THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, APRIL 30, 2021 Page 15 es where it is necessary for the good of the entire community, and not for the economic benefit of a limited class of persons. This bill strikes a balance between two competing but legitimate realities—the need of the government to acquire land to serve the public good and the rights of private citizens to own property.” PROHIBIT CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS FROM RESTRICTING FREEDOM AND EQUALITY (S 20) – Prohibits the proposal of any future constitutional amendment that would restrict the rights to freedom and equality that are in the constitution, or the right of each individual to be protected by society’s laws in the enjoyment of life, liberty and property. “Under the current constitutional scheme there is nothing to stop a group from attempting to repeal or abridge certain constitutional rights through the initiative process,” said amendment sponsor Sen. Cindy Creem (D-Newton). “Subjecting such important rights to a popular vote or a fleeting change in political winds is unconscionable and should not be allowed.” EQUALITY UNDER THE LAW (S 21 and H 83) – Expands a part of the constitution that currently provides that equality under the law shall not be denied or abridged because of sex, race, color, creed or national origin. The measure adds “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” to the section. Sen. Patrick O’Connor (R-Weymouth) and Rep. Patrick Kearney (D-Scituate) each filed the proposal at the request of one of their constituents Sabrina Holland. “This legislation … is deserving of a favorable report by the committee and has my full support,” said Sen. O’Connor who supports the bill. “This language is needed to officially prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual preference or gender identity, to perpetuate Massachusetts’ values and to create a truly equitable and safe society for all.” Neither Rep. Kearney nor Sabrina Holland responded to repeated requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call to comment on the proposal. And Kearney did not respond to a specific question as to whether he supports the bill. Sometimes a legislator will file a bill as a courtesy to a constituent even if the legislator doesn’t support it. GIVE GOVERNOR THE POWER TO APPOINT LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR (H 84) – Grants the governor the power to appoint a lieutenant governor if the office is vacant because of the death, resignation, removal from office or incapacity of the lieutenant governor. The appointment would have to be confirmed by a majority vote of the House and Senate. Current law leaves the seat vacant until the next election. The measure’s sponsor, Rep. Paul Mark (D-Peru) did not respond to repeated requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call to comment on the proposal. MAKE CONSTITUTION GENDER NEUTRAL (H 79) – Makes the state constitution general neutral by striking all references to “he” and replacing it with “the person.” The measure’s sponsor, Rep. Mindy Domb (D-Amherst) did not respond to repeated requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call to comment on the proposal. “AFFIRM” RATHER THAN “SOLEMNLY SWEAR” (H 80) – Amends a current section of the constitution that gives Quakers the option to change the oath a person must take upon taking office from the current: “I do solemnly swear, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the commonwealth of Massachusetts and will support the constitution thereof. So help me God.” Currently Quakers are allowed to change the word “swear” to “affirm” and the words “So help me God” with “under the pains and penalties of perjury.” The amendment would give that same option to anyone, not just Quakers. The measure’s sponsor, Rep. Mindy Domb (D-Amherst) did not respond to repeated requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call to comment on the proposal. CHANGE “SELECTMAN” TO “SELECT BOARD” (SD 2564) – Changes all references to the constitution to a town’s “selectman” to “select board.” “This bill would recognize that both men and women can lead in local government by updating antiquated references to “selectmen” in the constitution,” said sponsor Sen. Will Brownsberger (D-Belmont). The modern terminology, adopted by many towns, is “select board.” 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 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 April 1923, the House met for a total of eleven minutes while the Senate met for a total of eight minutes. Mon. April 19 No House session. No Senate session Tues. April 20 House 11:01 a.m. to 11:07 a.m. Senate 11:18 a.m. to 11:25 a.m. Wed. April 21 No House session. No Senate session Thurs. April 22 House 11:00 a.m. to 11:05 a.m. Senate 11:13 a.m. to 11:14 a.m. Fri. April 23 No House session No Senate session Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com
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