THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – WEDnESDAy, nOVEmbEr 22, 2023 Page 15 BEACON | FROM PAGE 14 work week which can off er a myriad of benefi ts, including boosting worker satisfaction and productivity, and reducing absenteeism and commuting time.” “Our research with hundreds of companies and thousands of workers shows that a 4-day, 32-hour week with no reduction in pay not only yields tremendous well-being improvements for workers, but is highly benefi - cial for companies,” said Professor Juliet Schor, a leading supporter of the measure. “After trialing this model, a mere 6 percent are returning to the 5-day week. [This bill] will put Massachusetts on the map once again leading the nation, as we have done on same-sex marriage and climate.” PROHIBIT USE OF NATIVE AMERICAN MASCOTS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS (H 477, S 245) – A bill heard by the Education Committee would prohibit public schools from using an athletic team name, logo or mascot which is associated with Native Americans, or which denigrates any racial, ethnic, gender or religious group. “In the past few years, the nation has seemed to fi nally come awake and recognize the hurt caused by racist mascots and imagery,” said Senate sponsor Sen. Jo Comerford (D-Northampton). “This bill acknowledges the common humanity of all, corrects historical wrongs and addresses the profound psychological harm caused by perpetuating racist stereotypes — harm caused to both people who are of Native American heritage and those who are not.” “I sponsored [the bill] because of the numerous conversations I’ve had with community leaders that have been doing the work to protect students in the commonwealth from the negative impacts of Native American mascots,” said House sponsor Rep. Brandy Fluker Oakley (D-Mattapan). “We know based on years of research, that these mascots lead to the perpetuation of negative stereotypes and psychological ramifi cations like lower self-esteem and diminished perceptions of community worth. This bill will prevent students from further psychosocial harm.” RENT CONTROL QUESTION WILL NOT APPEAR ON THE 2024 BALLOT – It’s the end of this year’s campaign to put on the November 2024 ballot a question that would allow cities and towns the right to impose rent control, a practice which voters banned nearly 30 years ago on a 1994 ballot question. Organizers announced that they will fall far short of the 74,574 signatures needed by November 22 to qualify for the ballot. “While this isn’t the outcome we hoped for with our petition, I am more confi dent than ever that if given the opportunity to do so, Massachusetts voters will elect to lift the ban on rent control,” said long time rent control advocate Rep. Michael Connolly (D-Cambridge). “At this point, however, it makes sense to focus on Tuesday’s Statehouse hearing on rent control bills and other landlord-tenant matters.” “Massachusetts property owners and renters should wake up this morning knowing that their futures are better off ,” said Paul Craney, spokesman for the Mass Fiscal Alliance which opposes rent control. “Rep. Connolly’s potential ballot question would have done nothing but make life more expensive and miserable for property owners and renters alike. Rent control does not work, it would only stop new housing development, particularly new aff ordable multi-family housing and put a complete halt in maintenance and upkeep.” In the meantime, the focus now turns to Beacon Hill where the Housing Committee held a hearing last week on several pieces of rent control legislation. “This is not an issue about the market,” testified Rep. Sam Montano (D-Jamaica Plain), a sponsor of one of several bills debated at the hearing. “This is not an issue about how we use capitalism. This is an issue about morals. Morally, we need to house people. That’s it. Doesn’t matter. People need homes, they need a warm place to sleep, they need a place to shower, they need a place to feel safe. And we are failing at providing that for people by allowing landlords to try to charge huge increases year to year and constantly displacing people.” “Rent control reduces the supply of housing which drives rents up,” said Amir Shahsavari, vice president of the Small Property Owners Association. “It makes it more diffi cult for owners to keep up with rising operating costs, it leads to disrepair, and it makes it nearly impossible to remove non-complying tenants, not only to the detriment of owners and their properties, but also to the detriment of the other tenants who depend on us to provide them with safe, maintained living spaces.” QUOTABLE QUOTES “The MBTA is one of the oldest transit agencies in the country, and while there are a number of contributing factors, it’s clear that years of underinvestment have added to the cost of bringing our system back to a state of good repair.” --- MBTA General Manager Phil Eng following the release of the T’s report noting that it would take $24.5 billion to fi x nearly two-thirds of all MBTA that assets are not in a state of good repair. “This program invests federal funds to make Massachusetts communities safer and stronger. [It] allows towns and cities to identify their most pressing needs and direct funding to address those challenges. The ability of local public safety leaders to guide funds toward priority safety initiatives encourages a holistic approach to improving safety in communities with diverse needs.” ---Gov. Maura Healey announcing nearly $5 million in federal funds awarded to 130 police departments across the state to address their communities’ unmet public safety priorities. “It’s chilling to learn what some of these toys can do. Smart toys can be useful, fun or educational, but Interacting with some of them can create frightening situations for too many families.” ---R.J. Cross, one of the authors of MASSPIRG Education Fund’s report which warns about the dangers of the smart devices surrounding kids including microphones, cameras, connectivity, location trackers, poor security as well as several lowtech threats, including water beads, button batteries and recalled and counterfeit toys for sale. “With over 130,000 signatures, the public’s voice is loud and clear: They stand with educators against highstakes testing. Our stance against an accountability system solely based on highstakes testing resonates with the community, highlighting the need for change in how we evaluate student achievement. It’s time to move past a 30-year-old system that narrows learning and fails to address diverse student needs.” ---Massachusetts Teachers Association President Max Page on the collection of more than 130,000 signatures which, if certifi ed, will place a question on the 2024 ballot ending the controversial graduation requirement tied to the MCAS exam. 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 latenight sessions. During the week of November 13-17, the House met for a total of 14 hours and fi ve minutes while the Senate met for a total of 23 hours and 29 minutes. Mon. Nov. 13 House11:01 a.m. to 11:27 a.m. Senate 11:19 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. Tues.Nov. 14 No House session Senate 11:08 a.m. to 8:11 p.m Wed. Mon. 15 House11:03 a.m. to 12:42 a.m. (Thursday morning) Senate 11:00 a.m. to1:00 a.m. (Thursday morning) Thurs. Nov. 16 No House session No Senate session Fri. Nov. 17 No House session No Senate session Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com Bob founded Beacon Hill Roll Call in 1975 and was inducted into the New England Newspaper and Press Association (NENPA) Hall of Fame in 2019. Wishing you the best for a safe and happy Thanksgiving. 100 Salem Turnpike, Saugus, MA 01906 winwastesaugus.com
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