Page 34 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 2021 (A “Yes” vote is for the amendA note from Bob Katzen, Publisher of Beacon Hill Roll Call: Join me this Sunday night and every Sunday night between 5 p.m. and 8 p.m. for my talk show “The Bob Katzen Baby Boomer and Gen X Show.” Jump in my time capsule and come back to the simpler days of the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. There are many ways you can listen to the show from anywhere in the world: If you have a smart speaker, simply say, “Play WMEX on Audacy.com” • Download the free Audacy app on your smartphone or tablet • Listen online at www.wmexboston.com Or tune into 1510 AM if you have an AM radio. isit us at www.bobkatzenshow. com THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call records local senators’ votes on roll calls from recent debate on the Senate version of a $47.72 billion fi scal 2022 budget. There were no roll calls in the House or Senate last week. MASSHEALTH MUST REPORT BED HOLDS (S 3) Senate 39-0, approved an amendment that would require MassHealth to report data to the Legislature relating to medical and non-medical leave of absence days, known as bed holds, for nursing home residents. The data would include the number of residents on a leave of absence, monthly capacity levels per nursing home, the total number of empty beds and the average MassHealth payment rate per resident. MassHealth is the state’s Medicaid program that provides healthcare for low-income and disabled persons. Amendment suppor ters said the bed hold policy is an essential protection for MassHealth nursing home residents who leave the nursing home for a hospital stay or to protected from the unnecessary trauma of returning to an unfamiliar environment following a hospital stay,” said the amendment’s sponsor Sen. Mark Montigny (DNew Bedford). “Facilities that cannot meet these basic obligations must not be allowed to operate in the commonwealth and will not survive the necessary post-COVID reforms. This data reporting is a starting point that will help ensure proper transparency and accountability in this industry.” ment). Sen. Joseph Boncore Yes $100,000 FOR STUDENT LOAN OMBUDSMAN (S 3) Senate 39-0, approved $100,000 to pay the salary of and advertise for the newly created position of student loan ombudsman who would serve under the attorney general as an independent mediator for student loan borrowers. “For six years, we fought for the Student Loan Borrower Bill of Rights to protect the nearly 1 million student loan borrowers across the commonwealth,” said Sen. Eric Lesser (D-Longmeadow), the sponsor of the amendment. “Since it was passed and signed into law this January, we have engaged with the Division of Banks and the Attorney General’s Offi ce on implementation and this funding will help set up a central ombudsman’s office, to answer questions, investigate and take action on [student loan] servicers.” (A “Yes” vote is for the amendment). Sen. Joseph Boncore Yes AUTOMATED EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATOR (AED) IN PUBLIC SAFETY VEHICLES (S 3) Senate 39-0, approved an amendment that would provide $500,000 to fund the purchase by cities and towns of AEDs so that each police cruiser, fi re engine, ambulance and other first responder vehicles will have the device available inside the vehicle. “AEDs are absolutely crucial to the mortality rate of someone experiencing a cardiac event,” said Sen. Ryan Fattman (R-Sutton) who sponsored the amendment. “In small towns found in central and western Massachusetts, like some of the ones I represent, police are often the fi rst to respond to a 911 call, even in a medical emergency. Many municipalities do not have the resources to equip those vehicles with AEDs, which in turn allows precious moments to slip by for someone in a cardiac event. This bill establishes funding for municipalities to purchase AEDs through an AED trust fund for all safety vehicles, particularly in these smaller towns, so that this type of tragic scenario can be avoided.” (A “Yes” vote is for the amendment). Sen. Joseph Boncore 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 May 31June 4, the House met for a total of two hours and 17 minutes while the Senate met for a total of 25 minutes. Mon. May 31 No House session No Senate session Tues. June 1 House 11:03 a.m. to 1:13 p.m. Senate 11:05 a.m. to 11:25 a.m. Wed. June 2 No House session No Senate session Thurs. June 3 House 11:03 a.m. to 11:10 a.m. Senate 11:13 a.m. to 11:18 a.m. Fri. June 4 No House session No Senate session Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com
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