Dear Neighbor,
Last week:
- I filed a bill to unmask ICE
- The Assisted Living Commission filed our report and commendations
- The Senate passed my Senior Property Tax Deferral bill
MONDAY: NO SECRET POLICE FILED
The killing of Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis shocked people in the way a personal story can, more than statistics. We saw her face as she said, just before she was shot, "That's fine, dude, I'm not mad at any of you."
Kevin Cullen's Globe article pointed out that the ICE agent "engaged in policing tactics that have been prohibited by most major police departments for years." Dan Kennedy on Media Nation shared a free link to the New York Times frame-by-frame analysis (scroll down), which is very helpful in understanding what happened.
Renee Good's killing demonstrated again the reckless and escalating threat to public safety of armed, masked ICE officers. Many constituents are asking us to take action to limit ICE activities.
On Monday, I filed the "No Secret Police" act. The bill bans the use of masks by all law enforcement officers in the state, including federal officers, while performing their duties. Eliza Lutts, my Budget and Policy Advisor, drafted the bill in a way to make it pass constitutional muster, and to avoid interaction of local and federal officers. It's a step to protect Massachusetts residents from the use of law enforcement officers as secret, unaccountable police.
The bill bans officers from wearing a mask or personal disguise while working. Masks and personal disguises are defined as any covering that obscures the officer's face and renders them unidentifiable, or any clothing that conceals an officer’s status as an officer, including concealing their issued badge.
An officer that fails to comply would be subject to a $1000 fine. Massachusetts officers that violate the mask ban would also face the potential revocation of their POST Commission certification.
There are exceptions to the ban, such as masking needs due to disability or other health conditions. Other exceptions include tactical operations, undercover assignments, and masks designed to protect against exposure to harmful substances like smoke during a state of emergency declared by the Governor.
Other important bills are the Safe Communities Act, the Dignity not Deportations Act, and the Immigrant Legal Defense Act. I continue to support these bills; their passage becomes more urgent every day!
MONDAY: ASSISTED LIVING COMMISSION REPORTS
Last year's Long Term Care legislation established a commission on Assisted Living Residences (ALRs), which I served on. We extended our working time after the tragic fire at Gabriel House in Fall River, to consider recommendations to improve safety. We finalized our report last Monday, with support from a Globe editorial. The full report is here.
Secretary of Aging and Independence Robin Lipson and her team did a wonderful job of listening and writing the report with recommendations. I appreciated their recognition that they will need more staff and funding. The commission proposes a trust fund to support that word, with funding from fines and certification fees. Some recommendations, including that, will require legislation, which my co-chair, Rep. Tom Stanley, and I plan to introduce soon.
Recommendations include:
1. Transparency: People often choose an assisted living residence with urgency and inadequate information. The popularity of organizations like A Place for Mom demonstrate the lack of information such as is available on nursing facilities from Medicare But the organizations that recommend ALRs depend on listing and referral payments and don't include all ALRs. The AGE administration will create a website showing care levels, costs, and when residents may be asked to leave.
2. Staffing: The state will set standards for directors, nurses and other staff, including training.
3. Safety: There are many recommendations for safety criteria, inspections, emergency planning, drills, and coordination with first responders.
4. Affordable Assisted Living Task Force: More than 75% of Gabriel House residents had their care paid for by Mass Health. A task force should determine whether there are better ways to make the full care continuum of housing-with-services available to everyone. I question whether Mass Health rates are adequate to provide safe and dignified care.
THURSDAY: SENATE PASSES SENIOR PROPERTY TAX DEFERRAL
On Thursday, the Senate unanimously passed my bill to expand eligibility for the Senior Tax Deferral program by raising the income limit, lowering the maximum interest rate, and decreasing eligibility to 7 years of state residency.
The bill allows heirs more time to pay deferred taxes. It delays an increase in the interest rate for deferred taxes until a year after the taxpayer’s death, and delays the date of potential foreclosure.
Property tax deferral can help older adults stay in their homes. If a municipality adopts it, older adult homeowners can defer all or part of their property tax bill, which is paid back to the municipality with interest when the property is sold. Deferral can be a better alternative to reverse mortgages, especially if the municipality sets the interest rate lower than the 8% cap. But fewer than 900 people in the state use the deferred tax provision. It is under-utilized, with fewer than 1000 people in the state using it. The legislation will remove barriers. But because it is a local option law, many cities and towns can do more to adopt it, lower interest rates, raise income limits, and especially to inform residents.
I first learned about Property Tax Deferral from the Winchester, Council on Aging, which does a great job of educating residents. 20 Winchester residents are deferring property taxes, more than the total in the three cities I represent. All communities in our district have reduced interest rates below the maximum, and increased income limits above the minimum. Our cities could do more to inform residents. And if the bill passes, they can all raise the income limit, and extend their lower-than-8% interest rates. Look at the chart. below and urge your local government and council on aging to spread the word.
A record number of comments on our Facebook post about this. (Thanks to my communications director Laura Gomez Arango for posting lots of information there.) And almost all saying things like seniors shouldn't pay property taxes at all. It's good they care about older people. But there's a real lack of public understanding that if fewer people pay taxes, there's less revenue and fewer services.
Mass Senior Action and AARP praised the bill for helping older people stay in their homes.
Song of the Week: "The Enemy" by Morgan Morse.
Stay in touch,
Pat Jehlen