THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, August 29, 2025 Page 19 BHRC | FROM PAGE19 would be allowed to use biometrics to allow customers to voluntarily verify their identity at the point of sale. Violations by a grocery store would result in the store being fined for the amount of actual damages or $5,000, whichever is higher. According to the website SupermarketNews.com, the biometrics can often involve the scanning of customer fingerprints or retinas. “I filed this bill after learning that the largest grocery store chain in the U.S. is rolling out facial recognition technology and electronic price tags,” said sponsor Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa (D-Northampton). “These technologies, when put together, allow grocery stores to identify individual customers, their characteristics like race and gender and shopping habits. It has been shown time and time again that pricing algorithms are designed to take more money out of consumer pockets, and there is no place for this at the grocery store.” In April at a public hearing, Woodrow Hartzog, a professor at Boston University's School of Law, told the Committee on Advanced Information Technology, the Internet and Cybersecurity that surveillance pricing allows companies to figure out the highest price that customers are willing to pay. "This disastrous practice leads to price gouging, discrimination by proxy, an inability to budget, data hoarding and the suffocating feeling that every choice you make while shopping is a trap," said Hartzog. "This bill would prohibit food stores from using tools like facial recognition to charge people different prices and provide vital breathing room for customers, while still allowing for people to receive discounts." At the April hearing, Edgar Dworsky, a former assistant attorney general in consumer protection, questioned legislators’ concerns over surveillance pricing. He suggested that supermarkets would likely use expanded personal data to offer targeted discounts to shoppers -- rather than hitting them with steeper prices. “That would echo how supermarkets have used data gathered from loyalty programs to offer personalized discounts,” Dworsky wrote in written testimony. "Your bill, however, would prevent stores from using any biometric data collected to offer lower prices to identified shoppers," continued Dworsky, who is also founder of Consumer World. "That strikes me as anti-consumer. If you are not banning the collection of biometric data to start with, why not simply prevent its use for the purpose of imposing higher than the standard or established price?" The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Massachusetts said that it supports the legislation but wants the protections to be expanded to all goods, not just food. "Prohibit surveillance-pricing generally, not just pricing driven by biometric surveillance," the ACLU suggested in written testimony. "Charging different customers different prices for the same product based on a personal profile is problematic whether that profile is derived from a person's biometrics or other personal data." QUOTABLE QUOTES “Massachusetts is moving faster to create reasonably-priced housing and revitalize our downtowns. This new tax credit helps communities turn empty commercial space into homes – bringing people, energy and small-business customers back to main streets while tackling our housing shortage.” ---Gov. Maura Healey announcing $10 million in tax credits to help convert underused commercial buildings into residential and mixed-use housing across Massachusetts. “These grants invest in the police officers and firefighters who put their lives on the line to protect our communities. Recognizing the urgent needs faced by many departments, we were quickly able to adapt this year’s program, providing greater flexibility and immediate access to funds. These changes will have an immediate impact on public safety in Massachusetts communities.” ---Office of Grants and Research executive Director Kevin Stanton on awarding $5.7 million to cities and towns to support local fire and police staffing. ~ Legal Notice ~ PUBLIC NOTICE Notice of Public Hearing, and 2024 Draft Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER) 15-Day Public Comment Period The Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development (OSPCD) is in the process of drafting the Program Year 2024 Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report (CAPER). The CAPER will be available for public review and comment for 15 days – September 12, 2025 through September 26, 2025. The CAPER describes how the City’s Community Development Block Grant and the North Suburban Consortium’s HOME grant funds were expended from July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2025 to carry out housing, homeless and community development objectives, strategies, and activities outlined in the City’s 2024 Annual Action Plan. All written comments received will be included in the final CAPER sent to HUD along with the City’s responses. Copies of the draft report will be available at https://www.cityofmalden.org/873/ HUD-Reports-and-Notices. Printed copies will also available for public review by appointment starting September 13, from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Monday through Thursday at the OSPCD Office at 215 Pleasant Street, Third Floor, Malden, MA. If you wish to pick-up a hard copy of the draft CAPER, please email Paul Goldstein, HOME Program Director, at pgoldstein@cityofmalden.org to make an appointment. Written comments may be submitted to Paul Goldstein, HOME Program Director, by email to pgoldstein@cityofmalden.org or in writing to OSPCD, Malden City Hall, Third Floor, Malden, MA 02148. Please include “CAPER” in the subject line. For consideration, comments must be received no later than September 26, 2025. A public hearing will be held on September 18, 2025 at 5:30 PM, a Malden City Hall in conference room 113. Residents requiring accommodations, translation, or interpretation services should contact Paul Goldstein, at 781-324-5720 x5731 or pgoldstein@cityofmalden.org. August 29, 2025 “Ensuring that adequate remedial measures are in place to maintain a safe environment for student athletes of color during sporting events is impossible while the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) refuses to release records about its practices and protocols for addressing the rising number of discriminatory incidents.” ---Sophia Hall, Lawyers for Civil Rights Deputy Litigation Director, on filing a lawsuit against the MIAA seeking public records regarding incidents of discrimination, harassment and bullying at sporting events sponsored by the MIAA. “The commission amplifies the voices of women and girls, with commissioners shaping policy by studying key issues, advising on legislation and fostering collaboration across the commonwealth. We seek commissioners who reflect our commonwealth’s diversity and bring passion, expertise and collaboration to improve access to opportunities and equality for all.” ---Rep. Hannah Kane (R-Shrewsbury), announcing the seeking of applicants to serve on the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women - a state-established body charged with reviewing the status of women in Massachusetts and offering recommendations regarding policy that would improve access to opportunities and equality. The application deadline is Monday, September 15, 2025, at 5 p.m. More info at https://masscsw.org/ 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 filed. They note that the infrequency and brief length of sessions are misguided and lead to irresponsible latenight 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 August 18-22, the House met for a total of one hour and 25 minutes and the Senate met for a total of one hour and 27 minutes. Mon. August 18 House11:01 a.m. to 12:09 p.m. Senate 11:16 a.m. to 12:10 p.m. Tues.August 19 No House session No Senate session Wed. August 20 No House session No Senate session Thurs. August 21 House11:01 a.m. to 11:18a.m. Senate 11:06 a.m. to 11:39a.m. Fri. August 22 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 (NENPA) Hall of Fame in 2019.
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