Page 16 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, AugusT 15, 2025 Beacon Hill Roll Call Volume 50-Report No.32 August 4-8, 2025 Copyright © 2025 Beacon Hill Roll Call. All Rights Reserved. By Bob Katzen THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call records local representatives’ and senators’ votes on roll calls from recent sessions. There were no roll calls in the House or Senate last week. $259 MILLION FISCAL 2025 SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET (S 2575) House 150-6, Senate on a voice vote without a roll call, approved and Gov. Maura Healey signed into law a $259 million fi scal 2025 supplemental budget. The measure provides $40 million for the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS) to hire about 320 additional public defenders. This supplemental budget did not include this investment in legal representation for indigent defendants when the governor fi rst fi led it, but a work stoppage among private attorneys who take cases as bar advocates had since led some criminal defendants to have charges against them dropped. The Legislature added $40 million. The budget would provide bar advocates with a $20-an-hour raise over two years – compared to the $60-an-hour raise that some bar advocates were seeking. Supporters said the $40 million will more than double CPCS’s existing workforce. They noted that increasing the proportion of indigent clients represented by public defenders—as opposed to private bar advocates, who are indeLEGAL NOTICE City of Everett PLANNING BOARD 484 BROADWAY EVERETT, MA 02149 Frederick Cafasso - Chairman LEGAL NOTICE EVERETT PLANNING BOARD PUBLIC HEARING NOTICE Public Hearing on an application by Dexter Group, LLC Property located at: 163 Ferry Street Site Plan Review & Inclusionary Zoning Special Permit In accordance with the provisions of M.G.L Chapter 40A and with Sections 6, 19, and 32 of the Everett Zoning Ordinance, the Everett Planning Board will conduct a public hearing on Tuesday, September 2nd, 2025 at 6:00PM in the Speaker George Keverian Room (Room 37, Everett City Hall) to consider the above-listed application for Site Plan Review and Inclusionary Zoning Special Permit. This proposal calls for the construction of a three-and-ahalf story building containing one retail space and twenty-three (23) residential units, four (4) of which are proposed as deed-restricted affordable, and zero (0) parking spaces. The Project Site is currently occupied by a used-car lot and the redevelopment will result in the installation new landscaping, utility services, and stormwater management facility. 163 Ferry Street is a parcel of land referenced by Assessors Department as M0-08-000150. A copy of the application and plans are on file and available in the Office of the City Clerk and the Department of Planning and Development, both located at City Hall, 484 Broadway, Everett, MA 02149 and can be inspected online anytime at http://www.cityofeverett.com/449/PlanningBoard and/or by request during regular City Hall business hours by contacting The Planning and Development Office at 617-394-2334. All persons interested in or wishing to be heard on the applications may attend and participate in person. This project, along with all other projects to be discussed at the meeting, can be found on the posted Agenda at the following link: http://www.cityofeverett.com/AgendaCenter. Questions and comments can be directed in advance of the public hearing to Matt Lattanzi of the Department of Planning & Development at Matt.Lattanzi@ci.everett.ma.us or 617-394-2230. Frederick Cafasso Chairman August 15, 22, 2025 pendent contractors—will help stabilize the public defense system in Massachusetts. “This agreement provides a substantial raise for bar advocates that refl ects our commitment to supporting the important work that they do, even in a challenging budget year,” said Gov. Healey upon signing the budget. “Despite chaos at the federal level, the Massachusetts Legislature remains committed to delivering important services to our residents and communities, ensuring our bills are paid, practicing fi scal responsibility and maintaining access to justice for all,” said Senate President Karen Spilka (D-Ashlan) Not everyone agreed with that assessment. The Massachusetts Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (MACDL) said in a statement that the raise is not suffi - cient and pledged that the MACDL will “continue to support the tireless advocacy, commitment and selfl essness of the many bar advocates who stand in solidarity to make their voices heard.” The statement continued, “The rates for bar advocates in Massachusetts remain insuffi cient and will not solve the current constitutional crisis. This legislation does not bring the rate of pay for bar advocates anywhere near the rate of pay for appointed attorneys in neighboring states.” “I say to you today and to the leadership, we’re going nowhere,” said Sean Delaney an advocate of the higher wages. “Your ridiculous proposal that you put forward yesterday has only strengthened our resolve.” In the meantime, despite the signing of the bill, some criminal defendants who haven’t been appointed a lawyer in the past 45 days continue to have charges against them dismissed. Other provisions in the budget include $60 million for Home Care Services; $43 million for Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT); $15.5 million for increasing the security of Electronic Benefi ts Transfer (EBT) cards by transitioning to chip cards; $7.5 million for the Healthy Incentives Program which both strengthens food security for residents and supports Massachusetts farmers in the face of federal funding cuts; $6 million for veterans’ benefi ts; $4 million for the Massachusetts State Police crime lab; and $1 million for the Fair Housing Fund. “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 budget] has a carryover from the last budget, still spending money on illegal immigrants and pushing transgenderism and abortion,” said Rep. John Gaskey (R-Carver). “Until the Democrat-led Legislature wakes up to reality that these policies are destroying our state, I will continue to vote ‘No’ and I encourage other Democrat leaders to recognize reality and step up to be a voice for sanity and healthy citizens. Additionally, while I think the attorneys should be paid better to defend the indigent, I believe there are better ways than letting criminals go free.” Five other representatives voted against the budget but did not respond to repeated requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call asking them to explain why they voted against it. The fi ve representatives, all Republicans, are Reps. Brad Jones (R-North Reading); Paul Frost (R-Auburn); Nicholas Boldyga (R-Southwick); Marc Lombardo (R-Billerica); and Alyson Sullivan-Almedia (R-Abington). (A “Yes” vote is for the $259 million budget. A “No” vote is against it.) Rep. Joseph McGonagle Yes $3.5 MILLION FOR DEPARTMENT OF MENTAL HEALTH (S 3) Senate 39-0, approved an amendment that would increase funding for the Department of Mental Health (DMH) by $3.5 million (from $15.5 million to $19 million) to support diversion programs that off er treatment alternatives to incarceration for individuals with mental illness and substance use disorders. It also directs the DMH to update regulations to improve discharge protocols for patients leaving mental health and substance use facilities that are overseen by the state. “This amendment gets money and training into the hands of the people doing the hardest work--the offi cers, clinicians and outreach workers who are often the fi rst to encounter our most vulnerable constituents,” said amendment sponsor Sen. Nick Collins (D-Boston). “By expanding these diversion programs and strengthening discharge oversight, we’re helping police de-escalate, helping communities stay safe and helping people get the care they need.” (A “Yes” vote is for the $3.5 million.) Sen. Sal DiDomenico Yes APPEAL MBTA COMMUNITIES ACT (S 3) Senate 5-34, rejected an amendment to the current law, known as the MBTA Communities Act, which according to the state’s website, requires that an MBTA community “must have at least one zoning district of reasonable size in which multi-family housing is permitted as of right and meets other criteria including minimum gross density of 15 units per acre; and a location not more than 1/2 mile from a commuter rail station, subway station, ferry terminal or bus station. No age restrictions can be applied and the district must be suitable for families with children.” BEACON | SEE PAGE 17
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