Page 24 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE–Friday, October 18, 2019 THE HOUSE AND SENATE. Beacon Hill Roll Call records the votes of local senators from recent Senate debate on the Student Opportunity Act that invests $1.5 billion, mostly in the form of Chapter 70 Aid for local school districts, in the state's public K-12 education system over the next seven years. There were no roll calls in the House or Senate last week. SUBSCRIBE TO MASSTERLIST – IT’S FREE! Join more than 17,000 other people from movers and shakers to political junkies and interested citizens who start their mornings with a copy of MASSterList! MASSterList is a daily ensemble of news and commentary about the Legislature, Politics, Media and Judiciary of Massachusetts drawn from major news organizations as well as specialized publications selected by widely acclaimed and highly experienced editor Jay Fitzgerald. Jay introduces each article in his own clever and never-boring, inimitable way. Go to: www.massterlist.com/ subscribe Type in your email address and in 15 seconds you will be signed up for a free subscription. With no strings attached. MORE MONEY FOR SCHOOL BUILDING PROJECTS (S 2350) Senate 38-0, approved an amendment raising from $602 million to $800 million the annual funding cap that the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) is allowed to spend on school building and renovation projects. The quasi-independent government authority’s job is to fund capital improvement projects in public schools across the state. According to its site, “The MSBA strives to work with local communities to create affordable, sustainable and energy-efficient schools across Massachusetts." “We can’t expect our students to succeed in the 21st century when they’re attending schools built to serve students in the 1950s, which is why it’s crucial that we give the hardworking staff at the MSBA the resources they need to evaluate and finance more projects,” said the amendment sponsor Sen. Barry Finegold (D-Andover). “The increase to the cap will allow the MSBA to spread more dollars across the commonwealth and address the demand for potential projects. With a potential downturn in the economy on the horizon, we need to authorize these projects now so that we create jobs and get these projects off the ground while we are able to do so.” (A “Yes” vote is for the amendment.) Sen. Sal DiDomenico Yes REGIONAL SCHOOLS (S 2350) Senate 38-0, approved an amendment to study reimbursements to school districts for regional school transportation, homeless children and youth transportation, and special education costs. Amendment supporters said this is a step in the right direction to correct some of the inequities in the Chapter 70 formula which is used to distribute school funds to each city and town. “School funding under Chapter 70 has been underfunded for two years,” said amendment co-sponsor Sen. Dean Tran (R-Fitchburg). “I am very happy to see that many of the districts across the commonwealth are now adequately funded. We should continue to work towards growing our economy in order to support the revenue that is necessary to fund our schools, and in support of this bill going forward.” (A “Yes” vote is for the amendment.) Sen. Sal DiDomenico Yes RURAL SCHOOLS COMMISSION (S 2350) Tues. Oct. 8 No House session Wed. Oct. 9 No House session. Fri. Oct. 4 No House session Senate 38-0, approved an amendment creating a special commission to study and make recommendations concerning the long-term fiscal health of rural school districts that are facing or may face declining student enrollment. According to the bill, the commission will study long-term economic, demographic and student enrollment trends and projections in communities that are rural or experiencing population decline; long-term fiscal trends in school districts experiencing declining student enrollment; an analysis of the fiscal health of regional school districts; the impact of regionalization on each contributing municipality, especially in low-income and middle-income areas; and the best policies and practices in other states. Amendment supporters said many rural districts are losing enrollment and they face additional challenges in the coming years. “This commission will be a robust effort to look at real challenges the school districts in my region are facing, due to low or declining student enrollment and other rural challenges,” said the amendment’s sponsor Sen. Adam Hinds (D-Pittsfield). “This will not be a report that sits on a shelf and collects dust. I know I intend to use it to continue my advocacy for rural schools and the students, families and communities they serve.” (A “Yes” vote is for the amendment.) 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 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 of October 7-11, the House met for a total of 29 minutes while the Senate met for a total of 28 minutes. Mon. Oct. 7 House 11:00 a.m. to 11:15 a.m. Senate 11:08 a.m. to 11:20 a.m. No Senate session. No Senate session Thurs. Oct. 10 House 11:00 a.m. to 11:14 a.m. Senate 11:03 a.m. to 11:19 p.m. No Senate session Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com
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