THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2024 Page 19 and have worked closely with the Healey-Driscoll administration to help grow and sustain food production for our farming communities in the state.” $7.8 MILLION TO ENHANCE SECURITY AT NONPROFITS — Gov. Healey announced the awarding of federal funds to 56 nonprofi ts that are at heightened risk of an extremist attack in the Bay State. “These faith-based and community nonprofits play such a critical role in our communities, and we are proud to deliver this funding that will help them implement security measures to keep their residents safe and ensure peace of mind,” said Gov. Healey. “We’re grateful to the Biden-Harris Administration for making this funding available to ensure these organizations can continue to serve those who depend on them, without fear or interruption.” “Protecting our communities means safeguarding the organizations that uplift, support and inspire us daily,” said Public Safety and Security Secretary Terrence Reidy. “This funding reaffi rms our commitment to protecting these essential community spaces, ensuring they remain safe havens where people of all backgrounds can gather and feel secure.” QUOTABLE QUOTES “We are asking for the ability to form a committee to start a captive insurance plan or start a plan that would allow us to get assistance to fi x these foundations. We are mirroring a plan that’s already in place and working in the state of Connecticut. They’ve replaced over 1,000 homes. They use a $1 a month surcharge on homeowners’ policies, no more than $12 a year. The fi rst year alone, if we were able to put that together in Massachusetts, we’d raise close to $22 million.” ---Cynthia Poirier, an assessor in Brimfi eld and Holland, urging Gov. Healey to issue an executive order to create a committee to develop recommendations on providing assistance to the many Bay State homeowners dealing with crumbling concrete foundations, caused by pyrite or pyrrhotite minerals, which could eventually render their houses unlivable. “The Healey-Driscoll Administration recognizes the importance of providing support to homeowners whose concrete foundations are crumbling. We will continue to work together with our partners in the Legislature to evaluate potential solutions that would provide relief to homeowners.” ---Karissa Hand, spokesperson for Gov. Healey, responding to a State House News Service question asking whether the governor is willing to issue the executive order to create a committee to explore providing assistance to homeowners dealing with crumbling concrete foundations. “The public should expect strong, clear and specific recommendations when our work is complete. We will approach thorny questions humbly, diligently and with an open mind. We will do our best to draw in voices that are not already represented on this commission, including but not limited to, Orthodox Jews, Israeli Jews and those who may have differing opinions about what counts as antisemitism.” ---Rep. Simon Cataldo (D-Concord) co-chair of the newly established Special State Commission for Addressing Antisemitism, which held its fi rst meeting last week. “The latest report … underscores the main issue driving residents out of Massachusetts. Oppressive taxes aren’t just a business community concern. This is a quality of life issue for everyone in the commonwealth. Our polling shows 80 percent of people agree Massachusetts taxes are too high. The long-term consequences aren’t hypothetical. If we don’t turn the tide, we will continue to lose talented residents, families and entrepreneurs to states with more competitive taxes.” ---Chris Anderson, president of the Massachusetts High Technology Council, on the release of the Tax Foundation 2025 State Tax Competitiveness Index, which ranked Massachusetts among the 10 worst states in the country (41st out of 50). 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 October 28-November 1, the House met for a total of 50 minutes and the Senate met for a total of 54 minutes. Mon. Oct. 28 House 11:13 a.m. to 11:14 a.m. Senate 11:11 a.m. to 11:49 a.m. Tues. Oct. 29 No House session No Senate session Wed. Oct. 30 House 11:05 a.m. to 11:17 a.m. No Senate session Thurs. Oct. 31 House 11:06 a.m. to 11:43 a.m. Senate 11:10 a.m. to 11:26 a.m. Fri. Nov. 1 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. How to Write a Living Will Dear Savvy Senior, What’s the best way to go about writing a living will? I’m approaching age 73 and in poor health and would like to get this done without spending a lot of money. Need Help Dear Need, Preparing a living will now is a smart decision that gives you say in how you want to be treated at the end of your life. Here’s what you should know, along with some resources to help you write one. What to Prepare To adequately spell out your wishes regarding your end-oflife medical treatment you need two legal documents: A “living will” which tells your doctor what kind of care you want to receive if you become incapacitated, and a “health care power of attorney” (or health care proxy), which names a person you authorize to make medical decisions on your behalf if you become unable to. These two documents are known as an “advance directive,” and will only be utilized if you are too ill to make medical decisions yourself. You can also change or update it whenever you please. It isn’t necessary to hire a lawyer to prepare an advance directive. There are a number of free or low-cost do-it-yourself resources available today to help you create one, and it takes only a few minutes from start to fi nish. Some top options include: CaringInfo.org: This is a program created by the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization that provides free state-specifi c living will forms that you can download, print and fi ll out. Or you can call 800658-8898 and they will mail them to you and answer any questions you may have. MyDirectives.com: If you’d rather create a digital (online only) advance directive, MyDirectives is an online tool and mobile app that will help you create, store and share a detailed, customized digital advance directive. FiveWishes.org: This is another top-rated resource for creating a comprehensive paper or digital advance directive. They charge $5 for the paper form and $15 for the digital version, which is stored on the website that you or your family can access anytime. VA Advance Directive: If you’re a veteran, the VA also provides a free advance directive form specifically for you at VA.gov/find-forms/aboutform-10-0137. Other Options If you’re interested in making an entire estate plan that will include your will and/or trust, power of attorney and advance directive, there are many doit-yourself online services that typically run between $100 and $250. Some top services include Quicken WillMaker & Trust software (WillMaker.com), Trust & Will (TrustandWill.com), and Legal Zoom (LegalZoom.com), which also makes basic living wills for only $39. Or, if you’d rather have a professional do it for you, contact an estate planning attorney. See NAELA.org or NAEPC.org to help you locate someone in your area. Costs will vary depending on where you live, but you can expect to pay somewhere between $500 and $2,000 for a basic estate plan. Add-ons You should also consider getting a do-not-resuscitate order (DNR) as part of your advance directive, since advanced directives do little to protect you from unwanted emergency care like CPR. To create a DNR, ask your doctor to fi ll out a state appropriate form and sign it. Another tool you should know about that will complement your advance directive is the Physician Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment, or POLST (sometimes called Medical Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment, or MOLST). A POLST form translates your end-of-life wishes into medical orders to be honored by your doctors. To learn more about your state’s program or set one up, see POLST.org. Tell Your Family To ensure your fi nal wishes are followed, make sure to tell your family members, health care proxy and doctors so they all know what you want. You should also provide them copies of your advance directive or if you create a digital version, make sure you share it electronically. 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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