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Page 18 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JUNE 4, 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 5 p.m. and 8 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. On Sunday, June 6, we will be celebrating our one-year anniversary with a special episode of the show. 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 Audacy.com” Download the free Audacy app on your phone or tablet Listen online at HYPERLINK “http://www.wmexboston.com” www.wmexboston.com Or tune into 1510 AM if you have an AM radio. Visit us at www.bobkatzenshow.com THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call records local senators’ votes on roll calls from the week of May 24-28. All Senate roll calls are on proposed amendments to the $47.72 billion fiscal 2022 budget. There were no roll calls in the House last week. This was the Senate’s second state budget in the COVID-19 era and most senators participated virtually from their homes or offices. Of the 923 amendments filed by senators only 15 came to a roll call vote. Many others were simply approved or rejected one at a time on voice votes without debate. To move things along even faster, the Senate also did its usual “bundling” of many amendments. Instead of acting on all the amendments one at a time, hundreds of the proposed amendments are bundled and put into two piles—one pile that will be approved and the other that will be rejected-with a single vote on each pile. Senate President Karen Spilka, or the senator who is filling in for her at the podium, orchestrates the approval and rejection of the bundled amendments with a simple: “All those in favor say ‘aye,’ those opposed say ‘no.’ The ayes have it and the amendments are approved.” Or “All those in favor say ‘aye,’ those opposed say ‘no.’ The no’s have it and the amendments are rejected.” Senators don’t actually vote yes or no, and, in fact, they don’t say a word. The outcome was predetermined earlier behind closed doors. “The efficient Senate budget process this year reflected lots of careful work by our Ways and Means Chair, Michael Rodriques, and our Senate President, Karen Spilka, to build consensus in the weeks before the budget,” said Senate President Pro Tempore Sen. Will Brownsberger (D-Belmont). Despite repeated requests from Beacon Hill Roll Call, Senate President Karen Spilka’s office did not respond to a request to comment on the bundled amendments and the small number of roll calls. And no response was received from Spilka’s leadership team of Sens. Cindy Creem (D-Newton), Joan Lovely (D-Salem), Mike Barrett (D-Lexington) and Sal DiDomenico (D-Everett). “Roll call requests are based on a number of factors that are the subject of both continuing and contemporaneous discussions within the caucus based on specific issues,” said GOP Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-North Reading). “[The process] more accurately highlights the increasingly efficient use of the legislative rubber stamp,” said Chip Ford, executive director of Citizens for Limited Taxation. “Massachusetts doesn’t need the cost of 200 legislators when a handful decide all legislation before it comes for a vote. If the three token ‘loyal opposition’ Republican senators weren’t taking up space taxpayers could at least save the ‘leadership stipends’ they collect.” “This type of process was not the norm only several years ago,” said Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance executive director Paul Craney. “Over the last few years, with new legislative leadership, they rush through votes, often don’t record the votes and don’t allow the public to gain access to what is happening because most of the important work is done behind closed doors. With that being said, the state Senate is much more transparent than Speaker Ron Mariano and Republican Brad Jones in the House. The House is arguably the most opaque legislature in America.” $47.72 BILLION FISCAL 2022 BUDGET (S 3) Senate 40-0, approved a $47.72 million fiscal 2022 state budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1, 2021. Senators added on an additional $63.7 million in spending during three days of debate on the Senate floor. The House recently approved its own version of the budget. A House-Senate conference committee will hammer out a compromise version. “This is an extraordinarily hopeful budget, designed to get us ‘back to better,’” said Senate President Karen Spilka (D-Ashland). “The Massachusetts Senate vowed to act on what we learned from the COVID-19 public health crisis and invest in areas that lift up our children, families and seniors across all communities — and that is exactly what this budget does.” Mike Rodrigues (D-Westport), Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means said, “The Senate has charted a hopeful path forward this week and passed a fiscally responsible fiscal Year 2022 budget that makes investments to expand educational opportunity, safeguard the health and wellness of our most vulnerable, support our children and families and meet the needs of our post-pandemic economy. “The budget that we passed today focuses on the future and ensures that every resident, business, and family can find success in a post-pandemic Massachusetts,” said Sen. Patrick O’Connor (R-Weymouth), Ranking Minority Member of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. “The past year has been difficult for so many, and this budget strives to put in place programs designed to recover from the effects of COVID-19. Now is the time for us to rebuild and make the commonwealth an even better place to call home.” (A “Yes” vote is for the budget). Sen. Brendan Crighton Yes TAX DEDUCTION FOR REMOTE LEARNING SUPPLIES (S 3) Senate 5-34, rejected an amendment that would provide up to a $500 tax deduction for any K-12 teachers’ expenses they paid for the costs of remote teaching their students. Eligible expenses include professional development courses taken related to the curriculum, books, supplies, computer equipment and for personal protective equipment, disinfectant and other supplies used for the prevention of the spread of COVID-19. Amendment supporters said it is unfair that teachers have to personally pay from their own pockets to cover for these costs. He noted that a recent survey showed that teachers spent an average of $745 was spent of their own money on learning materials. Amendment opponents said they support reimbursing these teachers but argued a tax deduction is not the best way to do it. They noted the state should use some of the billions of dollars in federal funds it receives under the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund and directly reimburse the teachers. (A “Yes” vote is for the amendment allowing a $500 deduction. A “No” vote is against it.) Sen. Brendan Crighton No ALLOW FARMERS A TAX DEDUCTION FOR DONATING FOOD (S 3) Senate 6-33, rejected an amendment that would give a taxpayer who is in the trade or business of farming and makes a charitable contribution of food to a nonprofit food organization a deduction on their income tax return for up to 25 percent of the value of the food. The amendment also regulates the contributions and sets standards that the food quality must meet. Amendment supporters said the deduction will help these generous farmers and the charities. They noted that the federal government and several states already allow this deduction. Amendment opponents said the state cannot afford the revenue loss in a budget that is tight and still relies on money from the Rainy Day Fund. They noted the budget delays the implementation of the overall charitable deduction that was discontinued in 2001 and argued it is not time to pick and choose a specific group of taxpayers who will receive a charitable deduction. (A “Yes” vote is for the amendment allowing the charitable deduction for farmers. A “No” vote is against it.) Sen. Brendan Crighton No ADDITIONAL $3 MILLION FOR LOCAL BOARDS OF HEALTH (S 3) Senate 39-0, approved an amendment increasing funding for local boards of health by $3 million (from $10 million to $13 million). Amendment supporters said that these grants will improve public health protections across the state by strengthening local capacity and supporting sharing of services among cities and towns. “The pandemic made clear what has long been true: Protecting our health requires strengthening investments at the local level,” said sponsor Sen. Jo Comerford (D-Northampton). “In our commonwealth, every municipality has their own board of health or health department. These funds will decrease inequities between communities and promote better health for everyone.” (A “Yes” vote is for the $3 million increase in funding). Sen. Brendan Crighton Yes ADDITIONAL $508,419 FOR DOMESTIC VIOLENCE PREVENTION AND SURVIVOR SERVICES (S 3) Senate 39-0, approved an amendment increasing funding for Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention and Survivor Services by $508,419 (from $50,874,714 to $50,366,295). “What many people don’t realize is that a consequence of the pandemic has been a significant increase in instances of domestic abuse,” said sponsor Sen. Mike Moore (D-Millbury). “As a result, there has been an increase in individuals seeking services provided by the Executive Office of Health and Human Services. It is critical that we provide more funding for these services so that access to care remains available for survivors of domestic abuse and sexual assault in the commonwealth.” (A “Yes” vote is for the $508,419 increase in funding). Sen. Brendan Crighton Yes $500,000 TO IMPROVE MATERNAL AND NEWBORN HEALTH OUTCOMES (S 3) Senate 38-1, approved an amendment that would provide $500,000 for the Perinatal-Neonatal Quality Improvement Network (PNQIN) of Massachusetts that works with hospitals and maternal health organizations to eliminate disparities in maternal morbidity and mortality. “I filed [the] amendment … to provide funding to PNQIN because I believe that it is every person’s right to build a happy and healthy family in the commonwealth of Massachusetts,” said amendment sponsor Sen. Harriette Chandler (D-Worcester). “An essential element of PNQIN’s mission is to fight and eliminate long standing racial disparities in maternal mortality and to improve health outcomes of all pregnant people and their children. PNQIN is at the forefront of maternal health equity, and their work will unequivocally bring us closer to a commonwealth full of happy and healthy parents and children.” “I have a strong belief that the practice of earmarking funds for private organizations within the budget leads to more harm than good in our political system,” said Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz, the only senator to vote against the amendment. “Although the PNQIN does important work, and I appreciate Sen. Chandler’s championing of this worthy cause, I believe government works better when the Legislature sticks to its role of setting categories of funding priorities, and I respect the executive branch agencies’ responsibility to make comparisons among projects and service providers to choose the organizations that best carry out those priorities. As such, I have a policy of voting against earmarks when it comes to setting budget priorities.” (A “Yes” vote is for the $500,000. A “No” vote is against it.) Sen. Brendan Crighton Yes ADDITIONAL $500,000 FOR SECURITY FOR SCHOOLS AND HOUSES OF WORSHIP (S 9) Senate 39-0, approved an amendment increasing funding by $500,000 (from $1 million to $1.5 million) for security and enhancements for at-risk houses of worship, schools, community centers and other nonprofit institutions. This includes the installation of security cameras, enhanced lighting, ballistic doors and bulletproof windows, rapid response alarms, perimeter fencing, motion detectors and vehicle blockades. “We are in the middle of a pandemic of hate and violence, and it’s growing at alarming rates,” said sponsor Sen. Eric Lesser (D-Longmeadow). This year alone, there was the attempted bombing at Ruth’s House, a Jewish-affiliated assisted living facility in Longmeadow, and in the months that followed, a rapid rise in Anti-Asian hate crimes. We have an obligation as a commonwealth to make sure that we have the resources to put these basic precautions in place for these community groups and organizations.” (A “Yes” vote is for the $500,000). Sen. Brendan Crighton Yes 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 May 2428, the House met for a total of eight minutes while the Senate met for a total of 23 hours and 40 minutes. Mon. May 24 House 11:01 a.m. to 11:03 a.m. Senate 11:11 a.m. to 11:13 a.m. Tues. May 25 No House session. Senate 11:10 a.m. to 7:55 p.m. Wed. May 26 No House session Senate 10:30 a.m. to 8:05 p.m. Thurs. May 27 House 11:02 a.m. to 11:08 a.m. Senate 11:26 a.m. to 4:44 p.m. Fri. May 28 No House session No Senate session Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com

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