THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, AugusT 26, 2022 Page 17 BEACON | FROM PAGE 15 corded due to remote communications issue,” said Sen. Rush. “I submitted a letter [indicating how I voted] shortly after with my vote on [the roll call].” Sens. Friedman, Chang-Diaz, Chandler, DiZoglio, Fattman, Gomez and Collins did not respond to repeated requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call asking them for a statement. SENATORS’ 2022 ROLL CALL ATTENDANCE RECORDS The percentage listed next to the senator’s name is the percentage of roll call votes on which the senator voted. The number in parentheses represents the number of roll calls that he or she missed. Sen. Sal DiDomenico 100 percent (0) ALSO UP ON BEACON HILL FILL OUT ONE APPLICATION FOR MULTI-STATE BENEFITS– Gov. Baker signed into law a measure that would allow individuals to simultaneously apply online, on a state-sponsored website, for various state-funded benefi ts including MassHealth, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), childcare subsidies, housing subsidies, fuel assistance and other needsbased health care, nutrition and shelter benefi ts. Supporters say that people who need state assistance usually need it from several different programs. They noted this presents a problem because it is diffi cult for people without cars and childcare to go to all the diff erent places to apply. They said a one-stop common application would help streamline the system and avoid a lot of bureaucratic red tape. Baker said he strongly support the measure “as it aligns with an important initiative that is currently underway in this administration.” “The agencies and secretariats included in the proposed [measure] are currently engaged in collaborative eff orts to establish a common application mechanism nearly identical to the portal envisioned by this section,” said Baker. MEDICAL MARIJUANA USE ON SCHOOL GROUNDS – Gov. Baker vetoed and sent back to the Legislature a section of the cannabis bill that he recently signed into law. The section he vetoed would require the Cannabis Control Commission, in consultation with the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Department of Public Health, to conduct a study and issue recommendations on how to remove obstacles that currently prevent students at public and private K-12 schools from possessing and consuming medical marijuana on school grounds. Baker noted that current law states as clearly as possible that possession and consumption of marijuana must remain unlawful on the grounds of any K-12 school, on school buses and in youth centers. “The language of the section [that I vetoed] is highly prescriptive—making it clear that the agencies charged with producing the study must identify ways to make medical marijuana widely available within schools, rather than considering whether such an allowance is advisable,” wrote Baker is his veto message. “The voter initiatives that legalized medical marijuana in 2012 and 2016 included strong measures to keep marijuana away from K-12 schools and school children. Both laws explicitly stated that marijuana would in no circumstance be permitted on school grounds. [Current law] also states as clearly as possible that possession and consumption of marijuana must remain unlawful on the grounds of any K-12 school, on school buses and in youth centers. Because the study … clearly works against these important and well-established protections and disregards the clear intentions of the voters in legalizing marijuana use, I cannot approve this part of the bill.” Supporters of the study say they understand the governor’s concerns but note that this is only a study to get more information. They point out that the District of Columbia as well as 10 states—California, Colorado, Delaware, Illinois, Maine, Maryland, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington—allow students to take medical marijuana on school grounds during the school day as part of their daily treatment. They say that just because a student is in school at the time, he or she should take his or her dose does not mean that the dose should not be given. BOARD OF EDUCATION RAISES THE MCAS SCORE HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS WILL NEED IN ORDER TO GRADUATE – The State Board of Education voted to raise the minimum score that future high school students must receive on some of their MCAS tests in order to graduate including English language arts, math and science and technology/ engineering. The higher score requirement will apply to students entering high school as freshmen beginning in the 2022-2023 school year. “Raising the … standard is critical, as is the message that we believe students are capable of meeting the higher standard and the commonwealth and its educators will support them to do that,” said Education Commissioner Jeff Riley. “This evidence underscores the importance of raising the standard and also highlights the need to articulate clearly to students, parents, educators and other stakeholders how the different levels of achievement on the MCAS tests signal whether a student is on track for success beyond high school, whether in postsecondary education, the military, the workplace, or independent and productive community life,” Riley continued. Sen. Pat Jehlen (D-Somerville) spoke against the regulations and said raising the passing score for English MCAS “will harm children who are English learners.” “These children will be the ones most aff ected by raising the English passing scores because, by defi nition, they don’t yet read and write English fl uently,” said Jehlen. “They can have bright futures as important members of our community and contributors to our economy if they can get a high school diploma.” The most outspoken critic of the proposal was Max Page, president of the Massachusetts Teachers Association. “You’ve fetishized an approach to education that is, at the very least, outdated and, at the most, destructive of our schools and communities,” said Page. “You know, somewhere a little before the ed reform bill in 1983, I had a shiny object I too thought was magical. It was called a mood ring and I thought it was capturing my every change of emotion. I also thought that REO Speedwagon’s first album was really the height of pop music. Then I grew older and I grew up. The board is still fidgeting with your mood rings and spinning their REO Speedwagon albums, obsessed with a test invented some 20 years ago and repeatedly shown to do little more than prove the wealth of the student and the community where it is taken.” PLASTIC POLLUTION ACTION DAY (H 3122) – The House approved and sent to the Senate a bill designating September 14 as Plastic Pollution Action Day, in recognition of the BEACON | SEE PAGE 19 - LEGAL NOTICE - CITY OF EVERETT PURCHASING DEPARTMENT Request for proposals will be received at 484 Broadway, Everett, Massachusetts 02149 no later than 11:00 AM on Thursday, September 15, 2022 for the following and opened at the time(s) specified: INSTALLATION OF 48 WATER FILLING STATIONS IN VARIOUS SCHOOLS Invitation for Bid (IFB) may be obtained by emailing a request to robert.moreschi@ci.everett.ma.us Robert Moreschi Chief Procurement Officer August 26, 2022 ~ Home of the Week ~ GROUNDSKEEPER/CUSTODIAN The Everett Housing Authority seeks qualified applicants with a minimum of two years of custodian and grounds keeping experience for full-time employment with benefits. The selected candidate must pass a physical and criminal records check. Resumes with cover letters may be submitted to Stephen Kergo Executive Director, Everett Housing Authority, 393 Ferry St., Everett, Ma 02149 or SKergo.eha@comcast.net. Position is open until filled. EHA is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. August 26, 2022 SAUGUS....Beautiful colonial offers 6 rooms 3 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths, nice open front foyer leading to an updated kitchen with maple cabinets, granite counters, granite peninsular with seating for four and pendent lighting, formal dining room, open concept to living room, main bedroom features private bath, trek deck - great for enjoying a cup of coffee or barbecuing, oversized yard with storage shed, security system, central air, roof, siding, heat approximately 10 years old, first floor interior painted 2 years ago. Don’t miss this one! Offered at $ 599,900. 335 Central Street, Saugus, MA 01906 (781) 233-7300 View the interior of this home right on your smartphone. View all our listings at: CarpenitoRealEstate.com
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