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THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, September 18, 2026 Page 13 of the representative from Quincy. Voters should ask themselves if that is representation enough for them.” PERCENTAGE OF TIMES LOCAL SREPRESENTATIVES VOTED WITH THEIR PARTY'S LEADERSHIP IN 2026 THROUGH SEPT. 11 The percentage next to the representative's name represents the percentage of times the representative supported his or her party’s leadership in 2026 through September 11. The number in parentheses represents the number of times the representative opposed his or her party’s leadership. Some representatives voted on all 125 roll call votes. Others missed one or more roll calls. The percentage for each representative is calculated based on the number of roll calls on which he or she voted. Rep. Paul Donato 100 percent (0) Rep. Steven Ultrino 100 percent (0) ALSO UP ON BEACON HILL STREAMLINE NEW HOUSING – The Pioneer Institute issued a report that it says identifies ten straightforward permitting and administrative changes that can be initiated by cities and towns without waiting for lawmakers on Beacon Hill to act. The report says action by cities and towns can “reduce the time and cost of building new homes, at a time when housing costs are helping drive residents to lower-cost states.” “We keep hearing the same story: families and employers are choosing New Hampshire, Rhode Island or states further afield because it’s simply cheaper to live and build there,” said Jim Stergios, executive director of the institute. “Municipalities can’t single-handedly fix the state’s housing shortage, but they don’t have to wait for Beacon Hill to stop making it worse. This paper gives them a concrete roadmap to clear out the friction in their own back offices.” The suggested changes include making online permitting information clear, easily accessible and consistent with zoning; using a standardized online portal for permit application submittals; offering developers a pre-application meeting with municipal department heads and local board members; coordinating peer reviews early in the process; requiring training for local board members; and minimizing the number of local officials who hold sway over subjective criteria. “Much of the delay and added cost in residential permitting is invisible to the public,” said Andrew Mikula, Pioneer Institute’s Chief Housing Economist and the author of the report. “Contentious town meeting and city council votes make headlines, but there is real potential for streamlining and standardization in the back-office interactions between applicants, staff and volunteer board members that happen long before any public hearing.” BROWNSBERGER WINS RECOUNT – Sen. Will Brownsberger (D-Belmont) eked out a 35vote victory in a recount of the votes in the Senate Suffolk and Middlesex District which consists of Belmont, Watertown and parts of Boston and Cambridge. Brownsberger, a key member of Senate President Spilka’s leadership team, also presides over most Senate sessions. He edged out challenger Daniel Lander of Boston who was backed by Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. This race became a proxy war over some voters’ dissatisfaction with the Beacon Hill status quo and a test of Wu's political strength after Brownsberger helped defeat her tax reclassification push in 2024. Wu’s proposal would have allowed the city of Boston to shift more of its property tax burden onto commercial real estate in fiscal years 2027 through 2029. In a statement about the recount results, Lander congratulated Brownsberger and said his own campaign showed "this district is hungry for change." "While this race did not end as we'd hoped, I am so deeply proud of the campaign we built,” said Lander. "I know we have woken up the State Senate and sent a message loud and clear that the days of delay and inaction must end now." “I am just grateful to be able to continue to serve,” Brownsberger said. “I look forward to getting back to work.” $10 BILLION IN MARIJUANA SALES—The Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) announced that Massachusetts marijuana establishments have exceeded $10 billion in all-time gross sales. The milestone comes nearly a decade after voters approved adultuse cannabis in the November 2016 election, and nearly eight years after the November 2018 opening of the state’s first two adult-use retail stores opened in Northampton and Leicester. “The adult-use cannabis market has grown quickly since the first retail stores opened in 2018, and now reliably generates more than $1.5 billion in gross sales annually,” said CCC Executive Director Travis Ahern. “As the industry enters its next phase with new license types and operators, we look forward to continuing our mission of overseeing a safe, equitable cannabis market for Massachusetts consumers and patients.” “The licensees that comprise the adult-use industry deserve congratulations for safely growing the industry from scratch and providing a significant return to Massachusetts taxpayers through sales, excise and local taxes along the way,” noted Commissioner Anthony Wilson. “As commissioners, we will continue the work of making sure the industry continues to grow carefully, safely and equitably.” CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE – The House and Senate in July approved two different versions of a primary care and health care affordability bill. The House version includes a provision that would eliminate the civil statute of limitations for childhood sexual abuse. The Senate version does not include that provision. A House-Senate conference committee is working on hammering out a compromise version of the two bills. Under current law, effective for abuse that took place after June 26, 2014, survivors must sue within 35 years of the abuse, or within seven years of discovering that the abuse caused them psychological harm. However, the clock does not start ticking until the survivor turns 18. In practice, that caps most claims around age 53 and leaves survivors whose window has already closed with no path back into court. Supporters say the provision would eliminate the deadlines that currently bar many survivors from ever bringing a civil claim. They note the provisions will open a two-year window allowing survivors whose claims have already expired under current law to revive them against both perpetrators and the institutions that enabled or concealed the abuse. Moving forward, it will also allow survivors to sue individuals and institutions responsible for their abuse at any point in their lives, with no filing deadline. Research cited by Enough Abuse shows that most survivors take years, often decades, to come forward. More than half delay disclosure by five years or more, and the typical age at first disclosure to anyone, including a spouse, is not until the survivor's 50s. Roughly one in five survivors never disclose their abuse at all. Male survivors tend to wait longest, often more than two decades. Enough Abuse argues that this pattern of delayed disclosure is caused by the abuse itself, through shame, fear and manipulation engineered by an abuser the child is taught to trust, and that a fixed civil deadline modeled on an ordinary accident claim misunderstands the long-lasting harm child sexual abuse causes. “Speaker Mariano and the House took a meaningful step forward for survivors, and we are deeply grateful for it,” said Jetta Bernier, executive director of Enough Abuse. “Survivors of childhood sexual abuse have waited long enough. The Senate now has the opportunity to stand with the House and make sure [the provision] is part of the final bill that goes to the governor this session.” “Massachusetts is among the weakest states in the country on this issue,” said Sen. Joan Lovely (D-Salem), who pointed out that 19 states, two territories and the federal government have already eliminated the civil statute of limitations for some or all childhood sexual abuse claims, and 31 states and three territories have enacted revival windows allowing survivors with expired claims to return to court. “Many abusers and the institutions that protect them have not had to answer for what they did. They’ve just had to wait out the clock and let the statute of limitations run out. That is exactly what this legislation is designed to stop. Survivors in Massachusetts deserve no less than what most states have already done.” THE $72.80 PROJECT – Northampton 20-year-old Vassar College student Noah DaubeValois has launched the $72.80 Project, a podcast series spotlighting the financial realities faced by nursing home and rest home residents surviving on a $72.80 a month personal allowance. Currently, the Personal Needs Allowance (PNA), the monthly stipend Medicaid (MassHealth) recipients are permitted to retain from their income, is $72.80 to cover personal essentials not funded by facilities. Supporters note that In Massachusetts, one of the most expensive states in the country, the PNA has remained stagnant at $72.80 per month (roughly $2.40 per day) since fiscal year 2008. By contrast states such as Alaska allow up to $200 per month, Nevada provides $163 and Florida grants $160. Daube-Valois created the project after spending the summer coordinating activities for residents at Rockridge Retirement Community in Northampton. “Some of the activities I facilitate are trips to the Big Y and Walmart,” said Daube-Valois “Recently, an older resident broke down in tears explaining that on $72.80 a month, after meeting his personal care needs, he cannot even afford to take his grandson out for ice cream like his own grandfather did for him. When our elders are forced to ration basic dignity in one of the wealthiest states in the nation, policy has failed. I created this podcast to spark a multi-generational fight for the right thing to do.” The group Dignity Alliance Massachusetts has designated raising the PNA as one of its primary legislative priorities. Several measures, pending before the Legislature, propose increasing the monthly allowance and indexing future adjustments to inflation. “For nearly two decades, nursing home residents on MassHealth have had their discretionary income frozen while the cost of everyday living skyrocketed,” said former Sen. Dick Moore, chair of the Legislative Workgroup for Dignity Alliance Massachusetts. “Noah’s podcast brings human faces and lived experiences to numbers on a budget sheet. It’s past time for the LegBHRC | SEE PAGE 18

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