THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – THURSDAY, DECEMBER 31, 2020 Page 17 Beacon Hill Roll Call By Bob Katzen A message from Bob Katzen, Publisher of Beacon Hill Roll Call: Join me Sunday nights between 6 p.m. and 9 p.m. as we jump in my time capsule and go back to the simpler days of the 1950s, 1960s, 1970s and 1980s for my talk show “The Bob Katzen Baby Boomer and Gen X Fun and Nostalgia Show.” My first guest in 2021 will be Jordan Rich, beloved WBZ Boston radio personality, national voice-over artist, mobile disc jockey, emcee, philanthropist, allaround good guy and a mensch, to boot—on Sunday, January 3 at 7 p.m. Jordan, also well-known for his support and work on behalf of many charities, will talk about his new book “ON AIR: My 50-Year Love Affair with Radio.” Jordan currently hosts a podcast at www.jordanrich.com and is co-owner with Ken Carberry of Chart Productions, an iconic Boston-based audio-video production company. His book is available on Amazon. All proceeds from the sales of the book benefit Boston Children’s Hospital— one of Jordan’s favorite charities. 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 RADIO.COM” Download the free RADIO.COM app on your phone or tablet Listen online at: www.radio. com/1510wmex/listen Tune into 1510 AM if you still have an AM radio Visit us at www.bobkatzenshow.com THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call records local representatives’ and senators’ votes on roll calls from the week of December 21-25. POLICE CHANGES (S 2963) House 107-50, Senate 31-9, approved and sent to Gov. Charlie Baker a new version of a bill making major changes in the state’s policing system. The House and Senate adopted some of Gov. Baker’s amendments including scaling back a moratorium on the use of facial recognition software by law enforcement and limiting the influence of a civilian-led commission over police training. A key provision creates an independent, civilian-led commission with the power to investigate police misconduct and to certify, restrict, revoke or suspend certification for police officers and maintain a publicly available database of decertified officers. Other provisions include banning the use of chokeholds; limiting the use of deadly force; requiring police officers who witness another officer using force beyond what is necessary or reasonable to intervene; and limiting no-knock police warrants in instances where children or people over 65 are present. “Today’s Senate proposal reflects the amendments that the governor made to the bill two weeks ago,” said Baker’s communications director Lizzy Guyton. “After discussing the governor’s amendments with the Black and Latino Legislative Caucus, the administration believes this package addresses the issues identified by the governor’s amendments and he looks forward to signing this version.” Sen. Will Brownsberger (D-Belmont) noted the original bill was a full ban of facial recognition techniques. “This [new version] is a partial ban, or a limit, a regulation of them, and a study to explore the need for full regulation. It’s a pretty balanced thing. It’s not what everybody wants, but it’s the kind of compromise that hopefully people can recognize is forward motion.” Massachusetts Black and Latino Caucus Chair Rep. Carlos González (D-Springfield) and Judiciary House Chair Rep. Claire Cronin (D-Easton) did not respond to repeated requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call to comment on the bill. When the original conference committee version of the bill was approved on December 1, the leaders of the Massachusetts Coalition of Police said in a letter that the legislation leaves police “disregarded, dismissed and disrespected.” “The final compromise legislation is a final attack on police officers by lawmakers on Beacon Hill,” the letter read. “It is 129 pages crowded with punitive measures, layers and layers of new bureaucracy and the abridgment of basic due process rights of police. It was delivered with almost zero notice and zero time for our leadership, our legal team and our members to process it before debate and votes were scheduled.” The coalition still has major problems with the new version. “Our efforts, and those of other police organizations, made an impact in important areas, such as preserving qualified immunity for most police officers and ensuring that police training will continue to be overseen by qualified public safety personnel,” read the latest letter from the Massachusetts Coalition of Police to its 4,000 plus members. “Unfortunately, the legislative process around police reform was mostly opaque, as opposed to transparent. It almost completely excluded law enforcement, even though police officers and their families will be directly impacted more than anyone else in the commonwealth. And finally, the conference comHILL ROLL | SEE PAGE 18
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