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THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2022 Page 15 BEACON | FROM Page 14 and can force residents to seek risky fi nancial maneuvers. It is only fair that the state takes actions to protect its citizens from this danger. I urge the House of Representatives to move quickly on this legislation, too. It is in the best interest of the residents of Massachusetts. This is the right move, and the time to act is now.” (A “Yes” vote is for the bill). Sen. Lydia Edwards Yes 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 April 1115, the House met for a total of two hours and ten minutes and the Senate met for a total of 12 hours and 45 minutes Mon. April 11 House 11:01 a.m. to 12:06 p.m. Senate 11:23 a.m. to 11:44 a.m. Tues. April 12 No House session No Senate session Wed. April 13 No House session No Senate session Thurs. April 14 House 11:03 a.m. to 12:08 p.m. Senate 10:19 a.m. to 10:43 p.m. Fri. April 15 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. MEDICAL | FROM Page 8 ringes and other sharps, and illicit drugs will not be accepted. DEA will accept vaping devices and cartridges provided lithium batteries are removed. A location fi nder and partner toolbox are available at www.DEATakeBack.com for easy reference to April 30 collection sites. Year-round receptacles are available at more than 13,000 pharmacies, hospitals, police departments and business. Additionally, with the passage of the Dispose Unused Medications and Prescription (DUMP) Opioids Act in 2021, the public may now use drop boxes at Veterans Administration medical centers to dispose of controlled substance prescription medications. Check with your local VA health facility for more information. With more than 13,000 year-round drop-off locations in the United States, every day can be Take Back Day. 1. April 22 is Earth Day, which began in what year: 1970, 1980 or 1990? 2. What novel includes the fictional communities of West and East Egg? 3. In 2014, Zhongdian, a city in China, was renamed what from the novel “Lost Horizon”? 4. What in the human body comes in arches, whorls and loops? 5. On April 23, 1635, the first U.S. public school was founded where? 6. Which country has the most pyramids (over 200): Egypt, Morocco or Sudan? 7. April 24 is National Pigs in a Blanket Day; what fi ctional female chef included a pigs in a blanket recipe in her “Cooking for Kids” in 1957? 8. Who is the Roman god of wine? 9. Due to losing players to World War II, what two teams temporarily combined to form the Steagles? 10. April 25 is World Penguin Day; is a puffin a Answers type of penguin? 11. What animal can clean its ear with its tongue? 12. What does equinox mean? 13. On April 26, 1954, what mass polio vaccine testing began? 14. What literary character did Basil Rathbone play in 14 fi lms? 15. What perennial opponent of the Harlem Globetrotters have also been temporarily called the Boston Shamrocks, Atlantic City Seagulls and World All-Stars? 16. On April 27, 1791, who was born who became an American inventor and artist and developed a code? 17. Where in the body would you fi nd aqueous humor? 18. Which country has the world’s 10 coldest cities? 19. What is another word for aubergine? 20. On April 28, 1778, the Massachusetts Legislature passed a law allowing who to enlist in the Continental Army? When to Expect Your Social Security Checks Dear Savvy Senior, I am planning to retire and apply for my Social Security benefi ts in July. When can I expect my fi rst check, and is direct deposit my only option for receiving my monthly payment? Almost 62 Dear Almost, Generally, Social Security retirement benefi ts, as well as disability and survivor benefits, are paid in the month after the month they are due. So, if you want to start receiving your Social Security benefi ts in July, your July benefi ts will be distributed in August. The day of the month you receive your benefit payment, however, will depend on your birthdate. Here’s the schedule of when you can expect to receive your monthly check. If you were born on the: • 1st through the 10th : Expect your check to be deposited on the second Wednesday of each month. • 11th through the 20th : Expect your check to be deposited on the third Wednesday of each month. • 21st through the 31st : Expect your check to be deposited on the fourth Wednesday of each month. There are, however, a few exceptions to this schedule. For example, if the day your Social Security check is supposed to be deposited happens to be a holiday, your check will be deposited the previous day. And, if you are receiving both Social Security benefi ts and SSI payments, your Social Security check will be deposited on the third day of the month. You should also know that for Social Security benefi ciaries who started receiving benefits before 1997, their Social Security checks are paid on the third day of the month. To get a complete schedule of 2022 payment dates, visit SSA. gov/pubs/EN-05-10031-2022.pdf. Receiving Options There are two ways you can receive your Social Security benefits. Most beneficiaries choose direct deposit into their bank or credit union account because it’s simple, safe and secure. But if you don’t want this option, or you don’t have a bank account that your payments can be deposited into, you can get a Direct Express Debit MasterCard and have your benefi ts deposited into your card’s account. This card can then be used to get cash from ATMs, banks or credit union tellers, pay bills online and over the phone, make purchases at stores or locations that accept Debit MasterCard and get cash back when you make those purchases, and purchase money orders at the U.S. Post Offi ce. The money you spend or withdraw is automatically deducted from your account. You can check your balance any time by phone, online or at ATMs. There’s also no cost to sign up for the card, no monthly fees and no overdraft charges. There are, however, some small fees for optional services you need to be aware of, like multiple ATM withdrawals. Currently, cardholders get one free ATM withdrawal per month, but additional monthly withdrawals cost 85 cents each not including a surcharge if you use a non-network ATM. To learn more, visit USDirectExpress.com or call 800-333-1795. When and How to Apply The Social Security Administration recommends that you apply for benefi ts three months before you want to start receiving checks. This will give you enough time to make sure you have all the needed information to complete the application. See SSA.gov/hlp/isba/10/isba-checklist.pdf for a checklist of what you’ll need. You can apply for your Social Security benefi ts online at SSA. gov, by phone at 800-772-1213, or in person at your local Social Security offi ce – call fi rst to make an appointment. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior. org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. 1. 1970 2. “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald 3. Shangri-La 4. Fingerprints 5. Boston (Boston Latin School) 6. Sudan 7. Betty Crocker 8. Bacchus 9. The Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers 10. No; unlike a penguin, a puffi n can fl y. 11. Giraff e 12. Equal night (During the equinox night and day are of equal time.) 13. Salk 14. Sherlock Holmes 15. The Washington Generals 16. Samuel F.B. Morse 17. The eye 18. Russia 19. Eggplant 20. African American soldiers

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