Page 18 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, AugusT 9, 2024 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 influence. The stories are drawn from major news organizations as well as specialized publications. 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://massterlist.com/subscribe/ THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call records local representatives’ and senators’ votes on roll calls from the week of July 29-August 2. CREATE COMMISSION TO STUDY MISREPRESENTATION OF A SERVICE ANIMAL (H 4917) House 158-0, approved and sent to the Senate a bill that would create a special commission to review current federal, state and local laws and procedures governing the use and misuse of service animals by individuals with disabilities in the Bay State. The commission would recommend the possible introduction of legislation pro- LEGAL NOTICE - COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS THE TRIAL COURT PROBATE AND FAMILY COURT Middlesex Probate and Family Court 10-U Commerce Way Woburn, MA 01801 (781) 865-4000 Docket No. MI24P3980EA Estate of: MARY T. GALE Date of Death: 06/02/2024 CITATION ON PETITION FOR FORMAL ADJUDICATION To all interested persons: A Petition for Formal Probate of Will with Appointment of Personal Representative has been filed by Doreen Joly of Danvers, MA requesting that the Court enter a formal Decree and Order and for such other relief as requested in the Petition. The Petitioner requests that: Doreen Joly of Danvers, MA be appointed as Personal Representative(s) of said estate to serve Without Surety on the bond in unsupervised administration IMPORTANT NOTICE You have the right to obtain a copy of the Petition from the Petitioner or at the Court. You have a right to object to this proceeding. To do so, you or your attorney must file a written appearance and objection at this Court before: 10:00 a.m. on the return day of 08/22/2024. This is NOT a hearing date, but a deadline by which you must file a written appearance and objection if you object to this proceeding. If you fail to file a timely written appearance and objection followed by an affidavit of objections within thirty (30) days of the return day, action may be taken without further notice to you. UNSUPERVISED ADMINISTRATION UNDER THE MASSACHUSETTS UNIFORM PROBATE CODE (MUPC) A Personal Representative appointed under the MUPC in an unsupervised administration is not required to file an inventory or annual accounts with the Court. Persons interested in the estate are entitled to notice regarding the administration directly from the Personal Representative and may petition the Court in any matter relating to the estate, including the distribution of assets and expenses of administration. WITNESS, Hon. Terri L. Klug Cafazzo, First Justice of this Court. Date: July 25, 2024 TARA E. DeCRISTOFARO REGISTER OF PROBATE August 9, 2024 hibiting and civilly penalizing service animal fraud and determining the feasibility of certification, registration or licensing of service animals. Supporters said that more than half the states in the nation already have laws prohibiting misuse of service animals. They argued it is time for Massachusetts to begin the step toward adopting a similar law. They noted that there are currently no penalties for people who misrepresent a non-service dog as being a service dog. Sponsor Rep. Kim Ferguson (R-Holden) did not respond to repeated requests from Beacon Hill Roll Call asking her to comment on passage of her bill. (A Yes” vote is for the bill.) Rep. Joseph McGonagle Yes $7.5 MILLION FOR TOMORROW’S TEACHERS (H 4800) House 134-24, overrode Gov. Maura Healey’s veto of $7.5 million (reducing funding from $10 million to $2.5 million) for scholarship and loan repayment for students seeking a teaching degree in the state’s public colleges. The Senate did not act on the veto. “I am reducing this item to the amount projected to be necessary,” said Healey in her veto message. “The amount as adjusted here, in combination with the available balance from fiscal year 2024, is sufficient to meet projected demand and result in no reduction in fiscal year 2025 planned spending for this item.” (A “Yes” vote is for the $7.5 million. A “No” vote is against it.) Rep. Joseph McGonagle Yes $250,000 FOR FINANCIAL LITERACY (H 4800) House 154-4, overrode Gov. Healey’s veto of the entire $250,000 for a grant program to school districts to support the implementation of financial literacy courses and standards for students in kindergarten to grade 12, including training and developing programs to assist teachers in incorporating appropriate financial literacy concepts into classroom curriculum. The Senate did not act on the veto. “I am vetoing this item to an amount consistent with my House [budget] recommendation,” said Gov. Healey. “Other sources of funding for financial literacy appropriated in this budget will mitigate the effects of this veto.” (A “Yes” vote is for the $250,000. A “No” vote is against it.) Rep. Joseph McGonagle Yes PARENTAGE EQUALITY (S 2906) Senate 40-0, approved and sent to Gov. Healey a bill that supporters say would ensure legal parentage equality by protecting LGBTQ+ families, and children born through surrogacy and assisted reproduction, in forming the legal bond of a parent-child relationship. They said the measure would dismantle archaic legal barriers to basic parenting responsibilities for modern families, opening the door to legally attend and make decisions during medical appointments, manage a child’s finances, participate in educational decisions and provide authorizations for a child’s travel. “Today we acted to ensure that if you are a parent, whether a biological parent or not, the law will recognize you as a parent just as society does,” said Rep. Mike Day (D-Stoneham), House Chair of the Committee on the Judiciary. “This bill will remove one of the last vestiges of the law that treats same sex parents and parents who engaged in assisted reproduction differently from every other parent. It is a good day for all families in Massachusetts.” “With unprecedented and alarming action in other states to strip away the rights of LGBTQ+ people and our families, Massachusetts’ outdated and heterocentric parentage laws put LGBTQ+ families at risk every day,” said Sen. Julian Cyr (D-Truro). “The Massachusetts Parentage Act is personal— LGBTQ+ families like mine face excessive and expensive hoops just to ensure our children have the security of legal parentage. The Legislature’s passage of this bill is a critical step to guarantee that all children can benefit from the stability of a legal parent-child relationship no matter how they came to be in this world.” (A Yes” vote is for the bill.) Sen. Sal DiDomenico Yes DOG KENNEL SAFETY – OLLIE’S LAW (S 2929) Senate 40-0, approved a bill that would allow the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources to establish rules and regulations for dog kennels in the Bay State, to ensure animal welfare, protect consumers and keep kennel staff safe. A person who violates the regulations would be fined $500 for a first offense and $1,000 for a second or subsequent offense. The House has already approved a different version of the measure and the Senate version now goes to the House for consideration. Required regulations would include obtaining a license from the municipality, an annual inspection, dog to staff ratio specifications, injury reporting, indoor and outdoor physical facility requirements, insurance and minimal housing and care requirements. Supporters said that currently, the state has no oversight of dog daycare or boarding kennels. They argued it is estimated that a dog is injured or killed every 9 to 10 days in Massachusetts at these kennels. They noted that many families have suffered the loss or injury of an animal at a dog daycare or kennel that could have been prevented by commonsense regulations over these facilities. The bill was filed in memory of “Ollie,” a 7-month-old labradoodle who was attacked by other dogs at a boarding kennel in East Longmeadow. Ollie needed round-the-clock care and surgery and was in the hospital for two months before succumbing to his injuries. While the facility was shut down by town officials, Ollie’s owner Ann Baxter was stunned to learn that there were no state regulations regarding boarding facilities, and soon took up the fight to help ensure tragedies like this never happen again. “Pets are family who provide boundless love and affection BEACON | SEE PAGE 19
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