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THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JUNE 24, 2022 Page 15 BEACON | FROM Page 14 and gives the Legislature the authority to set the dates by June 15 each year. Supporters of the holiday say it has been in eff ect for many years, would boost retail sales and noted that consumers would save millions of dollars. They argue that the state’s sales tax revenue loss would be off set by increased revenue from the meals and gas tax revenue generated by shoppers on those two days. Opponents of the bill say the state cannot aff ord the up to $30 million estimated revenue loss and argued the holiday actually generates little additional revenue for stores because consumers typically buy the products even without the tax-free days. They say that the Legislature should be looking at broader, deeper tax relief for individuals and businesses and not a tiny tax-free holiday. BORROW $5 BILLION FOR STATE PROJECTS (S 2920) – The Senate approved, on a voice vote without a roll call vote, a $5 billion bond bill that borrows money for hundreds of construction projects—the majority involving maintenance and modernization projects of buildings related to health care, higher education, information technology, workforce development, the environment and aff ordable housing. Many of the buildings are decades old. The Senate added millions of dollars during consideration of the package. A key provision imposes a fi ve-year moratorium on any prison or jail construction in Massachusetts. “We need a fi ve-year pause on new jail and prison construction and prison expansion to ensure that the pathways away from incarceration for women and for men, pathways that the House and Senate helped create, are being justly used and often used, “said Sen. Jo Comerford (D-Northampton). “These investments will kickstart important projects related to buildings, infrastructure, pollution mitigation, broadband services and more, providing incalculable benefi ts to the residents of Massachusetts,” said Senate President Karen Spilka (D-Ashland). “Today’s passage of the [bill] will support a strong future for our commonwealth through critical infrastructure and information technology investments in areas like public higher education, cybersecurity, state building decarbonization and much more,” said Sen. Michael Rodrigues (D -Westport), Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. “This legislation represents the Senate’s commitment to ensuring that our commonwealth’s institutions are modernized while continuing to responsibly steward our state’s fi scal health and strengthening our reputation as a good place to do business.” said Sen. Nick Collins (D-Boston), Senate Chair of the Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets. There were 174 amendments fi led by members, many of which were off ered by legislators for projects in their own district. Members pitched their amendments behind closed doors. In the end, there was debate on only a few individual amendments while most were bundled into two mega-consolidated amendments and approved or rejected on a voice vote without a roll call. The “Yes” mega-amendments included 127 amendments while the “No” ones included 18 amendments. The House passed its own version of the package on May 19. A House-Senate conference committee will likely hammer out a compromise version that will then be sent to the governor. ALLOW DRIVER’S LICENSE FOR UNDOCUMENTED/ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS (H 4805) – The House and Senate held a ceremonial bill signing for legislation that would allow, starting July 1, 2023, undocumented/illegal immigrants to apply for a Massachusetts standard driver’s license. The governor had vetoed the bill and the House and Senate overrode the veto—making it impossible to hold a signing of the bill by the governor. The legislation requires an applicant “without legal presence” in the United States to provide the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) with a foreign passport and at least one of fi ve other documents: a driver’s license from another state, a foreign driver’s license, a birth certifi cate, a foreign national identifi cation card or a marriage certifi cate or divorce decree from any U.S. state. “I cannot sign this legislation because it requires the Registry of Motor Vehicles to issue state credentials to people without the ability to verify their identity,” Baker had said in his veto message. “The Registry does not have the expertise or ability to verify the validity of many types of documents from other countries. The bill also fails to include any measures to distinguish standard Massachusetts driver’s licenses issued to persons who demonstrate lawful presence from those who don’t.” “[This] is a piece of legislation I have been proud to co-lead on since I fi rst entered the Senate,” said Sen. Adam Gomez (D-Springfi eld). “As a proud Puerto Rican … and the state senator for a district that is rich in diversity, I know that this bill will benefi t generations of families across the commonwealth. Our state is rich in culture and has a deep-rooted sense of community. The Senate further affi rmed their commitment to protecting all families, regardless of status, by overriding the governor’s veto of this bill and enacting it into law.” “We are a nation of immigrants, and our commonwealth continues to be profoundly and positively shaped by immigrants from all over the world,” said Senate President Karen Spilka (D-Ashland). “They deserve to be able to safely get to work and school, care for their families and participate in the lives of their communities. I am thrilled that the Legislature has voted to override Gov. Baker’s veto on this measure, which supports families, improves public safety and is good for our economy.” In the meantime, “Fair and Secure Massachusetts,” a group attempting to repeal the new law, is collecting signatures to put the issue on the November state ballot to let voters decide whether to repeal the law or let it go into eff ect in July 2023. To get the question on the ballot, supporters must collect 40,120 signatures by August 24. SEXUAL ASSAULT UNDER FALSE MEDICAL REPRESENTATION (H 1661) – The House approved and sent to the Senate a bill that makes it a criminal off ense when a medical or healthcare professional induces a patient to engage in sexual intercourse or touching by falsely representing that the act is necessary for a legitimate medical purpose. The measure adds sections to the existing rape and indecent assault and battery statutes to criminalize behavior by medical professionals where there has been a fraudulent representation of the necessity and propriety of conduct and adds these crimes to the law on the statute of limitations for other sexual assaults. Supporters said that under existing law the off ender cannot be criminally punished. “I am pleased that my colleagues in the House voted to pass [the bill] as it will establish protections for vulnerable patients and criminalize medical or healthcare professionals who knowingly and falsely claim sexual contact for a medical purpose,” said sponsor Rep. Kate Hogan (DStow). “This legislation provides necessary updates to Massachusetts’ sexual assault laws.” MASSACHUSETTS COALITION OF POLICE (H 2163) – The House gave initial approval to a measure that would allow members of the Massachusetts Coalition of Police to be paid when attending executive board meetings of their group without having to use accrued time off for their absence. Supporters said that current law allows for members of the Massachusetts Police Association, a fraternal organization, to be excused from duty while attending executive board meetings. “The Massachusetts Coalition of Police is the largest police union in the commonwealth,” said sponsor Rep. Jessica Giannino (D-Revere). “Currently, [its] executive board members must use accrued time off from their departments to attend executive board meetings. This bill affords the same courtesy as those in other organizations in being excused from duty to conduct this important business.” QUOTABLE QUOTES “The Senate stands in recess subject to the call of the chair. We’ll come back when we feel like it.” ---Sen. William Brownsberger (DBelmont) adding a little humor to the Senate session. “The gang’s all here.” ---Gov. Baker upon the arrival of his counterparts Senate President Karen Spilka and House Speaker Ron Mariano for a joint press conference with reporters. “Logan is one of the nation’s busiest airports and its workers provide invaluable assistance in order to get passengers where they need to be. Raising the minimum wage is a victory for these workers and one they very much deserve. This decision is not only a step in the right direction for the airport but for the community as a whole.” --- Massport Board Member John Nucci on Massport’s hiking of the minimum wage for certain Massport workers from $15 to $16 on July 1, 2022, and then to $17 on January 1, 2023. “As we enter summer with drought conditions across much of the commonwealth, we ask residents to follow any local water restrictions, minimize water usage and be cautious when using charcoal grills, matches, fi re pits and other open fl ames. [We] will continue to work with our partners and the inter-agency Drought Mission Group to coordinate the response to the drought conditions.” --- Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) Acting Director Dawn Brantley. 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 June 13-17, The House met for a total of eight hours and 45 minutes and the Senate met for a total of four hours and 38 minutes. Mon. June 13 House 11:01 a.m. to 12:19 p.m. Senate 11:22 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Tues. June 14 No House session No Senate session Wed. June 15 House 11:03 a.m. to 11:26 a.m. No Senate session. Thurs. June 16 House 11:00 a.m. to 6:04 p.m. Senate 11:17 a.m. to 3:32 p.m. Fri. June 17 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. Your Hometown News Delivered! 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