Page 16 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 11, 2022 THE HOUSE AND SENATE. Beacon Hill Roll Call By Bob Katzen 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 Chris Van Buskirk and Keith Regan 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: www.massterlist.com/ subscribe There were no roll calls in the House or Senate last week. Beacon Hill Roll Call records local representatives’ votes on recent roll calls from January 27. All the roll calls are on proposed amendments to the bill making changes in the state’s election laws including making permanent the mail-in and early voting options used in Massachusetts in 2020. The House and Senate have approved different versions of the legislation and a conference committee has been appointed to hammer out a compromise version that would then be sent to Gov. Charlie Baker for his signature. RAISE PENALTIES FOR VOTER FRAUD (H 4359) House 32-126, rejected an amendment to a current law that imposes up to a $10,000 fine and/or up to a 5-year prison sentence on anyone who knowingly engages in any type of voting fraud including illegally registering to vote; illegally voting or attempting to vote; voting more than once; and aiding and abetting a person who is illegally voting. The amendment would raise the fine to up to $20,000. “Maintaining the integrity of our elections is of paramount importance and is not a partisan issue,” said House Minority Leader Rep. Brad Jones (R-North Reading), the sponsor of the amendment. “Expanding the existing financial penalties for those individuals who knowingly attempt to engage in voting fraud will provide a strong deterrent to help prevent this type of illegal activity.” “We’re in agreement,” said Rep. Dan Ryan (D-Charlestown), the House chair of the Elections Laws Committee. “Of course we all want safe and secure elections. That’s why we are here … there are safeguards already in place, in Massachusetts General Law, to prevent such fraud and abuse of our electoral system. And study after study has also shown that election fraud is not as prevalent as some might think it is, or as folks purport it to be. So therefore $10,000 seems like an appropriate deterrent to election fraud. So I ask for a ‘No’ vote on the amendment, as what is in place is currently working.” (A “Yes” vote is for raising the fine to up to $20,000. A “No” vote is against raising it.) Rep. Jessica Giannino No Rep. Donald Wong Yes MUST PROVIDE PROOF OF RESIDENCY (H 4359) House 28-130, rejected an amendment that would require that any polling place that requires a voter to prove he or she is vaccinated, by presenting his or her vaccination card, to also show suitable identification to demonstrate proof of residence to the local election officer. “The amendment would require that if vaccination status was required to enter a polling location, then the poll officials would be required to verify the identity of the card holder,” said amendment sponsor Rep. Peter Durant (R-Spencer). “The reasoning behind the amendment was to ensure that if the local officials required a vaccine, then they should verify that the person was indeed the one named on the card.” “Thank you for the spirited debate,” said Election Laws Committee House chair Dan Ryan. As I mentioned in a previous response to [this] amendment, mandates requiring proof of vaccination have not been extended to voting sites. Therefore, I would ask for a ‘No’ vote on this amendment.” (A “Yes” vote is for the amendment requiring a voter to show suitable identification. A “No” vote is against requiring it.) Rep. Jessica Giannino No Rep. Donald Wong Yes SECURE VOTING MACHINES (H 4359) House 29-128, rejected an amendment that would require that any voting software or voting machine that is used to process early, absentee or mail-in voting prior to Election Day must be secured at all times once the processing has begun. At the end of each processing period, the machine, software and ballots must be secured by a police officer and an election official either in a secured vault at the city or town hall or at the police station in a private cell—and must remain under video surveillance. Amendment sponsor Rep. Shawn Dooley (R-Norfolk) said that voters should feel confident in knowing that their ballots are always safe and secure. “As early voting continues to expand, we need to make sure that these ballots have the same security and chain of custody as do the ballots on Election Day,” said Dooley. Once the early ballots are processed—currently there is no 24/7chain of custody protection—opening up the possibility for tampering or questioning the process.” “As we’ve discussed earlier, the security of our ballot boxes and our ballots once they arrive are not an issue,” said Elections Laws House Chair Rep. Dan Ryan. “We currently have a Massachusetts General Law as we continue to exBHRC | SEE PAGE 17
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