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THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, June 9, 2023 Page 23 es when they occur and this legislation would help expand access to this critical medication on college campuses throughout our state." COLLEGES MUST MAINTAIN CERTAIN STANDARDS TO RECEIVE ANY STATE FUNDS FOR SCHOLARSHIPS OR FINANCIAL AID (S 830) – Would make colleges with undergraduate graduation rates of less than 30 percent or with an above average rate of students who default on student loans ineligible to receive state scholarship and fi nancial aid funds.” “I fi led [the bill] because there are no safeguards in place to prevent state fi - nancial aid from being diverted to underperforming institutions, representing a signifi cant disservice to taxpayers and to our students,” said sponsor Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Lowell). QUOTABLE QUOTES – DAIRY FARMS BY THE NUMBERS EDITION The Massachusetts Dairy Promotion Board in conjunction with the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources announced dairy promotion grants to fund projects that will advance the image, sale of and demand for local dairy products. These projects include education initiatives to Massachusetts communities on the importance and nutritional benefi ts of dairy products. In addition, the projects are designed to make greater awareness of the contributions of the state’s dairy farmers and provide more resources to schools to support the consumption of Massachusetts dairy products. “For generations, Massachusetts dairy farmers have prided themselves on producing the fi nest dairy products,” said Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources Commissioner AshINSPECTIONAL SERVICES 215 Pleasant Street, Room 330 Malden, Massachusetts 02148 (781) 397-7000 ext. 2044 ley Randle. “As someone who grew up on a fi fth-generation dairy farm in Western Massachusetts, I’ve seen the challenges that our dairy producers face. These promotional grant awards will go a long way to help educate and inform consumers about the environmental, economic, and nutritional qualities of dairy products and highlight how Massachusetts dairy farmers are continuing to lead by example with respect to climate change adaptations and clean energy solutions. BY THE NUMBERS $70,000. ---The total of grant money to fund projects. 108. ---Number of dairy farms in Massachusetts. 49,744. ---Total acres of farmland on which dairy farms are situated. Wed. May 31 188 million. ---Total pounds of fresh wholesome milk a year, used to make many value-added products like cheese, yogurt, ice cream and butter. $45 million. ---Amount that dairy farmers contribute to the state’s local economy. 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 No House session No Senate session Thurs. June 1 House11:02 a.m. to 11:50 a.m. Senate 11:13 a.m. to 11:52 a.m. Fri. June 2 No House session No Senate session Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com.Bob founded Beacon Hill Roll Call in 1975 and was inducted into the New England Newspaper and Press Association City of Malden Massachusetts MALDEN PLANNING BOARD PUBLIC HEARING The Malden Planning Board will hold a public hearing in the Herbert L. Jackson Council Chamber, Malden City Hall, 215 Pleasant Street, Malden, MA at 7:00 P.M. on Wednesday, June 28, 2023 on the petition of Tufts Medicine, Inc. on behalf of Hallmark Health Systems, Inc./Melrose Wakefield Healthcare (Permit Application # CMID 0568122023) seeking a special permit under Title 12, Chapter 12, Section 030 of the Code of the City of Malden, to allow hospital use of property in the Residence A zoning district, namely, to demolish the existing hospital building and to construct a new building for use as a behavioral health hospital, containing four stories and total gross floor area of approximately 106,230 square feet, on a project site to be comprised of a new parcel to be created, approximately 6.06 acres in size, at the property known as and numbered, 100 Hospital Road, Malden and by City Assessor’s Parcel ID# 025 104 401. Petition and plans are available for public review in the Inspectional Services Department, City Hall, 215 Pleasant Street, Room 330, Malden, MA and on the City website under Permit Application # CMID -056812-2023 at https://maldenma-energovweb.tylerhost.net/ apps/SelfService#/home By: Diane M. Chuha Clerk June 09, 2023 June 16, 2023 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 May 29-June 2, the House met for a total of one hour and 55 minutes while the Senate met for a total of one hour and 39 minutes. Mon. May 29 No House session No Senate session Tues.May 30 House11:00 a.m. to 12:07 p.m. Senate 11:09 a.m. to 12:09 p.m. aavvyvy S avy avvy S oiorenniioor nior by Jim Miller What Happens if You Work While Receiving Social Security? Dear Savvy Senior, I started drawing my Social Security retirement benefi ts back in 2021 when I was forced to retire early, but I’m now interested going back to work part-time. Will this aff ect my benefi ts, and if so, how much? Back to Work Dear Back, You can collect Social Security retirement benefi ts and work at the same time but depending on how old you are and how much you earn, some or all of your benefi ts could be temporarily withheld. Here’s how it works. SSA Earning Rules Social Security says that if you’re under your full retirement age and are collecting benefi ts, then you can earn up to $21,240 in 2023 without jeopardizing any of your Social Security if you don’t reach your full retirement age this year. But if you earn more than the $21,240 limit, you’ll lose $1 in benefi ts for every $2 over that amount. Full retirement age is 66 for those born between 1943 and 1954, but it rises in two-month increments every birth year to age 67 for those born in 1960 and later. You can fi nd your full retirement age at SSA.gov/benefi ts/retirement/planner/ageincrease.html. In the year you reach your full retirement age, a less stringent rule applies. If that happens in 2023, you can earn up to $56,520 from January to the month of your birthday with no penalty. But if you earn more than $56,520 during that time, you’ll lose $1 in benefi ts for every $3 over that limit. And once your birthday passes, you can earn any amount by working without your benefi ts being reduced at all. Wages, bonuses, commissions, and vacation pay all count toward the income limits, but pensions, annuities, investment earnings, interest, capital gains and government or military retirement benefi ts do not. To fi gure out how much your specific earnings will aff ect your benefi ts, see the Social Security Retirement Earnings Test Calculator at SSA.gov/OACT/COLA/RTeffect.html. It’s also important to know that if you do lose some or all of your Social Security benefi ts because of the earning limits, they aren’t lost forever. When you reach full retirement age, your benefi ts will be recalculated to a higher amount to make up for what was withheld. For more information on how working can aff ect your Social Security benefi ts see SSA.gov/benefi ts/retirement/planner/ whileworking.html. Be Mindful of Taxes Too In addition to the Social Security rules, you need to factor in Uncle Sam too. Because working increases your income, it might make your Social Security benefi ts taxable. Here’s how it works. If the sum of your adjusted gross income, nontaxable interest, and half of your Social Security benefi ts is between $25,000 and $34,000 for individuals ($32,000 and $44,000 for couples), you have to pay tax on up to 50 percent of your benefi ts. Above $34,000 ($44,000 for couples), you could pay on up to 85 percent, which is the highest portion of Social Security that is taxable. About a third of all people who get Social Security have to pay income taxes on their benefi ts. For information, call the IRS at 800-829-3676 and ask them to mail you a free copy of publication 915 “Social Security and Equivalent Railroad Retirement Benefi ts,” or you can see it online at IRS.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p915.pdf. In addition to the federal government, 12 states – Colorado, Connecticut, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont and West Virginia – tax Social Security benefi ts to some extent too. If you live in one of these states, you’ll need to check with your state tax agency for details. 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.

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