game is played. It is an “expected tradition” that in most cases you accept the fate of your amendment as determined by Democratic leaders. APPROVE $530 MILLION FISCAL 2025 SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET (H 4150) House 149-1, approved a $530 million fi scal 2025 supplemental budget that will carry a net cost to the state of $318.2 million after federal reimbursements. Provisions include $189 million for childcare fi nancial assistance; $134 million for the Medical Assistance Trust Fund; $60 million for Home Care Services; $42.9 million for the Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) program; and $15 million in grants to support municipal celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the American independence. “Amid President Trump’s dismantling of the Department of Education, and amid sweeping cuts at the federal level to programs that millions of Americans rely on, this supplemental budget makes key investments that will ensure continued funding for state programs that support many of the commonwealth’s most vulnerable residents,” said House Speaker Ron Mariano (D-Quincy). “This supplemental budget will fund critical programs such as childcare fi nancial assistance, home care services and food insecurity that require immediate attention,” said Rep. Aaron Michlewitz (D-Boston), Chair of the House Committee on Ways and Means. “The policies of kill, maim, medicate and indoctrinate our children continue, as does the policy of putting illegal immigrants ahead of our citizens,” said Rep. John Gaskey (R-Carver), the only members to vote againt the budget. “[Speaker] Mariano’s hint at a lower budget to help struggling taxpayers turned into a free-for-all as the House budget ballooned all week long.” (A “Yes” vote is for the budget. A “No” vote is against it.) Rep. Joseph McGonagle Yes ENGLISH LEARNERS (H 4150) House 150-1, approved an amendment that would enshrine protections for English language learners and students with disabilities currently provided under federal law into state law, ensuring that these students receive both English language development and Special Education services in a coordinated, culturally and linguistically appropriate manner, regardless of school district or demographic. The amendment also prohibits discrimination in public schools based on immigration, citizenship status or disability. “This is a strong step toward ensuring English learners are fairly evaluated and appropriately supported in special education,” said amendment sponsor Rep. Alice Peisch (D-Wellesley). “This will help ensure our English Language Learners students receive the same opportunities to succeed as every other student.” “This is a requirement that further burdens an already struggling education system but, show me where this isn’t already happening,” said amendment opponent Rep. John Gaskey (R-Carver). “The schools have every resource they need available to them. If there is a signifi cant problem and parents need to be involved, translators are always available. The state wants to provide translators for non-English speakers but refuses to allow teachers to speak to parents when their children are suffering mental health breaks, declaring they are the opposite sex.” (A “Yes” vote is for the amendment. A “No” vote is against it.) Rep. Joseph McGonagle Yes SENATE APPROVES $61.4 BILLION FISCAL 2026 STATE BUDGET (S 3) Senate 38-2, approved a $61.4 billion fiscal 2026 state budget after three days of debate. The House has already approved a different version, and a House-Senate conference committee will eventually craft a compromise plan that will be presented to the House and Senate for considerBEACON | SEE PAGE 25

25 Publizr Home