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Page 14 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16, 2020 provided with expanded access to mechanical data related to vehicle maintenance and repair. Gov. Charlie Baker’s Office of Administration and Finance is reLISTEN TO THE BOB KATZEN BABY BOOMER AND GEN X RADIO AND ONLINE SHOW: Are you, like me, tired of being subjected to puzzled looks, blank stares and comments from younger people who look at you like you are Mel Brooks’ “2,000 Year Old Man” when you mention something from the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s or even the 1980s? I invite you, your family and your friends to jump in my Delorean time machine and join me every Sunday night between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. for a trip back to a time we all fondly call “The Good Old Days.” The show is pure fun! Designed exclusively for YOU -- Baby Boomers and Gen Xers. There are many ways you can listen to the show from anywhere in the world: • If you have a smart speaker, simply say, “Play WMEX on RADIO.COM” • Download the free RADIO.COM app on your phone or tablet • Listen online at: www.radio. com/1510wmex/listen • Tune into 1510 AM if you still have an AM radio THE HOUSE AND SENATE. There were no roll calls in the House or Senate last week. This week, Beacon Hill Roll Call looks at Question 1, one of the two questions on the ballot that will be decided directly by the voters in November. Secretary of State Bill Galvin has mailed the “Information for Voters on the 2020 Ballot Questions,” nicknamed the “Red Book,” to voters across the state. If you didn’t receive a copy, you can see one online at https:// www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/elepdf/ IFV_2020.pdf or call the secretary’s offi ce at 1-800-462-VOTE to have one mailed to you. Question 1 asks voters if they approve of a proposed law that would require that motor vehicle owners and independent repair facilities be WINTER | FROM Page 11 Contact tracing In April – responding quickly to the increasing number of cases – the Commonwealth established the Contact Tracing Collaborative (CTC), a collaboration between the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH), local boards of health and Partners in Health. Today, this network includes just less than 2,000 workers who maintain regular connection with and support for individuals who are isolated in quarantine. A team of epidemiologists was recently added to CTC to investigate cases, identify the source of transmission and catch clusters early. To date, more than 100,000 people have been contacted. Hospital readiness Hospitals are now required to continue adherence to the policies put in place upon reopenquired by law to analyze the fi scal consequences if the proposed law is approved. “The proposed law has no discernible material fi scal consequences for state and municipal government fi nances,” says the analysis. “Massachusetts voters voted a record-setting 86 percent in favor of the Right to Repair ballot initiative in 2012,” said Tommy Hickey, Director of the Right To Repair Coalition, the group urging a “yes” vote on Question 1, to Beacon Hill Roll Call. “Technology has evolved and there was a loophole in the law carving out wireless communications that manufacturers are using to restrict access to independent repair shops forcing consumers to dealerships. This ballot initiative would give car owners direct access to their diagnostic and repair information because we, as a coalition, believe if you bought the car, you should get all the information necessary to fi x it and share the information with a repair shop of your choice.” “Question 1 is not Right to Repair,” said Conor Yunits, spokesperson for the Coalition for Safe and Secure Data, the group urging a “no” vote on Question 1, to Beacon Hill Roll Call. “We already have Right to Repair in Massachusetts, and it works: more than 70 percent of post-warranty repairs are done by independent mechanics. They are a critical piece of the repair network and that will not change. Question 1 is about major national retail chains like AutoZone and NAPA spending $21 million in Massachusetts because they want your data. Question 1 creates an ‘open access platform’ that connects to every vehicle in Massachusetts and unlocks a secure system, which is why the National Highway Traffi c Safety Administration warns that malicious actors could access and potentially take control of your vehicle.” A dispute has also erupted between the two groups on whether the availability of this information can be dangerous for victims ing to ensure continued readiness, including regarding PPE inventories, Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nursing staffi ng ratios, and strictly ensuring suffi cient inpatient capacity. Massachusetts hospitals have approximately 50 percent ICU capacity available, plus additional beds can be made available by converting medical or surgical beds through established and proven procedures. Further, temporary spaces can be reused. In the spring, the state set up fi ve alternative medical sites. The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) is prepared to rapidly reinstate these if necessary. LTCF readiness Caring for older adults in LTCF has been a priority since the earliest days of the pandemic. Early on, the state provided approximately 2.8 million pieces of PPE to nursing homes and opened dedicated COVID isolation spacof domestic violence. “Domestic violence advocates warn how dangerous this information could be,” says Yunits. “Jane Doe Inc., the Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, wrote, ‘Access to vehicle data, particularly call logs and GPS location, enables persons who perpetrate abuse to possess the tools necessary to track and monitor their victim.’” But supporters of Question 1 disagree. “The Jane Doe group was ill-informed that this ballot initiative was about GPS location which it is not,” responded Hickey. “They have since withdrawn their position after fi nding out that this was simply about mechanical information necessary to diagnose, maintain and repair the car. In fact, they have also stated they did not give permission to car manufacturers to use their group’s name in the voter guidebook.” Toni Troop, Director of Communications and Development for Jane Doe Inc., responded to Beacon Hill Roll Call’s request to explain the situation. “This past week, many of you received a 2020 Voters Guide in the mail,” said Troop. “In that guide, Jane Doe, Inc. is quoted and portrayed as opposing Question 1. We would like to be clear that [we were] not consulted about our inclusion in this guide. While Jane Doe Inc. is not taking a public stand on this ballot question, at this time, we do not believe that a yes vote on Question 1 would uniquely compromise survivor safety in the manner portrayed by opponents [of the bill].” Opponents of Question 1 defended their use of the quotes from Jane Doe. “Our Red Book language quotes directly from public testimony Jane Doe Inc. submitted to the Legislature,” countered Yunits. “We followed appropriate channels to inform them this language would be included in the Red Book before it was submitted in July.” “When we were fi rst presented with the Right to Repair issue late last year, we turned to our coalition partners in California for guidance given that they had recently navigated a similar initiative in their state,” said Troop. “Drawing from es and facilities to safely cohort and protect residents and staff and help stop the spread. An additional measure to protect staff and residents: The state implemented a surveillance testing program ahead of federal guidance. From July 1 to October 8, approximately 280,000 state-fi - nanced tests for residents and staff have occurred. The Commonwealth has retained clinical rapid response teams if severe staffi ng shortages occur. The latest set of reforms, which include more than $400 million in new funding for infection control and staffi ng, build on the legislatively authorized Long Term Care Facility Commission’s report. PPE stockpile In the early days of the pandemic, the global supply chain struggled to deliver critical PPE. Massachusetts pursued every piece of it and partnered with local manufacturers, which pivtheir experiences and insight, we wrote testimony in opposition to the Right to Repair legislation. At the time, our analysis of that legislation raised some safety and privacy concerns for victims and survivors of sexual and domestic violence that we did not feel had been adequately addressed by proponents. We raised specifi c concerns regarding the potential for abuse due to the broadening of avenues to abuse access to data.” “Since January, our analysis has evolved,” continued Troop. “The current ballot question proposed is distinct from what was initially proposed in California and does not appear to pose the heightened risk of breach of personal information as suggested by those who oppose this initiative.” “Let’s be very clear,” said Brian Johnson, owner of Brian’s Auto Repair and Tire in Fitchburg and a supporter of Question 1. “Car manufacturers have one goal here, and one goal only—to steer you to their dealerships where you will pay more for the services. They may tell you otherwise, but the bottom line is this: Without access to their secure gateways, we will have no way of accessing the diagnostic information we need. And it is prohibitively expensive to gain that access.” “Right to Repair 2020 is not about repair at all,” said General Manager Jason Pappas of Copeland Chevrolet in Brockton, an opponent of Question 1. “The OnStar system is the largest vehicle telematics system in the United States and as a Chevrolet dealer we do not use it to repair vehicles. We connect to vehicles through the OBD 2 Connector under the dashboard, which is the same way independent repair facilities connect to a vehicle. Vote no on Question 1 and protect your data. This is nothing more than a data grab by aftermarket parts manufacturers and large repair chains.” Here are the offi cial arguments, gathered by the secretary of state, by each side of the question. A maximum of 150 words is allowed. IN FAVOR OF QUESTION #1: Written by Tommy Hickey, Massaoted operations to support essential workers in a time of need. The Commonwealth has added millions of pieces of PPE to the state stockpile over the last several months with suffi cient material to support medical institutions if their supplies run low through 2021. In addition to masks, gowns, gloves and other PPE, the stockpile includes approximately 1,200 ventilators, almost double the number on hand in the spring. For perspective, the peak number of ICU patients was 1,085 in April. K-12 After extensive consultation with infectious disease physicians and pediatricians, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education provided districts with detailed guidance on how to develop plans for safely delivering in-person instruction. The guidance was endorsed by the Massachusetts Chapter of chusetts Right to Repair, 617-2489772 www.massrighttorepair.org “A yes vote for Right to Repair will guarantee that as technology advances, drivers can continue to get their cars repaired where they want. We passed the fi rst Right to Repair law in 2012, but as new cars become more computerized auto manufacturers are using a loophole to restrict access to data needed to diagnose problems, make repairs and perform maintenance. This means car owners are steered toward more expensive dealer repair options. Vote yes to protect independent repair shops and preserve your ability to shop around. Voting yes provides access only to mechanical and repair information, not personal information. A yes vote ensures that you will have the choice to provide access to the repair information necessary to fi x your car to your local independent repair shop even as cars become more computerized. It’s your car, you paid for it, you should get it fi xed where you want.” AGAINST QUESTION #1: Steve McElhinney, for Safe and Secure Data 617-398-0281 www.safeandsecuredata.org. “Vote no on Question 1 to protect your privacy, your safety and your family. Question 1 has nothing to do with fi xing cars. Question 1 is a data grab by third parties who want to gather your personal vehicle information and access it remotely, including location data in real time. Domestic violence advocates warn how dangerous this information could be. Jane Doe, the Massachusetts Coalition Against Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, wrote, ‘Access to vehicle data, particularly call logs and GPS location, enables persons who perpetrate abuse to possess the tools necessary to track and monitor their victim.’ A similar proposal failed in California after the California Coalition Against Sexual Assault warned, ‘from this information, a third party, such as a sexual predator, could stalk and/or harm victims.’ Privacy advocates, cybersecurity experts, and domestic violence advocacy groups urge you to vote no on Question 1.” HOW LONG WAS LAST WEEK’S the American Academy of Pediatrics. DPH developed town-bytown health metrics to guide school districts on whether to be fully in-person, hybrid or remote, based on three weeks of community-wide data. DPH has also made available rapid response mobile testing for any school that experiences a COVID cluster. To help districts bring their children back to school, Governor Charlie Baker allocated nearly $1 billion to municipalities and school districts, through formula distributions of COVID Relief Funds and targeted grants, providing students with access to computers and connectivity. In collaboration with legislative leaders, the Administration has committed to increasing Chapter 70 school aid – adjusting for infl ation and enrollment – to ensure stable funding even in this challenging economic and fi scal climate.

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