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THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, APRIL 11, 2025 Page 17 lars. This participation reduces their federal and state income taxes. The entire premium for long-term disability is paid by senators. 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 $15.16 to $20.52, while individual plans range from $4.91 to $6.64. All senators pay 15 percent of the premium and the state pays 85 percent. SENATORS WHO LIVE 50 MILES FROM THE STATEHOUSE ARE NO LONGER ELIGIBLE TO PAY A REDUCED OR NO FEDERAL INCOME TAX ON THEIR LEGISLATIVE SALARY — For many years until recently, senators who live more than 50 miles from the Statehouse were eligible for a special federal tax break. A 1981 federal law allowed them to write off a daily expense allowance when fi ling their federal income tax return. The complicated system determined a daily amount, ostensibly for meals, lodging and other expenses incurred in the course of their jobs, which can be deducted for every “legislative day.” Under the Massachusetts Legislature’s system and schedule, every day of the year qualifi es as a legislative day. The Legislature does not formally “prorogue” (end an annual session) until the next annual session begins. This allowed senators to take the deduction for all 365 days regardless of whether the Legislature is actually meeting or not. Senators did not even have to travel to the Statehouse to qualify for the daily deduction. The amount of the deduction was based on the federal per diem for Massachusetts. It varied from year to year. The daily per diem for senators for fi scal year 2023, the last year this deduction was allowed, varied in diff erent parts of the state and was seasonal. It ranged from $98 per day to $459 per day or between $35,770 and $167,535 annually. Beacon Hill Roll Call’s research indicated that in fiscal year 2023, 11 of the state’s 40 senators lived more than 50 miles from the Statehouse, qualifi ed for this deduction and were eligible to pay a reduced or no federal income tax on their legislative salaries. SENATORS ARE NO LONGER ELIGIBLE FOR PER DIEMS — Legislators are no longer entitled to collect “per diems” to reimburse them for mileage, meals and lodging expenses for travel from their home to the Statehouse. These reimbursements were discontinued in 2017. They were not taxable income and ranged from $10 per day for legislators who reside in the greater Boston area to $82 for Western Massachusetts lawmakers and $100 for those in Nantucket. TOTAL SALARY FOR SENATORS Here is the total annual salary for local senators, including the three categories of base pay, stipends and general expense pay allowance. S en. L y dia Edward s $157,113.27 ALSO UP ON BEACON HILL AFFORDABLE HOMES COMMISSIONS — The Accessible Housing Commission, Extremely Low-Income Housing Commission and Senior Housing Commission, all created by the Aff ordable Homes Act recently signed into law by Gov. Maura Healey, have begun working to address the housing challenges of people with accessibility needs, extremely low-income residents and people with accessibility needs. Massachusetts’ first comprehensive statewide housing plan, A Home for Everyone, has identifi ed 222,000 homes that need to be built in order to end the housing crisis in Massachusetts. “The housing crisis has impacted everyone in one way or another, but for some, fi nding housing that fi ts their needs is exceptionally challenging,” said Ed Augustus, secretary of the Executive Offi ce of Housing and Livable Communities. “These commissions are tasked with identifying those challenges and providing concrete recommendations and strategies to ensure everyone in Massachusetts — particularly seniors, residents on extremely low incomes and people with accessibility needs — can access the safe, aff ordable and dignifi ed housing they need.” $850,000 FOR LOCALLY GROWN, NUTRITIOUS FOOD IN SCHOOLS — The Healey Administration announced it is awarding $850,000 in statefunded, competitive Massachusetts Farming Reinforces Education and Student Health (FRESH) grants to 26 school districts and 11 early education and care programs. This funding supports the National School Lunch Program and the Child and Adult Care Food Program sponsors to start or expand their capacity to grow or procure local food and educate students, teachers, school nutrition professionals and staff about the local food system. “While the Trump Administration continues to take away food from children and families, and hurt local businesses and farmers, Massachusetts is continuing to prioritize programs like these,” said Gov. Healey. “We know that our students succeed when they have access to healthy food, and we can create partnerships that support local businesses and farms in the process.” “It’s important for students to understand where food comes from and how it is produced and prepared,” said Education Secretary Dr. Patrick Tutwiler. “The MA FRESH grants are an important tool that connect students to their local food system and produce, while also providing STEM educational opportunities focused on food literacy, nutrition, plant science and agriculture.” HOME EQUITY THEFT LAW — Last year, the House and Senate approved and the governor signed a law, as part of the state budget, that prohibits cities and towns that foreclose on properties on which the owner owes back property taxes, from keeping all of the profi ts when the city or town sells the property at auction. Prior to passage of this law Massachusetts law allowed this practice. The new law allows the city or town to keep only the amount owed in back taxes and send the remainder to the owner. Last year, the United States Supreme Court ruled that cities and towns that foreclose on properties on which the owner owes back property taxes, cannot keep all of the profi ts when the city or town sells the property at auction. Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts, writing a unanimous decision about a similar Minnesota law, said that “a taxpayer who loses her $40,000 house to the state to fulfi ll a $15,000 tax debt has made a far greater contribution to the public fi sc than she owed.” The law’s sponsor, Sen. Mark Montigny (D-New Bedford) says the law is facing a new challenge, proposed as part of a fiscal 2025 supplemental budget fi led by Gov. Maura Healey last week, that would make it harder for homeowners to recoup their rightful equity. “The same municipal officials who partnered with private firms to prey upon vulnerable homeowners suffering from immense challenges in their lives are the same special interests who have heavily lobbied the administration to give them another bite at the apple while everyday people continue to lose their life savings,” said Montigny. “There are hundreds of pending cases within the trial court that deserve immediate relief in accordance with the protections provided under the new law, including the reduced interest rate that was previously set at a predatory level.” Montigny continued, “Eff orts to weaken these long overdue legal protections will not be tolerated and these elected and appointed municipal offi cials should be more concerned with helping their residents, not concocting new ways to continue to rob them. It is unacceptable that consumer advocates and the lead legislative sponsor of this measure have been left in the dark while fi nancially driven special interests have been allowed to once again pervade the legislative process. The Healey Administration should immediately rescind its support for these harmful measures that were concocted without consulting the consumer advocates who deal with these diffi cult cases on behalf of homeowners every day.” NON-LEGISLATIVE REDISTRICTING COMMISSION (S 6) — The Election Laws Committee held a hearing on a proposed constitutional amendment that would create a nonlegislative redistricting commission to replace the current commission made up exclusively of state legislators. The commission, like the current commission, would be responsible for creating congressional districts, 160 representative districts, 40 senatorial districts and eight councilor districts every ten years based on the national census. The proposed commission would include a dean or professor of law, political science or government from a Massachusetts college, appointed by the governor; a retired judge, appointed by the attorney general; and an expert in civil rights law, appointed by the secretary of state. The other four members would be chosen by the above three members from a list of candidates nominated by the House Speaker, House Minority Leader, Senate President and Senate Minority Leader. Supporters of the proposed commission say the Legislature has abused its redistricting power and often gerrymandered districts to protect incumbents. They said this antiquated, partisan system allows the majority party to control the process and permits “legislators to choose their voters.” They noted that the idea of an independent commission has been endorsed in the past by the League of Women Voters, Common Cause and former Govs. Michael Dukakis, Mitt Romney and Deval Patrick. “The measure strengthens transparency and objectivity in the redistricting process by prohibiting recent elected offi cials from serving and by including public comment periods and reporting requirements,” says amendment sponsor Sen. Jamie Eldridge (DMarlborough). “By adopting best practices already used in other states, this reform ensures that Massachusetts moves toward a fairer and nonpartisan redistricting process.” Opponents of the commission say elected members of the Legislature, who are accountable to the voters, should be responsible for the important job of redistricting. They said the task should not be undertaken by an appointed commission with unknown members who would not have direct accountability. They cited studies showing that these so-called “independent” redistricting commissions are no more or less independent than commissions established by Legislatures. MIKE PENCE WILL BE AWARDED JFK PROFILE IN COURAGE AWARD — The 2025 John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award?will be presented to former?Vice President Mike BEACON | SEE Page 18

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