THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, MAY 2, 2025 Page 17 ry for local representatives including the three categories of base pay, stipends and general expense pay allowance. Rep. Jessica Giannino $126,906.23 Rep. Jeff Turco $112,251.34 ALSO UP ON BEACON HILL JUDICIARY COMMITTEE HEARING — The Judiciary Committee held a hearing on several bills including: PROTECT SURVIVORS OF SPOUSAL ABUSE FROM ALIMONY PAYMENTS (S 1236) — Would give the courts the authority to terminate alimony payments and deny future alimony petitions if the spouse receiving the payments has been convicted of spousal abuse. The bill defi nes “abuse” as including “attempting to cause or causing physical harm, placing a spouse in fear of imminent serious physical harm and causing a spouse to engage involuntarily in sexual relations by force, threat or duress.” “Every year, more than 12 million people in the U.S. experience violence by an intimate partner,” said sponsor Sen. Jake Oliveira (D-Ludlow). “Yet, in Massachusetts, it is possible for survivors of spousal abuse, who have already taken the near impossible step of leaving an abusive marriage, to be required to pay alimony to their abuser after they escape that relationship.” He noted that he fi led the measure to ensure that survivors are protected from further abuse. DISABLED ADULTS AND CHILD CUSTODY (S 1164) — Would prevent a parent’s disability to be considered a negative factor in determining custody or parenting time with a child unless there is specific evidence that there is a link with the parent’s disability and a child’s alleged harm. It must also show that this harm cannot be prevented or alleviated by accommodation. “Parents with disabilities sometimes lose custody of their children due to their disabilities,” said sponsor Sen. Joan Lovely (D-Salem). “This bill seeks to address this issue by requiring courts to fi nd evidence of any harms when making custody decisions, explained in writing, and requiring supportive measures when appropriate that can be taken to avoid harm to the parents and their children. It will potentially help keep families together.” DIGITAL ASSETS OF THE DECEASED (S 1048) — Would establish regulations over what happens to a decedent’s digital assets including social media, e-mail and online accounts. Supporters said that people are unlikely to specifi cally designate control over these assets in a will, and companies have a patchwork of diff erent policies on the subject or no policies at all. They noted that this often gives companies discretion over whether to provide access to an account, and family members can be left with no ability to retrieve important information, particularly in the event of an unexpected death. “At the moment, there is legal uncertainty about what happens to a person’s digital assets—their email, social media and other online accounts— when they pass away,” said sponsor Sen. Cindy Creem (DNewton). “[The bill] would make it easy to determine who, if anyone, should have access to a deceased person’s online accounts. It would also establish procedures and safeguards to prevent inappropriate disclosure of the deceased’s private communications. The legislation protects privacy while also ensuring that there is clarity about who may access the digital assets of someone who has died.” HEALTH CARE SURROGATE (S 1047) — Would create a process for handling the care of incapacitated patients who don’t have a health care proxy. The measure would allow attending physicians to appoint surrogate decision makers and identifi es several candidates for that role, including the incapacitated patient’s spouse, unless legally separated, parent, adult child or adult sibling. Under current law, Massachusetts health care providers must go through the diffi cult process of seeking a judicially appointed medical guardian before even routine decisions about care can be made. Then, after a medical guardian is appointed, some decisions, including those related to transfers to nursing facilities, require additional judicial approval. These cumbersome processes are a disservice to incapacitated patients, whose care can be delayed by weeks. A surrogate would not be empowered to make decisions about transferring the patient to an inpatient mental health facility nor be able to make any “extraordinary” decisions about life support, sterilization and abortion. Those decisions would continue to be determined by a court. “Massachusetts is one of only four states without a statute allowing for the appointment of a health care surrogate when an incapacitated patient does not have a designated proxy,” said sponsor Sen. Cindy Cream. “[The bill] would create a more practical process for making medical decisions in such cases, while preserving important safeguards. Certain decisions would still require additional judicial approval, ensuring continued oversight. The bill strikes a careful balance by allowing timely care decisions to be made in the patient’s best interest, while respecting their rights and aligning as closely as possible with their known values and wishes.” QUOTABLE QUOTES “Massachusetts has some of the most beautiful state parks in the country, and it takes all of us to preserve them for generations to come. In honor of Earth Day, it’s nice to get outside and celebrate our natural spaces.” ---Gov. Maura Healey who along with First Lady Joanna Lydgate, visited Torbert MacDonald State Park in Medford to celebrate Earth Day. “Massachusetts is hemorrhaging private sector jobs, and the Healey administration’s answer is to bloat the government at a time when our state’s fi scal wellbeing is in a very tenuous position. This isn’t job growth— it’s political insulation, and taxpayers are the ones footing the bill.” ---Paul Craney, executive director of the Mass Fiscal Alliance on newly released employment data which he says revealed a net loss of 24,800 private sector jobs over the last year. “When employers violate our laws, including through wage theft and untimely payments, workers are unfairly harmed, exploited and financially deprived. My office will continue to enforce our laws to protect and empower workers, reminding employers that Massachusetts is serious about workers’ rights.” ---Attorney General Andrea Campbell announcing that Swissport, a North Carolinabased airport services company that employs workers at Boston’s Logan Airport, will pay $3.1 million In restitution and penalties to resolve allegations, including failure to make timely payments and pay overtime to more than 2,000 airport workers. “The persistent increase in antisemitic incidents over the past fi ve years is a stark reminder that antisemitism continues to impact our communities. Particularly concerning is the continued proliferation of extremist incidents and the rise of attacks against Orthodox Jews. The alarming manifestations of antisemitism in 2024 instill fear and are reminders that much work remains to be done.” --- Samantha Joseph, AntiDefamation League New England’s Regional Director, on the group’s annual audit of antisemitic incidents reporting a total of 638 incidents of assault, harassment and vandalism in 2024 within the fi ve-state region of Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. She said that this is the fi fth year in a row that antisemitic incidents increased and broke the previous all-time high in 2023. BEACON | SEE Page 18 MOUNTAIN VIEW TERRACE APARTMENTS 27 Mountain View Drive Stoneham, MA 02180 781-438-9111 (Phone) 800-439-2370 or 711 (TTY) 781-438-6271 (Fax) infomvt@atlantictambone.com May 1, 2025 . Applications will be accepted to be put in a lottery for position on the wait list. Position on the wait list will be assigned by July 15, 2025. All Other Waitlists will remain closed and applications will not be accepted. Applications for the open waitlists may be requested via email or by mail, telephone or electronically (fax or email). Be sure to include your – meaning how many adults and age. Applications will also be available on May 1, 2025 at the following locations: * Mystic Valley Elder Services, 300 Commercial Street, Malden, MA 02148 * Tri-CAP, 110 Pleasant St, Malden, MA 02148
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