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Page 14 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2021 Beacon Hill Roll Call By Bob Katzen A note from Bob Katzen, Publisher of Beacon Hill Roll Call Join me this Sunday night and every Sunday night between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. for my talk show “The Bob Katzen Baby Boomer and Gen X Show.” Jump in my time capsule and come back to the simpler days of the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. My guest on Sunday, February 28 on my WMEX 1510 AM Radio and online show will be Worcester-native Jay Gordon who hosts the popular nationally syndicated radio program “Elvis Only,” a show dedicated solely to the music and life of the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. Jay’s knowledge of and love for Elvis is unsurpassed. Jay was also one of the top DJs on the best oldies station in the nation back in the day— Boston’s Oldies 103. Be there or be square! There are many ways you can listen to the show from anywhere in the world: If you have a smart speaker, simply say, “Play WMEX on RADIO.COM” Download the free RADIO.COM app on your phone or tablet Listen online at: www.wmexboston.com Tune into 1510 AM if you still have an AM radio THE HOUSE AND SENATE: There were no roll calls in the House or Senate last week. This week, Beacon Hill Roll Call reports on the percentage of times local senators voted with their party’s leadership in the 2020 session. Beacon Hill Roll Call uses 286 votes from the 2020 Senate session as the basis for this report. This includes all roll calls that were not on local issues. The votes of the 34 Democrats were compared to Senate Majority Leader Cynthia Creem (D-Newton), second-in-command in the Senate. We could not compare the Democrats’ votes to those of Senate President Karen Spilka (D-Ashland) because, by tradition, the Senate president rarely votes. None of the 34 Democratic senators voted with Creem 100 percent of the time in 2020. That is a big change from the 2019 session when 14 (or 43 percent) of the Democratic senators voted with Creem 100 percent of the time Back to 2020: Three senators voted with Creem all but one time: Sens. Julian Cyr (D-Truro), Sal DiDomenico (D-Everett) and Adam Hinds (D-Pittsfield). Seven senators voted with Cream all but twice: Sens. Mike Barrett (D-Lexington), Joe Boncore (D-Winthrop), Will Brownsberger (D-Belmont), Brendan Crighton (D-Lynn), Cindy Friedman (D-Arlington), Eric Lesser (D-Longmeadow) and Jason Lewis (D-Winchester). Thirty-three (97 percent) of the 34 Democrats voted with Creem 90 percent or more of the time. Sen. Diana DiZoglio (D-Methuen) who voted with Creem 89.8 percent of the time was the only one who voted with Creem less than 90 percent of the time. The two other Democratic senators who voted the lowest percentage of times with Creem were Sens. Anne Gobi (D-Spencer) who voted with Creem 90.5 percent of the time and Walter Timilty (D-Milton) who voted with Creem 90.9 percent of the time. The votes of three Republican senators were compared with those of GOP Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester). In 2020, as in 2019, none of the three voted with Tarr 100 percent of the time. In 2020, the Republican senator who voted the lowest percentage of times with Tarr was former Sen. Dean Tran (R-Fitchburg) who voted with Tarr 57.5 percent of the time. Sen. Ryan Fattman (R-Sutton) voted with Tarr 68.4 percent of the time and Sen. Patrick O'Connor (R-Weymouth) sided with Tarr the most times–91.2 percent of the time. Those numbers are a big change from 2019 when Tarr got way more cooperation from those senators. In 2019, the Republican senator who voted the lowest percentage of times with Tarr was Sen. Fattman who voted with Tarr 90.8 percent of the time; Sen. Patrick O'Connor voted with Tarr 92.3 percent of the time; and former Sen. Dean Tran sided with Tarr 93.7 percent of the time. PERCENTAGE OF TIMES SENATORS VOTED WITH THEIR PARTY’S LEADERSHIP IN 2020 The percentage next to the senator’s name represents the percentage of times the senator supported his or her party’s leadership. The number in parentheses represents the number of times the senator opposed his or her party’s leadership. Some senators voted on all 286 roll call votes. Others missed one or more roll call. The percentage for each senator is calculated based on the number of roll calls on which he or she voted and does not count the roll calls for which he or she was absent. Sen. Brendan Crighton 99.3 percent 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 latenight 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 February 15-19, the House met for a total of 33 minutes while the Senate met for a total of 17 minutes. Mon. February 15 No House session No Senate session Tues. February 16 House 11:01 a.m. to 11:08 a.m. Senate 11:10 a.m. to 11:17 a.m. Wed. February 17 No House session No Senate session Thurs. February 18 House 11:09 a.m. to 11:35 a.m. Senate 11:09 a.m. to 11:19 a.m. Fri. February 19 No House session No Senate session Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com S y Senior How to Choose a Sa e a BY JIM MILLER t Ch Hospice Care Program Dear Savvy Senior, Where can I turn to fi nd a good Medicare covered hospice provider? My husband’s mother has a terminal condition and wants to die at home, if possible, so I’m helping out where I can. Sad Sandy Dear Sandy, Hospice is a wonderful option in the last months of life because it off ers a variety of services, not only to those who are dying, but also to those left behind. Here’s what you should know about hospice care, along with some tips to help you choose one. Understanding Hospice Hospice care is a unique service that provides medical care, pain management, and emotional and spiritual support to people who are in the last stages of a terminal illness – it does not speed up or slow down the process of dying. Hospice’s goal is to simply keep the patient as comfortable and pain-free as possible, with loved ones nearby until death. The various services provided by a hospice program comes from a team of professionals that works together to accommodate all the patients’ end-of-life needs. The team typically includes hospice doctors that will work with the primary physician and family members to draft up a care plan; nurses who dispense medication for pain control; home care aids that attend to personal needs like eating and bathing; social workers who help the patient and the family prepare for end of life; clergy members who provide spiritual counseling, if desired; and volunteers that fi ll a variety of niches, from sitting with the patient to helping clean and maintain their property. Some hospices even offer massage or music therapy, and nearly all provide bereavement services for relatives and short-term inpatient respite care to give family caregivers a break. Most hospice patients receive care in their own home. However, hospice will go wherever the patient is – hospital, nursing home or assisted living residence. Some even have their own facility to use as an option. To receive hospice, your mother-in-law must get a referral from her physician stating that her life expectancy is six months or less. It’s also important to know that home-based hospice care does not mean that a hospice nurse or volunteer is in the home 24 hours a day. Services are based on need and/ or what you request. Hospice care can also be stopped at any time if your mother-inlaw’s health improves or if she decides to re-enter cure-oriented treatments. How to Choose The best time to prepare for hospice and consider your options is before it’s necessary, so you’re not making decisions during a stressful time. There are more than 4,300 hospice care agencies in the U.S., so depending on where you live; you may have several options from which to choose. To locate a good hospice in your area, ask your mother-in-law’s doctor or the discharge planner at your local hospital for a referral, or you can search online at Medicare. gov/care-compare, which provides lists and ratings of hospice providers in your area. When choosing, look for an established hospice that has been operating for a few years and one that is certified by Medicare. To help you select one, the National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization offers a worksheet of questions to ask CaringInfo.org. Medicare Coverage Medicare covers all aspects of hospice care and services for its benefi ciaries. There is no deductible for hospice services although there may be a very small co-payment – such as $5 for each prescription drug for pain and symptom control, or a 5 percent share for inpatient respite care. Medicaid also covers hospice in most states, as do most private health insurance plans. For more information, see the “Medicare Hospice Benefi ts” online booklet at Medicare.gov/pubs/ pdf/02154-medicare-hospice-benefi ts.pdf. 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. Senio nior nir ior

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