Page 16 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, AUGUST 7, 2026 By Bob Katzen If you have any questions about this week’s report, e-mail us at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com or call us at (617) 720-1562 THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call reports local representatives’ and senators’ votes on roll calls from the week of July 27-31. HOME CARE (H 5627) House 157-0, Senate 40-0, approved and sent to Gov. Maura Healey a bill that would establish a licensure process for home care agencies that supporters say will ensure that consumers receive quality non-medical services and that home care workers are protected. The Executive Offi ce of Health and Human Services would implement the licensure process and have the authority to approve licenses, survey and investigate home care agencies and impose fines. Home care agencies would be required to disclose anyone with at least a 5 percent ownership interest in the agency, carry workers compensation and liability insurance and provide appropriate levels of training for their employees. “Everyone—consumers and workers—will be safer and better served with home care licensure in place,” said lead sponsor Sen. Pat Jehlen (D-Somerville). “This legislation is the culmination of years of collaboration with advocates representing older adults, care providers, unions and regulators to ensure all agencies are vetted, workers are protected and consumers receive high-quality care. The commissions on long-term services and supports and family caregiving are important next steps in providing more aff ordable options for our residents to access care and services.” “Once again, the House and Senate answer the call to meet the needs of our older adults and prioritize aging in place,” said Rep. Tom Stanley (D-Waltham). “This legislation follows up last session’s landmark Long-Term Care reform law by strengthening another key pillar of the commonwealth’s continuum of care for older adults and individuals with disabilities—home care. At a time when our aging population is growing and demand for home care is expected to increase, the licensing and oversight process established in this bill for home care agencies is needed more than ever to protect consumers, their families and home care workers.” “The bipartisan support for this bill in both the Senate and the House showcases the commitment within both chambers to keep aging residents in Massachusetts,” said Sen. Ryan Fattman (R-Sutton). “The protections created in this bill will give families the ease of mind that their older relatives will receive safer and higher-quality care at their homes through more training, oversight and accountability in the licensure process and beyond.” (A Yes” vote is for the bill.) Rep. Jessica Giannino Yes Rep. Jeff Turco Yes Sen. Lydia Edwards Yes CHILD WELFARE (H 5629) House 156-0, Senate 40-0, approved and sent to Gov. Healey legislation that supporters say would guarantee certain basic rights for children in foster care related to their safety, education and health care. They argued that the measure safeguards the wellbeing of children, especially those in state care and foster care; increases access to community support for children at risk of court involvement; and strengthens the Office of the Child Advocate to support robust investigations into reports of harm or abuse to a child. A key provision would expand the diversion of children dealing with behavior or attendance problems to Family Resource Centers (FRCs) instead of the court system. Supporters note that FRCs provide accessible, confidential support to children and families in crisis close to home and have proven successful in helping kids and teens stay in school, connecting families with services such as mental health or substance use treatment, housing aid and legal help. Other provisions include creating a Foster Child Bill of Rights Law Offices of JOSEPH D. CATALDO, P.C. “ATTORNEYS AND COUNSELORS AT LAW” ESTATE/MEDICAID PLANNING WILLS/TRUSTS/ESTATES INCOME TAX PREPARATION WEALTH MANAGEMENT RETIREMENT PLANNING ELDER LAW 369 Broadway Everett, MA 02149 (617)381-9600 JOSEPH D. CATALDO, CPA, CFP, MST, ESQUIRE. AICPA Personal Financial Specialist Designee to clarify and protect the basic rights and services foster children need to live healthy, safe and fulfilled lives; codifying a Youth Engagement program to ensure the voices of youth are included to inform relevant policy, oversight and programs; allowing a child the same ability as an adult to petition the court to extend any abuse or harassment protection order made on behalf of the child; tasking the Offi ce of the Child Advocate (OCA) with supporting families and caregivers by providing training materials to mandated reporters and individuals who frequently work with children; and with creating and maintaining a list of resources for grieving parents who have experienced a sudden unexplained pediatric death. “This bill strengthens the systems that protect the commonwealth’s most vulnerable children,” said Rep. Jay Livingstone (D-Boston), House Chair of the Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities. “It provides new tools to schools, courts and child welfare agencies to improve educational, health and safety outcomes for our most vulnerable children. The bill also mandates more public reporting to better understand what’s working and identify where improvement is needed.” “This legislation refl ects our shared responsibility to the children of the commonwealth — especially those who have experienced abuse, entered foster care or are navigating crises,” said Sen. Jo Comerford (D-Northampton), Vice Chair of Senate Committee on Ways and Means. “It affi rms that every child deserves not only protection, but support, stability, dignity and the opportunity to build the future they deserve. This bill makes meaningful, systemwide improvements — from establishing a Foster Child Bill of Rights to strengthening education continuity, family supports and accountability. It makes our child welfare system more responsive, transparent and compassionate.” “The bill fi nalized by the Legislature today makes important changes to improve the effi ciency, transparency, accountability and performance of the Department of Children and Families, the Offi ce of the Child Advocate and the Children Requiring Assistance systems.” said Sen. Robyn Kennedy (D-Worcester), Senate Chair of the Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities. “These long-needed improvements to our child welfare ecosystem have passed today because of the tireless work of so many. Because of their eff orts, Massachusetts will be a better place for our children to learn and grow. Just as it takes a village to raise a child, it also takes a village to make policy that helps all the children of the commonwealth thrive.” (A “Yes” vote is for the bill.) Rep. Jessica Giannino Yes Rep. Jeff Turco Yes Sen. Lydia Edwards Yes THE “PROTECT ACT” (H 5620 House 137-21, Senate on a voice vote without a roll call, approved and sent to Gov. Healey the PROTECT Act that supporters said would establish statewide standards governing interactions between state and local law enforcement and federal immigration enforcement. They said the measure would create among the strongest protections in the nation for residents who have immigrated to their communities; strengthen due process protections; limit civil immigration enforcement in courthouses, public school grounds, hospitals and other sensitive locations; expand protections for victims of crime; and increase transparency, accountability and clarity for correctional facilities and law enforcement relative to civil immigration enforcement. Provisions bar Massachusetts law enforcement agencies from signing new deputization agreements with federal immigration authorities, except in narrow, criminal-law-focused arrangements that meet additional safeguards; prohibit civil immigration arrests without a judicial warrant at schools, childcare centers, medical facilities and courthouses; establish a civil cause of action against federal offi cers who violate a resident’s constitutional rights, putting them under the same accountability standards as state and local police; keep state and local police out of federal civil immigration enforcement, barring the use of local resources for that purpose, or detention, based solely on a civil immigration detainer; and protect immigrant crime victims, including traffi cking survivors, who asBHRC | SEE Page 17
17 Publizr Home