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THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, DECEmbEr 5, 2025 Page 17 Beacon Hill Roll Call Volume 50 - Report No. 48 November 24-28, 2025 By Bob Katzen C ORRECTION: In last week’s Beacon Hill Roll Call, we included in some newspapers a quote from a senator who voted against resolutions which would rescind all previous calls by the Massachusetts Legislature for a national Constitutional Convention under Article V of the U.S. Constitution. We did not attribute the quote to anyone. Here’s the quote and the attribution: “I am the Senate sponsor of the ‘We the People’ bill to repeal the Citizens United decision, including through an Article V Convention,” said Sen. Jamie Eldridge (D-Marlborough). “I continue to believe it is a legitimate path to change the U.S. Constitution, and therefore I voted ‘No’ on the resolutions.” An Article V convention is a process outlined in the U.S. Constitution allowing states to propose constitutional amendments if two-thirds (34) of state legislatures call for it. Supporters of the resolutions said such a convention could open the entire Constitution to unpredictable changes, as there are no clear guidelines or limitations on what delegates could propose. They noted that while an Article V convention has never been called before in American history, there is recent conservative momentum to add up all active resolutions to meet the twothirds threshold. THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call records local representatives’ votes on roll calls from recent sessions. There were no roll calls in the House or Senate last week. $3.65 BILLION TO MODERNIZE BAY STATE PUBLIC COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES (H 4750) House 146-5, approved and sent to the Senate a bill that funds the modernization of Bay State public colleges and universities by using the revenue from the 2022 voter-approved law, known as the Millionaire’s Tax, that imposes an additional 4 percent income tax, in addition to the current fl at 5 percent one, on taxpayers’ earnings of more than $1 million annually. Provisions include $1.25 billion for the UMass system; $1.25 billion for nine state university campuses and 15 community college campuses; $275 million for upgrades to MassArt; $100 million for the transition of campus facilities and property into housing and mixed-use developments; $80 million for costs associated with decarbonization and energy effi ciency; $120 million for lab modernization, projects at community colleges to support collaboration with vocational technical schools and projects related to student health and well-being; $50 million for a grant program for general improvements and climate-related upgrade; $20 million for enhancing remote or hybrid learning; and $100 million for a grant program for improvements to upgrade and expand career technical education and training programs. “The [bill] will ensure that students across the state learn and train in modern, high-quality campus facilities, while strengthening Massachusetts’ competitiveness in research and innovation,” said House Speaker Ron Mariano (D-Quincy). “Building on the commonwealth’s increases in student fi nancial aid, and on our commitment to making higher education more accessible and aff ordable, especially for low-income students, Massachusetts is undertaking a generational reinvestment in educating our residents and strengthening our higher education system.” “The [bill] will help usher in a new era for public higher education in Massachusetts,” said Rep. Dave Rogers (D-Cambridge), House Chair of the Committee on Higher Education. “The House has created free community college, exponentially increased fi - nancial aid and now [this bill] invests nearly $3.65 billion in public higher education campuses statewide. This new investment will: address essential campus infrastructure needs, develop modern learning spaces and decrease reliance on fossil fuels.” “The [bill] will modernize every public higher education campus in Massachusetts,” said Rep. Mike Finn (D-West Springfi eld), House Chair of the Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets. “This investment will spur economic development creating good-paying jobs, and deliver cleaner, state-of-the-art facilities that will prepare our students to lead in a competitive, sustainable future.” None of the five representatives who voted against the bill responded to repeated requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call asking them why they voted against it. Those fi ve representatives are Reps. Nicholas Boldyga (R-Southwick), John Gaskey (R-Carver), Marc Lombardo (R-Billerica), Alyson Sullivan-Almeida (R-Abington) and Kenneth Sweezey (R-Hanson). “While it’s very important to have high quality public colleges, not everyone goes to college,” said Paul Craney, executive director of the Mass Fiscal Alliance. “These funds could have been used for expenditures that impact more people, like repairing and maintaining our roads and bridges or as local aide to offset costs in local municipal public education.” (A Yes” vote is for the $3.65 billion bill. A “No” vote is against it.) Rep. Jessica Giannino Yes Rep. Donald Wong Yes WORKPLACE VIOLENCE IN HEALTH CARE FACILITIES (H 4767) House 153-0, approved and sent to the Senate a bill that supporters said would strengthen protections for health care workers, establish preventive and protective standards to reduce the risk of violence, improve health care facility incident reporting, enhance interagency coordination to safeguard privacy and create legal protections for certain employees harmed in the line of duty. Another key section would establish that employees, directly employed by a health care employer, who suff er workplace violence resulting in bodily injury or serious bodily injury are entitled to paid leave without using any vacation, sick or personal time. Supporters said that every 38 minutes in Massachusetts health care facilities, someone, most often a clinician or an employee, is physically assaulted, endures verbal abuse or is threatened -most often in emergency rooms, inpatient units and psychiatric units, according to the Massachusetts Health and Hospital AsBEACON | SEE PAGE 18 Sa nr Sa a y Senior Seni by Jim Miller What Are the Early Signs of Parkinson’s Disease? Dear Savvy Senior, What are the early signs of Parkinson’s disease? My husband was recently diagnosed after noticing a slight thumb tremor but we’re wondering if we missed any other early warning signs. Curious Wife Dear Curious, Recognizing the early signs of Parkinson’s disease is challenging because the symptoms are often subtle and/or similar to those in other health conditions, which means they can easily be overlooked, dismissed or misdiagnosed. Parkinson’s disease, which afflicts around 1 million Americans, is a degenerative disorder that occurs when the brain’s dopamine-producing neurons die or become impaired. This happens in the part of the brain that controls movement, which can cause tremors, stiff ness, and diffi culty with walking, balance, and coordination. The symptoms usually begin gradually and get worse over time, and the progression of symptoms is often diff erent from one person to another. Some people with Parkinson’s become severely disabled, while others may experience only minor motor disruptions. While the cause of Parkinson’s disease is unknown, scientists believe genetics and environmental factors (exposure to certain toxins) play a key role. Most people with Parkinson’s fi rst develop the disease around age 60 or older, and men are more likely to develop it than are women. Early Warning Signs Parkinson’s disease is diffi cult to diagnose because there’s no defi nitive test to confi rm it. Doctors, usually neurologists, will do an examination and evaluate a combination of warning signs, but symptoms can vary greatly by patient which often leads to confusion and misdiagnosis. That said, here are some of the key signs and symptoms everyone should be aware of. Restless sleeping: Talking in your sleep, sleepwalking and/or acting out your dreams by kicking or jerking. This is a REM sleep behavior disorder and one of the strongest and earliest pre-diagnostic symptoms of Parkinson’s disease. Loss of smell: Not being able to smell certain foods very well like bananas, dill pickles or licorice. This early symptom occurs in around 70 to 90 percent of Parkinson’s patients. Constipation: Problems with digestion and bowel movements are a big problem for people with Parkinson’s, and an early sign that can occur up to 20 years before this disease is diagnosed. Changes in handwriting: Writing may become harder to do, and your handwriting may appear much smaller than it has in the past. Soft voice: According to the Parkinson’s Foundation, 89 percent of people with Parkinson’s will have speech and voice disorders, which often shows up fi rst in volume of the voice, meaning that you may speak more softly. Tremors: Slight shaking or tremor in your finger, thumb, hand or chin. The tremor usually happens at rest, and when you move the extremity, it may disappear. This is the most common and recognizable outward sign of Parkinson’s disease, but by the time tremors start, the brain has already lost more than half of its dopamine-producing cells. Slowed movement: Over time, Parkinson’s disease can slow movements, making simple tasks diffi cult and time-consuming. Your steps may become shorter when you walk. It may be diffi cult to get out of a chair. You may drag your feet as you try to walk. Masked Face: The muscles in the face experience the same gradual stiff ening as in the rest of the body, which results in lack of smiling and facial expressions. Impaired posture and balance: Stooping, leaning or slouching when you stand, and/or balance problems can all be an early sign of Parkinson’s. Having these symptoms doesn’t necessarily mean that a person has Parkinson’s disease. But if you are experiencing any of them, and you’re over age 60, you should consider talking with your doctor, who may order a DaT scan or Syn-One (Skin Biopsy) Test to help diagnose it. Early detection leads to earlier treatment, which can improve a person’s overall quality of life. For more information, visit the Parkinson’s Foundation at Parkinson.org. Send your questions or comments to questions@savvysenior.org, or to Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070. nior ior

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