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Page 14 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, MARCH 8, 2024 they deserve.” By Bob Katzen If you have any questions about this week’s report, e-mail us at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com or call us at (617) 720-1562 GET A FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO MASSTERLIST – Join more than 22,000 people, from movers and shakers to political junkies and interested citizens, who start their weekday morning with MASSterList—the popular newsletter that chronicles news and informed analysis about what’s going on up on Beacon Hill, in Massachusetts politics, policy, media and infl uence. The stories are drawn from major news organizations as well as specialized publications. MASSterlist will be e-mailed to you FREE every Monday through Friday morning and will give you a leg up on what’s happening in the blood sport of Bay State politics. For more information and to get your free subscription, go to: https://lp.constantcontactpages. com/su/aPTLucK THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call records local representatives’ votes on one roll call from the week of February 26-March 1. There were no roll calls in the Senate last week. USE INTEREST FROM STATE’S “RAIN DAY FUND” TO LEVERAGE FEDERAL FUNDS (H 4446) House 154-0, approved a bill that would leverage the interest from the state’s Rainy Day Fund to better compete for federal dollars, to ensure the state receives the maximum possible share of federal funds and to pay down the state’s long term debt liabilities. The Rainy Day Fund currently has a historic balance of $8.2 billion. The Senate already approved a diff erent version of the bill in January. A House-Senate conference committee will likely hammer out a compromise version. “This legislation expands our commonwealth’s competitive edge as we compete for federal funds and pay down our debt obligations,” said Rep. Jack Lewis (DFramingham), chair of the House Committee on Federal Stimulus and Census Oversight Committee. “The Bipartisan Infrastructure Act, CHIPS Act and Infl ation Reduction Act, all contain time-sensitive opportunities for our commonwealth and our local communities -- opportunities that require us to have matching resources available. The passage of this bill today ensures that we can properly compete for all available federal funds. “Ensuring that the commonwealth is able to aggressively compete for the federal funding being made available to states is critical, especially given the challenging revenue conditions that we are facing here in Massachusetts this fi scal year,” said House Speaker Ron Mariano (D-Quincy). “It’s vital that Massachusetts does everything that it can to share in that prosperity.” (A “Yes” vote is for the bill.) Rep. Jessica Giannino Yes Rep. Jeff Turco Yes ALSO UP ON BEACON HILL SEX EDUCATION (S 2686) - Senate approved, on a voice vote without a roll call, and sent to the House legislation that would require that all public schools offering a comprehensive sexual health education curriculum “provide medically accurate, ageappropriate sexual health education.” The Senate has approved the bill four times in the past including a 38-1 vote by which it passed in 2023. Each time the measure died from inaction by the House. The Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) in September adopted updated revisions to local sex education rules that are in line with the changes sought under the Senate bill. Sen. Sal DiDomenico, the sponsor of the bill, said he supports the revisions adopted by the board, with the backing of Gov. Maura Healey, but noted they are “guidelines and suggestions only.” “The [bill] turns them into a minimum standard,” said DiDoRON’S OIL Call For PRICE MELROSE, MA 02176 NEW CUSTOMER’S WELCOME ACCEPTING VISA, MASTERCARD & DISCOVER (781) 397-1930 OR (781) 662-8884 100 GALLON MINIMUM menico. “It gives teeth to frameworks, and ensures kids aren’t receiving inaccurate and harmful information. This prevents bad stuff from being taught in our schools.” The bill’s prospects for passage in the House do not look promising this year, given the remarks by House Speaker Ron Mariano (D-Quincy) last week. “Given that it has been less than a year since BESE adopted the new guidelines, it is important that we give school districts adequate time to implement them, rather than rush to potentially amend or codify them into law,” said Mariano. Under current law, public schools are not required to teach sex education and the bill does not change that but rather mandates that any schools that choose to teach sex education are required to follow a curriculum, based on age, that includes human anatomy, reproduction and sexual development; the benefi ts of abstinence and delaying sexual activity; the importance of eff ectively using contraceptives to prevent unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV and AIDS; ways to eff ectively discuss safe sexual activity; relationship and communication skills to form healthy, respectful relationships free of violence, coercion and intimidation; and information about gender identity and sexual orientation for all students, including recognition that people have diff erent sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions. The measure also requires any school off ering sex education to notify parents about the school’s sex education curriculum and gives parents the right to withdraw a student from the instruction. Another provision creates a process for parents to inspect the program instruction materials before the start of the course. Supporters said that under the bill, local cities and towns still have the authority and power to decide whether sex education is taught in their schools. They said the measure will ensure that schools that choose to teach sex education will have a framework to follow. They noted the bill will prepare students to make healthy decisions and will reduce teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases. “The [bill] will fi nally make it clear that sex and relationship education in Massachusetts must be inclusive of all students and emphasize the importance and necessity of consent in relationships,” said DiDomenico. “I am proud we passed this commonsense health policy through the Senate and now we must get it over the fi nish line to ensure our children have the information they need to protect their health, form respectful relationships and build the bright futures “Today’s vote affi rms what we already know – a strong majority of people in Massachusetts, including most parents, want young people to receive sex and relationship education at school,” said Jamie Klufts, co-chair of the Healthy Youth Coalition. “We look forward to working with the House to pass the [bill] this session so that the state’s exciting new Health and Physical Education Framework can reach its full potential and do the most to support our students and teachers.” “Providing comprehensive, age-appropriate, and medically accurate sex and relationship education to our youth is the best way to prepare them to make safe and healthy choices,” said Sen. Jason Lewis (D-Winchester), Senate Chair of the Committee on Education. “I’m pleased that the Senate is continuing to advance this legislation that ensures that Massachusetts public schools use research-informed curricula that prioritize inclusivity and the health and well-being of students.” No one spoke against the bill during Senate debate on the proposal but there was opposition from outside the Legislature. “The bill is government mandated ideological instruction under the guise of health education,” Catholic Action League Executive Director C. J. Doyle told Beacon Hill Roll Call. “It will use the authority of the law and the money of the taxpayers to impose the value system of the secular left onto the public schoolchildren of the state. This legislation requires sex-ed courses in public schools to include ‘affirmative education that people have diff erent sexual orientations, gender identities and gender expressions.’ That affi rmative approach extends, explicitly, to the practice of contraception, and implicitly, to abortion. Doyle continued, “According to the proposed law, all public school sex education must be consistent with the Massachusetts Comprehensive Health Curriculum Framework, recently revised by the Healey Administration. That document is fi lled with references to acknowledging diversity, showing respect for different kinds of families and overcoming stereotypes, prejudices, bias, sexism and cultural stigmas--thinly disguised code language for traditional moral beliefs. “If enacted, this legislation will effectively preclude any public school teacher, administrator, nurse or staff member from raising a moral objection or voicing an ethical dissent to any of the sexual behaviors celebrated and affi rmed under this curriculum. Should this measure ever become law, one can only hope that the recent experience in the City of Worcester---where signifi cant numbers of parents exercised their right to a sex-ed opt-out for their children---will be emulated throughout the commonwealth.” Sam Whiting, an attorney for the Massachusetts Family Institute told Beacon Hill Roll Call that this bill isn’t about sex education, it’s about sexual indoctrination. “Parents and school committees don’t want a radically progressive, one-size-fi ts-all sex education curriculum crammed down on them from Beacon Hill. We are optimistic that even though the bill has passed in the Senate, it will again die in the House, as it has the last four legislative sessions.” BIRTH CERTIFICATES (H 4292) – The House gave initial approval to a bill that would change some of the language in the current law governing the content of birth certifi cates. Changes include replacing “both parents” to “parent or parents” and changing “the child’s mother” to “the person who gave birth to the child.” Current law allows each party to a marriage to adopt any surname, including the present or birth-given surname of either party; retain or resume use of a present or birth-given surname; or adopt any hyphenated combination of names. The bill broadens the options and also allows each party to adopt “any first name, middle name or any other name.” “Our current birth certifi cate statute uses outdated language and categories that do not represent the full variety of family structures in the commonwealth,” said Senate sponsor Sen. Becca Rausch (D-Needham). “No child should start out with a government-issued document that fails them. This bill ensures that our birth certifi cates refl ect reality for all Bay Staters, accurately and inclusively.” “A birth certifi cate is the fi rst document our government sends us in our lifetimes,” said House sponsor Rep. Dwane Shand (D-Newburyport). “That document should accurately reflect the makeup of our commonwealth’s families and their complexities.” ROSA PARKS DAY (H 3075) – The House gave initial approval to legislation designating February 4th as Rosa Parks Day, “in lasting recognition of a historic civil rights leader.” “Rosa Parks was a hero of the civil rights movement whose courageous act to challenge segregation kindled and continues to inspire the fi ght for justice and equality of all peoples,” said cosponsor Rep. Kip Diggs (D-Barnstable). “Celebrating Ms. Parks on her birthday will make a great addition to Black History Month in the commonwealth.” Rep. Mike Kushmerek (D-Fitchburg) said he co-sponsored the measure “in order to bring BEACON | SEE Page 16

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