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THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, September 6, 2024 Page 15 Malden legislators celebrate $750,000 grant to expand access to preschool in Malden S tate Senator Jason Lewis and State Representatives Paul Donato, Steve Ultrino and Kate Lipper-Garabedian were pleased to announce that the Malden Public Schools have been awarded a $750,000 Commonwealth Preschool Partnerships Initiative (CPPI) Implementation Grant from the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care (EEC). CPPI Implementation Grants are awarded for the purpose of expanding high-quality pre-kindergarten or preschool opportunities for three- and four-year-old children. “Access to high-quality, affordable early education enhances the cognitive and social-emotional development BHRC | FROM PAGE 14 care workforce and permanently allows assisted living residences to offer basic health services to their residents.” “This landmark legislation is the culmination of years of advocacy and collaboration among so many people committed to improving life for our family, friends and neighbors residing or working in long-term care, assisted living and the community,” said Sen. Pat Jehlen (D-Somerville), Senate chair of the Elder Affairs Committee. “There is always more work to do but we have agreed on policy that will surely have a positive impact on quality of care, transparency and oversight and planning for the future.” “This bill is an important step toward ensuring older adults receive the care they need to be safe and healthy,” said Rep. Hannah Kane (R-Shrewsbury). “Strengthening oversight of long-term care facilities, requiring infectious disease outbreak plans, improving licensing requirements and other reforms … will protect vulnerable patients and provide the commonwealth with the tools needed to enforce the standards for long term care facilities.” CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE (S 2932) – The House last week gave initial approval to a bill, approved by the Senate in July, that would allow victims of child sexual abuse to file a civil suit, any time after the abuse took place, against an individual who sexually abused a minor or negligently supervised a person who sexually abused a minor. This would replace current law that places a statute of limitations which limits the time period during which a victim is allowed to sue, to the later of either 35 years after the abuse or seven of young children, enables parents to work and improves families’ economic well-being, and helps employers that are struggling with workforce shortages,” said Senator Lewis, who serves as the Senate Chair of the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Education. “I’m thrilled that Malden is receiving this sizable state grant to continue its efforts expanding access to high-quality preschool for Malden families.” “As a long-standing advocate for early education, I am very proud about the CPPI Implementation Grant, which will significantly expand high quality pre-kindergarten education opportunities,” said Representative Donato. “Early education years after discovery of damages relating to the abuse, with both timeframes beginning to run when the minor turns 18. Prior to 2014, the law allowed even less time to file a suit. The statute of limitations was limited to three years after a victim turned 18. That law was changed by the Legislature in 2014 to reflect current law. When the Senate first approved the bill on July 31, sponsor Sen. Joan Loverly (D-Salem) said, "Back in 2014, we passed a statute of limitations for civil claims of child sexual abuse that would allow claims up to 35 years after the victim turned 18, or until 53 years old. I questioned then, and over the last decade, what was the magic number of 53, and I couldn't find one. I couldn't find that answer. So I decided to dig in, to talk to advocates, to talk to survivors, to talk to the public safety [officials]." Lovely continued, "I want to thank all of the survivors in and out of my district who have come to me, including colleagues, who disclosed to me that at some point in their life they were sexually abused, but they choose not to come forward and disclose because of how painful it is. It really is lifelong pain and trauma." The bill is a "great thing" for survivors in Massachusetts, said Sandi Johnson, senior legislative policy counsel at the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network. "We believe that survivors should have access to justice, regardless of when they're able to access that justice,”said Johnson. “Eliminating that statute of limitations puts the focus back on whether or not there's enough evidence, rather than just arbitrary timelines. Trauma is not a timeline and can't be governed is the foundation for life-long learning and success. We must continue to ensure more families and children have access to the resources they need during these formative years. “I’m delighted that Malden is a recipient of the Commonwealth Preschool Partnership Initiative. As an educator, I know how important access to high-quality early education is for children and families,” said Representative Ultrino. “Through this grant, Malden is able to continue its efforts to ensure our youngest students are receiving affordable, high-quality education.” “As a former public school teacher, education attorney, and mother to two, I know how by a timeline." Reps. Ken Gordon (D-Bedford) and John Lawn (D-Watertown) who filed earlier versions of the bill, did not respond to repeated requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call asking them to comment on this bill. QUOTABLE QUOTES “We all have an important role to play in protecting civil rights, particularly at a time when societal divisions and political polarization have resulted in decreased civility and increased intolerance. The Healey-Driscoll Administration remains focused on developing and supporting the programs, policies and initiatives that strengthen Massachusetts’ ability to uphold our values and embrace our differences.” ---Public Safety and Security Secretary Terrence Reidy on the Healey administration’s convening a statewide Civil Rights Symposium for 200 law enforcement officers to promote justice, equity and civil rights protections for all Bay State residents and visitors. “One of my first commitments as governor was to launch this assessment across our administration with the goal of applying an equity lens to everything we do. If we want to break down barriers to accessing government service and ensure we are reaching every community, we need to be able to measure what’s working well and what needs improvement – and then we need to act.” ---Gov. Healey upon releasing a report on equity assessment which analyzed how each state agency can improve equity, accessibility and accountability. “We are thrilled and honored to be recognized once again by The invaluable this continuous investment in early education is. Investment in early education and care has been my top state priority,” said Representative Lipper-Garabedian. “This grant program will ensure continued access to early education and support our children on a path of life-long learning, more essential than ever in building resiliency. I am elated to see Malden Public Schools receive this funding to support families and young learners.” “Thank you to our State Delegation for prioritizing the importance of this program!” said Malden Mayor Gary Christenson. “Education is the key to success and this investment proPrinceton Review. This ranking is a reflection of the hard work and dedication of our entire Umass Dining team, who are committed to delivering an outstanding dining experience for our students every day. We believe that good food is essential to the well-being of our community, and we will continue to push the boundaries of what campus dining can be.” ---Ken Toong, assistant vice chancellor of Umass Auxiliary Enterprises, which includes Umass Dining, on Umass Amherst being rated number 1, for the 8th consecutive year, by The Princeton Review’s list of Best Campus Food, for its exceptional campus dining experience. “Today, the Massachusetts Republican Party is standing against the veil of secrecy and the obstructionist efforts of the HealeyDriscoll administration and the Democratic supermajority. We stand with the Massachusetts press corps in declaring: enough is enough. The public deserves transparency. Release the details on the vendors profiting from this crisis and the public safety issues affecting our communities. On behalf of Massachusetts residents, we are demanding accountability.” ---Massachusetts Republican Party Chair, Amy Carnevale, upon submitting FOIA requests for documents she says might expose $1 billion in Secret Migrant Crisis Spending as well as detailed information on 600 incidents involving police, fire and medical emergencies in state-funded emergency housing. HOW LONG WAS LAST WEEK’S SESSION? Beacon Hill Roll Call tracks the vides young students with the early experiences needed to build a strong foundation for later school success.” The City of Malden initially received a $50,000 CPPI Planning grant in 2022. In 2023, the city received a $750,000 CPPI Implementation grant, and it is now receiving an additional $750,000 state grant to continue and expand the work already underway. CPPI grants help foster partnerships between public K-12 school districts and community-based, EEC-licensed early education programs in order to expand access to high-quality preschool for young children and support the diverse needs of families. 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 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 August 26-30. the House met for a total of one hour and 15 minutes and the Senate met for a total of three hours and 50 minutes. Mon. August 26 House11:01 a.m. to 11:20 a.m. Senate 11:13 a.m. to 11:18 a.m. Tues.August 27 No House session No Senate session Wed. August 28 No House session No Senate session Thurs. August 29 House11:00 a.m. to 11:56a.m. Senate 11:16 a.m. to3:01 p.m. Fri. August 30 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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