THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, May 14, 2021 Page 13 Beacon Hill Roll Call By Bob Katzen A note from Bob Katzen, Publisher of Beacon Hill Roll Call: Join me this Sunday night and every Sunday night in our new time slot, between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m., for my talk show “The Bob Katzen Baby Boomer and Gen X Show.” Jump in my time capsule and come back to the simpler days of the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. Upcoming guests: • Sunday, May 16: Susan Olsen best known for her role as Cindy Brady on the classic television series “The Brady Bunch.” • Sunday, May 23: Tony Dow, best known for playing Wally Cleaver on the iconic television series “Leave it to Beaver.” Listeners are always invited to call in and talk with our popular guests. There are many ways you can listen to the show from anywhere in the world: • If you have a smart speaker, simply say, “Play WMEX on Audacy.com” • Download the free www.Audacy.com app on your phone or tablet • Listen online at www.wmexboston.com • Or tune into 1510 AM if you have an AM radio. Visit us at www.bobkatzenshow.com THE HOUSE AND SENATE: There were no roll call votes in the House or Senate last week. This week, Beacon Hill Roll Call reports local representatives’ roll call attendance records for the 2021 session through May 7. The House has held 32 roll calls so far in 2021. Beacon Hill Roll Call tabulates the number of roll calls on which each representative votes and then calculates that number as a percentage of the total roll call votes held. That percentage is the number referred to as the roll call attendance record. The vast majority of the 160 representatives are not in the House chamber during a session because of the COVD-19 pandemic. Sources tell Beacon Hill Roll Call that they have seen as few as 12 members in the chamber and as many as 40. The remainder are watching the session from their home or business and voting remotely. Here’s how the remote voting system works: Eight appointed monitors are required to be present in the House chamber and are each given the task of recording the votes of approximately 20 members who are watching the session remotely from their home or business office. Each monitor has their 20 members on a conference call and fills out a form indicating how each member voted. The sheets are given to the court officers who then give them to the House Clerk who verifies that the correct totals have been recorded on the sheet and that the sheet is signed by the monitor. The Assistant Clerk records the yeas and nays in the Roll Call computer, which activates the green (voted YES) or red (voted NO) lights on the electronic roll call board. Members participating remotely then have the opportunity to see on the broadcast how they are recorded so that they can verify that their vote is recorded accurately. The tally is then displayed on the roll call board and the presiding officer announces the totals and the result of the vote. If a member wants to speak on an issue under consideration, they leave the conference call temporarily. Using a different telephone, they call into a line that patches them into the debate. Their voice then then heard in the House Chamber and by those watching the broadcast online. In the House, 96.8 percent (155 representatives out of 160) did not miss any roll calls and have 100 percent roll call attendance records. Only 3.2 percent (five representatives out of 160) have missed one or more roll calls. The representative who missed the most roll calls is Rep. David LeBoeuf (D-Worcester) who missed four, resulting in an 87.5 percent attendance record. Rep. Ann-Margaret Ferrante (D-Gloucester) missed three roll calls (90.6 percent roll call attendance record). Reps. Brian Murray (D-Milford), Rep. Orlando Ramos (D-Springfield); and Sheila Harrington (R-Groton) each missed one roll call (96.8 percent roll call attendance record). Beacon Hill Roll Call contacted these five legislators and asked each one for a comment on his or her attendance record. Only two responded: Reps. LeBoeuf and Harrington. Reps. Ferrante, Murray and Ramos did not respond to repeated requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call for a comment. Rep. Sheila Harrington: “Unfortunately, I wasn’t aware I wasn’t connected during the consolidated amendment, but I realized before the final vote at 2:22 a.m. and had reconnected so that my vote was counted. I thought I was just listening to dead air because the house was in recess. Unfortunately, my connection had been lost and I did not know it.” Rep. David LeBoeuf (D-Worcester): “Any roll calls not recorded are the result of technical difficulties resulting from remote voting. We currently vote over the phone and unfortunately, I have terrible cell and internet service in my apartment building. The emerBHRC | SEE PAGE 19 Now Hiring Full Time Groundskeepers/Maintenance Technicians at the following locations: Alterra at Overlook Ridge, Revere, MA The Chase and The Emery at Overlook Ridge, Malden, MA To apply please visit: www.roselandres.com Or fax resumes to (732) 590 - 1005 Mack-Cali is an equal opportunity/a er. Mack te against applicants on the basis of race, creed, na, sex, color, religion, na try, age, gene f tal or physical disability al status, f ta ship sta tatus, a sexual orienta ender iden xpression, atypical cellular or blood tr ary status or any other category protected by federal, state or other law applicable in the loca t. 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