Page 18 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, MArCH 7, 2025 in cases where a child in the family is a citizen of the United States, a person lawfully admitted for permanent residence or a person permanently residing in the United States under colIf you have any questions about this week’s report, e-mail us at bob@beaconhillrollcall. com or call us at (617) 720-1562. Beacon Hill Roll Call Volume 50 - Report No. 9 February 24-28, 2025 Copyright © 2025 Beacon Hill Roll Call. All Rights Reserved. By Bob Katzen G ET 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 infl uence. The stories are drawn from major news organizations as well as specialized publications. 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:// MASSterList/subscribe/ THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call records local senators’ and representatives’ votes on roll calls from the week of February 24-28. $425 MILLION FOR EMERGENCY ASSISTANCE (EA) SHELTER SYSTEM (H 61) House 127-23, Senate 327, approved and Gov. Maura Healey signed into law a fi scal 2025 supplemental budget that includes $425 million to fund the state’s emergency shelter system and make some changes to tighten eligibility for it. The vote was almost strictly along party lines with all Republicans voting against it and all but four Democrats voting for it. The Democrats say the measure makes major reforms. The Republicans say while the bill includes some reforms they have long sought, it does not go far enough, and they all voted against it. The bill allows families to stay for up to six months in shelters and grants the Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities the authority to grant hardship exemption waivers to families with young children, to families at risk of domestic violence, or other individuals in vulnerable circumstances, to lengthen their stay in shelters. It also caps capacity in the system at 4,000 families for the period Dec. 31, 2025 through Dec. 31, 2026. There were more than 6,000 families relying on the system at the end of January. Another provision provides that benefi ts be given to families consisting entirely of residents of the commonwealth who are citizens of the United States or persons lawfully admitted for permanent residence or otherwise permanently residing in the United States under the color of law, except or of law. “This supplemental budget includes critical improvements that I proposed to reduce the taxpayer costs of the family shelter system and make it safer for residents and our communities,” said Gov. Healey. “We all know that urgent action is needed to lower the cost of the system and make sure it is a viable, safe and temporary option for Massachusetts families who have fallen on hard times.” “We struck a balance between our fi scal responsibility to Massachusetts taxpayers and our moral obligation to moms, dads and kids who are in a diffi cult moment,” said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). “We prioritize Massachusetts families in need, ensure transparency in the program, and take strong steps to ensure the safety of those in shelter.” “From the beginning of the shelter system crisis, the House has worked to reform the emergency assistance program to ensure that it remains fi nancially viable,” said House Speaker Ron Mariano (D-Quincy). “That’s why the House led the eff ort to cap the maximum length of stay, and to require job training programs for folks in the shelter system, reforms that this supplemental budget builds on. By creating stricter eligibility requirements, along with increased security measures, this supplemental budget is the latest iteration of the House’s continued commitment to protecting vulnerable children and families in Massachusetts in a fi scally sustainable manner.” “I voted against the latest version of the $425 million supplemental budget because it represents an unsustainable expansion of the shelter system without accountability or a tangible long-term plan,” said Sen. Kelly Dooner (R-Taunton). “This budget is fi scally irresponsible and fails to prioritize homeless veterans, seniors and vulnerable families in Massachusetts who are still struggling to fi nd shelter. We need practical solutions that prioritize our most vulnerable residents fi rst.” “The Emergency Shelter System is broken in very signifi cant ways,” said Rep. John Gaskey (R-Carver). “House Republicans attempted to ensure the system was for Massachusetts families and veterans but Democrats are more concerned with the criminal illegal aliens they have welcomed and protected while many rape, murder and steal. (A “Yes” vote is for the bill. A “No” vote is against it.) Rep. Jessica Giannino Yes Rep. Donald Wong No Sen. Brendan Crighton Yes ADOPT JOINT HOUSE-SENATE RULES FOR 2025-2026 SESSION (H 2026) House 128-23, adopted joint House-Senate rules on how the Legislature operates for the 2025-2026 session. The Senate has already approved its own version of joint rules and the House version now goes to the Senate for consideration. The vote was strictly along party lines with all Democrats voting for the package and all Republicans voting against it. Provisions include requiring joint committees to provide and then post online plain-language summaries of all bills in time for their hearings; requiring committees, when reporting a bill favorably, to provide a document showing any changes made by the committee to the underlying bill and any changes the bill makes to existing law; and requiring all testimony given to committees to be made publicly available in a manner to be determined by each committee. Other provisions include prohibiting committee members from participating in a hearing remotely and requiring that they be physically present at a hearing in order to participate; allowing the public to testify remotely at a hearing; requiring how each individual member votes on polls conducted by the committees to be posted online; and extending the time allowed for formal sessions in the fi rst year of the session from the current third Wednesday in November to the third Wednesday in December. The second year of formal sessions will continue to end on July 31, but under the new rules, the House and Senate would be allowed to return to a formal session to act on reports of conference committees formed by July 31, budget bills and gubernatorial actions including vetoes of items in conference reports. “There are many things in our rules package that align closely with the Senate proposals,” said Majority Leader Rep. Mike Moran (D-Boston). “The House went even further to alleviate the logjam of bills at the end of the session by requiring that bills be voted out of committee in a timely manner after a public hearing. And our constituents will know exactly how the members of a committee handle the bill process when we post hearing attendance and committee votes online. These are meaningful reforms.” “I opposed the Joint Rules package because it did not go far enough in reforming the legislative process to improve transparency and public access,” said Rep. Steven Xiarhos (R-Barnstable). “We need stronger measures to prevent last-minute legislating behind closed doors and to guarantee a more open, deliberative process.” (A “Yes” vote is for the new joint rules. A “No” vote is against them.) Rep. Jessica Giannino Yes Rep. Donald Wong No ADOPT HOUSE RULES FOR 2025-2026 SESSION (H 2024) House 128-23, approved a set of House rules under which the House will operate in 20252026. Provisions include requiring, to the extent practicable, summaries provided by committee chairs of bills to be posted online before the House takes them up for a vote; prohibiting committee members from participating in a hearing remotely and requiring that they be BEACON | SEE PAGE 19
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