Page 20 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – WEDnEsDAy, July 3, 2024 BEACON | FROM PAGE 19 to meet the drinking water supply or wastewater requirements necessary to support the housing units authorized by the law’s zoning provisions; the inability of municipal transportation infrastructure to safely accommodate the increased population attributable to this housing development; any adverse environmental impacts attributable to the development of housing units under this act; and any adverse impacts on historic properties. Amendment supporters said the amendment would offer a reasonable appeal process to assist cities and towns impacted by the MBTA Communities Act. Sen. Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester), the sponsor of the amendment, did not respond to repeated requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call to comment on his amendment. Sen. Mike Rodrigues (D-Westport) said that this amendment is similar to budget amendments that were discussed robustly and noted the Senate was firm in its opinion that it did not want to change course on the MBTA Communities Act. (A “Yes” vote is for the amendment allowing an appeal. A “No” vote is against the amendment.) Sen. Sal DiDomenico No HOME INSPECTIONS (S 2834) Senate 39-0, approved an amendment that requires the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities to implement regulations that secure a homebuyer’s right to have an inspection done on a property before finalizing the purchase of the home. The regulation bans the conditioning of a sale on waiving or limiting the buyer’s right to inspect the home. “Buying a home is one of the biggest purchases many families will ever make,” said amendment sponsor Sen. Mike Moore (D-Millbury). “Shouldn’t you have the right to know exactly what you’re purchasing before you sign a binding contract? This amendment will curb the practice of making offers that waive the right to a home inspection, something that’s become increasingly common in this ultra-competitive real estate market. Moore continued, ”Buyers must not feel obligated to waive inspections, risking their most important investment, in order to find their forever home. In a commonwealth where we have long taken a strong approach to consumer protections, this is an obvious step to protect families from financial ruin due to costly undisclosed repairs.” (A “Yes” vote is for the amendment.) Sen. Sal DiDomenico Yes ALSO UP ON BEACON HILL REQUIRE SPRINKLER SYSTEMS (H 2289) – The House approved and sent to the Senate legislation that would allow cities and towns to require the installation of an automatic sprinkler system in every newly-constructed 1- or 2-family home. Sponsor Rep. Ruth Balser (D-Newton) said that today’s new homes burn hotter and faster than those of the past because of modern construction techniques and synthetic furnishings. She noted that as a result, residents have only one to three minutes to flee the average home without sprinklers. “Automatic sprinklers work fast and give people more time to escape,” said Balser. “According to the Massachusetts Fire Sprinkler Coalition, having both sprinklers and smoke alarms reduces the risk of dying in a home fire by 80 percent. Additionally, automatic sprinklers put out 90 percent of home fires before the fire department arrives, which reduces firefighters’ exposure to the toxic products of combustion that cause cancer.” SEXUAL ASSAULT BY FRAUD (H 4350) - The House approved and sent to the Senate a proposal that would make it a crime for a doctor or other medical professional to commit sexual contact with a patient even when the doctor claims the contact is necessary for a legitimate medical purpose. Under current law, sexual contact by medical professionals represented to the patient as necessary for a legitimate medical purpose cannot be prosecuted, as the patient may be viewed as consenting to it, either explicitly or implicitly. Two courts have ruled that if a person consents to sexual intercourse, even under false pretenses, it is still consent. “I am pleased to see [the bill] once again be passed by the Massachusetts House,” said the bill’s sponsor Rep. Kate Hogan (D-Stow). “The bill establishes protections for vulnerable patients and criminalizes medical or healthcare professionals who knowingly and falsely claim sexual contact for a medical purpose. This legislation provides necessary updates to Massachusetts’ sexual assault laws.” REQUIRE SUICIDE PREVENTION HOTLINE INFO ON STUDENT IDS (H 1999) – The House approved and sent to the Senate legislation that would require all public schools with grades 6 to 12, and all public and private colleges to include on their student identification cards the telephone and text number for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. The bill includes a provision that allows any schools and colleges which have a supply of old ID cards without the 988 line to continue to distribute those IDS until the supply is gone. Supporters said that while suicide is a leading cause of death for people of all ages in the United States, young people are particularly at risk. They noted that according to a study published by the National Center for Health Statistics at the end of last year, suicide was the second leading cause of death for Americans aged 15-24, representing a 56 percent increase from the previous decade. They argued that there are significant disparities in these numbers, with LGBTQ+ youth being at greater risk and Black youth seeing a 73 percent increase in youth suicide rates in that same time period. “Suicides were the second leading cause of death among children in Massachusetts in 2020, which is an alarming statistic,” said co-sponsor Rep. Jack Lewis (D-Framingham). “We must ensure that every student has the information at their fingertips to get the support and resources they need. Seeking help is hard even for the most self-aware adults. Providing the avenues to support is essential to promoting positive and sustainable public health practices. “This is a simple proposal that can have critical impact, ensuring our students are equipped with the 988 Behavioral Help Line on their student IDs, if they, or their friends, need to connect with resources to support and trusted mental health resources,” said co-sponsor Rep. Natalie Higgins (D-Leominster). DELIVERING CARS TO DEALERSHIPS (H 3472) – The House gave initial approval to a bill that would prohibit any car carriers delivering cars to a dealership from parking on a public street or highway. A car carrier operator who violates this law would be subject to a $250 fine and potential license suspension. The carrier company is also subject to forfeiting its carrying permit. Supporters said that regular drivers are often forced to take evasive action, on short notice, to avoid a collision with the haphazardly parked car carrier and the vehicles being offloaded and driven perpendicular to traffic to their dealership destinations. “Like many Peabody residents who drive on Route 114, I experience first-hand the risky and dangerous practice of car carriers unloading their vehicles in the center lane and driving across several lanes of oncoming traffic to reach the dealerships,” said Rep. Tom Walsh (D-Peabody). “To protect roadway user safety, we filed this common-sense legislation to explicitly outlaw this practice and provide our police the tools they need to enforce the law accordingly.” QUOTABLE QUOTES “Ensuring every veteran receives the proper status and respect they deserve is a top priority of the Executive Office of Veterans Services. The injustices faced by LGBTQ+ service members are a stain on our history that we are committed to erasing. Massachusetts is leading the way when it comes to supporting our veterans and this initiative is a crucial step to healing past wounds and fostering a more inclusive military community.” ---Secretary Jon Santiago of the Massachusetts Executive Office of Veterans Services, applauding President Joe Biden’s decision to pardon thousands of former U.S. service members convicted under the now-repealed Article 125 of the Uniform Code of Military Justice, which criminalized consensual gay sex. This law, in effect since 1951, was revised in 2013 to prohibit only forcible acts. “When someone is struggling with feelings of despair, a caring and compassionate presence on the other end of the 988 Lifeline can be lifesaving. Suicide prevention is a critical public health responsibility and the 988 Lifeline is a resource that offers emotional support at some of the most vulnerable moments in a person’s life.” ---State Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein on the Department of Public Health’s announced that $8.3 million in state and federal grant funding will be awarded to five community organizations to support the continuation of services for the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline Network. “Fireworks are inherently dangerous. Possessing or using them in Massachusetts requires licensing and certification. They are illegal for personal use here even if purchased legally in another state. These laws work: the rate of fireworks injuries in Massachusetts is about one-fifth the national average.” --- State Fire Marshal Davine on the upcoming 4th of July celebrations. 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 Sena er 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 June 24-28, the House met for a total of 15 hours and 46 minutes and the Senate met for a total of 23 hours and 44 minutes. Mon. June 24 House 11:02 a.m. to 11:09 a.m. Senate 11:07 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Tues. June 25 No House session Senate 11:30 a.m. to 8:52 p.m. Wed. June 26 House 11:00 a.m. to 3:50 p.m. No Senate session Thurs. June 27 House 11:00 a.m. to9:49 p.m. Senate 10:08 a.m. to 11:52 p.m. Fri. June 28 No House session No Senate session Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com Bob founded Beacon Hill Roll Call in 1975 and was inducted into the New England Newspaper and Press Association (NENPA) Hall of Fame in 2019. FOR SALE - MIXED-USE COMMERCIAL/RESIDENTIAL 225-229 Highland Ave., Malden MIXED-USE Two Commercial Convenience Stores AND Three Apartments - Two, 2-Bedoroom & One, 1-Bedroom Yearly Rental Income: $166,200 Call (781) 520-1091
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