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Page 16 BEACON | FROM Page 14 $788.43. For individual plans, they pay from $125.66 to $354.68 each month. LIFE INSURANCE – Legislators who purchase a health insurance policy from the state are also required to buy the state’s basic $5,000 life insurance policy. This costs employees $1.27 to $1.59 per month, depending on the date of hire. The same 20/80 25/75 formula used for health insurance also applies to this life insurance. Senators also have the option to buy additional life insurance with a value of up to eight times their salary. The entire premium for the optional insurance is paid by the senator. LONG-TERM DISABILITY AND HEALTH CARE SPENDING ACCOUNT – Legislators also have the option to open a Health Care Spending Account (HCSA) and Dependent Care Assistance Program (DCAP), and to buy longterm disability insurance. The HCSA allows legislators to set aside funds to pay for out-ofpocket health care expenses with before-tax dollars while the DCAP allows them to set aside funds to pay for certain dependent care expenses with beforetax dollars. This participation reduces their federal and state income taxes. The entire premium for long-term disability is paid by legislators. DENTAL AND VISION INSURANCE – Senators are eligible to choose one of two dental/vision insurance plans. Current monthly employee premium costs paid by senators for family plans range from $14.32 to $19.36, while individual plans range from $4.64 to $6.26. All senators pay 15 percent of the premium and the state pays 85 percent. CATEGORY #1 – LOCAL SENACATEGORY #2 - LOCAL SENATORS’ STIPENDS Here are local senators’ stipends for their positions in the Democratic and Republican leadership, as committee chairs, vice chairs and the ranking Republican on some committees. Sen. Lydia Edwards CATEGORY #3 - LOCAL SENATORS’ GENERAL EXPENSE PAY ALLOWANCE Here are local senators’ pay for general offi ce expenses. The amount is $20,468 for members who live within a 50-mile radius of the Statehouse and $27,291 for those who are located outside of that radius. Sen. Lydia Edwards $20,468 GRAND TOTAL OF LOCAL SENATORS’ SALARIES Here are the top ten senators who are paid the highest salaries including the three categories of base pay, stipends and general expense pay allowance. Karen Spilka (D-Ashland) $ 203,286 Michael Rodrigues (D-Westport) $ 196,736 Cynthia Stone Creem (D-Newton) $ 196,463 Michael Barrett (D-Lexington) $ 182,818 Sal DiDomenico (D-Everett) $ 182,818 Joan Lovely (D-Salem) $ 182,818 William Brownsberger (D-Belmont) $ 182,818 Cindy Friedman (D-Arlington) $ 175,995 Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester) $ 175,995 Julian Cyr (D-Truro) $ 169,173 Your Hometown News Delivered! EVERETT ADVOCATE MALDEN ADVOCATE REVERE ADVOCATE SAUGUS ADVOCATE One year subscription to The Advocate of your choice: $150 per paper in-town per year or $200 per paper out-of-town per year. Name_________________________________________ Address_______________________________________ City_______________ State_______ Zip ____________ CC# _______________________________ Exp. _____ Sec. code____ Advocate (City):___________________ Clip & Mail Coupon with Credit Card, Check or Money Order to: Advocate Newspapers Inc. PO Box 490407, Everett, MA 02149 $27,564 ALSO UP ON BEACON HILL BAN SALE OF FUR PRODUCTS (S 590) – A bill before the Environment and Natural Resources Committee would make it illegal to sell a new manufactured fur product in Massachusetts and impose a fi ne between $500 and $5,000 per fur product for anyone convicted of the sale. The measure exempts used fur products and fur products used for traditional tribal, cultural or spiritual purposes by a member of a federally recognized or state-recognized Native American tribe. Supporters say that more than 100 million undomesticated animals like foxes, raccoon, dogs and mink are confi ned to small wire cages and then subjected to cruel killing methods that are not regulated by federal humane slaughter laws. They say that animal protection organizations have documented animals being gassed, electrocuted, bludgeoned to death and skinned alive. They noted that there are many fur alternatives available and urged Massachusetts to end its complicity in this truly horrible industry. “Our commonwealth has long been a world leader in animal welfare,” said co-sponsor Rep. Jack Lewis (D-Framingham). “With evidence of inhumane practices in the fur industry, the risks fur production has to our public health, and the availability of so many different options for warm and fashionable fabrics, I look forward to ongoing conversations on this and other animal welfare bills this session.” BURY PETS WITH OWNERS (S 1310) – A proposal before the Municipalities and Regional Government Committee would give cities and towns the right to give cemeteries the authority to allow the burial of people and their pets in the same location. Supporters say people often consider their pets as members of their families and the current law prohibiting joint burial is unfair. Opponents say that joint burial presents sanitary, environmental and religious concerns. Sponsor Sen. Mark Montigny (D-New Bedford) did not respond to repeated requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call to comment on his proposal. BAN DOXING (S 1116) – Legislation before the Judiciary Committee would ban doxing which is the knowing release of private personal identifying information of a person, without their consent, with the intent to intimidate, harass or cause stalking, physical harm or serious property damage. Currently there is no state TORS’ BASE SALARIES Here are local senators’ base salaries. They are the same for all senators. Sen. Lydia Edwards THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, MARCH 24, 2023 Here are local senators’ current $73,655 total annual salary including the three categories of base pay, stipends and general expense pay allowance. Sen. Lydia Edwards $121,687 law that makes doxing a crime. “Doxing is a hateful act that goes far beyond violating one’s privacy,” said sponsor Sen. Becca Rausch (D-Needham). “It is used to intimidate, harass and jeopardize one’s safety. Online harassment has real-life implications and can no longer be tolerated. We need legislation to address this continual trend of online doxing and harassment, and protect citizens from experiencing such egregious behavior within the commonwealth.” RIGHT TO DIE/ASSISTED SUICIDE/END OF LIFE OPTIONS (S 1331) – This bill, known by many names, would give a terminally ill, mentally capable adult with a prognosis of six months or less to live the option to request, obtain and ingest medication—to die in their sleep if their suff ering becomes unbearable. It is currently before the Judiciary Committee. Supporters say the bill is modeled after the Oregon Death with Dignity Act, which has been in practice for 25 years without a single instance of abuse or coercion. They note the bill includes several core safeguards including requiring the terminal illness and six-month prognosis to be confirmed by two doctors; requiring the attending physician to inform the individual about all of their end-of-life care options, including hospice and pain or symptom management; and allowing the terminally ill person to withdraw their request for medication, not take the medication once they have it or otherwise change their mind at any point. Sponsor Sen. Jo Comerford (D-Northampton) said she is working side-by-side with her co-sponsors and other supporters to get this bill through the Legislature this session. “Individuals with terminal diagnoses should have access to safe options,” said Comerford. QUOTABLE QUOTES “As we continue to experience the aftermath and trauma of senseless gun violence in our communities, we must utilize all available resources to stop these tragedies. My colleagues and I urge these credit companies not to cave to political pressure and to move forward with what will be an important resource in detecting, identifying and stopping potential threats to public safety.” ---Attorney General Andrea Campbell urging Visa, American Express, Mastercard and Discover to honor their commitment made in September to implement a new merchant code for gun sales. The companies recently announced they were no longer planning on implementing the code, citing legislation in several states seeking to bar or limit the use of the voluntary code. “The bill … would impose a fee on the largest emitters of greenhouse gasses in Massachusetts, that would go into a climate resiliency superfund. These would be polluters like Shell Oil whose profits doubled in 2022 to $42 billion or ExxonMobile which reported a record $56 billion in profi ts.” ---Rep. Steve Owens (D-Watertown) on his bill to hold top polluters fi nancially responsible for climate change. “Cocktails to-go were allowed during the pandemic to support struggling hospitality businesses which represent thousands of jobs across Massachusetts. Since then, cocktails to-go have become a regular part of takeout dining for adult consumers and a stable source of revenue for hospitality businesses as they continue to recover from the lasting impacts of COVID-19.” ---Andy Deloney, senior vice president at the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, urging the Legislature to extend for one year the law allowing restaurants to sell beer, wine and cocktails with takeout orders. The law is set to expire on April 1. 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 March 1317, the House met for a total of 23 minutes while the Senate met for a total of 18 minutes. Mon. March 13 House 11:00 a.m. to 11:02 a.m. Senate 11:05 a.m. to 11:18 a.m. Tues. March 14 No House session No Senate session Wed. March 15 No House session No Senate session Thurs. March 16 House 11:06 a.m. to 11:27 a.m. Senate 11:13 a.m. to 11:18 a.m. Fri. March 17 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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