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THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2024 Page 19 connotations, words that also serve as a reminder of past injustices.” “This legislation is not just a name change but a mission enhancement,” said Sen. Nick Collins, Senate Chair of the Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight. “By defi ning the commonwealth’s response now with emphasis on the abilities of our citizens, we are taking the MassAbility Commission in a new proactive, positive direction to better serve the community’s needs.” “The language we use is important,” said Rep. Antonio F. D. Cabral (D-New Bedford), House Chair of the Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight. “Changing the agency’s name to MassAbility represents a shift in the perception on disability, focusing instead on the strengths, skills and capabilities of every individual. This new name of the agency reduces stigma and emphasizes equal access, self-determination, and inclusion. I believe, as MassAbility, the agency will project the abilities rather than the barriers for jobseekers.” ADD 225 LIQUOR LICENSES (H 5039) — The House and Senate approved and sent to Gov. Maura Healey a bill adding 225 new alcohol licenses for the City of Boston over the next three years. Supporters said the licenses would be distributed across 13 Boston zip codes, expanding equity for restaurant owners in historically underrepresented parts of the city and boosting economic opportunity in communities of color that have been systemically excluded for decades. “I’m proud to have worked with my colleagues in the House and Senate to add additional liquor licenses to underserved neighborhoods across Boston,” said Sen. Nick Collins (D-South Boston). “These additional licenses will improve the sustainability of existing small businesses, create opportunities for new businesses, and create economic vibrancy on our main streets.” “I am proud to support this equitable proposal that will give an economic boost to restaurants and small businesses across Boston, especially in communities of color that historically haven’t had much access to these licenses,” said Sen. Sal DiDomenico (D-Everett). “Expanding liquor licenses in these Boston neighborhoods means expanding economic opportunity and equity into critical areas that have been underrepresented for too long,” said Senate President Karen Spilka (D-Ashland). LONG TERM CARE AND ASSISTED LIVING (H 5033) — Gov. Healey signed into law a bill making changes to the state’s long term care and assisted living industry that supporters said will make sweeping reforms to these two industries and will take a powerful step toward delivering high quality and safe care for older residents across the state. “In Massachusetts, we are committed to making sure our aging residents and their loved ones can trust that they are receiving the highest quality of care from qualifi ed staff at their long-term care or assisted living facilities,” said Gov. Healey. “This bill helps to provide them with that peace of mind, while also ensuring our hardworking providers have the resources and support they need to succeed in this important career. We are also proud to be enhancing protections for older LGBTQ+ residents to ensure they receive the specialized care they need free from discrimination.” The bill includes provisions related to basic health services administered in assisted living facilities and oversight of long-term care facilities, including creation of a program for the certifi cation, training and oversight of certifi ed medication aides who would be authorized to administer medications to residents of long-term care facilities; several new initiatives to recruit and retain a dedicated long-term care workforce; allowing assisted living residences to off er basic health services such as helping a resident administer drops, manage their oxygen or take a home diagnostic test; giving the Executive Offi ce of Elder Aff airs new powers to penalize non-compliance by allowing it to fi ne assisted living residences up to $500 per day; and authorizing the attorney general to fi le a civil action against a person who commits abuse, mistreatment or neglect of a patient or resident. Other provisions allow the Department of Public Health (DPH) to limit, restrict or revoke a long-term care facility’s license for cause, such as substantial or sustained failure to provide adequate care, substantial or sustained failure to comply with laws or regulations or lack of financial capacity to operate a facility; streamline the process for small house nursing homes to be licensed; direct DPH to establish and implement training and education programs on topics such as infection prevention and control, resident care plans and staff safety programs; and require long-term care facilities to develop individualized outbreak response plans to contain the spread of disease and ensure consistent communication with DPH, residents, families, and staff . The measure also would require each long-term care facility to provide staff training on the rights and care of LGBTQ+ older adults and older adults living with HIV; forbid any long-term care facility and its staff from discriminating based in whole or in part on a person’s sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, intersex status or HIV status, whether through the denial of admission, medical or non-medical care, access to restrooms or through room assignments. QUOTABLE QUOTES “Reducing the amount of waste we produce — by reusing, repairing, rescuing, and donating what we already have — has the biggest direct impact on our ability to meet our waste reduction goals. Funding these projects ensures we have the infrastructure to tackle waste reduction right here in Massachusetts.” --- Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection Commissioner Bonnie Heiple announcing the the awarding pf $140,126 in microgrants to organizations, municipalities and academic institutions focused on reducing waste generation and prolonging the lifespan of products by off ering donation, rescue, reuse and repair services across the state. “Massachusetts is the number one state for women, for having a baby and for raising a family. That’s in large part due to our commitment to making the strongest child care and early education investments in the country. Our nation-leading eff orts have added thousands of new child care slots across the state, and we’re continuing to partner with the Legislature to make child care more aff ordable and support our hardworking providers.” ---Gov. Maura Healey on what she calls Massachusetts’ national leadership when it comes to making child care more affordable and accessible. “This is yet another example of the extreme lack of government oversight of taxpayer dollars. Ordinary Massachusetts taxpayers are already struggling with infl ation and the high cost of living in our state. It’s a slap in the face that the Healey-Driscoll Administration shows such little respect for how Massachusetts residents’ hard-earned money is being spent.” --- MassGOP Chair Amy Carnevale commenting on a recent Boston Herald report revealing that EBT cards issued to Massachusetts welfare recipients have been used out of state, including in popular vacation destinations such as Hawaii, the Virgin Islands, Alaska and in 165 cities and towns in California, as well as 293 cities and towns in Florida, among many others across the nation. “Massachusetts’ clean energy transition will deliver benefi ts to every community, including more high-paying jobs, cleaner air, improved public health and lower energy costs. We are proud to support municipalities as they make these investments, and we will continue to work with them to reduce our reliance on dirty fossil fuels.” --- Energy and Environmental Aff airs Secretary Rebecca Tepper announcing more than $7.4 million in grants for communities across Massachusetts to fund clean energy projects. 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 Sept. 2-6. the House met for a total of one hour and 11 minutes and the Senate met for a total of one hour and 16 minutes. Mon. Sept. 2 No House session No Senate session Tues. Sept. 3 House 11:01 a.m. to 11:08 a.m. Senate 11:07 a.m. to 11:14 a.m. Wed. Sept. 4 No House session No Senate session Thurs. Sept.5 House 11:01 a.m. to 12:05 p.m. Senate 11:02 a.m. to 12:11 p.m. Fri. Sept. 6 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. RevereTV Spotlight W atch the RevereTV Community Channel to catch all of the studio’s coverage of local events. Some of this coverage culminates into a longform program, such as the Flag Raising Ceremonies at City Hall, while others are edited into short highlight reels. Some events to catch on RTV from the past month are Brazilian Independence Day, Revere Public Schools Backpack Giveaway, Row Row Row Revere and All Abilities Day. RevereTV recorded this year’s Candlelight Vigil in Beachmont, which is organized annually by the Substance Use Disorder and Homelessness Initiatives Offi ce and Public Health Department. The recording will soon be posted to social media and can be watched daily on the Community Channel for the next few weeks. Watch and remember those lost due to the opiate epidemic. You will hear a reading of names of people who passed from the community, a keynote speaker, a poem and prayer. The City of Revere Consumer Aff airs Offi ce hosted its annual Shred-It event on Saturday, September 7, in the City Hall Parking Lot. This event off ered Revere residents free shredding services for up to three banker boxes of documents, provided they show proof of residency. Residents are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity as more are scheduled in the future for a secure and confi dential way to dispose of old documents. RTV will be at Touch-A-Truck in a few weeks. This is a popular event for kids and families organized by Revere Parks and Recreation. It will be at the Rumney Marsh Academy (RMA) on Sunday, September 22, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Attendees are welcome to park in the Revere High School parking lot and walk the short path to RMA. If you miss it, you’ll at least be able to watch a video of highlights on RevereTV. The new fall-themed episode of “Cooking with the Keefes,” featuring Mayor Patrick Keefe and First Lady Jennifer Keefe, has hit the Community Channel! Watch it daily over the next month to learn how to make homemade butternut squash ravioli in a brown sage butter sauce and apple fritter muffi ns. Follow along at your own pace by watching on YouTube. RTV GOV is where you’ll fi nd live and replayed local government meetings. RTV GOV is channel 9 on Comcast and channels 13 and 613 on RCN. The current rotation of replays includes Revere Board of Health, Conservation Commission, Legislative Aff airs SubCommittee, Revere City Council, Commission on Disabilities and Aff ordable Housing Trust Fund.

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