Page 18 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 30, 2022 If you have any questions about this week’s report, e-mail us at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com or call us at (617) 720-1562 chronicles news and informed GET A FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO MASSTERLIST – Join more than 22,000 people, from movers and shakers to political junkies and interested citizens, who start their weekday morning with MASSterList—the popular newsletter that analysis about what’s going on up on Beacon Hill, in Massachusetts politics, policy, media and infl uence. The stories are drawn from major news organizations as well as specialized publications selected by widely acclaimed and highly experienced writers Keith Regan and Matt Murphy who introduce each article in their own clever and inimitable way. MASSterlist will be e-mailed to WASTE REMOVAL & BUILDING MAINTENANCE • Landscaping, Lawn Care, Mulching • Yard Waste & Rubbish Removal • Interior & Exterior Demolition (Old Decks, Fences, Pools, Sheds, etc.) • Appliance and Metal Pick-up • Construction and Estate Cleanouts • Pick-up Truck Load of Trash starting at $169 • Carpentry LICENSED & INSURED Call for FREE ESTIMATES! KITCHEN CABINETS To Look Like New 508-840-0501 FURNITURE STRIP & FINISH you FREE every Monday through Friday morning and will give you a leg up on what’s happening in the blood sport of Bay State politics. For more information and to get your free subscription, go to: https://lp.constantcontactpages. com/su/aPTLucK THE HOUSE AND SENATE: There were no roll calls in the House and Senate last week. This week, Beacon Hill Roll Call reports on the number of times each representative sided with Gov. Charlie Baker on his 37 vetoes of mostly state Your Hometown News Delivered! EVERETT ADVOCATE MALDEN ADVOCATE REVERE ADVOCATE SAUGUS ADVOCATE MALDEN ADV REVERE ADV SAUGUS ADV One year subscription to The Advocate of your choice: $200 per paper in-town per year or $150 per paper out-of-town per year. Name_________________________________________ Address_______________________________________ City_______________ State_______ Zip ____________ CC# _______________________________ Exp. _____ Sec. code____ Advocate (City):___________________ Clip & Mail Coupon with Credit Card, Check or Money Order to: Advocate Newspapers Inc. PO Box 490407, Everett, MA 02149 budget items in the 2021-2022 session. A two-thirds vote is required to override a gubernatorial veto. In a full 160-member House, the governor needs the support of 54 representatives to sustain a veto when all 160 representatives vote—and fewer votes when some members are absent or a seat is vacant. Baker fell short of that goal as 36 votes was the most support he received on any veto. The House easily overrode all 37 vetoes, including six that were overridden unanimously. It was mostly the 27 GOP members who voted with the Republican governor to sustain the vetoes, but no Republican representative voted with Baker 100 percent of the time. The three GOP members who voted with Baker the most times are Reps. Shawn Dooley (R-Norfolk), 30 times (81.0 percent); Donald Berthiaume (R-Spencer) who voted with Baker 28 times (75.6 percent); and GOP Minority Leader Brad Jones (R-North Reading) who voted with Baker 27 times (72.9 percent). The four GOP members who supported Baker the least number of times were Reps. Hannah Kane (R-Shrewsbury) and David Vieira (R-Falmouth) who both voted with Baker only 20 times (54.0 percent); and Reps. Marc Lombardo (R-Billerica) and Joseph McKenna (R-Webster) who both voted with Baker only 21 times (56.7 percent). The vetoes had little support among the 125 Democrats in the House. One hundred and fourteen (91.2 percent) of them did not support the governor even once. Of the other eleven Democrats, the three who voted with Baker the most times were Reps. Michael Moran (D-Brighton) who voted with Baker four times (10.8 percent); and Chris Markey (D-Dartmouth) and David Robertson (DTewksbury) who both voted with Baker twice (5.4 percent). NUMBER OF TIMES REPRESENTATIVES SUPPORTED GOV. BAKER’S VETOES IN THE 2021-2022 SESSION Gov. Baker vetoed 37 proposals that were approved by the Legislature in 2021-2022. Here is how your representative fared in his or her support of Gov. Baker on the vetoes. The percentage next to the representative’s name represents the percentage of times that he or she supported Baker. The number in parentheses represents the actual number of times the representative supported Baker. Rep. Jessica Giannino 0 percent (0) Rep. Jeff Turco 2.7 percent (1) ALSO UP ON BEACON HILL REDUCED TRAFFIC FATALITIES AND PROTECT PEDESTRIANS AND BICYCLISTS (H 5103) – Gov. Baker has proposed amendments to a bill, sent to him by the Legislature a few days ago, designed to protect “vulnerable road users” which includes pedestrians, construction workers, emergency responders, bicyclists, skateboarders, roller skates and wheelchair users. “[The bill] strengthens traffi c safety regulations, making our roads safer and taking critical steps to save lives, and reduce crashes that needlessly put people at risk,” said sponsor Rep. Christine Barber (DSomerville) when the House approved the bill on September 12 and sent it to the governor. “With an emphasis on enhancing safeguards for pedestrians and bikers, the commonwealth positions itself as a leader in road user safety and promotes alternative modes of transportation.” A key provision of the bill requires vehicle drivers, when passing a vulnerable user, to pass at a safe distance of not less than 3 feet when the motor vehicle is traveling at 30 miles per hour or less, and an additional foot of clearance for every ten miles per hour that the vehicle is traveling above 30 miles per hour. Baker said that the passing distance formula presents enforcement and messaging challenges that would undermine the goal of a clearly understood and enforceable standard. “This bill would establish a sliding scale of passing distances depending on the motor vehicles’ speed, which would be confusing for motorists and diffi cult to enforce for local police,” said Baker, instead proposing an amendment that would establish a consistent three-foot distance requirement. Other provisions of the measure include establishing a process to lower the default speed limit to 25 mph on state highways and parkways in thickly settled or business districts; requiring higher-visibility mirrors and lateral sideguards on certain state-owned, state-operated and state-contracted trucks; and creating a uniform reporting tool for crashes involving a pedestrian or cyclist.. Baker said he supports several pieces of the bill including the requirement that some state vehicles use higher-visibility mirrors and lateral sideguards. As far as the section creating a uniform reporting tool for crashes involving a pedestrian or cyclist Baker said that there already exists an online reporting public-facing platform and the new section is not necessary. The amendments are now before the House for consideration. EDUCATION BILLS SENT TO A STUDY COMMITTEE – Several bills aff ecting public schools and education were sent to a study committee where bills are rarely actually studied and are essentially defeated. It is a way to kill a proposal without holding a vote on the bill itself. Here are some of the education bills that were sent off to a study committee: COMMISSION ON GEOGRAPHY TEACHING IN SCHOOLS (H 703) – Would create an 8-member commission to study and investigate the status of geography education in public schools and make recommendations on how to improve it. “Expanding geography knowledge is much more than knowing where things are on a map,” said sponsor Rep. Todd Smola (R-Warren) who plans to fi le the bill again next year. “It helps to improve our understanding of issues at home and around the world. Global issues have a tremendous impact on what happens to us within our own country as well. A greater focus on geography education will work to the benefi t of all students in the commonwealth.” “It is always disappointing to see a good bill sent to study,” continued Smola. “I also recognize that the creation of a commission to study any issue is an extensive undertaking that the Legislature takes seriously. The hope is that there is room for expansion in the Massachusetts history and social science frameworks for greater geography education. If we can get there without the need for a legislative study, I am all for it.” TEACH PERSONAL FINANCE IN SCHOOLS (H 578) – Would require the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to develop and assist in the implementation of curriculum on personal fi - nancial literacy to equip students with the knowledge and skills they need to become self-supporting and to enable them to make critical decisions regarding personal fi nances. The components of the curriculum would include the understanding of loans, borrowing money, interest, credit card debt and online commerce; rights and responsibilities of renting or buying a home; saving, investing and planning for retirement; banking and fi nancial services; balancing a checkbook; state and federal taxes; and charitable giving. Supporters say that schools should teach these practical skills in school because by the time students graduate high school, they do not have this practical knowledge that they will use for the rest of their lives. Sponsor Rep. Peter Durant (RSpencer) did not respond to repeated attempts by Beacon Hill Roll Call asking him to comment on his bill and its defeat. MEDIA LITERACY (H 688) – Would require the Department of Education to integrate media literacy skills in all health and core curricular content for grades K-12. Media literacy is defi ned in the bill as consumption and production of media, digital products and communication technology of all kinds including news BEACON | SEE Page 20
19 Publizr Home