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Page 16 BHRC | FROM PAGE 14 budget cuts, and it would severely limit the state’s ability to recover from recessions. Question 5 is great for multi-millionaires who don't rely on public services, but it would be terrible for the rest of us." WHAT YOUR VOTE DOES: A “Yes” vote would limit state revenue to the net amount of state revenue from the prior year, increased by a rate equal to the average growth of wages and salaries in Massachusetts over the most recent three years and return the excess amount to taxpayers. A “No” vote would make no changes to the laws governing the amount of revenue the state can collect. BALLOT QUESTION 6 – Here is a look at Question 6: QUESTION 6: THIS PROPOSED LAW WOULD ESTABLISH A “NATURE FOR ALL FUND” THAT WOULD RECEIVE 50% OF STATE TAXES COLLECTED FROM THE SALE AND USE OF SPORTING GOODS, RECREATIONAL VEHICLES AND GOLF COURSES FOR THE FIRST YEAR OF ITS OPERATION AND 100 PERCENT IN THE FOLLOWING YEARS. This question asks voters if they approve of establishing a “Nature for All Fund” that, subject to appropriation by the Legislature, would receive 50% of state taxes collected from the sale and use of sporting goods, recreational vehicles and golf courses for the first year of its operation and 100% in subsequent years. The proposed law would allow the state Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs to spend the money in the fund for natural resource conservation and would also allow public and private donations to the fund. Natural resource conservation would include the conservation or restoration of land to protect drinking water, streams, rivers, lakes, coasts, farms, forests, connectivity between open spaces and lands and natural resources of indigenous cultural significance, as well as the creation, improvement and management of parks, trails, greenspaces and outdoor recreation access. WHAT SUPPORTERS TOLD BEACON HILL ROLL CALL "Mass Audubon, the Trustees, the Conservation Law Foundation and more than 125 organizations across Massachusetts support Question 6 because we see an urgent need to protect clean drinking water, preserve forests and wildlife habitats, build more trails and parks, and increase access to the outdoors and nature for everyone in the commonwealth,” said Andrew Farnitano, a spokesperson for Mass Audubon. “Question 6 would dedicate funds from the existing state sales tax we already pay on sporting goods like camping gear, golf clubs, and fishing equipment to a new “Nature for All Fund,” without raising taxes one cent. That means as much as $100 million each year — just 0.16% of the overall state budget — for permanently protecting and conserving water and nature.” Farnitano continued, “And Question 6 comes with real accountability: a public oversight board that approves all spending and strict annual reporting requirements so the public can see how every dollar is spent. A “Yes” on 6 will permanently protect the places we love by conserving forests, farms and wildlife habitats, reducing pollution in our rivers and streams and creating and improving local parks. I'll also note that there is no organized opposition to Question 6.” WHAT OPPONENTS TOLD BEACON HILL ROLL CALL There is no organized group urging a “No” vote on this question so Beacon Hill Roll Call could not reach out to such a group. Opponents in general said that the law would create an unstable fiscal framework by permanently earmarking 100% of state sales tax revenues from sporting goods, recreational vehicles and golf courses. They noted that currently that revenue goes to existing ongoing programs and that redirecting it would require the reallocation or reduction of funds presently directed toward these other state initiatives, raising questions of opportunity costs and the potential displacement of existing infrastructure and environmental funding priorities. WHAT YOUR VOTE DOES: THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, October 16, 2026 A “Yes” vote would create a fund that would be utilized for natural resource conservation. A “No” vote would make no changes to the laws governing natural resources conservation. ALSO UP ON BEACON HILL RENAME COLUMBUS DAY (S 2113/H 3292) – A bill sponsored by Sen. Jo Comerford (D-Northampton) would designate the second Monday in October, now known as Columbus Day, as Indigenous Peoples Day and recommend appropriate exercises in schools to acknowledge the history of genocide and discrimination against Indigenous people. Rep. Christine Barber (D-Somerville) filed the same bill in the House. Both bills are tired up in committee and have yet to reach the House or Senate floor for debate and a vote. The measure met the same fate in the 2021-2022 and 20232024 Legislature. “Christopher Columbus did not discover the Americas,” said Comerford. “That long-perpetuated myth — rooted in racism and violence — credits a European man with ‘discovering’ a land already home to thriving societies, cultures, governments, language and economies. Our commonwealth is home to sovereign tribal nations and Indigenous communities whose knowledge, leadership, stewardship, art, scholarship and advocacy shape Massachusetts today. They have protected this land, preserved its stories and insisted that we confront a history that has too often been erased or sanitized.” Comerford continued, “We must listen to them. We must learn from them. And we must honor them. We cannot do that while continuing to honor Christopher Columbus.” This year, Columbus Day is on October 13 so any name change, if approved, would have to wait until 2027 to take effect. $403,500 TO PROMOTE SPECIALTY CROPS – The Healey Administration announced grants of $403,500 to six Massachusetts agricultural organizations to promote specialty crops to help local farms and producers bring more fresh fruits, dried fruits, vegetables, tree nuts, horticulture and nursery crops, including floriculture, to market. The measure is designed to help these local farms reach new customers and grow their businesses across the state. “Specialty crops set Massachusetts apart and are essential to the state’s agricultural identity,” said Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper. “These grants are aimed at helping our specialty crop producers compete in a crowded marketplace – by funding projects that improve quality, expand marketing and create new opportunities for local businesses.” “Specialty crops represent an enormous and essential part of our agricultural economy, and the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) is committed to providing the resources necessary to scale their production and increase marketplace visibility,” said MDAR Commissioner Ashley Randle. “Through this critical federal-state partnership, we are equipping our growers and commodity associations with the tools needed to drive consumer sales, strengthen supply chains and secure the long-term economic sustainability of Massachusetts agriculture.” CANNABIS CONTROL COMMISSION (CCC) CELEBRATES TEN YEARS OF ADULT USE OF CANNABIS – The CCC kicked off a multimedia initiative to mark ten years of adult-use cannabis in Massachusetts. The commission offers insights into how the industry has become an economic force with hundreds of businesses that employ tens of thousands and has generated nearly $2 billion in state and local tax revenue. The initiative will include a dedicated webpage featuring economic data and a video capturing the highlights of the industry over the last decade. The public will also be able to view initiative materials via the agency’s Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube and X pages. “After ten years, cannabis businesses are familiar, becoming part of everyday life in hundreds of communities across the state,” Commissioner Anthony Wilson said. “As a commissioner, I’m looking forward to shaping the next decade of the industry by working to improve and update our policies to support the growth of the industry and to protect health and safety, including the safety of workers in the industry and the safety of products available in the marketplace.” The initiative is launching just a few weeks before Bay State voters will vote on November 3 on a ballot question asking them if they favor repealing the law making recreational use of marijuana by adults legal. Some supporters of repealing the law say that the timing of the initiative is not coincidental and is designed to use state revenues, which fund the commission, to help defeat the ballot question. ELIMINATE THE STATUTE OF LIMITATIONS FOR CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE – A new poll shows 84 percent of Massachusetts voters support eliminating the statute of limitations for child sexual abuse, and that 67 percent say this should be a high priority for legislators. The poll was conducted for and released by the Bay State-based organization Enough Abuse, the nation’s oldest citizen-based child advocacy organization. The poll comes on the heels of Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s report detailing the findings of her office’s investigation into child sexual abuse in the Catholic Dioceses of Fall River, Springfield and Worcester.The investigation found evidence that more than 270 Catholic clerics abused nearly 1,000 children at the three dioceses. 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 BHRC| SEE PAGE 18

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