THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 17, 2021 Page 15 Beacon Hill Roll Call By Bob Katzen THE HOUSE AND SENATE: There were no roll calls in the House and Senate last week. This week, Beacon Hill Roll Call reports on the number of times each representative sided with Gov. Charlie Baker on his 15 vetoes of mostly state budget items. A two-thirds vote is required to override a gubernatorial veto. In a full 160-member House, the governor needs the support of 54 representatives to sustain a veto when all 160 representatives vote—and fewer votes when some members are absent, or a seat is vacant. Baker fell short of that goal as 35 votes was the most support he received on any veto. The House easily overrode all 15 vetoes, including one that was overridden unanimously. It was mostly the 30 GOP members who voted with the Republican governor to sustain the vetoes but no Republican representatives voted with Baker 100 percent of the time. The three GOP members who voted with Baker the most times are Reps. Shawn Dooley (R-Norfolk), 14 times (93.3 percent); Norman Orrall (R-Lakeville), 13 times (86.6 percent); and Brad Jones (R-North Reading) and Donald Berthiaume (R-Spencer) who both voted with Baker 11 times (73.3 percent) The three GOP members who supported Baker the least number of times were Reps. Jim Kelcourse (R-Amesbury), Marc Lombardo (R-Billerica) and David Vieira (R-Falmouth). All three voted with Baker only six times (40 percent). The vetoes had little support among the 129 Democrats in the House. One hundred and twenty-fi ve (96.9 percent) did not support the governor even once. The other four (3.1 percent) voted with Baker to sustain only one veto (6.6 percent). They are Reps. Nika Elugardo (D-Jamaica Plain); Chris Markey (D-Dartmouth); Joan Meschino (D-Hull); and David Robertson (D-Tewksbury). NUMBER OF TIMES REPRESENTATIVES SUPPORTED BAKER’S VETOES Here is how your representative fared in his or her support of Baker on the vetoes in 2021 through September 10, 2021. The percentage next to the representative’s name represents the percentage of times the representative supported Baker. The number in parentheses represents the actual number of times the representative supported Baker. Some representatives voted on all 15 roll call votes. Others missed one or more roll calls. The percentage for each representative 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. Rep. Jessica Giannino 0 percent (0) Rep. Donald Wong 53.3 percent (8) 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 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 September 6-10, the House met for a total of ten minutes while the Senate met for a total of one hour and fi ve minutes. Mon. Sept. 6 No House session No Senate session Tues. Sept. 7 House 11:01 a.m. to 11:06 a.m. Senate 11:09 a.m. to 11:14 a.m. Wed. Sept. 8 No House session No Senate session Thurs. Sept. 9 House 11:00 a.m. to 11:05 a.m. Senate 11:42 a.m. to 12:42 p.m. Fri. Sept. 19 No House session No Senate session Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com “YOUR FINANCIAL FOCUS” JOSEPH D. CATALDO THE NEW 10 YEAR RULE ON RETIRMENT PLAN DISTRIBUTIONS The SECURE Act was passed on December 20, 2019. One of the biggest changes to retirement accounts included in that legislation was the new provision relating to retirement plan distributions for most non-spouse benefi ciaries of such accounts. Prior to the passage of the SECURE Act, all designated benefi ciaries (living individuals and qualifying Trusts) were allowed to use the “stretch” strategy in order to spread out the distributions from the inherited retirement account over the individual’s life expectancy as well as the life expectancy of the benefi ciaries of the qualifying Trust. This was a big win for the benefi ciary as the inherited retirement account could continue to be invested for the long-term without major tax bites taken out each year due to a much smaller required minimum distribution (RMD). This was also a loss for the federal and state governments as the tax revenue would be received over a much longer period of time. The SECURE Act broke up the designated benefi ciaries into two groups: 1. Eligible beneficiaries and 2. Non-Eligible benefi ciaries. The eligible benefi ciaries are able to stretch the required minimum distributions over their life expectancies. Who’s in this group? Surviving spouses, disabled beneficiaries, chronically ill benefi ciaries, minor children of the decedent account holder (as well as qualifying Trusts established for their benefi t), and benefi ciaries not more than ten years younger than the decedent account holder. All other beneficiaries will be part of the non-eligible group and will not be able to stretch out the RMD’s over their lifetime. Now, the IRS wins and this group of benefi ciaries loses. They have to withdraw the account in its entirety within a ten-year period. A 35 year old benefi ciary of his father’s IRA account who dies will have to include $50,000 in his or her taxable income over a 10-year period. This income will be added to this child’s other income each year. He or she could lose $13,500 in each of those years to federal and state income taxes assuming the federal marginal tax S S n i r COPD Could I Have C a a BY JIM MILLER Cld I H Dear Savvy Senior, I have struggled with shortness of breath for several years now. I just thought I was getting old and fat, but a friend recently told me about COPD. So, my question is could I have COPD and not know it? Huffi ng and Puffi ng Dear Huffi ng, Yes. COPD, or chronic obbracket is 22% and the Massachusetts rate is 5%. That’s $135,000 out the window over a ten-year period for a middle class American. The RMD can be taken ratably over the ten- year period or the benefi ciary can wait until the tenth year to take it all out. If the RMD is not taken out, a 50% penalty on the shortfall would be assessed by the IRS. Under the old rule, the 35 year old benefi ciary would have been able to withdraw the inherited retirement account over a period of 48.5 years. The new 10-year rule has a dramatic aff ect on the net “after tax” value of an inherited retirement account. structive pulmonary disease, is a progressive lung disease that aff ects an estimated 30 million Americans, but about half of them don’t know they have it. Many people mistake shortness of breath as a normal part of aging, or a result of being out of shape, but that’s not necessarily the case. COPD – a term used to describe a variety of lung diseases including emphysema and chronic bronchitis – develops slowly, so symptoms may not be obvious until damage has occurred. Symptoms can include an ongoing cough or a cough that produces a lot of mucus, lack of energy and/or shortness of breath especially during physical activity, wheezing and chest tightness, blue lips or fi ngernails, or swelling in your feet, ankles or legs. Those most at risk are smokers or former smokers over age 40, and people who have had long-term exposure to other lung irritants like secondhand smoke, air pollution, chemical fumes and dust. There is also a rare genetic condition known as alpha-1-antitrypsin, or AAT defi ciency that can increase the risks. If you’re experiencing any of the aforementioned symptoms, you need to get tested by your doctor. A simple breathing test called spirometry can tell if you have COPD, and if so, how severe it is. Early screening can also identify COPD before major loss of lung function occurs. If you do indeed have COPD, you need to know that while there’s no cure, there are things you can do to help manage symptoms and protect your lungs from further damage, including: • Quit smoking: If you y Senior and Not Know It? Sa e Senio nior ior smoke, the best thing you can do to prevent more damage to your lungs is to quit. To get help, the National Cancer Institute off ers a number of smoking cessation resources at SmokeFree.gov or call 1-800-QUIT-NOW. Or ask your doctor about prescription antismoking drugs that can help reduce your nicotine craving. If you smoke marijuana for a medical condition, talk to your doctor about edible versions. • Avoid air pollutants: Stay away from things that could irritate your lungs like dust, allergens and strong fumes. Also, to help improve your air quality at home, remove dust-collecting clutter and keep carpets clean; run the exhaust fan when using smelly cleaning products, bug sprays or paint; ban smoking indoors; and keep windows closed when outdoor air pollution is high (see AirNow.gov for daily air-quality reports). • Get vaccinated: The coronavirus and fl u can cause serious problems for people who have COPD, so if you haven’t already done so, get vaccinated for COVID-19 and get a flu shot every fall to help avoid getting sick. Also ask your doctor about getting the pneumococcal immunizations for protection against pneumonia. • Take prescribed medications: Bronchodilators (taken with an inhaler) are commonly used for COPD. They help relax the airway muscles to make breathing easier. Depending on how severe your condition, you may need a short-acting version only for when symptoms occur, or a long-acting prescription for daily use. Inhaled steroids may also help reduce infl ammation and mucus and prevent fl are-ups. For more information, visit the COPD Foundation at COPDfoundation.org or call the COPD information line at 866-316-2673. 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.
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