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Page 16 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, NOVEmbER 14, 2025 THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call records local representatives’ and senators’ votes on roll calls from the week of November 3-7. CHANGE ARCHAIC LANGUAGE REFERRING TO PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES (H 4704) House 152-0, approved and sent to the Senate a bill that would modernize and remove archaic language in state laws to refl ect the evolution of terminology relating to persons with disabilities. The Senate has already approved a diff erent version of the measure, and the House version now goes to the Senate for consideration. Changes include replacing “handType 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 icapped persons” with “persons with disabilities;” replacing “the mentally retarded” with “persons with an intellectual disability;” replacing “retarded children” with “children with an intellectual disability;” and replacing “disabled American veterans” with “American veterans with disabilities.” “As lawmakers, we know that words matter,” said Speaker of the House Ron Mariano (D-Quincy). “This legislation is our latest eff ort to ensure that our state laws do not use antiquated words that carry negative connotations, words that also serve as a reminder of past injustices.” “Removing out-of-date and off en~ HELP WANTED ~ sive language from the Massachusetts General Laws to describe people with disabilities is an important step in ensuring that our values are also refl ected in our statutes,” said Rep. Jay Livingstone (D-Boston), House Chair of the Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities. “As legislators, it is our job to help make sure that people with intellectual or developmental disabilities feel included, accepted and embraced for who they are, and this is an important step in doing so.” (A “Yes” vote is for the bill.) Rep. Joseph McGonagle Yes HOME CARE (H 4706) House 153-1, approved and sent to the Senate a bill that would establish a licensure process for home care agencies that supporters say will ensure that consumers receive quality non-medical services, and that home care workers are protected. The Executive Offi ce of Health and Human Services (EOHHS) would implement the licensure process and have the authority to approve licenses, survey and investigate home care agencies and impose fi nes. The measure also would require EOHHS to conduct a suitability review for all licensure applicants, including for all individuals with at least a 5 percent ownership interest in the agency; review applicants to ensure that they have suffi cient fi - nancial capacity to provide a minimum standard of care; and require EOHHS to publish a list of all licensed home care agencies on its website. Other provisions require minimum standards for home care workers by mandating several background screening checks on them; training and competency requirements for home care workers including confi dentiality and privacy rights of home care consumers; infection control and communicable diseases; handling of emergencies, including safety and falls prevention; identifying and reporting suspected abuse, neglect or theft; and understanding Alzheimer’s disease and dementia, including person-centered care, activities of daily living, safety and dementia-related behaviors and communication. The legislation implements workforce protections for employees including establishing procedures to ensure home care workers have safe working conditions, adequate training and a process for submitting complaints; requiring licensed home care agencies to have coverage for worker’s compensation and liability insurance; creation of the Home Care Worker and Consumer Abuse Stakeholder Advisory Committee to study and make recommendations on standards and procedures for addressing abusive treatment, including physical, verbal, mental abuse and bullying of home care workers, personal care assistants, home care consumers and family members; and informing home care workers of potentially unsafe working environments. “This legislation could not have been passed at a more critical time,” said Rep. Tom Stanley (D-Waltham), House Chair of the Committee on Aging and Independence. “With our aging population expected to grow exponentially in the coming years and the number of family caregivers shrinking, the demand for home care will subsequently increase. It is critical for the commonwealth to have the proper standards and protections in place for home care agencies to ensure consumers receive quality care and our dedicated home care workers are properly trained and supported in the fi eld.” “With persistent staffi ng shortages and projections of growing need, urgent legislative action is needed to establish improved oversight over home care agency employers, better prepare to meet future care demands and to reduce the far-too-common abuse and workplace bullying of home care workers and/or their consumer clients,” said Cari Medina, Executive Vice President of 1199SEIU, the union which represents more than 60,000 home care worker members. “[We] strongly support this bill to establish a new state process for the licensure of Massachusetts home care agencies, to implement improved operational standards for these agencies and to direct the adoption of new minimum standards and operational procedures for addressing abusive treatment and bullying of home care workers and/or their consumers.” Betsey Crimmins, Executive Director of Mass Aging Access, said that Mass Aging Access and its statewide network of 24 Aging Services Access Points strongly support the bill. “Massachusetts does not license non-medical home care services, even though these services are essential to helping older adults and people with disabilities live safely and independently in their own homes, resulting in better health outcomes and an improved quality of life,” said Crimmins. “The passage of [this legislation] will fi ll longstanding gaps in the commonwealth’s current system, bring Massachusetts in line with the majority of other states and strengthen our long-term services and supports network. “ Rep. John Gaskey (R-Carver), the only representative to vote against the bill, did not respond to repeated requests from Beacon Hill Roll Call asking him why he opposed the measure. (A “Yes” vote is for the bill. A “No” vote is against it.) Rep. Joseph McGonagle Yes MORE SUPPORT FOR MILITARY FAMILIES (S 2709) Senate 39-0, approved and sent to the House a bill that supporters say would provide enhanced safety, stability and educational opportunities for military families, and position the Bay State for greater federal defense investment and economic growth around its six military bases. The bill would guarantee that a child of a military family would retain a seat in the classroom at their current school in Massachusetts, even if their parent or guardian is temporarily transferred elsewhere on offi cial orders. If a military family moves permanently and arrives in a Massachusetts community, the bill also requires a timely and seamless transition for students who receive special education services. Other provisions allow certain information from the military to be admissible as evidence in state courts for people seeking temporary domestic violence restraining orders; allow for federal judges to transfer juvenile cases to Massachusetts courts for off enses that occur on military bases; and direct National Guard leadership to track and report suicide data among veterans of the Massachusetts National Guard. Sen. John Velis (D-Westfi eld), Senate Chair of the Committee on Veterans and Federal Aff airs, said the bill bolsters the way that Massachusetts cares for its military families and in turn helps improve our Department of Defense scorecard to maintain critical federal military investments in our state. “As we approach Veterans Day, I am incredibly proud to be a part of a legislative body that prioritizes not only our veterans and servicemembers but also our military families as well,” said Velis. “At the end of the day, my focus as Chairman of the Committee on Veterans and Federal Aff airs continues to be on ensuring that our commonwealth is not only the very best state for a veteran to call home, but also a welcoming and supportive home for our active-duty service members and BEACON | SEE PAGE 17

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