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THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, AUGUST 14, 2020 Page 15 BEACON | FROM Page 14 show up with a fi re hose. Instead, the House is bringing a toy squirt gun,” said Hellerstein. “While these are good steps, it’s important to be clear about what this bill does not do,” continued Hellerstein. “It does not end the use of dirty, polluting oil and gas. Rather, it allows the burning of fossil fuels to continue for decades, and it postpones necessary action in favor of studies and roadmaps. This roadmap doesn’t take us where we need to go. It puts us on a road that still ends with the use of fossil fuels. That’s a shame.” Some think the bill goes too far. “The bill acts as an endorsement of the Transportation and Climate Initiative (TCI), as well as allowing for similar tax schemes in the future,” said Paul Gangi of the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance. The TCI is a regional collaboration of 12 Northeast and MidAtlantic states and the District of Columbia that seeks to improve transportation, develop the clean energy economy and reduce carbon emissions from the transportation sector. “The House’s vote is a blueprint for long term carbon taxes without needing a legislative vote. The bill allows for the Legislature to continue to cede legislative authority to unelected bureaucrats on matters of taxation, regulation, and regional agreements. The fi nal bill included several burdensome amendments; including implementing California style regulations for appliances. (A “Yes” vote is for the bill. A “No” vote is against it.) Rep. Bob DeLeo Rep. RoseLee Vincent Ye s Ye s STATE SEAL AND MOTTO (S 2848) Senate 39-0, approved a measure that would create a special commission to investigate the offi cial state seal and motto including “those features that may be unwittingly harmful to or misunderstood by Bay State citizens to ensure that they faithfully refl ect and embody the historic and contemporary commitments of the state to peace, justice, liberty and equality and to spreading the opportunities and advantages of education.” The commission would make recommendations by October 1, 2021 for a revised or new design of the seal and motto. The seal currently includes a Native American holding a bow in one hand, an arrow in the other hand and a disembodied arm holding a sword above him. The motto is “By the sword we seek peace, but only under liberty.” The commission would also make recommendations for an educational program on the history and meaning of the seal and motto. The commission would determine “whether the seal and motto accurately refl ect and embody the historic and contemporary commitments of the commonwealth to peace, justice, liberty and equality, and to spreading the opportunities and advantages of education.” Supporters of the special commission say the current seal is politically insensitive and the bow and arrow depict violence. They note the sword-wielding arm is that of Captain Miles Standish, a pilgrim whose army killed many Native Americans in the 1600s and portrays Indians in a “surrender state.” “Our collective symbols of identity matter, and if they marginalize some of our fellow residents and perpetuate harmful stereotypes, they should be replaced,” said Sen. Jason Lewis (D-Winchester). “Native advocates and allies championed this legislation for decades, and I am grateful that their advocacy led to the passage of this bill.” Supporters of the current seal say that it is a sacred symbol. They argue that the depiction is appropriate and note that the arrow is pointing downward which is known as a Native American symbol signifying peace. (A “Yes” vote is for the bill.) Sen. Joseph Boncore Ye s TELECOMMUTING BY STATE WORKERS (S 2842) Senate 39-0, approved an amendment that would establish a special commission on telecommuting to evaluate and study the impact of telecommuting on state workers. The commission, required to submit its report by December 1, 2021, would look at the costs and potential cost savings associated with working remotely; the IT requirements needed to allow remote work; the eff ect of remote work on employee productivity, recruitment and retention; and the environmental impact of telecommuting. “While we continue to telecommute, practice social distancing, and do everything that we are able to stop the spread of this deadly virus, it is time that we think about what our lives will look like once we are on the other side of this insidious pandemic,” said amendment sponsor Sen. Walter Timilty (D-Milton.) Timilty noted that studies illustrate that telecommuting boosts employee morale, encourages a better work-life balance, reduces absenteeism, lowers turnover rate, enhances health of workers, improves the environment and improves productivity. “Telecommuting can increase employee diversity,” continued Timilty. “Having to commute to an office space can limit applicant pools to a certain region. With diversity of location also comes the opportunity for diversity of experience and skillset, qualities sought for a robust team of employees. Additionally, telecommuting off ers organizations an opportunity to expand its inclusion. Many parents or older adults seek the fl exibility of telecommuting in order to care for their children or aging family members.” (A “Yes” vote is for the bill.) Sen. Joseph Boncore Ye s RACIAL DISPARITIES IN MATERNAL MORTALITY (S 2865) Senate 39-0, approved a bill that would create a special commission to examine and make recommendations to reduce or eliminate racial disparities in the death of mothers before, during and after childbirth. The commission would look for problems and solutions by examining evidence-based practices, including approaches taken by other states or grass-roots organizations to reduce or eliminate racial disparities in maternal mortality or severe maternal morbidity; barriers to accessing prenatal and postpartum care, how that care is delivered and the quality of that care; and how historical and current structural, institutional and individual forms of racism, including implicit bias or discrimination, aff ect the incidence and prevalence of maternal mortality in communities of color. Supporters said that among the developed nations of the world, only the United States continues to allow people giving birth to die in increasing numbers, and the outcomes are staggeringly worse for people of color, who experienced a 238 percent increase in the risk of maternal death between 1978 and 2015. “People giving birth now are more likely to suff er injury, illness, or death than our mothers and grandmothers who delivered in the previous century, and Black and Brown birthing people are more than twice as likely to be forced to endure those heartbreaking harms,” said Sen. Becca Rausch (D-Needham), the original lead sponsor of the bill. “We cannot allow that to stand, nor can we tackle a problem without understanding the full extent of its impact. The maternal health disparities commission we establish today will serve as that meaningful fi rst step in crafting policy solutions to the tangible racial disparities in maternal health outcomes in Massachusetts. (A “Yes” vote is for the bill). Sen. Joseph Boncore Ye s 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 August 3-7, the House met for a total of fi ve hours and six minutes while the Senate met for a total of four hours and 34 minutes. Mon. Aug. 3 House 11:00 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Senate 11:07 a.m. to 1:01 p.m. Tues. Aug. 4 No House session No Senate session Wed. Aug. 5 No House session No Senate session Thurs. Aug 6 House 11:04 a.m. to 1:40 p.m. Senate 11:08 a.m. to 1:48 p.m. Fri. Aug. 7 No House session No Senate session Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com How to Keep a Watchful Eye on an Aging Parent Dear Savvy Senior, Can you recommend any services or technology that help me monitor my elderly mother who lives alone? Since the coronavirus pandemic started last March, my sister and I have noticed that my mom’s health has slipped a bit, so we would like to fi nd something that helps us keep tabs on her when we’re not around. Concerned Daughter Dear Concerned, Depending on how closely you want to monitor your mother, and what she’s comfortable with as well, there are check-in call services along with some new monitoring technology devices you can turn to for help. Here are several to consider. Check-In Calls If you just want a simple check to make sure your mom is OK every day, consider signing her up with a daily check-in call service program. These are telephone reassurance programs run by police or sheriff ’s departments in hundreds of counties across the country and are usually provided free of charge. Here’s how they work. A computer automated phone system would call your mom at a designated time each day to check-in. If she answers, the system would assume everything is OK. But if she didn’t pick up or if the call goes to voice mail after repeated tries, you (or her other designee) would get a notifi cation call. If you are not reachable, calls are then made to backup people who’ve also agreed to check on your mom if necessary. The fallback is if no one can be reached, the police or other emergency services personnel will be dispatched to her home. To fi nd out if this service is available in your mom’s community, call her local police department’s nonemergency number. If it’s not off ered, there are other organizations or companies you can turn to that provide similar services. One that I love that’s completely free to use is Mon Ani (monami.io, 650-267-2474), which off ers a volunteer phone bank that provides phone or video calls daily, weekly or anything in between. The volunteer will connect with your mom, provide companionship and make sure everything is OK. They’ll let you know if they detect a problem. Monitoring Technology Technology also off ers a variety of new ways to help you keep an eye on your mom when you can’t be there. One nifty new option is the Electronic Caregiver’s (electroniccaregiver.com) “Premier” product, which is a wearable wrist device that provides activity monitoring, a 24/7 emergency help button, medication reminders and a GPS locator so you can determine your mom’s whereabouts when she’s away from home. It’s also linked to a family caregiver app to keep you and other loved ones in the loop. The device is free with a monthly subscription that costs $40 to $60 a month, depending on the level of monitoring. If your mom is primarily homebound, another option to consider is a sensor-monitoring system like Caregiver Smart Solutions (caregiversmartsolutions.com). This uses small sensors (not cameras) placed in key areas of your mom’s home to track her activities – everything from whether she used the coff ee pot to how much she’s watching TV – and will let you know if something out of the ordinary is happening. For instance, if she went to the bathroom and didn’t leave, it could indicate a fall or other emergency. You can also check up on her patterns anytime you want through the system’s website or app. And for additional protection, it offers emergency call buttons that can be placed around the house. Caregiver Smart Solutions starts at $99 for their activity sensors, plus a $29 monthly service fee. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book.

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