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THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, October 9, 2020 Page 15 ed, no system exists to identify caretakers and prevent them from finding employment with another provider licensed by the state. “Enacting this registry will help disrupt a cycle of abuse of individuals with disabilities and put in place common-sense protections that families in the commonwealth deserve,” said Sen. Moore. “There are clear benefits to screening prospective employees who intend to work within the licensed caretaker field." (A “Yes” vote is for the bill.) Rep. Paul DonatoYes Rep. Steven Ultrino Yes Sen. Jason LewisYes $1 BILLION-PLUS INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY BOND (H 4932) House 155-4, Senate 39-0, approved a $1 billion-plus information technology bond titled “An Act Financing the General Governmental Infrastructure of the Commonwealth.” The state borrows the funds to finance the projects in the package. “We are pleased to have worked closely with the Legislature to sign this bill into law and continue investing in information technology improvements, public safety upgrades and food security across the commonwealth,” said Gov. Baker. “We are continuing to support critical capital investments that modernize our technology infrastructure and allow us to deliver effective and reliable government services for the people of Massachusetts during the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic.” “The Legislature is using a new tactic, which is to borrow money in hopes the public doesn’t catch on,” said Paul Craney, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance. “If this package was funded through tax hikes, there would have been a more robust debate for how to pay for it. Many of the election year pet project earmarks would have been left out. Unfortunately, lawmakers know the public doesn’t pay attention to state debt, so they were able to add more debt to the most indebted state in the country.” Hundreds of provisions in the bill include massive state projects including $165 million for state telecommunications and data-security-related equipment; $140 million for the purchase and implementation of information technology, telecommunications and data-security-related items for various state agencies; $1.25 million for information technology upgrades for the House of Representatives; $40 million to replace State Police cruisers; and $20 million for policy body cameras. Rep. Paul DonatoYes Rep. Steven Ultrino Yes Sen. Jason LewisYes IMPROVEMENTS TO LOCAL AND REGIONAL PUBLIC HEALTH SYSTEM (H 4503) House 149-0, (Senate on a voice vote without a roll call), approved a law to improve the delivery of public health services through enhanced collaboration between local boards of health and regional health districts. A key provision creates a State Action for Public Health Excellence Program to encourage boards of health and regional health districts to adopt practices that will improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the delivery of local public health services. The program would also provide grants to improve these health systems and requires not less than 33 percent of the grants go to cities and towns with a median household income below the state average. Other provisions include the state providing at least four annual free public health educational and training opportunities to boards of health and regional health district officials; and setting minimum standards for local public health services. Each of the state’s 351 cities and towns has its own board of health which is designed to ensure many health-related items including food safety in restaurants, response to public health emergencies, housing code violations and water quality at beaches and pools. Cities and towns have vastly different staffing levels and most small towns lack a full-time staff. “Public health departments of the 351 communities of the commonwealth deal with issues seen and unseen across a wide range, from water quality and effective sanitation to substance use disorders and suicide prevention,” said the bill’s co-sponThe package also includes hundreds of local projects successfully sought by individual legislators for their districts including $500,000 for New Bedford’s Buttonwood Park Zoological Society’s infrastructure improvements for the animal ambassador and nature connection education center projects; $61,200 to update the town hall conference room’s streaming technology for the local cable services in Stoughton; $15,000 for Medfield for the implementation of an electronic payroll program; and $1 million for Everett for electronic learning devices for all Everett students and virtual professional development, training and remote learning support for their teachers. (A "Yes" vote is for the bill. A “No” vote is against it.) sor Rep. Denise Garlick (D-Needham). “These are the issues and concerns of the quality of life in Massachusetts. This bill is vitally important and timely given our current concerns over emergency preparedness with infectious diseases such as … [the coronavirus].” “This legislation will work toward ensuring each resident of the commonwealth has access to the public health services they need to live a healthy life, regardless of their zip code or the size of their community,” said co-sponsor Rep. Hannah Kane (R-Shrewsbury). “[The bill] will significantly strengthen our local and regional health systems by tackling many of the financial and operational burdens municipalities face.” (A “Yes” vote is for the bill.) Rep. Paul DonatoYes Rep. Steven Ultrino Yes HELP CITY AND TOWN GOVERNMENTS (H 4777) House 156-0, (Senate on a voice vote without a roll call), approved a law that would lower the number of voters needed at an open town meeting in order to have a quorum. Other provisions include allowing virtual representative town meetings to be held online and allowing towns to hold town meetings outside the geographic limits of the town if the select board determines that it is not possible to conduct town meetings within the geographic limits of the town that ensures health and safety. Another key section allows a mayor who is unable to submit an annual budget for fiscal year 2021 to the city council within 170 days after his or her inauguration to submit the budget to the city council within 30 days after the termination of the governor’s declaration of emergency, or on July 31, 2020, whichever is earlier. Supporters said it is essential to provide municipalities with the flexibility they need to run their government. They said the bill would allow cities and towns to function while still being fiscally responsible and maintaining the health and safety of voters. (A "Yes" vote is for the bill.) Rep. Paul DonatoYes Rep. Steven Ultrino Yes MOSQUITO CONTROL (H 4843) House 158-0, (Senate on a voice vote without a roll call), approved a law that would grant additional tools to the State Reclamation and Mosquito Control Board to combat mosquito-borne illnesses including Eastern Equine Encephalitis (EEE) and West Nile Virus (WNV). The measure gives the board the authority to take preventative, management and eradicative mosquito control methods to address the problem when the risk is elevated. The board must notify local authorities, property owners, agricultural entities and other stakeholders about spraying plans, products and timelines. Other provisions include allowing cities and towns to opt out of mosquito control efforts if they provide a suitable alternative control plan; requiring the board after each spraying action to provide a written report summarizing efforts and details of products used to stakeholders; and creating a Mosquito Control for the 21st Century Task Force to develop a sustainable, long-term mosquito plan using input from a number of stakeholders and experts with the goals of protecting public health while minimizing environmental impacts. “As we enter peak mosquito season, I am proud to have worked on and passed urgent and comprehensive EEE legislation that enables the commonwealth to prevent and manage this mosquito borne illness,” said Rep. John Mahoney (D-Worcester). “This legislation thoughtfully addresses the concerns of public health experts, environmental health advocates, local boards of health and our municipalities as we work to mitigate this concerning public health matter.” “With this bill, we’re ensuring that the Department of Public Health can respond to the most imminent health concerns posed by EEE, while moving the commonwealth toward a more sustainable, comprehensive, and environmentally protective plan for the future,” said Rep. Carolyn Dykema (D-Holliston). “Cases of EEE and WNV are on the rise and we need to be vigilant," said Rep. Josh Cutler (D-Duxbury). “Mosquitoes don’t stop at the town line, so having a coordinated, statewide approach is necessary. This legislation also ensures that voices of farmers, and the impacts on our water supplies and organic agriculture are included.” During the hearing on the original version of the legislation in May, many groups and individuals testified against the bill. They expressed concern about land, rivers and wetlands conservation, organic agriculture, wildlife and exposure to toxic chemicals. About 20 minutes after the House approved the bill, public health officials announced that this year’s first case of WNV has been found in mosquitoes collected in Belmont. No human or animal cases have yet been identified. The DPH has advised residents to protect themselves by using mosquito repellents with an EPA-registered active ingredient; wearing long pants, a longsleeved shirt and socks when outdoors; keeping mosquitoes out of your home by repairing any holes in your screens and making sure they are tightly attached to all your doors and windows; and removing areas of standing water around your home. More details on how to protect yourself can be found at https://www.mass.gov/service-details/west-nile-virus-wnv (A “Yes" vote is for the bill.) Rep. Paul DonatoYes Rep. Steven Ultrino Yes 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 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 September 28-October 2, the House met for a total of 27 minutes while the Senate met for a total of 24 minutes. Mon. Sept. 28 House 11:03 a.m. to 11:13 a.m. Senate 11:26 a.m. to 11:35 a.m. Tues. Sept. 29 No House session No Senate session Wed. Sept. 30 No House session No Senate session Thurs. Oct. 1 House 11:00 a.m. to 11:17 a.m. Senate 11:13 a.m. to 11:28 a.m. Fri. Oct. 2 No House session No Senate session Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com

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