Page 24 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, OCTObER 31, 2025 THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call records local representatives’ and senators’ votes on roll calls from the week of October 20-24. The Senate votes include roll calls from several budget vetoes made by Gov. Maura Healey to the $60.9 billion fi scal 2026 state budget for the fi scal year that began July 1, 2025. The Senate overrode more than $70 million of Healey’s $130 million worth of budget vetoes. The House already overrode the same vetoes and the funding now stands Type of Person Needed: * Are you an experienced/willing to learn, motivated person looking for a shop where your skills can be valued? A local company with a fleet shop is a busy, family-owned business dedicated to providing high-quality transportation services and public State inspection services. We are seeking a talented Automotive Technician or mechanical knowledge to join our close-knit crew. If you are dependable and proficient in automotive technical work with a passion for excellent customer service, we want to talk to you. Location: Malden, MA Job Description: * Be able to acquire and maintain a certification for the State Inspection License. Perform light duty mechanical preventive duties, including Fleet preventive maintenance. * State Inspection Services * Miscellaneous shop duties Requirements: * Valid driver’s license with good driving history * Possess or pass the required State Inspector License Hours: Tuesday through Friday, 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM Saturday 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM * Rate will be based on experience Contact: Ed Hyde or David Morovitz Call: 781-322-9401 Email: ehyde@maldentrans.com Website: www.maldentrans.com and remains in the budget. “We are very confi dent that by overriding the governor’s vetoes, we can continue to fund services and programs and agencies that make up the fabric of our commonwealth, all while remaining fi scally responsible and living within our means,” said Sen. Jo Comerford, Vice Chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee. “Beacon Hill politicians spent the better part of a year warning about fi scal uncertainty from Washington, and now that those cuts have arrived, they’re ignoring their ~ HELP WANTED ~ own warnings,” said Paul Craney, Executive Director for the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance. “Instead of learning to live within our means, the Legislature is proving once again that its only solution to a budget problem is more spending.” Craney added, “The governor’s vetoes were an extremely small step toward restraint, but the Legislature can’t even handle that. When state spending increases by billions year after year, even small, reasonable cuts become politically impossible. That’s why Massachusetts keeps lurching from one budget crisis to the next racking up one of the highest debtsper capita in the country.” PROTECT PUBLIC TRANSIT WORKERS FROM ASSAULT AND BATTERY (H 1877) House 160-0, approved and sent to the Senate legislation that would expand the current law which punishes anyone who commits assault and battery against a public employee. Current law applies to attempts to disarm a police officer; assault and battery upon a police offi cer; and assault and battery on a public employee when they are engaged in the performance of their duties. The bill would specifically add assault and battery on transit workers to the current law. It also provides that the assault in any of these cases can be by use of a bodily substance such as spitting or throwing substances like urine. “Our transit workers provide critical services all over the commonwealth, yet are many times assaulted by the very customers they serve,” said sponsor Rep. Joe McGonagle (D-Everett). “I am so thrilled to have this bill passed to provide our transit workers with the protections they deserve. The right to feel safe and supported on the job is just that, a right. I’m also extremely grateful to the brave men and women who BEACON | SEE PAGE 25 Limited Powers Of Appointments I n the context of an irrevocable trust, a provision can be included to provide for much more flexibility insofar as ultimate distribution of trust assets is concerned. A limited or special power of appointment provision can be incorporated into the document to allow the Settlor (sometimes referred to as Donor or Grantor) of the trust to effectively change which benefi ciaries will ultimately receive the principal of the trust and can also decide upon the timing of those distributions. It should be noted that MassHealth hearing offi cers, Superior Court judges and Appellate Court judges are of the opinion that reserving such a power in an irrevocable trust does not taint the trust and result in the assets being “countable” for MassHealth eligibility purposes. The Trustee of an irrevocable income only Trust may also have the power to “appoint” the trust principal to a class of individuals consisting of the Settlors children or other issue, such as grandchildren or great grandchildren. Appointing assets is equivalent to distributing assets. Therefore, the Trustee of such a Trust could appoint any portion of the trust principal to a descendant of the Settlor of the Trust. For MassHealth purposes, if at all possible, it would certainly make sense for the Trustee to not exercise such power of appointment until fi ve years have elapsed since the assets were first transferred to the irrevocable trust. It should also be noted that once the assets of the trust are appointed to a son or daughter, for example, that son or daughter is legally free to do whatever he or she wants to do with those assets. A limited power of appointment provision in an irrevocable Trust can also be exercised via the Settlor’s Last Will and Testament by including the necessary provision in the Last Will and Testament itself and then submitting it to the probate court and having it allowed upon the Settlor’s death. If the Settlor of the irrevocable trust decides down the road that he or she would rather distribute assets of the Trust to some or all of the grandchildren, the limited power of appointment provision will allow for that fl exibility. If the Settlor had a falling out with a son or daughter, the Settlor could eff ectively disinherit that son or daughter by appointing the trust principal to the Settlor’s other children via his or her Last Will and Testament. Such a provision provides a substantial amount of control over the ultimate distribution of the Settlor’s estate. The limited power of appointment is “limited” because the Settlor cannot appoint any of the trust principal to the Settlor’s estate, the Settlor’s creditors, or the creditors of the Settlor’s estate. Joseph D. Cataldo is an estate planning/elder law attorney, Certifi ed Public Accountant, Certifi ed Financial Planner, AICPA Personal Financial Specialist and holds a masters degree in taxation.
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