ensure that victims of crimes perpetrated by juvenile offenders receive restitution, and that juvenile offenders be required to repair, replace or otherwise make restitution for any damage or loss caused by their crime. This bill also requires that the juvenile court make restitution a condition of release, placement or parole for the juvenile offender. “Crime victims face many hardships, not only as they deal with the emotional toll of the crime itself, but also with the related financial repercussions,” said sponsor Rep. Brad Jones (R-North Reading). “We should not compound their suffering by adding to their financial burden but should instead make it easier for them to receive restitution, which is what [my bill] seeks to do.” MUNICIPALITIES AND REGIONAL GOVERNMENT COMMITTEE HEARING — The Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government held a hearing on several bills including: EXEMPT LOCAL BILLS FROM REQUIRING THE LEGISLATURE’S APPROVAL (S 1471) — Would remove the current requirement that the Legislature review and approve of routine home rule petitions, filed in the Legislature by local cities and towns, that have minimal or no statewide impact, such as liquor license increases, charter changes and individual personnel exemptions from the state civil service law. “State legislative review of home rule petitions with limited to no statewide impact unnecessarily adds more red tape to established local processes,” said sponsor Sen. Becca Rausch (D-Needham). “It hinders our partners in municipal government from doing the jobs they were elected to do and restricts and confuses community members. Simply put, we just don’t need more confusion or longer wait times to implement what voters want in their own communities. My bill … would streamline the routine home rule process by eliminating state legislative review, thereby uplifting local decision-making so the right solutions for each of our 351 municipalities can be timely implemented.” REQUIRE TRAINING OF MEMBERS OF LOCAL CITY AND TOWNS BOARDS (S 1432) — Would require mandatory, standardized annual training for new members of key local board in cities and towns including boards of health, conservation commissions, planning boards and zoning boards of appeals. The training programs would be developed in consultation with the Massachusetts Municipal Association and would require all new board and commission members to complete these trainings prior to beginning their service. “I filed [the bill] because we rely on volunteers to make consequential decisions on local boards that shape everything from housing to public health, yet we don’t give them the training they need,” said sponsor Sen. Julian Cyr (D-Truro). “This bill creates a simple, no-cost, standardized training so new board members understand the laws they’re upholding and can serve their communities effectively from day one.” RAISE FINES FOR ANIMAL CRUELTY (H 2247) — Would amend current law that imposes up to a 7-year prison sentence and/or $5,000 fine for a first offense of animal cruelty and a 10-year prison sentence and/or $10,000 fine for a second offense. The bill leaves the prison sentences as they are but raises the fines to $5,500 for a first offense and $11,000 for subsequent offenses. It also creates a special account where up to $500 for a first offense and up to $1,000 for subsequent offenses would go to fund improvements to animal shelters in the city or town in which the violations occurred. The proposal received initial House approval in 2021 but then died in committee because of lack of further action by the House. Sponsor Rep. Bruce Ayers (D-Quincy) said that Massachusetts in 2024 took a big step forward in animal rights and protection with the passage of Ollie’s law that established rules and regulations for dog kennels in the Bay State, to ensure animal welTHE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JUNE 20, 2025 fare, protect consumers and keep kennel staff safe. “This bill seeks to build on that momentum by increasing penalties for animal cruelty to further deter abuse and neglect, while directing any additional revenue generated from these increased fines towards financial support for local animal shelters where the violation occurred,” said Ayers. LOCAL TREE WARDENS (H 2195) — Would require that every city and town’s tree warden have sufficient training and certification; change the penalty paid to communities for someone who illegally removes shade trees from $500 to the often higher value of actually replacing the tree; and update antiquated laws including the one that fines anyone who damages a tree or plant by driving an animal into it, but does not mention a car or truck because the current law was passed before the popular use of the automobile. Supporters said that a wellmaintained tree canopy can act as a buffer against climate change and protect public health. They noted that the U.S. Forest Service estimates that neighborhoods with well-shaded streets can be up to 10 degrees cooler and that tree canopies not only reduce energy costs but also mitigate the urban heat island effect, directly preventing heat-related illnesses and deaths. “Public shade trees are a valuable resource in our fight against the impact of climate change,” said sponsor Rep. Steve Owens (DWatertown). “The laws protecting them and empowering the tree wardens who care for them have not been materially updated in more than a hundred years. This bill makes sure that wardens have the tools they need to protect and nurture our public shade trees.” QUOTABLE QUOTES “This year’s tax incentive awardees are advancing scientific innovation, strengthening our economy and improving lives across the globe with groundbreaking work. Their successes are a shining example of why Massachusetts continues to lead the nation in life sciences.” Page 17 ---Lt Gov. Kim Driscoll on the Healey Administration announcing $29.9 million in tax incentive awards, estimated to create 1,500 industry jobs, to 33 life sciences companies. “As summer temperatures get hotter, we are committed to ensuring that every Massachusetts resident has access to a beach or pool and to be able to learn the skills they need to have a safe and fun experience. Providing free swim lessons through the Learn to Swim program, as well as ensuring we have a full contingent of qualified lifeguards, is critical to promoting water safety throughout the summer season.” --- Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) Commissioner Brian Arrigo announcing that DCR will offer free swimming lessons to children aged four through 12 at 19 DCR pools across the state and that some lifeguard positions are still available. “Down payment assistance is a vital tool for empowering first-time homebuyers and advancing MassHousing’s commitment to expanding access to homeownership. By growing our leading down payment assistance program to reach more middle-income homebuyers statewide, we will grow consumer buying power and help ensure that homeownership remains accessible to working families across Massachusetts.” ---MassHousing CEO Chrystal Kornegay announcing the expansion of its Down Payment Assistance mortgage program which now offers up to $25,000 in down payment assistance to all income-eligible first-time homebuyers, when purchasing a first home in any city or town in the Bay State. More information at: https://www.masshousing.com./en/home-ownership/homebuyers/downpayment-assistance “Students and school districts deserve a less polluted environment than is currently the case with diesel bus fleets. The growing shift to electric buses represents a transformative opportunity to modernize transportation while cutting costs as well as creating a learning opportunity for students and communities.” ---Massachusetts Clean Energy Center CEO Dr. Emily Reichert, announcing $9.5 million in funding to help communities replace dieselpowered school buses with electric alternatives. 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 filed. 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 June 9-13, the House met for a total of ten minutes while the Senate met for a total of two hours and one minute. Mon. June 9 House 11:01 a.m. to 11:04 a.m. Senate 11:10 a.m. to 11:35 a.m. Tues. June 10 No House session. No Senate session. Wed. June 11 No House session. No Senate session. Thurs. June 12 House 11:04 a.m. to 11:11 a.m. Senate 11:14 a.m. to 12:50 p.m. Fri. June 13 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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