Page 16 THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, September 19, 2025 BHRC | FROM PAGE 13 the public school setting is a step toward ensuring the whole child is considered when it comes to education,” said sponsor Sen. Ryan Fattman (R-Spencer). “Science continues to show the harmful impact of food dyes on children, especially when it comes to their ability to focus which is crucial to learning. The impact of this change would be minor to school districts but major for students who are impacted by these harmful chemicals." ALLOW DOCTORS TO DISPENSE HEARING AIDS (H 367) – The Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure held a hearing on a bill that would allow Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) doctors to dispense hearing aids by audiologists in the ENT doctor’s office. Massachusetts is one of only two states that does not allow this. Current Massachusetts law requires anyone needing hearing aids to make a separate appointment with an audiologist outside of an ENT office to obtain hearing aids. Sponsor Rep. Carole Fiola (D-Fall River) said the proposal would eliminate the need to make multiple appointments and would make treatment seamless and convenient to patients. “There are [currently] numerous obstacles for those who need to go to separate offices to obtain hearing aids, especially those who are caretakers, elderly or with low income, because of transportation and scheduling,” said Fiola. BAN HOSTILE ARCHITECTURE THAT TARGETS THE HOMELESS (H 3307) – A proposal heard by the State Administration and Regulatory Oversight Committee would prohibit the state, the MBTA and cities and towns from constructing “hostile architecture” that supporters of the ban say targets the homeless and tries to push them out of certain areas. The bill defines hostile architecture as “any building or structure that is designed or intended to prevent unhoused individuals from sitting or lying on the building or structure at street level.” “Designing public spaces that are hostile to people experiencing homelessness does nothing to address the problem of homelessness,” said sponsor Rep. Mike Connolly (D-Cambridge). “In fact, designing public spaces with hostile architecture merely sends the issue further away from public view making it more dangerous for those who need both short-term help and longer-term policy.” Supporters say that family homelessness in Greater Boston has doubled over the last decade, shelters are overcrowded and waiting lists for affordable housing are in the tens of thousands. They note that policies that sterilize the homelessness crisis in public spaces are not only inhumane, but they also only serve to mask the problem. According to Robert Rosenberger, an associate professor of philosophy at Georgia Institute of Technology, who has studied and written extensively on the subject, hostile architecture includes armrests that divide benches so that the bench is not long enough to sleep on, sprinklers that are turned on at night and certain trash cans. “Garbage cans … serve several functions for people living unhoused,” said Rosenberger. “Some people use garbage cans as a source of recyclable materials [which] can often be exchanged for a small sum of money. Garbage cans are also sometimes approached as a source of discarded food.” He notes that many newer garbage cans are built so that people cannot reach inside them to obtain recycled bottles or cans or leftover food. SIMPLE LANGUAGE ON THE STATE’S WEBSITE (H 3378) – Another bill before the State Administration and Regulatory Oversight Committee would require the state’s chief digital officer to improve the web sites and services for state executive offices and agencies by requiring the use of plain and simple language consistent with the average reading comprehension level of Massachusetts, as determined by the commissioner of elementary and secondary education. "This bill was inspired by a conversation I had with a constituent who retired from working in a state agency,” said sponsor Rep. David LeBoeuf (D-Worcester). “In his work, he noticed many of the forms, web portals and other resources used technical legal terms. This can inadvertently lead to residents filling them out inaccurately or not fully comprehending particular requirements. This bill would encourage greater partnerships between our technical services teams and state agencies to enhance user experience of online forms and find ways to make these improved forms available in alternative ways to individuals without internet access.” “This bill seeks to clarify language used by government offices for the common person here in Massachusetts that may not understand the phraseology used by the university crowd that our current website design caters to,” said Rep. John Gaskey (R-Carver) who signed on as one of the co-sponsors of the bill. “As more and more functions continue to become web centric, we are leaving people that do not 'live' online behind and by simplifying design and language, and offering an analog alternative ensures that all people can find and do what they need to on government sites. Remember, we are by the people and for the people.” QUOTABLE QUOTES “All students should be taught about 9/11 and its aftermath, which is a tragic and important piece of both our state and our nation's history. I've directed the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education and the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to work together to ensure that it is fully incorporated into school curriculum frameworks.” ---Gov. Maura Healey. “This is the kind of common-sense policy approach we need to boost housing production and ease the affordability crisis in the commonwealth. Instead of complex mandates, new costs and taxes, or burdensome regulation of private development, the Healey-Driscoll Administration offers a streamlined, predictable approval process for the types of housing developments we can and should encourage.” ---James Rooney, President and CEO of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce supporting the New Streamlined Approval Process for Housing Development in Massachusetts. “Our investments in community transportation are about connecting people to jobs, schools and services today and into the future. The projects supported through the Transportation Management Associations Program are vital to building a more reliable, resilient and accessible transportation network. I look forward to seeing this program continue to grow and serve our communities for years to come.” --- Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt announcing the awarding of $3 million in funding to support projects which encourage transportation alternatives and expand workforce transportation options in communities across the state. “We are thrilled that Hasbro has chosen Massachusetts as the home of its new headquarters, and we're ready to support the hundreds of jobs they will create here. We're proud to welcome this iconic company to Team Massachusetts — where we are number one for education, health care and innovation, and ranked the best state to live in, to raise a family, to be a woman and to be a working parent. ---Gov. Maura Healey on toy company Hasbro’s announcement that the company has signed a lease to relocate its Rhode Island operations to Massachusetts. 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 Sept. 8-12, the House met for a total of two hours and 17 minutes and the Senate met for a total of two hours and 52 minutes. Mon. Sept. 8 House11:05 a.m. to 11:27 a.m. Senate 11:10 a.m. to 11:31 a.m. Tues.Sept. 9 No House session No Senate session Wed. Sept.10 No House session No Senate session Thurs. Sept.11 House11:34 a.m. to1:29p.m. Senate 11:09 a.m. to1:40p.m. Fri. Sept. 12 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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