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THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Wednesday, November 22, 2023 Page 17 BHRC | FROM PAGE 16 deserves our full attention, care and assistance,” said Sen. Mike Rodrigues (D-Westport), Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. “In addition, we allocated $378 million to fully fund all ratified Collective Bargaining Agreements, dedicated $15 million for climate change disaster relief and deposited $100 million to fully pay down the pension liability from the 2015 Early Retirement Incentive Program.” “I voted ‘no’ on the $250 million that the Healey Administration requested for the migrant crisis," said Sen. Ryan Fattman (R-Sutton)."If we continue on this path, it will cost taxpayers $1.2 billion this year alone with no end in sight. This will place substantial stress on other social safety net programs intended for Massachusetts residents.” The House has already approved a different version of the budget and a conference committee will eventually hammer out a compromise version. (A “Yes” vote is for the supplemental budget. A “No” vote is against it.) Sen. Jason Lewis Yes RESIDENCY REQUIREMENT (S 2502) Senate 3-36, rejected an amendment that would amend the state’s Right to Shelter Law which requires the state to provide shelter and other necessities to homeless parents with young children, pregnant women and recently the many migrant families arriving in the Bay State. Homeless individuals are not covered by the Right to Shelter law. The amendment would require that people provide proof that they have lived in the state for at least one year to qualify for the program. It also exempts from the requirement a victim of domestic violence or a person whose living situation has been affected by a fire or other natural disaster that occurred in Massachusetts. Amendment supporters said the current interpretation of residency in Massachusetts by the Healey administration is that the person can be in the state for a matter of minutes to qualify to get services. “During today’s Senate session I proposed an amendment that would restore the residency requirement for the emergency shelter program here in Massachusetts,” said amendment sponsor Sen. Ryan Fattman. “Unfortunately, the amendment was not adopted in the Senate. If we continue on this path and do not modify the state’s Right-to-Shelter Law, it will cost taxpayers $1.2 billion this year alone with no end in sight, placing substantial stress on other social safety net programs intended for Massachusetts residents.” “While apparently intended to address the migrant issue, the amendment, in my view, called for broader changes to a program that has been in place helping people for decades,” said opponent Sen. John Keenan (D-Quincy). “Such changes to a statute I believe need greater review than what the amendment process provided. Further, an amendment filed by Sen. Velis, which was adopted unanimously, provides an opportunity for that review.” (A “Yes” vote is for the 1-year requirement. A “No” vote is against it.) Sen. Jason Lewis No PHARMACEUTICAL ACCESS, COSTS AND TRANSPARENCY (S 2499) Senate 39-0, approved and sent to the House a bill that supporters say would make major changes and reforms to the state’s pharmaceutical system by “lowering the cost of drugs at the pharmacy counter and improving oversight of the pharmaceutical industry.” “The Senate has made pharmaceutical cost containment and oversight a priority for a long time, and I’m proud that we’ve had the opportunity to pass this bill in three consecutive sessions, improving it as we learn more and more about the industry,” said Sen. Cindy Friedman (D-Arlington), Senate chair of the Committee on Health Care Financing. “While we are supportive of the work of the pharmaceutical industry, we also know that far too many Massachusetts residents are struggling to access life saving, essential medication due to outrageous and skyrocketing costs. [This legislation] will provide necessary transparency and oversight measures, so that consumers can trust that this system is putting patients and their health before profits.” “I am pleased the Senate has passed this crucial prescription drug legislation,” said Sen. Mike Rodrigues (D-Westport), Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. “Healthcare is all about accessibility and affordability, and this reform-minded consumer focused bill will allow increased access to prescription drugs while also considerably driving down the cost of everyday medications.” “Relief from prescription drug costs can’t wait when lives are at stake,” said Senate President Karen Spilka (D-Ashland). “I look forward to this bill getting signed into law so that residents and seniors who go to the pharmacy counter will finally pay less for the medications they use to stay alive and maintain their quality of life. This reform is in line with the Senate’s commitment to addressing affordability, equity and transparency and maintaining the commonwealth’s competitiveness as a place to live and work.” (A “Yes” vote is for the bill.) Sen. Jason Lewis Yes ALSO UP ON BEACON HILL 4-DAY WORK WEEK PILOT PROGRAM (H 3849)- The Labor and Workforce Development Committee held a hearing on legislation that would create a voluntary 4-day work week pilot program in the Bay State. Participating employers would transition employees to a 4-day work week without any reduction in pay in return for a tax credit administered by the Department of Revenue. “Americans are overstressed and overworked," said Rep. Dylan Fernandes (D-Falmouth). The data shows that a 4-day work week creates a happier workforce, fuels company productivity and helps businesses attract top talent,” said co-sponsor Rep. Dylan Fernandes (D-Falmouth). “This pilot program studies its efficacy in Massachusetts to determine whether the four-day work week could benefit commonwealth employees and businesses.” “In this era of tight labor markets, we need to get creative to keep our economy growing,” said co-sponsor Rep. Josh Cutler (D-Duxbury), House Chair of the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development. “This bill creates new incentives for Massachusetts businesses to explore shifting to a 4-day work week which can offer a myriad of benefits, including boosting worker satisfaction and productivity, and reducing absenteeism and commuting time.” "Our research with hundreds of companies and thousands of workers shows that a 4-day, 32hour week with no reduction in pay not only yields tremendous well-being improvements for workers, but is highly beneficial for companies,” said Professor Juliet Schor, a leading supporter of the measure. “After trialing this model, a mere 6 percent are returning to the 5-day week. [This bill] will put Massachusetts on the map once again leading the nation, as we have done on samesex marriage and climate." PROHIBIT USE OF NATIVE AMERICAN MASCOTS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS (H 477, S 245) – A bill heard by the Education Committee would prohibit public schools from using an athletic team name, logo or mascot which is associated with Native Americans, or which denigrates any racial, ethnic, gender or religious group. “In the past few years, the nation has seemed to finally come awake and recognize the hurt caused by racist mascots and imagery,” said Senate sponsor Sen. Jo Comerford (D-Northampton). “This bill acknowledges the common humanity of all, corrects historical wrongs and addresses the profound psychological harm caused by perpetuating racist stereotypes — harm caused to both people who are of Native American heritage and those who are not.” “I sponsored [the bill] because of the numerous conversations I’ve had with community leaders that have been doing the work to protect students in the commonwealth from the negative impacts of Native American mascots,” said House sponsor Rep. Brandy Fluker Oakley (D-Mattapan). “We know based on years of research, that these mascots lead to the perpetuation of negative stereotypes and psychological ramifications like lower self-esteem and diminished perceptions of community worth. This bill will prevent students from further psychosocial harm.” RENT CONTROL QUESTION WILL NOT APPEAR ON THE 2024 BALLOT – It’s the end of this year’s campaign to put on the November 2024 ballot a question that would allow cities and towns the right to impose rent control, a practice which voters banned nearly 30 years ago on a 1994 ballot question. Organizers announced that they will fall far short of the 74,574 signatures needed by November 22 to qualify for the ballot. "While this isn't the outcome we hoped for with our petition, I am more confident than ever that if given the opportunity to do so, Massachusetts voters will elect to lift the ban on rent control," said long time rent control advocate Rep. Michael Connolly (D-Cambridge). "At this point, however, it makes sense to focus on Tuesday's Statehouse hearing on rent control bills and other landlord-tenant matters." "Massachusetts property owners and renters should wake up this morning knowing that their futures are better off,” said Paul Craney, spokesman for the Mass Fiscal Alliance which opposes rent control. “Rep. Connolly's potential ballot question would have done nothing but make life more expensive and miserable for property owners and renters alike. Rent control does not work, it would only stop new housing development, particularly new affordable multi-family housing and put a complete halt in maintenance and upkeep." In the meantime, the focus now turns to Beacon Hill where the Housing Committee held a hearing last week on several pieces of rent control legislation. "This is not an issue about the market," testified Rep. Sam Montano (D-Jamaica Plain), a sponsor of one of several bills debated at the hearing. "This is not an issue about how we use capitalism. This is an issue about morals. Morally, we need to house people. That's it. Doesn't matter. People need homes, they need a warm place to sleep, they need a place to shower, they need a place to feel safe. And we are failing at providing that for people by allowing landlords to try to charge huge increases year to year and constantly displacing people." "Rent control reduces the supply of housing which drives rents up," said Amir Shahsavari, vice president of the Small Property Owners Association. "It makes it more difficult for owners to keep up with rising operating costs, it leads to disrepair, and it makes it nearly impossible to remove non-complying tenants, not only to the detriment of owners and their properties, but also to the detriment of the other tenants who depend on us to provide them with safe, maintained living spaces." QUOTABLE QUOTES "The MBTA is one of the oldest transit agencies in the country, and while there are a number of contributing factors, it's clear that years of underinvestment have added to the cost of bringing our system back to a state of good repair.” --- MBTA General Manager Phil Eng following the release of the T’s report noting that it would take $24.5 billion to fix nearly two-thirds of all MBTA that assets are not in a state of good repair. “This program invests federal funds to make Massachusetts communities safer and stronger. [It] allows towns and cities to identify their most pressing needs and direct funding to address those challenges. The ability of local public safety leaders to guide funds toward priority safety initiatives encourages a holistic approach to improving safety in communities with diverse needs.” ---Gov. Maura Healey announcing nearly $5 million in federal funds awarded to 130 police departments across the state to address their communities’ unmet public safety priorities. “It’s chilling to learn what some of these toys can do. Smart toys can be useful, fun or educational, but Interacting with some of them can create frightening situations for too many families.” ---R.J. Cross, one of the authors of MASSPIRG Education Fund’s report which warns about the dangers of the smart devices surrounding kids including microphones, cameras, connectivity, location trackers, poor security as well BHRC| SEE PAGE 19

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