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THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, FEbrUAry 2, 2024 Page 17 BEACON HILL ROLL | FROM PAGE 16 mance, cost savings and other metrics. “Sen. [Pat Jehlen] and I filed [the bill] because access to public transit is critical to the well-being and economic development of our communities,’ said House sponsor Rep. Christine Barber (D-Somerville). “As we continue to see lower ridership compared to before the pandemic, removing barriers to public transit is an important method to get people out of their cars, decrease bus waiting time, decrease carbon emissions, reduce traffic and improve health.” PRIVACY OF COLLEGE STUDENTS (H 4266) – The House gave initial approval to a bill that would prohibit colleges from being required to release certain student education records to third parties that request the records. The prohibition would not apply to federal, state or municipal agency requests. “This bill is about protecting and safeguarding the privacy of our students in public higher ed and ensuring they have the same rights as all students who are afforded the same protections under the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act,” said Senate sponsor Sen. Jake Oliveira (D-Ludlow).WAIVE FIRST ANNUAL INSPECTION FOR NEW CARS (H 3255) - Another proposal before the Transportation Committee, offered by Rep. Jim Arciero (D-Westford), would eliminate the initial state-required annual inspection for brand new vehicles for one year. Supporters said that the legislation is based on the fact that pre-delivery inspections (PDIs) are required by each motor vehicle manufacturer from their dealers prior to the sale of a vehicle to a consumer. The PDI check list parallels the state’s vehicle inspection checklist and is an unnecessary duplication of the state’s inspection process. STATE PANEL DENIES EFFORT TO REMOVE FORMER PRESIDENT DONALD TRUMP FROM MARCH 5 REPUBLICAN PRIMARY BALLOT – The State Ballot Law Commission dismissed a challenge that alleged Donald Trump is ineligible for office due to his role in the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, ruling that it does not have jurisdiction over the case.“The commission, having reviewed the materials submitted, has determined that the State Ballot Law Commission does not have jurisdiction over the matters presented,” the panel wrote.“Donald Trump’s name will not be appearing on the presidential primary ballot as a result of the submission of nomination papers or a certificate of nomination over which the commission does have jurisdiction,” the panel continued. “Rather, Donald Trump’s name will appear on the presidential primary ballot as a result of the Republican State Committee’s submission of his name to the Secretary of the commonwealth on September 29, 2023 … This submission from the state party should not be confused with a certificate of nomination.” GOV. HEALEY PLANS TO CLOSE OPERATION AT MCI-CONCORD – The Massachusetts Department of Correction (DOC) announced its intention to shut down MCI-Concord, a medium-security men’s prison which currently operates at 50 percent capacity with an incarcerated population of approximately 300. The shutdown is proposed by Gov. Healey in her fiscal 2025 budget proposal. The shutdown needs legislative approval before it goes into effect.The DOC said in a press release that the decision to end operations at MCI-Concord and relocate its staff and population is based on a “thorough assessment of decreased housing needs and the aging facility’s high maintenance costs.” It noted that the closing “allows the department to dispose of the property, making it available for non-correctional purposes and potential redevelopment to the benefit of the surrounding community.”“During its first year, the Healey-Driscoll Administration has worked closely with the Legislature, community partners and advocates to invest in justice initiatives that have contributed to the lowest rates of incarceration and recidivism in decades,” said Public Safety and Security Secretary Terrence Reidy. “Strategically consolidating DOC resources makes financial sense and enables the department to build upon the proven, evidence-based rehabilitative programs that support successful reentry and improve outcomes.”The Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union’s Executive Board announced it is adamantly against the closing of MCI-Concord or any other prison. ”The Executive Board feels that the closing of MCI-Concord or any other prison will burden our already violent and dangerous prisons,” the group said in a statement. “We are witnessing extreme and daily violence at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center [in Lancaster] after the closing of Walpole.”The statement continued, “With over three hundred inmates at Concord our classification system will undoubtedly need to reclassify many of these and other inmates statewide. This will potentially place higher risk inmates in lower-level facilities, thus placing our officer’s safety at risk. We ask the governor, Public Safety Secretary and DOC Commissioner to halt any plans to close Concord until a comprehensive plan is in place.” QUOTABLE QUOTES “Partnership between law enforcement and the communities they serve is the cornerstone of effective public safety. This funding is an investment in the enduring success of strong partnerships. Through this grant program, we provide public safety with essential resources to enhance community engagement and deliver evidence-based programs.” ---Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll on awarding a $1.9 million grant to support statewide strategies for violence prevention and enhance community-based partnerships. “We are incredibly excited about this program, which will make a difference in the lives of residents across the state and provide greater affordability, opportunity, and access to all MBTA service for residents as they travel throughout the week. This underscores the bold vision and commitment of the HealeyDriscoll Administration to deliver equitable, reliable and resilient transportation in a big way.” --- Massachusetts Transportation Secretary and CEO Monica Tibbits-Nutt on the MBTA’s announcement of several fare change proposals, including the introduction of a reduced fare program for riders with low income, that aim to improve equity, increase ridership and simplify fare rules,“Climbing rents have propelled cost burdens to staggering new heights. In 2022, half of all U.S. renters were cost burdened. The number of renter households spending more than 30 percent of their income on rent and utilities rose by 2 million in just three years to a record high of 22.4 million. Among these renters, 12.1 million had severe burdens, paying over half of their income for housing -- also an all-time high. And while rental markets are finally cooling, evictions have risen, the country is seeing the highest homelessness counts on record and the need for rental assistance is greater than ever.” ---From “America’s Rental Housing 2024,” a new report by the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies. “Overall, the story of criminal justice reform in Massachusetts since 2018 is largely positive. This research finds crime and incarceration have fallen, and we have significantly expanded services for many. Our challenge now is to continue with a focus on reducing the large racial and ethnic disparities in our prison populations with housing, treatment and restorative justice practices.” ---Lee Pelton, President and CEO of the Boston Foundation, on its new report “Criminal Justice Reform in Massachusetts: A Five-Year Progress Assessment.” 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 filed. 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 January 22-26, the House met for a total of one hour and two minutes and the Senate met for a total of five hours and five minutes. Mon. Jan. 22 House 11:01 a.m. to 11:10 a.m. Senate 11:22 a.m. to 11:38 a.m Tues. Jan. 23 No House session No Senate session Wed. Jan. 24 No House session No Senate session Thurs. Jan. 25 House 11:02 a.m. to 11:55 a.m. Senate 11:13 a.m. to4:02 p.m. Fri.Jan. 26 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. - LEGAL NOTICE - COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS THE TRIAL COURT PROBATE AND FAMILY COURT Essex Division Docket No. ES24P0118EA Estate of: NANCY O’HANLEY Date of Death: November 01, 2023 INFORMAL PROBATE PUBLICATION NOTICE To all persons interested in the above captioned estate, by Petition of Petitioner Amy Lynch of Concord, NH Petitioner Timothy O’Hanley of Saugus, MA a Will has been admitted to informal probate. The estate is being administered under informal procedure by the Personal Representative under the Massachusetts Uniform Probate Code without supervision by the Court. Inventory and accounts are not required to be filed with the Court, but interested parties are entitled to notice regarding the administration from the Personal Representative and can petition the Court in any matter relating to the estate, including distribution of assets and expenses of administration. Interested parties are entitled to petition the Court to institute formal proceedings and to obtain orders terminating or restricting the powers of Personal Representatives appointed under formal procedure. A copy of the Petition and Will, if any, can be obtained from the Petitioner. February 2, 2024

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