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THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, June 24, 2022 Page 13 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 influence. The stories are drawn from major news organizations as well as specialized publications selected by widely acclaimed and highly experienced writers Keith Regan and Matt Murphy who introduce each article in their own clever and 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: https://lp. constantcontactpages.com/su/ aPTLucK THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call records local senators’ and representatives' votes on roll calls from the week of June 13-17. $350 MILLION FOR ROADS AND BRIDGES AND MORE (H 4638) – House 155-0, Senate 38-0, approved and sent to Gov. Charlie Baker, a $350 million package that includes authorizing $200 million in one-time funding for the maintenance and repair of local roads and bridges in cities and towns across the state to be distributed under the Chapter 90 program formula. Thepackage, a bond bill under which the funding would be borrowed by the state through the sale of bonds, also includes $150 million to pay for bus lanes, improvement of public transit, electric vehicles and other state transportation projects. “Chapter 90 provides vital road improvement funding to our communities,” said Sen. John Keenan, the Senate vice-chair of the Transportation Committee. “It is my hope that we will get to the point where we can provide a greater amount in a multi-year appropriation so that municipalities, big and small, will be able to more effectively plan.” Many local officials across the state continue to advocate for additional money to increase the funding and argue that the cost of repairing roads has increased by up to 40 percent while the state has kept this funding flat at $200 million for the past 11 years. (A “Yes” vote is for the bill.) Rep. Paul Donato Rep. Steven Ultrino Sen. Jason Lewis Yes Yes Yes ELECTION LAW CHANGES (S 2924) House 126-29, Senate on a voice vote without a roll call, approved and sent to Gov. Baker a conference committee version of a bill making permanent the mail-in and early voting options used in Massachusetts in 2020 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The House and Senate had approved different versions of the bill and a conference committee hammered out this compromise version which did not include the section allowing same day voter registration that was in the Senate version but not in the House one. The measure requires the secretary of state to send out mailin ballot applications, with return postage guaranteed, to registered voters before each presidential primary, state primary and biennial state election. It also allows registered voters to request a mail-in ballot for all elections in a single calendar year. Other provisions include reducing the registration blackout period from 20 days prior to an election to 10 days; electronic voting options for voters with disabilities and military service members; allowing a voter with disabilities to request accommodations including an accessible electronic ballot application, ballot and voter affidavit that can be submitted electronically; ensuring that non-felons who are incarcerated who are currently eligible to vote are provided with voting information and materials to exercise their right to vote; and requiring the secretary of state to conduct a comprehensive public awareness campaign to publicize the new voting and registration options. “I’m proud to see the [bill] pass in the House and make its way to the governor’s desk,” said Sen. Barry Finegold (D-Andover), Senate Chair of the Committee on Election Laws and the co-sponsor of the bill. “When more people participate in voting, democracy wins.” “I am concerned about the amount of money we are spending mailing out mail-in ballot applications when there are plenty of ways a voter can request a mail-in ballot if they want one,” said Rep. Colleen Garry (D-Dracut), the only Democrat to vote against the measure. “I would rather see these funds go to something more productive like free IDs so that everyone has an ID to vote, open bank accounts and get certain medications that require IDs. We are also putting a tremendous amount of work on our town clerks, especially in our smaller communities like in my district.” "We are thrilled that both the House and Senate have voted in support of the [bill],” said the group MassVOTE. “Even though this version of [the bill] does lack a provision we have long supported—Election Day Registration—we are very glad to see that popular pro-voter policies like mail-in voting, expanded early voting and jail-based voting are included, and will soon become law.” “As a general rule, we should be promoting voting in person and on Election Day,” said Paul Craney, spokesman for the Mass Fiscal Alliance. “Anytime a voter loses control of their ballot before it’s given to an election official, it’s possible it could be lost or altered. The Postal Service cannot guarantee a 100 percent delivery rate.” (A “Yes” vote is for the bill. A “No” vote is against it.) Rep. Paul Donato Rep. Steven Ultrino Yes Yes COMPREHENSIVE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PACKAGE (H 4879) House 155-0, approved a bill designed to make mental health care more accessible in the Bay State. Provisions include the implementation of the nationwide 988 hotline to access 24/7 suicide prevention and behavioral health crisis services; a public awareness campaign on the state’s red flag laws that limit access to guns for people at risk of hurting themselves or others; creation of online portals that provide access to real-time data on youth and adults seeking mental health and substance use services, including a function that allows health care providers to easily search and find open beds; giving the state additional tools to enforce existing parity laws which are aimed at providing equal benefits for physical and mental health treatment; and requiring insurance coverage of critical behavioral health services. “Everyone deserves access to quality mental health services, yet far too many people face unnecessary barriers to care,” said Rep. Adrian Madaro (D-East Boston), House Chair of the Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery Committee. “This bill reaffirms the House's commitment to increasing access to behavioral health care across Massachusetts. For too long, the healthcare system has not treated behavioral health as equal to physical health, creating obstacles in addressing the mental health crisis, which has only been exacerbated by the pandemic. That’s why this timely piece of legislation makes critical steps toward prioritizing mental health services for people across the commonwealth, including our youth who have been acutely affected, and those who face challenges in getting the care they need. These policies reflect our strong belief that behavioral health care is essential." “I’m proud of the legislation passed by the House today that builds on our long-standing efforts to advance important reforms and substantial investments that are aimed at improving our behavioral health care delivery system,” said Speaker of the House Ron Mariano (D-Quincy). “From addressing the behavioral health crisis that our young people are currently experiencing, to our efforts to alleviate emergency department boarding, to provisions that will bring us closer to treating mental and physical health equally, this legislation will benefit all residents in the commonwealth when accessing critical health care." The Senate approved its own version of the bill in November. A House-Senate conference committee will likely hammer out a compromised version. (A “Yes” vote is for the bill.) Rep. Paul Donato Rep. Steven Ultrino Yes Yes ALSO UP ON BEACON HILL THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS HEALTHCARE – Massachusetts’ health care system is ailing in the lingering aftermath of the COVID-19 crisis. Hospitals are suffering severe financial losses, putting smaller providers in peril as the larger players look to expand and consolidate. Behavioral health has become an acute priority in a system with limited capacity. Join the State House News Service and MASSterList for an in-person convening of government and industry leaders on the challenges and opportunities within the commonwealth’s health care system on Tuesday, June 28 at the Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education (MCLE) at 10 Winter Place in Boston. Doors open at 7:30 a.m. for networking and light refreshments, with the program beginning at 8:30 a.m. Sign up at: https://www. eventbrite.com/e/the-state-ofmassachusetts-health-care-tickets-358812496837?aff=BHRC SALES TAX HOLIDAY ON AUGUST 13 AND 14 - The House and Senate set Saturday, August 13 and Sunday, August 14 as this year’s Sales Tax Holiday. This will allow consumers to buy most products that cost under $2,500 on those two days without paying the state's 6.25 percent sales tax. This annual sales-tax-free weekend was made permanent in 2018 and gives the Legislature the authority to set the dates by June 15 each year. Supporters of the holiday say it has been in effect for many years, would boost retail sales and noted that consumers would save millions of dollars. They argue that the state's sales tax revenue loss would be offset by increased revenue from the meals and gas tax revenue generated by shoppers on those two days. Opponents of the bill say the state cannot afford the up to $30 million estimated revenue loss and argued the holiday actually generates little additional revenue for stores because consumers typically buy the products even without the tax-free days. They say that the Legislature should be looking at broader, deeper tax relief for individuals and businesses and not a tiny tax-free holiday. BORROW $5 BILLION FOR STATE PROJECTS (S 2920) – The Senate approved, on a voice vote without a roll call vote, a $5 billion bond bill that borrows money for hundreds of construction projects—the majority involving maintenance and modernization projects of buildings related to health care, higher education, information technology, workforce development, the environment and affordable housing. Many of the buildings are decades old. The Senate added millions of dollars during consideration of the package. A key provision imposes a five-year moratorium on any prison or jail construction in Massachusetts. “We need a five-year pause on new jail and prison construction and prison expansion to ensure that the pathways away from incarceration for women and for men, pathways that the House and Senate helped create, are being justly used and often used, "said Sen. Jo Comerford(D-Northampton). “These investments will kickstart important projects related to buildings, infrastructure, polBHRC | SEE PAGE 14

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