Page 16 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, DECEmbER 16, 2022 By Bob Katzen 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 reviews five of the key votes from the 2021-2022 session dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.. COVID-19 EMERGENCY SICK LEAVE AND UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE CHANGES (H 3771) House 157-0, Senate 40-0, approved a bill that would provide qualified workers with up to five days of paid leave for COVID-19-related emergencies including workers who are sick with the virus, under a quarantine order, recovering from receiving a vaccine or caring for a family member ill with the virus. The measure is also designed to relieve employers from expensive unexpected unemployment system costs. Many businesses were shocked when they saw their first-quarter unemployment contribution bills and found the solvency assessment rate had jumped from 0.58 percent in 2020 to 9.23 percent in 2021, raising costs in many cases by hundreds or thousands of dollars. Under the proposal, the state would shift all COVID-related unemployment claims from the solvency fund into a new COVID claims fund and the solvency fund would revert to its original function. Employers, who fund the state’s jobless aid system, will still be on the hook in the long term, and a COVID-related assessment on businesses will kick into effect for 2021 and 2022. “In order for us to fully recover from the pandemic, all Massachusetts workers need access to emer- Legal Notice - COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS THE TRIAL COURT PROBATE AND FAMILY COURT Suffolk Probate and Family Court 24 New Chardon Street Boston, MA 02114 Docket No. SU22D2018DR DIVORCE SUMMONS BY PUBLICATION AND MAILING MARIA E. SANCHEZ vs. HECTOR ROLDAN To the Defendant: The Plaintiff has filed a Complaint for Divorce requesting that the Court grant a divorce for Irretrievable Breakdown The Complaint is on file at the Court. An Automatic Restraining Order has been entered in this matter preventing you from taking any action which would negatively impact the current financial status of either party. SEE Supplemental Probate Court Rule 411. You are hereby summoned and required to serve upon: Maria E. Sanchez, 64 Squire Rd 2nd Fl Revere, MA 02151 your answer, if any, on or before 02/23/2023. If you fail to do so, the court will proceed to the hearing and adjudication of this action. You are also required to file a copy of your answer, if any, in the office of the Register of this Court. WITNESS, Hon. Brian J. Dunn, First Justice of this Court. Date: December 2, 2022 FELIX D. ARROYO REGISTER OF PROBATE December 16, 2022 gency paid sick time if they are sick with COVID-19, quarantined or need to care for a sick family member,” said Deb Fastino, Executive Director of the Coalition for Social Justice. “Many essential frontline workers need paid sick time so they can recover from the side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine.” “Massachusetts workers and businesses share the same goal of restoring jobs lost during the COVID pandemic and getting back to work,” said Steve Tolman, president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO. “By spreading this year’s solvency assessment over the next two decades using already authorized borrowing, the House took the necessary step at this time to enable that continued economic recovery. Moving forward, it is critical that we take a hard look at the way we fund our Unemployment Insurance System to ensure that costs are fairly spread out across businesses; that we build substantial reserves during good economic times in order to weather the bad without relying on costly borrowing; and that workers can continue to count on unemployment benefits as an economic lifeline to provide for their families and boost the Massachusetts economy.” (A “Yes” vote is for the bill.) Rep. Jessica Giannino Rep. Jeff Turco Yes Yes Sen. Lydia Edwards Was not yet elected EARLY RELEASE OF PRISONERS (H 4002) House 132-27, Senate 37-3, overrode Gov. Baker’s veto of a section that authorizes the commissioner of corrections, if it can be done safely, to release, transition to home confinement or furlough prisoners with prioritization given to populations most vulnerable to serious medical outcomes from COVID-19. The section also maximizes the awarding of “good time” by eliminating mandates for participation in programming for those close to their release dates and awarding credits toward reduce sentences for time served during the pandemic. Another provision authorizes the Disability Law Center to monitor the continuity of care for Bridgewater state hospital patients who are discharged to county correctional facilities or department of mental health facilities. In his veto message, the governor said that he struck the section because it is not consistent with his original budget proposal. Override supporters said the veto would eliminate important measures to ensure the state’s correctional facilities remain safe and healthy environments for all prisoners and staff. (A “Yes” vote is for the section authorizing the release and furlough of prisoners and allowing the Disability Law Center to monitor the care of prisoners transferred from Bridgewater. A “No” vote is against the section.) Rep. Jessica Giannino Rep. Jeff Turco Yes Yes Sen. Lydia Edwards Was not yet elected EXCLUDE MUNICIPAL WORKERS (H 3771) House 0-158, Senate on a voice vote without a roll call, rejected Gov. Baker’s amendment that would exclude municipal employees from the emergency COVID-19 paid leave program. The Baker administration has defended the exclusion of municipal workers arguing that they already have strong leave protections in place and that many municipalities can access federal funds to implement their own leave programs that could align with state and federal leave guarantees. Rep. Josh Cutler, (D-Pembroke), House chair of the Committee on Labor and Workforce Development disagreed with Baker. “As the speaker has made clear, the House stands firm in supporting COVID emergency paid leave for all Massachusetts workers,” said Cutler. “That includes our municipal employees, the teachers, police officers, firefighters, health agents, janitors, veterans’ agents and many others who have been essential to our state’s COVID-19 response. Further, our actions today to address unemployment solvency account rates will help stem rising costs for employers and small businesses.” House GOP Minority Leader Brad Jones (R-North Reading) also disagreed with Baker, a fellow Republican. “Having access to emergency paid sick leave is essential to workers who are recovering from the coronavirus, caring for a family member or trying to schedule their vaccination,” Jones said. “Municipal employees— including essential frontline workers like police and firefighters—have also faced numerous challenges created by the COVID-19 global pandemic, and the House’s vote will ensure that they are also entitled to the same paid sick leave benefits as other non-municipal workers.” (A “No” vote is against the amendment and favors including municipal employees.) Rep. Jessica Giannino No Rep. Jeff Turco No COVID-19 POLICY EXTENSIONS (S 2475) House 150-10, (Senate on a voice vote without a roll call) approved legislation that would extend many of the measures instituted in Massachusetts during the COVID-19 state of emergency that expired when the original emergency declaration ended. Provisions include allowing public bodies subject to the open meeting law to continue to hold remote meetings; allowing cities and towns to approve and extend permits for outdoor dining; allowing restaurants to offer alcoholic beverages, including mixed drinks, for off-site consumption with the purchase of food; and extending several protections that have been granted to tenants who have difficulty paying rent. Other provisions include reinstating the remote option for representative town meetings and meetings of nonprofits and public corporations; notary services; reverse-mortgage loan counseling; and flexibility for assisted living residences. Supporters said that these provisions have been helpful to businesses, municipalities, health care providers, residents and communities during this extraordinary time. Opponents said the measure limits homeowners’ rights to eject a nonpaying renter and puts many in a terrible financial bind as they still have to pay taxes, insurance, mortgage and upkeep of the building. They said they do not believe it is fair or constitutional that the government has the ability to seize private property—which is basically what is happening. (A “Yes” vote is for the bill. A “No” vote is against it.) Rep. Jessica Giannino Rep. Jeff Turco Yes Yes $1.6 BILLION SPENDING PACKAGE (H 4532) House 156-0, Senate on a voice vote without a roll call, approved a $1.6 billion supplemental budget that contains $700 million for COVID-19 related expenses including $432 million for COVID-19 testing, $72 million for treatments, $45 million for expanded vaccination access and $25 million for personal protective equipment. Other provisions include $140 million for grants to special education schools to address the impacts of COVID-19 and subsequent variants; $100 million for cities and towns for roads; $100 million for rental assistance for
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