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Page 16 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2025 BHRC | FROM Page 15 amendment, did not respond to repeated requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call asking him to comment on the defeat of his amendment. Sen. Julian Cyr (D-Truro), the lead sponsor of the underlying bill, did not respond to repeated requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call asking him to comment on this amendment. (A “Yes” vote is for the amendment. A “No” vote is against it.) Sen. Lydia Edwards No ALSO UP ON BEACON HILL SUICIDE AWARENESS AND REMEMBRANCE DAY (H 3388) — The House and Senate approved and sent to Gov. Maura Healey a bill that would establish September 22nd as Military Service Members and Veterans Suicide Awareness and Remembrance Day. The day would acknowledge that suicide is an epidemic among service members and veterans and would foster awareness and call for suicide prevention measures and support. ??“We brought forward this veteran suicide remembrance and awareness bill in direct response to the tragedies that have left holes in the fabric of our communities and in order to build awareness to prevent future tragedy,” said sponsor Rep. Joan Meschino (D-Hull). “[The bill] is an important step in offering support to both our active service members and veterans.” INFLAMMATORY BREAST CANCER (H 2489) — The House gave initial approval to legislation, known as Marnie’s Law, which would integrate Infl ammatory Breast Cancer (IBC) education into the undergraduate curriculum of all approved nursing programs in the state. IBC is a rare and aggressive form of invasive breast cancer that often presents itself as swelling or redness of the breast, as opposed to a lump that is typically associated with breast cancer. Marnie’s Law is named after 37-year-old Marnie Elizabeth Cass Robidas who died from IBC in 2022. Supporters said that IBC is challenging for medical providers to diagnose. They noted that the inclusion of IBC training will effectively improve patient outcomes by reducing the chance of misdiagnoses, ultimately saving countless lives. ”My family was aff ected by IBC, and when I learned from working with Marnie’s Army and [co-sponsor] Rep. Diggs that its symptoms weren’t taught in nursing education, I was inspired to join their effort to save women’s lives,” said co-sponsor Rep. Hadley Luddy (D-Orleans). Marnie’s Army is a group, named after Marnie, which raises awareness of the disease and raises money for research and education on the illness at Boston’s Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. “I fi led this bill because infl ammatory breast cancer is one of the most aggressive and least understood forms of breast cancer, and too many patients lose precious time due to delayed or incorrect diagnosis,” said co-sponsor Rep. Kip Diggs (D-Barnstable). “By ensuring that every nursing student in Massachusetts is trained to recognize the signs of IBC, we are strengthening early detection and saving lives. Marnie’s Law is about awareness, compassion and giving our future nurses the tools they need to protect patients and families across the commonwealth.” PROMOTE URBAN AGRICULTURE AND HORTICULTURE (H3130) — The House gave initial approval to legislation aimed at promoting urban agriculture and horticulture by allowing cities with a population greater than 50,000 and all Gateway Cities to exempt property taxes for land used for commercial urban agriculture. The tax incentive applies to only the portion of land on a parcel being used for agriculture and only applies to portions that are two acres or less. Additionally, the parcel must have had at least $500 in gross sales of agricultural or horticultural products to be eligible for the tax incentive. “We filed this bill to support small-scale urban agriculture, which strengthens local food systems, improves environmental health and promotes local economic development,” said co-sponsors Reps. Hannah Kane (RShrewsbury) and Vanna Howard (D-Lowell), in a joint statement. “This bill allows cities to incentivize urban agriculture and gain these benefi ts through a property tax exemption.” COMMISSION ON LGBTQ AGING (S 2711) — The Senate approved and sent to the House a proposal that would replace the name of the current “Commission on Older Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Aging” (LGBT) with “LGBTQ” (the Q represents queer and questioning). The measure also adds four more seats to the commission — one each appointed by the Senate President, Senate Minority Leader, Speaker of the House and House Minority Leader. The commission was created to enhance the quality of life for LGBTQ older adults in the Bay State through state policy and program recommendations, collaborations, partnerships and advocacy. The bill also replaces several other terms in the language that created the commission including replacing “elders” with “older adults” and ”Elder Aff airs” with “Aging and Independence.” Sponsor Sen. Pat Jehlen (DSomerville) said she fi led the bill after the commission’s current membership agreed that it was timely and appropriate to refl ect the more inclusive terminology for the communities represented by the commission, along with name changes of numerous member offi ces and organizations over the course of the commission’s existence. DENIAL OF RIGHTS AND SERVICES TO DISABLED PERSONS (S 2714) — A bill before the Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities would create a special commission to study the denial of rights and services of disabled persons. The commission would be required to submit a report on the volume of disability rights denial cases submitted and their impact on the disability community, the eff ectiveness of the enforcement of disability rights in the state within the last fi ve years and education of disability rights awareness. Another report would also be required to be submitted to the Legislature with recommendations, including proposed legislation or regulations. “Discrimination has no place in Massachusetts, regardless of background or ability,” said sponsor Sen. Joan Lovely (DSalem). “As we examine the best way to support our disabled population, it is imperative that we are armed with the best information and best recommendations from a broad array of stakeholders, from lawmakers to experts to advocates and, most importantly, those with lived experiences. I am hopeful that this commission and its recommendations will lead to lasting, impactful change for those with service animals.” QUOTABLE QUOTES “We unleashed an industry that now promotes betting on anything and everything imaginable and unimaginable all over the world, 24 hours a day, every single day. I want to publicly apologize to those who’ve lost the opportunity to sit and watch a game just for the enjoyment of the game. I want to apologize to those who fi nd themselves in the dark spaces of betting addiction and to those working through recovery and to their families and friends. I want to apologize to those who have lost loved ones to suicide because of gambling issues.” ---Sen. John Keenan (DQuincy) apologizing for his 2022 vote to legalize sports betting in the Bay State. Keenan was testifying in favor of his current bill (S 302) that would place guardrails on sports betting to address the harm that can come with wagering. “If a toy breaks, we know it right away. But if a toy contains toxics such as lead or phthalates, or a chatbot interacts with our child in a way we don’t approve of, we don’t necessarily know. The scariest part is that we can’t actually see all the dangers a toy might pose. That’s deeply troubling.” ---Teresa Murray, Consumer Watchdog Director for U.S. PIRG Education Fund and coauthor of a new report, “Trouble in Toyland,” which charges that toys that are powered by artifi cial intelligence often say inappropriate things to children, and toys, bought online and shipped from overseas, too often contain toxic substances. “The federal government’s

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