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Page 10 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2021 Beacon Hill Roll Call By Bob Katzen GET 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 influence. The stories are drawn from major news organizations as well as specialized publications selected by widely acclaimed and highly experienced writers Chris Van Buskirk and Keith Regan who introduce each article in their own clever and never-boring, inimitable way. 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: www.massterlist.com/subscribe THE HOUSE AND SENATE. Beacon Hill Roll Call records local senators’ votes on roll calls from the week of November 8-12. There were no roll calls in the House. Most of the Senate roll calls are on the $3.82 billion package which spends the federal money the state received from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) and the surplus left over from the state’s fiscal year 2021 budget on relief and recovery from the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic over the past 18 months. A LOOK BEHIND THE SCENES OF THE $3.82 BILLION FOR COVID RELIEF AND RECOVERY PACKAGE All of the decisions on which senators’ amendments are included or not included in the relief and recovery package are made “behind closed doors in person” or in the COVID-19 era, “behind closed Zoom doors.” Many of the more than 700 amendments proposed were on local projects for cities and towns in individual senators’ districts. Some amendments were considered individually but many were consolidated into “Yes” or “No” bundles, created by the Democratic leadership, and were approved or rejected on a voice vote all at once without debate and without a roll call vote. Supporters of this system say that any senator who sponsored an amendment that was placed in the “No” bundle can bring it to the floor and ask for an up or down vote on the amendment itself. They say this system has worked well for many years. Critics say this system gives too much power to the Democratic leadership and leaves all the decisions up to a handful of senators in the leadership whose word is final. $3.82 BILLION FOR COVID RELIEF AND RECOVERY (S 2564) Senate 38-0, approved a $3.82 billion package which spends the federal money the state received from the ARPA and the surplus left over from the state’s fiscal year 2021 budget on relief and recovery from the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic over the past 18 months. The plan includes one-time investments in health and human services, education, housing, the environment including climate mitigation, economic development and jobs. The House has already approved a different version of the measure and a House-Senate conference committee will hammer out a compromise version. Provisions include $400 million in mental and behavioral health support; $118.4 million for public health infrastructure and data sharing; $95 million for grants to local boards of health to be prepared to respond to future public health threats; $60 million for food security infrastructure; $50 million what kind of bread is popular in stuffing? 8. What trio of comedy movies had a pie fight in the 1942 short film “In the Sweet Pie and Pie”? 9. On Nov. 22, 1869, the 1. On Nov. 19, 1996, the last part of the Confederation Bridge was placed, which is the world’s longest bridge over ice-covered water and joins New Brunswick to what? 2. What Italian sculptor reportedly said, “Trifles make perfection and perfection is no trifle”? 3. How is a tortoise different from a turtle? 4. How are Britannia, Caledonia and Hibernia similar? 5. On Nov. 20, 1979, the first transfusion of artificial blood to a patient was performed; why did the patient refuse real blood? 6. Due to an incident of hitting, what sport was recently eliminated from the Olympic pentathlon? 7. November 21 is National Stuffing Day; in the South, Scottish clipper ship Cutty Sark was launched; her name came from “cutty-sark” (short skirt) in the 1790 poem “Tam O’ Shanter by what poet? 10. Which U.S. president pardoned the smallest number of turkeys: Obama, Reagan or Trump? 11. How are shepherd’s, houndstooth and buffalo similar? 12. How are the writers about Thanksgiving William Bradford and Edward Winslow similar? 13. On Nov. 23, 1902, Walter Reed died, a doctor who led experiments where in the Caribbean to prove yellow fefor nursing facilities; $25 million for a grant program for community violence prevention focused on communities disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic; $500 million for the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund to provide relief to small businesses; $75 million for equitable and affordable broadband access and infrastructure improvements to close the digital divide; $75 million for the Mass Cultural Council; $50 million for grants to minority-owned small businesses; $600 million for investments in affordable and accessible housing; $25 million for tree planting; $15 million for parks and recreational projects; $10 million for clean energy retrofitting in affordable housing units; and $7.5 million for community colleges to help train underserved populations for green jobs. “The Massachusetts State Senate has acted decisively to support our state’s recovery and ensure we do not go back to normal but ‘back to better,’” said Senate President Karen Spilka (D-Ashland). “The Senate’s proposal provides a path towards an equitable recovery that benefits residents, businesses and communities through transformational investments in public health, housing and climate change.” “The Senate demonstrated its commitment to using the oncever to be transmitted by mosquito bites? 14. What popular Yuletide song is believed to have been sung first at a Thanksgiving service in Massachusetts? 15. What utensil did the attendees at the first Thanksgiving not have? 16. November 24 is National Jukebox Day; how much did it cost to play the first jukebox (in 1889 at San Francisco’s Palais Royale Saloon): a penny, a nickel or a dime? 17. Are yams and sweet potatoes the same? 18. Which country produces the most turkey meat: Brazil, Germany or USA? 19. How many days was the first Thanksgiving: one, three or seven? 20. On Nov. 25, 1992, the Federal Assembly of Czechoslovakia voted to reconfigure the country into what? in-a-lifetime opportunity that the ARPA funds represent to fuel an equitable recovery and support the communities most impacted by the pandemic,” said Sen. Mike Rodrigues (D-Westport), Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. “The Senate has risen to the challenge of making meaningful investments in mental health, public health, workforce development, affordable housing and so much more, ensuring those hit the hardest by COVID-19—families, essential workers and small businesses— are being helped the most.” (A “Yes” vote is for the bill). Sen. Brendan Crighton Yes UNEMPLOYMENT TRUST FUND (S 2564) Senate 5-32, rejected an amendment that would increase from $500 million to $1 billion the amount of money that the bill would place in the state’s Unemployment Trust Fund which pays out unemployment benefits to jobless residents. Supporters said that employers are currently saddled with paying back the $7 billion the state borrowed during the pandemic to stabilize the dwindling amount of money in the trust fund. Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester), the sponsor of the amendment said businesses will BHRC | SEE PAGE 11 ANSWERS 1. Prince Edward Island 2. Michelangelo 3. A tortoise only lives on land and has tiny, elephant-like feet. 4. They are the Latin names for Britain, Scotland and Ireland. 5. Due to religious beliefs (a Jehovah’s Witness) 6. Horseback riding 7. Cornbread 8. The Three Stooges (“The Sweet By-and-By” is an 1868 hymn.) 9. Robert Burns 10. Reagan (two – Charlie and Woody) 11. They are types of fabric checks. 12. They wrote the only two eyewitness accounts of the first Thanksgiving. 13. Cuba 14. “Jingle Bells” (The song does not mention any holiday.) 15. Forks 16. A nickel 17. No; they belong to different plant families. 18. USA (Brazil is second and Germany is third.) 19. Three 20. Slovakia and the Czech Republic

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