THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – Friday, June 28, 2019 “Appraiser independence is Page 25 THE HOUSE AND SENATE. Beacon Hill Roll Call records local representatives’ votes on two roll calls from the week of June 17-21. There were no roll calls in the Senate last week. SUBSCRIBE TO MASSTERLIST–IT'S FREE! Join more than 17,000 other people from movers and shakers to political junkies and interested citizens who start their morning with a copy of MASSterList! MASSterList is a daily ensemble of news and commentary about the Legislature, Politics, Media and Judiciary of Massachusetts drawn from major news organizations as well as specialized publications selected by widely acclaimed and highly experienced editor Jay Fitzgerald. Jay introduces each article in his own clever and never-boring, inimitable way. Go to: www.massterlist. com/subscribe Type in your email address and in 15 seconds you will be signed up for a free subscription. GROWING HEMP (H 3535) House 152-0, approved and sent to the Senate a bill that would allow farmers with agricultural deed restrictions on their land to grow hemp. It would also qualify hemp farmers for the property tax breaks currently given to growers of other crops. The state’s Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR) Program, according to its website, “helps to preserve and protect agricultural land to keep valuable farmland soil from being built on by development companies for non-agricultural purposes that could be detrimental to the environment.” The program pays farmland owners the difference between their farm’s fair market value and the lower agricultural use value in exchange for a permanent deed restriction which forbids the property from being used for anything that will have a negative impact on its agricultural viability. The growing of hemp was legalized along with marijuana in 2016, but farmers that want to grow the industrial-use cannabis plant still can’t cultivate the crop if their land falls under the APR. “Allowing hemp to be grown on APR deed-restricted land is an opportunity for Massachusetts farmers to expand the $550 million agricultural industry which will benefit the entire commonwealth,” said Rep. Smitty Pignatelli (D-Lenox), the sponsor of the proposal. “We are currently importing hemp for various manufacturing products such as clothing, food, paper, and textiles, and tapping into these industries right here in the commonwealth will generate jobs and bring our farmers closer to economic security and success.” (A Yes" vote is for the bill.) Rep. Joseph McGonagle Yes APPRAISAL MANAGEMENT (H 3904) House 153-0, approved and sent to the Senate a bill that would establish a system for the state to license and regulate appraisal management companies (AMC). It is estimated that 80 percent of appraisal orders in the Bay State are processed by AMCs. The other 49 states already have AMC registration in place. “AMC registration is a nationwide licensing requirement with an August 2019 deadline,” writes Allan Cohen in the New England Real Estate Journal. “AMC registration comes right out of the federal Dodd-Frank law enacted by the U.S. Congress in 2010.” “Specific in its language about firewalls, Dodd-Frank gave impetus to the use of AMCs acting as an intermediary between lenders and appraisers,” continued Cohen. “The goal is to protect consumers and avoid having financial institutions fall back into poor lending practices. Using an AMC as a firewall reduces the frequency of relational lending and influencing appraisers to meet valuation targets or certain values.” vital to both safety and soundness of financial institutions, and to consumers who regularly rely on the appraisal obtained by the lender to determine if the price they are paying for a house is reasonable,” said Rep. Tom Stanley (D-Waltham), the sponsor of the bill. “Missing the … deadline impacts everyone either looking to buy a home or refinancing a mortgage as AMCs will not be able to operate in the state. There’s no opposition to this legislation. It’s time to sign this bill into law and comply with the Dodd-Frank Act requirements.” “For many of my constituents, a real estate transaction will be one of the most important financial decisions in their life,” said Rep. Jim Murphy (D-Weymouth). “We must ensure that people are receiving an accurate assessment that is free from influence or bias. By regulating the AMC industry, we are taking an important step forward to protect Massachusetts consumers.” (A Yes" vote is for the bill.) Rep. Joseph McGonagle 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 June 1721, the House met for a total of six hours while the Senate met for a total of two hours and four minutes. Mon. June 17 House 11:02 a.m. to 11:13 a.m. Senate 11:08 a.m. to 12:22 p.m. Tues. June 18 No House session No Senate session Wed. June 19 House 11:03 a.m. to 3:57 p.m. No Senate session Thurs. June 20 House 11:01 a.m. to 11:56 a.m. Senate 11:09 a.m. to 11:59 a.m. No Senate session Fri. June 21 No House session Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com ~ ORDER OF NOTICE ~ State of Connecticut, Superior Court Judicial District of Hartford at Hartford June 17, 2019 Santeusanio, Lance P. vs DeRoo, Kelly E. Notice to: Kelly E. DeRoo Return Date: July 30, 2019 The Court has reviewed the Motion for Notice by Publication or Mail and the Complaint which asks for: divorce (dissolution of marriage). The Court finds that the defendant’s current address is unknown and that all reasonable efforts to find him have failed. The Court also finds that the defendant’s last known address was 336 Broadway, Everett, MA 02149 THE COURT ORDERS that notice be given to the defendant by placing a legal notice in the Advocate News, a newspaper circulating in Everett, Massachusetts, containing a true and attested copy of this Order of Notice, and a statement that Automatic Court Orders have been issued in the case as required by Section 25-5 of the Connecticut Practice Book and are a part of the Complaint on file with the Court. The notice should appear before or on July 12, 2019 and proof of service shall be filed with the Court. ATTEST: A TRUE COPY Phyllis Airey, State Marshal, Hartford County, State of Connecticut
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