Page 22 THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2021 Beacon Hill Roll Call By Bob Katzen GET A FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO MASSTERLIST–Join more than 22,000 people, from movers and shakers to political junkies and interested citizens, who start their weekday morning with MASSterList—the popular newsletter that chronicles news and informed analysis about what’s going on up on Beacon Hill, in Massachusetts politics, policy, media and infl uence. The stories are drawn from major news organizations as well as specialized publications selected by widely acclaimed and highly experienced writers Chris Van Buskirk and Keith Regan who introduce each article in their own clever and never-boring, inimitable way. MASSterlist will be e-mailed to you FREE every Monday through Friday morning and will give you a leg up on what’s happening in the blood sport of Bay State politics. For more information and to get your free subscription go to: www.massterlist.com/subscribe THE HOUSE AND SENATE: There were no roll calls in the House or Senate last week. This week, Beacon Hill Roll Call reports on the number of times in the 2021 session each senator sided with Republican Gov. Charlie Baker and voted to sustain the governor’s 25 vetoes of items, mostly in the fiscal 2022 state budget. A vote to sustain means the senator supports Baker’s veto. A vote to override means the senator voted to fund the item despite the governor’s veto. The current makeup of the Senate is 36 Democrats, three Republicans and one vacant seat. A twothirds vote is required to override a gubernatorial veto in a full 40-member Senate when there are no vacancies. The governor needs the support of 14 senators to sustain a veto if all 40 senators voted—and fewer votes if some members are absent or there are vacancies. Baker fell far short of that goal as six votes was the most support he received on any veto. The Senate easily overrode all 25 vetoes, including fi ve that were overridden unanimously. The vetoes had no support from 30 of the 36 Democrats who never once voted to sustain Baker’s veto. Only six Democratic senators voted to sustain any of the governor’s vetoes. The Democrat who voted the most times with Baker to sustain his veto is Sen. Walter Timilty (D-Milton) who voted with Baker four times. Sen. Marc Pacheco (D-Taunton) voted with Baker twice. Sens. Sonia Chang-Díaz (D-Boston), Diana DiZoglio (D-Methuen), Jason Lewis (D-Winchester) and Mike Rodrigues (D-Westport) each voted with Baker once. None of the three Republicans voted with Baker 100 percent of the time. The Republican senator who voted the greatest number of times with Baker was Sen. Ryan Fattman (R-Sutton) who voted with Baker 17 times (68.0 percent of the time). Sen. Patrick O’Connor (R-Weymouth) voted with Baker only fi ve times (20.0 percent), the least number of times among Republicans. Even Republican Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester) only supported Baker 14 times (56.0 percent). NUMBER OF TIMES SENATORS SUPPORTED GOV. BAKER’S VETOES IN 2021 Here is how your senator fared in his or her support of Baker on the vetoes. The percentage next to the senator’s name represents the percentage of times the senator supported Baker. The number in parentheses represents the actual number of times the senator supported Baker. Sen. Sal DiDomenico 0 percent (0) 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 fi led. 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 December 20-24, the House met for a total of one hour and 10 minutes and the Senate each met for a total of one hour and one minute. 24 minutes. Mon. Dec. 20 House 11:00 a.m. to 11:56 a.m. Senate 11:10 a.m. to 12:02 p.m. Tues. Dec. 21 No House session No Senate session Wed. Dec. 22 No House session No Senate session Thurs. Dec. 23 House 11:00 a.m. to 11:14 a.m. Senate 11:15 a.m. to 11:24 a.m. Fri. Dec. 24 No House session No Senate session Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com S y Senior Deciphering Senior Sa e a Dear Savvy Senior, Can you decipher the diff erent types of housing options available to seniors, and recommend some good resources for locating them? I need to fi nd a place for my elderly mother and could use some help. Overwhelmed Daughter Dear Overwhelmed, There’s a wide array of housing options available to seniors, but what’s appropriate for your mom will depend on her needs and fi nancial situation. Here’s a rundown of the diff erent levels of senior housing and some resources to help you choose one. Independent living: If your mom is in relatively good health and self-suffi cient, “independent living communities” are a top option that can offer a sense of community. Typically available to people over age 55, this type of senior housing is usually apartments or town homes that are fully functional. In addition, many communities also off er amenities such as meals served in a common dining area, housekeeping, transportation and a variety of social activities. To locate this type of housing, contact your Area Agency on Aging (call 800-677-1116 to get your local number), or use an online search tool like Caring.com. Most of these communities are private pay only and can vary greatly in cost ranging anywhere from $1,500 to $6,000 per month. Assisted living: If your mom needs some help with daily living chores, she’ll probably need an “assisted living facility.” These facilities provide help with the activities of daily living – like bathing, dressing, eating, going to the bathroom – as needed, as well as meals, housekeeping, transportation, social activities and medication management. Many facilities also off er special “memory care units” for residents with dementia. Costs for assisted living usually run between $3,000 and $6,000 per month depending on location and services needed. Most residents pay for assisted living from personal funds, while some have longterm care insurance policies. And many state Medicaid programs today also cover some assisted living costs for fi nancially eligible residents. Another similar, but less expensive option to look into is BY JIM MILLER Housing Options ihi Si “board and care homes.” These offer many of the same services as assisted living facilities but in a much smaller home setting. Your Area Aging Agency is again a good resource for fi nding assisted living facilities and board care homes, as is Caring.com. Nursing homes: If your mom needs ongoing medical and personal care or has very limited mobility, a nursing home, which provides 24-hour skilled nursing care is the next option. To find a good one, use Medicare’s nursing home compare tool at Medicare.gov/ care-compare. This tool will not only help you locate nursing homes in your area, it also provides a 5-star rating system on recent health inspections, staff - ing, quality of care, and overall rating. But be aware that nursing home care is very expensive, costing anywhere between $4,500 and $13,000 per month for a semi-private room depending on where you live. Most residents pay from either personal funds, a longterm care insurance policy or through Medicaid after their savings are depleted. Continuing-care re - tirement communities (CCRC’s): If your mom has the fi nancial resources, a “CCRC” is another option that provides all levels of housing (independent living, assisted living and skilled nursing home care) in one convenient location. But these communities typically require a hefty entrance fee that can range from $20,000 to $500,000 or more, plus ongoing monthly service fees that vary from around $2,000 to over $4,000. To search for CCRC’s visit Caring.com. Need Help? If you’re not sure what your mom needs, consider hiring an aging life care expert (AgingLifeCare.org) who can assess your mom and fi nd her appropriate housing for a fee – usually between $300 and $800. Or you can use a senior care advising service like A Place for Mom (APlaceForMom.com) for free. They get paid from the senior living facilities in their network. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. Seni nior ni r ior
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