Page 18 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JUNE 11, 2021 TRUST | FROM PAGE 17 “We believe this is an excellent opportunity for businesses to retain top level talent, and we can simplify the process by providing exceptional service from our experienced team. We are excited to grow our relationship with both existing First Financial Trust, N.A. and The Savings Bank clients, as well as build relationships with the business community,” Brendan Szocik, President and Chief Executive Officer of First Financial Trust added. “As with all our current services, the 401(k) offering will be held to the highest fiduciary standards that we pride ourselves on. We encourage anyone who is interested in learning more about our 401(k) services for their business to contact Andrew DiNuccio, Investment Officer, at 617-6587624, or visit our website at www.firstfinancialttrust.com.” A subsidiary of The Savings Bank, First Financial Trust has offices in Wakefield, Leominster, and Wellesley, Massachusetts and serves clients across the United States. First Financial Trust is one of 53 nationally chartered trust companies in the United States. Established in 1869, The Savings Bank, headquartered in Wakefield Massachusetts, is a $675 million community bank with offices in Wakefield, Lynnfield, North Reading, Andover, and Methuen. 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. 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 smartphone or tablet Listen online at 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 recent debate on the Senate version of a $47.72 billion fiscal 2022 budget. There were no roll calls in the House or Senate last week. MASSHEALTH MUST REPORT BED HOLDS (S 3) Senate 39-0, approved an amendment that would require MassHealth to report data to the Legislature relating to medical and non-medical leave of absence days, known as bed holds, for nursing home residents. The data would include the number of residents on a leave of absence, monthly capacity levels per nursing home, the total number of empty beds and the average MassHealth payment rate per resident. MassHealth is the state’s Medicaid program that provides healthcare for low-income and disabled persons. Amendment supporters said the bed hold policy is an essential protection for MassHealth nursing home residents who leave the nursing home for a hospital stay or to visit with family and allows them to return to their same bed. They noted the program’s goal is to protect nursing home residents, especially those with dementia, from the confusion and trauma that might result if they were forced to move to a new room and a new bed after a short absence. “We must ensure that vulnerable nursing home residents are provided with quality care and protected from the unnecessary trauma of returning to an unfamiliar environment following a hospital stay,” said the amendment’s sponsor Sen. Mark Montigny (D-New Bedford). “Facilities that cannot meet these basic obligations must not be allowed to operate in the commonwealth and will not survive the necessary post-COVID reforms. This data reporting is a starting point that will help ensure proper transparency and accountability in this industry.” (A “Yes” vote is for the amendment). Sen. Brendan Crighton Yes $100,000 FOR STUDENT LOAN OMBUDSMAN (S 3) Senate 39-0, approved $100,000 to pay the salary of and advertise for the newly created position of student loan ombudsman who would serve under the attorney general as an independent mediator for student loan borrowers. “For six years, we fought for the Student Loan Borrower Bill of Rights to protect the nearly 1 million student loan borrowers across the commonwealth,” said Sen. Eric Lesser (D-Longmeadow), the sponsor of the amendment. “Since it was passed and signed into law this January, we have engaged with the Division of Banks and the Attorney General’s Office on implementation and this funding will help set up a central ombudsman’s office, to answer questions, investigate and take action on [student loan] servicers.” (A “Yes” vote is for the amendment). Sen. Brendan Crighton Yes AUTOMATED EXTERNAL DEFIBRILLATOR (AED) IN PUBLIC SAFETY VEHICLES (S 3) Senate 39-0, approved an amendment that would provide $500,000 to fund the purchase by cities and towns of AEDs so that each police cruiser, fire engine, ambulance and other first responder vehicles will have the device available inside the vehicle. “AEDs are absolutely crucial to the mortality rate of someone experiencing a cardiac event,” said Sen. Ryan Fattman (R-Sutton) who sponsored the amendment. “In small towns found in central and western Massachusetts, like some of the ones I represent, police are often the first to respond to a 911 call, even in a medical emergency. Many municipalities do not have the resources to equip those vehicles with AEDs, which in turn allows precious moments to slip by for someone in a cardiac event. This bill establishes funding for municipalities to purchase AEDs through an AED trust fund for all safety vehicles, particularly in these smaller towns, so that this type of tragic scenario can be avoided.” (A “Yes” vote is for the amendment). 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 31-June 4, the House met for a total of two hours and 17 minutes while the Senate met for a total of 25 minutes. Mon. May 31 No House session No Senate session Tues. June 1 House 11:03 a.m. to 1:13 p.m. Senate 11:05 a.m. to 11:25 a.m. Wed. June 2 No House session No Senate session Thurs. June 3 House 11:03 a.m. to 11:10 a.m. Senate 11:13 a.m. to 11:18 a.m. Fri. June 4 No House session No Senate session Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@ beaconhillrollcall.com
19 Publizr Home