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THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JULY 9, 2021 Page 17 commonwealth’s fi nancial commitBeacon Hill Roll Call By Bob Katzen THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call records the votes of local representatives and senators from the week of June 28-July 2. OVERRIDE BAKER’S VETO OF PROJECT LABOR AGREEMENT FOR SOLDIERS’ HOME (S 2439) House 130-30, Senate 37-3, overrode Gov. Charlie Baker’s veto of a section of the bill authorizing $400 million to fund the construction of a new Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke. The section requires the home be built under a Project Labor Agreement (PLA) that ensures that union labor will be used to build the facility by mandating a pre-bid, pre-hire collective bargaining agreement for the construction. “This [PLA] requirement threatens the viability of this project by limiting fair competition and disproportionately reducing opportunities for minority, women and veteran-owned businesses,” wrote Gov. Charlie Baker in his veto message. “It will also raise the overall costs of this project precipitously and may result in a labor shortage, putting the project and project timeline in jeopardy.” “PLAs create barriers to entry that eliminate the equality of opportunity that is central to the commonwealth’s public construction process,” continued Baker. “While PLAs do not technically prohibit nonunion contractors from bidding on a project, PLA terms make it cost prohibitive and impractical for any non-union member to participate.” “I voted to uphold the project labor agreement provision…because it establishes practical standards for fair pay and workplace safety,” said Senate Marc Pacheco (D-Taunton). “In addition, the language … includes key safeguards designed to ensure inclusion and equity amongst project contractors. Construction initiatives throughout the commonwealth have successfully implemented project labor agreements in recent years and I am pleased the hardworking employees tasked with building this new facility will be able to rely on reasonable workplace conditions.” “Gov. Baker recognizes the risk that the project-labor agreement could bring to the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home project,” said Sen. Ryan Fattman (R-Sutton) who opposed the PLA provision. “Not only will it exclude the opportunity for women and minority owned businesses to bid on components of the project, but the PLA could also signal unforeseen budget expenditures that drive the cost over budget. These risks will threaten the commonwealth’s ability to secure VA funding that is needed to match the ment in this bill.” “This [PLA] language and resulting agreement will ensure that hard-earned, taxpayer dollars are spent effi ciently to build a new soldiers’ home that is on time, on budget and worthy of the veterans it will serve,” said Sen. Paul Feeney (D-Foxborough) the Senate sponsor of the language. “The language … commits to recruiting and hiring a workforce that is diverse, local, safe, well-trained and highly skilled. Despite the governor’s vocal opposition, the Senate took steps by overriding his veto, to assist women, minority and veteran owned businesses in creating jobs and opportunities now and in the future, as well as expanded opportunities for many local working-class people in the construction trades.” In an unusual occurrence, Senate Ways and Means chairman Sen. Mike Rodrigues (D-Westport) broke with Senate President Karen Spilka and her leadership team was one of only three senators and the only Democrat to vote with the governor against the PLA. Beacon Hill Roll Call asked Rodrigues why he voted against the PLA. His spokesman Bently Holt responded, “The senator is tied up in conference and so will not be issuing a statement on this.” Rodrigue also voted against the PLA agreement when it was up for a vote in April. At that time, he told the State House News Service, “I have problems with anytime we limit competition on any sort of public construction projects. I think more competition is healthier for everyone. It’s better for the taxpayers.” (A “Yes” vote is for overriding Baker’s veto and favors the PLA provision. A “No” vote is for sustaining the governor’s veto and against the PLA provision.) Rep. Joseph McGonagle Yes Sen. Sal DiDomenico Yes $200 MILLION FOR LOCAL ROADS AND BRIDGES (S 2486) Senate 39-0, approved a bill that includes authorizing $200 million in one-time funding for the maintenance and repair of local roads and bridges in cities and towns across the state. The package is a bond bill under which the funding would be borrowed by the state through the sale of bonds. The House has already approved a diff erent version of the proposal and a House-Senate conference committee will likely work out a compromise. “Safe roads, reliable bridges and modernized transit infrastructure made possible through this bill exemplifi es the Senate’s approach to public transportation,” said Senate Transportation Committee Chair Joe Boncore (D-Winthrop). “The economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic have made the need for this funding more urgent. These investments will provide critical funding for shovel-ready transportation projects in our cities and towns, create jobs and support local and regional economies.” “The measure we passed today will provide our cities and towns with the resources they need to invest in critical infrastructure projects,” said Senator Patrick O’Connor (R-Weymouth). “Investing in our roads, sidewalks and bridges is an investment in the longevity and safety of our communities.” “It is good news that the…bill jumped another hurdle on Beacon Hill and is moving ahead,” said Massachusetts Municipal Association (MMA) Executive Director Geoff Beckwith. “The construction season is getting shorter with each passing day, and there is a huge need to enact the bill now. Communities depend on these funds for critical road repair projects. We are also asking that the state add to this $200 million … bill by using some of this year’s large budget surplus to put even more funding on the street, as it has done in past years. MMA estimates that the annual cost of getting and maintaining 30,000 miles of municipal roads into a state of good repair is approximately $600 million, and communities don’t have the resources to get there themselves. While passing the…bill is an important step, going beyond $200 million is essential.” (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 June 28-July 2, the House met for a total of four hours and 24 minutes while the Senate met for a total of two hours and 45 minutes Mon. June 28 House 11:02 a.m. to 12:14 p.m. Senate 11:14 a.m. to 12:20 p.m. Tues. June 29 No House session No Senate session Wed. June 30 House 11:04 a.m. to 2:13 p.m. No Senate session Thurs. July 1 House 11:03 a.m. to 11:06 a.m. Senate 11:17 a.m. to 12:56 p.m. Fri. July 2 No House session No Senate session Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com S y Senior Top Smartphones for Tech-Shy Seniors Sa e a Dear Savvy Senior, Can you recommend some good smartphones for older seniors? I would like to get my 78-year-old mother to upgrade to a smartphone but want something that’s easy for her to see and use. Dear Shopping, There are actually several smartphones I can recommend that will provide your mother a simpler, less intimidating smartphone experience. Here are my top three options. Apple iPhones: Because of the quality and functionality of Apple products, an iPhone is a great choice for seniors who are inexperienced with technology. But, to make it easier for you mom to use, you’ll need to set it up and customize it to meet her needs and preferences. To set-up your mom’s iPhone and make it senior-friendly, start by cleaning-up/decluttering the home screen, which you can do by deleting the apps your mom won’t use and hiding the apps she’ll rarely use in labeled folders or the App Library. The fewer options the better! You’ll also want to set up a small number of contacts (with photos) to family and friends that your mom frequently communicates with and install some apps she would enjoy using. Finally, iPhones have a wide variety of built-in accessibility features you can turn on depending on your mom’s needs. These features, which you access through the phone’s settings, can help users that have diminished vision, hearing impairment, hand dexterity problems or cognitive loss. Some popular accessibility features among older iPhone users include larger text and icon display, zoom (screen magnifi cation), magnifi er (turns iPhone into a magnifying glass), increased volume and alerts, voice control, fi nd my iPhone, and emergency SOS and medical ID set up. But there are dozens of other tweaks you can make to enhance your mom’s experience with her iPhone. For a rundown of the diff erent accessibility features and instructions on how to set them up, see Apple.com/accessibility. If you’re interested in this option, the iPhone 12 (5G, 6.1-inch display screen, $800) or iPhone 12 mini (5G, 5.4-inch screen, $700) are excellent choices. Or, for a more budget-friendly phone consider the iPhone SE (4.7-inch screen, $400) that came out in 2020. Samsung Galaxy: If you’re Shopping Around an android phone user and would like to get your mom a phone that you’re familiar with, you should consider a Samsung. All Samsung phones offer an “Easy Mode” feature in their settings that boosts the text and icon size, and simplifies the home-screen layout and contacts, which makes these phones a nice option for seniors or tech-newbies. These phones also have a variety of accessibility features -see Samsung.com/us/accessibility/galaxy-mobile for instructions – that can accommodate your mom’s needs. The Samsung Galaxy S21 5G (6.2-inch screen, $800) or more moderately priced Galaxy A71 5G (6.7-inch screen, $600) are good choices to consider here. Lively Smart: Another less expensive option to consider is to purchase your mom a smartphone that’s specifi cally designed for seniors. The best one available is the new Lively Smart off ered by Best Buy. This phone has a 6.2-inch screen, large text and a simple list-based menu that provides one-touch access to frequently used features like video chat, camera, email and more. It also off ers a nice variety of optional health and safety features you can add on like:\ • Urgent Response, which is a mobile medical alert service that would connect your mom to a Lively agent in emergency situations, 24/7, who would confi rm her location and get her the help she needs. • Urgent Care, which would let your mom to speak to a registered nurse or board-certifi ed doctor anytime. • Lively Link, which is an app that sends alerts to family and friends if your mom calls urgent response. • Personal Operator Service, who can assist your mom with tasks like helping fi nd addresses, setting up appointments booking Lively Rides through a partnership with Lyft and much more. The Lively Smart is available online at Lively.com or at Best Buy stores for $150. 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. BY JIM MILLER S h f T hSh Si Senio nior nir ior

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