18

Page 18 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28, 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 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 chronicles news and informed analysis about what’s going on up on Beacon Hill, in Massachusetts politics, policy, media and influence. 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 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 or Senate last week. This week, Beacon Hill Roll Call continues its look at the ballot questions that will be on the November ballot for voter consideration. This week: Question 4. Should the state allow, starting July 1, 2023, undocumented/illegal immigrants to apply for a Massachusetts standard driver’s license? Question 4, unlike Questions 1, 2 and 3, is not listed in the hardcopy Redbook, distributed by the secretary of state, to households across the state, which provides Information to voters on ballot questions. The group that put Question 4 on the ballot had until September 2022 to collect enough signatures to get it on the ballot but the deadline to be included in the Redbook was In July so the details of Question 4 are only on the secretary of state’s website at: https://www.sec.state.ma.us/ ele/ele22/information-for-voters-22/quest_4.htm QUESTION 4 - ALLOWING DRIVER’S LICENSES FOR UNDOCUMENTED/ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS - The fourth question on the November ballot asks voters if they support a law, approved by the Legislature, which will allow, starting July 1, 2023, undocumented/illegal immigrants to apply for a Massachusetts standard driver’s license. The legislation requires an applicant “without legal presence” in the United States to provide the Registry of Motor Vehicles (RMV) with a foreign passport and at least one of six other documents: a driver’s license from another state, a foreign driver’s license, a birth certifi cate, a foreign national identifi cation card or a marriage certifi cate or divorce decree from any U.S. state. The House and Senate approved the bill on May 26, 2022, but Gov. Charlie Baker vetoed it the next day on May 27. A few days later the House 119-36, Senate 32-8, voted to override the governor’s veto and the bill was all set to take eff ect in July 2023. But opponents of the law stepped in and gathered suffi - cient signatures to put the question on the November ballot so voters could decide its fate. If voters approve the proposal, it will become law on July 1, 2023. If voters reject the proposal, it will essentially be repealed and will not take eff ect at all. “I cannot sign this legislation because it requires the Registry of Motor Vehicles to issue state credentials to people without the ability to verify their identity,” Baker had said in his veto message back in May 2022. “The Registry does not have the expertise or ability to verify the validity of many types of documents from other countries. The bill also fails to include any measures to distinguish standard Massachusetts driver’s licenses issued to persons who demonstrate lawful presence from those who don’t.” “I strongly support voting Yes on Question 4 this November election to preserve the Work and Family Mobility Act and improve road safety for all Massachusetts drivers,” said one of the bill’s original sponsors Rep. Christine Barber (D-Somerville). “Endorsed by the Massachusetts Major Cities Chiefs of Police and the majority of Massachusetts sheriff s and district attorneys, ‘Yes on 4’ has overwhelming support from law enforcement. We continue to build support, as people understand our roads are safer with more licensed and insured drivers.” “This law tasks RMV employees with reviewing hundreds of new foreign documents, in hundreds of diff erent languages and formats, without any additional training or safeguards,” said Sen. John Velis (D-Westfi eld). “That has very real security implications for our commonwealth, especially when you consider our RMV’s history of problematic issues. That is why I voted against this law twice in the Senate and will vote No on Question 4 as well.” “A Yes on 4 means that we uphold the Work and Family Mobility Act, passed by a three quarters margin of the legislature which requires all drivers in Massachusetts to be trained, licensed and insured,” said Sen. Tricia Farley Bouvier (D-Pittsfi eld), one of the original sponsors of the measure. “I join a broad coalition of faith communities, business people and unions who believe we are all safer on the roads when we all follow the same rules of the road. Though there has been little time to mount the ‘Yes on 4’ campaign, the coalition that was built over many years has mobilized quickly to educate voters. Our biggest challenge is that most folks don’t know it’s even on the ballot. The media campaign coupled with grassroots canvassing in every corner of the commonwealth is fi nding great success. We will win. Again.” “Giving driver’s licenses to illegal immigrants will make our roads much less safe, and as Gov. Baker said, the RMV is not equipped to handle these complex immigration issues,” said Paul Craney, spokesperson for the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance. “It’s unfair to ask the Massachusetts RMV to do the job that our federal Department of Homeland Security is supposed to be doing. A Massachusetts driver’s license will no longer be able to verify the true identify of that person. This opens the fl oodgates to all sorts of problems for our state in the near future.” “I am voting Yes on Question 4 because more licensed and insured drivers will make the roads safer for us all,” said Sen. Brendan Crighton (D-Lynn), one of the sponsors of the original bill. “This common-sense legislation was the culmination of years of collaboration between legislators, community groups and law enforcement. I am confident that when equipped with the facts about what this law does and does not do, Massachusetts residents will vote to uphold the law.” “This repeal is an opportunity for voters to decide if this law is right for Massachusetts,” said Sen. Ryan Fattman (R-Sutton). “As one of the 10 original signers of this petition, I collected several thousand signatures to bring this law before the people so they can consider the ramifi cations of this license law. It opens the door to non-citizen voting and creates public safety and security issues through the identity verifi cation of foreign documents that are not generally accepted in litigious societies, both reasons enumerated when Gov. Baker vetoed the original law. I believe and trust that the voters will make the correct call in November.” FROM THE REDBOOK: Here’s the offi cial arguments of the supporters and opponents as they appear on the secretary of state’s website. As explained earlier, the question does not appear in the Redbook—distributed by the secretary of state, to households across the state, that provides information to voters on ballot questions. More Information about Question 4 can be found on the secretary of state’s website at https://www.sec.state. ma.us/ele/ele22/informationfor-voters-22/quest_4.htm IN FAVOR OF: Written by: Franklin Soults Yes on 4 for Safer Roads Saferroadsma.com “A Yes vote will keep in place a law that allows all drivers in Massachusetts to be properly vetted for licenses (by providing proof of identity, date of birth, and residency), pass required tests and buy insurance, regardless of immigration status. A Yes vote means safer roads and better tools for law enforcement to do their jobs. In 17 states with similar laws, passage led to declines in uninsured drivers and hit-and-run crashes. That’s why this measure is endorsed by over 60 law enforcement officials statewide—including most sheriff s, district attorneys, and all 42 police chiefs in the Massachusetts Major Cities Chief of Police Association. Voting Yes helps families and workers by ensuring they can drive legally to school and work. It makes sense for all of us. That is what Massachusetts law provides and a Yes vote will keep in place.” AGAINST: Written by: John Milligan Fair and Secure Massachusetts FairandSecureMA.com “In his veto message of this bill, Gov. Charlie Baker made it known that the Registry of Motor Vehicles does not have the capability or expertise necessary to verify documents from other countries and notes that, if this bill becomes law, Massachusetts drivers’ licenses will no longer confi rm that a person is who they say they are. Additionally, Gov. Baker states the bill specifi cally restricts the Registry’s ability to share citizenship information with entities responsible for ensuring only citizens register to vote and vote in our elections, signifi cantly increasing the likelihood that noncitizens will register to vote. This bill is patently unfair to those who have taken the time to immigrate to our great country via legal means and significantly diminishes the public safety of all residents of the commonwealth. We urge a No vote on this issue.” HOW YOUR LEGISLATORS VOTED ON THE DRIVER’S LICENSE BILL Listed below is how your local state representatives and senators voted on the proposed law in June 2022: (A “Yes” vote is for allowing, starting July 1, 2023, undocumented/illegal immigrants to apply for a Massachusetts standard driver’s license. A “No” vote is against allowing it.) Rep. Jessica Giannino Yes Rep. Jeff Turco No Sen. Lydia Edwards Yes ALSO UP ON BEACON HILL THEFT OF CATALYTIC CONVERTERS (H 4722) – The House approved and sent to the Senate a bill that would create a “chain of custody” for used catalytic converter sales. A catalytic converter is a device that converts the environmentally hazardous exhaust emitted by a vehicle’s engine into less harmful gasses. The measure requires the buyer to keep records of each converter purchased, from which vehicle it was removed from, and who the seller was. These records would be made available upon request to law enforcement. Supporters explained that several communities have seen a rise in catalytic converter thefts because the converters use platinum, palladium or rhodium to operate. According to the National Insurance Crime Bureau, the values of these precious metals contained inside catalytic converters have skyrocketed and is staggering. As of March 2022, rhodium is valued at $20,000 per ounce; palladium at $2,938 per ounce; and platinum at $1,128 per ounce. The Cavallo and Signoriello Insurance Agency in Massachusetts’ website says that an ounce of palladium is now worth more than an ounce of gold. Rhodium, meanwhile, is currently worth six times the price of gold, more than $10,000 per ounce. For thieves, this means a catalytic converter might be a better score than the average wedding band or gold watch. “Many scrapyards and blackmarket buyers have an open call out for catalytic converters, which they turn around and sell to metal recyclers,” continues the website. “Ten years ago, a thief could earn between $20 and $200 per stolen converter. Today, thanks to the spike in the value of these metals, that range is more like $300 to $850, for just a few minutes of work.” “ I am very pleased that this bill has moved forward out of the House,” said sponsor Rep. Steve Howitt (R-Seekonk). “Catalytic converter theft is epidemic. Hopefully this legislation will assist in stemming the tide of these thefts and assist law enforcement in apprehending these criminals preying on our citizens.” RARE DISEASE DAY (H 3101) – BEACON | SEE Page 20

19 Publizr Home