Page 16 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JANUARY 6, 2023 BEACON | FROM Page 14 portant to pay government offi cials a salary adequate enough to enable a family breadwinner or a professional to run for the offi ce and serve. Critics of the hikes were quick to respond. “It appears the fi rst act the Legislature and Statehouse leaders are set to take after the narrow passage of Question 1 is to accept a 20 percent pay raise,” said Paul Craney, spokesman for Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance. “Voters were told the 80 percent income tax hike in Question 1 would go to education and transportation needs but Statehouse leaders are taking care of themselves before anyone else with their largest pay raise since 2017. Question 1 is set to raise taxes … and for many small business owners, retirees, home sales and high-income earners, they will be shocked to see their taxes go up by 80 percent.” 4 PERCENT INCOME TAX HIKE ON EARNINGS OVER $1 MILLION ANNUALLY TAKES EFFECT JANUARY 1 – Beginning with 2023 earnings, taxpayers who earn more than $1 million annually will pay an additional 4 percent income tax, in addition to the current fl at 5 percent one, on their earnings of more than $1 million annually. Language in this new constitutional amendment, approved as Question 1 by voters in November 2022, requires that “subject to appropriation” the revenue will go to fund quality public education, aff ordable public colleges and universities and for the repair and maintenance of roads, bridges and public transportation. “Our coalition of community organizations, faith-based groups, and labor unions is committed to protecting the will of the people as expressed through Question 1: higher taxes on those who can most afford them, and greater investment in transportation and public education across the state,” said Steve Crawford, spokesman for Raise Up Massachusetts, the group that spearheaded the Vote Yes on Question 1 campaign and promoted the question as the Fair Share Amendment. “We will work with state leaders to ensure that the new revenue from the Fair Share Amendment is directed toward critical investments in our classrooms, campuses and transportation systems. And we will fi ght any eff orts to weaken the Fair Share Amendment by creating new tax breaks, avoidance schemes or giveaways for the ultra-rich.” “For some taxpayers, Question 1 will mean an 80 percent increase to their state income tax,” said Paul Craney, spokesman for the Mass Fiscal Alliance. “The taxpayers that will be impacted by this are small business owners, retirees, home sales and high-income earners. The only appropriate response by the speaker, Senate president and Governor Elect Maura Healey is to support broad tax cuts and tax eliminations that everyone will benefi t from. Massachusetts is on the verge of returning to the days of Taxachusetts unless these broad tax cuts are adopted and they must be done so very quickly because the negative impacts associated from Question 1 will not wait.” REVENGE PORN (S 3167) - Senate approved a proposal that would prohibit the posting of sexually explicit images of another person online without their permission—commonly referred to as “revenge porn.” The practice is often used by ex-spouses or ex-partners. Massachusetts is one of only two states that does not have a law about this crime. Another provision changes current law under which minors, under 18 years of age, who share explicit images of themselves or other minors can be charged with violating Massachusetts child pornography laws and are required to register with the Sex Offender Registry. The bill allows minors to be diverted to an educational program that would provide them with information about the consequences of posting or transmitting indecent visual depictions of minors. Sen. Jamie Eldridge (D-Acton), the Senate chair of the Judiciary Committee, said the bill addresses the highly charged subjects of juvenile sexting and revenge porn. “I’m pleased that the Senate is taking action on a unifi ed bill this week,” said Eldridge. “I commend the victims for their passionate advocacy and applaud their courage in coming forward to tell their stories.” “Under current law, when faced with an incident of sexting among teenagers, the police are forced with either charging them with a felony or doing nothing,” said sponsor Rep. Jeff Roy (D-Franklin). “The bill … provides law enforcement offi cers with a middle ground that will allow them to educate kids about the consequences of their actions without ruining their lives. It will have a tremendous impact on people who have become entangled in the web and transmittal of images that can cause traumatic and lifetime harm through a diversion program that will educate them about the legal and personal consequences of ‘sexting.’” The House approved a different version of the measure in May. The Senate version now goes to the House for consideration. THEFT OF CATALYTIC CONVERTERS (S 3169) – The House approved and sent to the Senate a bill that would create a “chain of custody” for used catalytic converter sales. A catalytic converter is a device that converts the environmentally hazardous exhaust emitted by a vehicle’s engine into less harmful gasses. The measure requires the buyer to keep records of each converter purchased, from which vehicle it was removed from and who the seller was. These records would be made available upon request to law enforcement. Supporters explained that several communities have seen a rise in catalytic converter thefts because the converters use platinum, palladium or rhodium to operate. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, the values of these precious metals contained inside catalytic converters have skyrocketed and is staggering. As of March 2022, rhodium is valued at $20,000 per ounce; palladium at $2,938 per ounce; and platinum at $1,128 per ounce. For thieves, this means a catalytic converter might be a better score than the average wedding band or gold watch. “Many scrapyards and black-market buyers have an open call out for catalytic converters, which they turn around and sell to metal recyclers,” says the Cavallo and Signoriello Insurance Agency in Massachusetts. “Ten years ago, a thief could earn between $20 and $200 per stolen converter. Today, thanks to the spike in the value of these metals, that range is more like $300 to $850, for just a few minutes of work.” “Catalytic theft is an epidemic,” said House sponsor Rep. Steve Howitt (RSeekonk). “It is not only very costly to the vehicle owner, if they do not have comprehensive insurance, it creates an inconvenience to have repairs done. This bill would try to tighten up the market in Massachusetts for these thieves to pawn their stolen goods.” The House approved a different version of the measure in October. The Senate version now goes to the House for consideration. MINIMUM WAGE HIKE FROM $14.25 TO $15 PER HOUR EFFECTIVE JANUARY 1 – Effective January 1, 2023 the state’s minimum wage rises from $14.25 per hour to $15 per hour. This hike is the fi nal one of fi ve annual increases mandated by a law passed in 2018 that has brough the minimum wage from $11 per hour in 2018 to the current $15 per hour. In addition, the minimum wage for tipped workers will increase from $6.15 per hour to $6.75 per hour— provided that their tips bring them up to at least $15 per hour. If the total hourly rate for the employee including tips does not equal $15 at the end of a shift, the employer is required to make up the diff erence. “I’m pleased to see this scheduled increase to our minimum wage go into eff ect,” said Rep. Josh Cutler (DDuxbury), House chair of the Labor and Workforce Development Committee. “It is welcome news for many workers, though clearly more help is needed to support hardworking families struggling with rising costs.” “With high infl ation, worker shortages and supply chain disruptions, the upcoming minimum wage increase is just the latest challenge for Massachusetts small business owners,” said Christopher Carlozzi, the Massachusetts state director of the National Federation of Independent Business. “With the cost of labor rising, the price tag of products and services will also rise, and those costs will likely be passed to consumers. Main Street and consumers need relief but unfortunately this wage hike will only create more uncertainty.” “It’s time for a truly universal minimum wage that keeps up with rising costs and supports working families,” said Chrissy Lynch, Chief of Staff of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO. “Our coalition of community organizations, faith-based groups and labor unions is looking at how to get us closer to that goal. And we won’t stop until working people across the state have true living wages.” “While it’s important to help those who are most vulnerable, an increase to the state minimum wage rate actually does the opposite,” said Paul Craney, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance. “Massachusetts will have the highest minimum wage rate of all the states in New England. This will further incentivize retail chains to continue to automate jobs that otherwise could have gone to minimum wage workers. Once this job is eliminated, it does not come back. The result will be higher costs for the consumer, higher costs for businesses and less available minimum wage jobs for workers who need to enter our workforce.” “Despite the progress we’ve made, the minimum wage is still insuffi cient to meet the needs of working families, especially amid rising infl ation,” said Beth Kontos, president of the Massachusetts branch of the American Federation of Teachers. “And some workers are still not covered by the minimum wage, including municipal workers who have devoted their lives to public service and deserve more than poverty wages.” INFLAMMATORY BREAST CANCER (H 3147) – The House approved a bill that would establish an Infl ammatory Breast Cancer Awareness Day in Massachusetts, the second Tuesday of every October. “I was thrilled that my colleagues and I were able to pass this very important piece of legislation,” said sponsor Rep. Sean Garballey (D-Arlington). “This designation will go a long way to increase awareness and strengthen eff orts to provide education about this rare and aggressive disease. Inflammatory Breast Cancer is the most aggressive form of breast cancer and the least understood. Many women receiving this diagnosis have never heard of Infl ammatory Breast Cancer or its presentation. Infl ammatory Breast Cancer accounts for 1 percent to 5 percent of all breast cancer cases yet represents 10 percent of all deaths due to breast cancer.” QUOTABLE QUOTES “A goal of the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources is to help keep the state’s food supply safe and secure. By assisting farmers with grants and technical assistance, the Baker-Polito Administration is helping to modernize their operations, open new market channels and meet regulatory requirements that will directly benefi t farmers and consumers of their products.” ---Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources Commissioner John Lebeaux announcing $1 million in grants to Massachusetts farms to implement practices that improve food safety within their operations. “Keeping the commonwealth’s workforce safe is important to both employees and employers as well as the greater community. These Safety Grants will provide training and education that helps promote safe and healthy conditions in the workplace.” ---Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development Rosalin Acosta announcing $800,000 in Workplace Safety Grants. All women have a fundamental right to access safe and aff ordable abortion. But on the Cape and Islands, women have been forced for years to make expensive trips off -Cape or out of state to access abortion services. This funding to Health Imperatives, which has locations on Martha’s Vineyard and Barnstable, breaks down barriers to care and gives women across the Cape and Islands access to this fundamental healthcare right.” ---Rep. Dylan Fernandez (D-Falmouth) on $4.1 million in grants awarded to reproductive health organizations including some on the Cape and Islands. “As the Lottery’s 50th anniversary celebration approaches the end, what better time to introduce the $50 ticket to begin our next 50 years? Our customers had been requesting this ticket for some time. After careful consideration, the Lottery has what we believe will provide them with the entirely new level of excitement they have been seeking.” ---State Treasurer Deb Goldberg, the chair of the Massachusetts State Lottery Commission, announcing the upcoming sale, beginning February 7th, of the Lottery’s fi rst $50 instant scratch ticket which will off er over $1 billion in total winnings and feature a $25 million instant win prize, the largest in Mass Lottery history. 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 fi led. 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 December 2630, the House met for a total of 11 hours and 22 minutes and the Senate met for a total of seven hours and 53 minutes. Mon. Dec. 26 No House session No Senate session Tues. Dec. 27 House 11:01 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Senate 11:15 a.m. to 2:13 p.m. Wed. Dec. 28 No House session No Senate session Thurs. Dec. 29 House 11:03 a.m. to 7:26 p.m. Senate 11:23 a.m. to 4:18 p.m. Fri. Dec. 30 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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