PAX Centurion - Spring 2019

Page 20 • PAX CENTURION • Spring 2019 617-989-BPPA (2772) On Beacon Hill: R epresentative Robert DeLeo has been re-elected Speaker of the House and Ronald Mariano continues on as Majority Leader in the House. Representative Bradley Jones, Jr. from North Reading will be the Minority Leader. Congratulations to many Boston Representatives and friends on newly appointed Chairs and positions such as: Aaron Michlewitz, new chair of Ways and Means, Michael Moran, secondAssistant Majority Leader, Edward Coppinger, Chair of Community Development & Small Business, Dan Cullinane, Vice-Chair of Health Care Financing, Kevin Honan is Chair of Housing, Dan Ryan, Vice-Chair of Post Audit & Oversight, Jay Livingstone, Vice-Chair of Consumer Protection & Licensure, Chynah Tyler, Vice-Chair of Public Health and Adrian Madaro, Vice-Chair of Transportation. We would also like to congratulate and thank the following Representatives: Chairman Hank Naughton of Public Safety, Chairwoman Claire Cronin of Judiciary, Dan Cahill, Vice-Chair of Environment, Natural Resources &Agriculture, Dan Hunt, Ted Speliotis of Bills in Third Reading, Jerry Parisella of Public Service, John Mahoney of Public Health, James O’Day, Chairman of Municipalities and Government, Chairman Jeff Roy of Higher Education, Chairman John Lawn of Elections and Chairman WilliamGalvin of Rules Committee. In the Senate, Karen Spilka has been elected President of Senate and Cynthia Stone Creem is the Majority Leader. Senator Bruce Tarr of Gloucester will continue as Minority Leader. Congratulations to Boston Senators on their new appointments as well. Senator William Brownsberger, President Pro Tempore, Senator Sal DiDomenico, Assistant Majority Leader and Senator Mike Rush, Majority Whip. We would like to congratulate and thank the following senators for their continued support last session as well: Senate President Karen Spilka, Senator Minority Leader Bruce Tarr, Chairman Michael Moore &Vice-Chairman Paul Feeney of Public Safety, Majority Leader and Chairwoman Joan Lovely of Rules, Assistant Minority Leaders Donald Humason Jr. and Ryan Fattman, Minority Whip Pat O’Connor, Chairman Michael Rodrigues of Ways &Means, Chairman Michael Brady of Public Service, Chairman Brendan Crighton of Housing, Vice-Chair Nick Collins of Public Health and Vice-Chair Walter Timilty of Environment, Natural Resources & Agriculture and Senator Viriato DeMacedo of Ways and Means. We have filed and supported a number of bills for the new General Court. Some of the early bills we filed include: • K9 Transports – a bill making clear that an injured working K9 can be transported by ambulance if necessary • AnAct Relative to Hate Crimes Against Police Officers • Securing Officer Personal Information – we have filed a bill to protect the personal information of officers from dissemination on the web • AnAct establishing the Blue Star license plate • AnAct relative to disability or death caused by contagious diseases, presumption • AnAct relative to disability pensions for violent crimes against first responders • AnAct relative to the penalty for resisting a police officer • AnAct establishing penalties for filing false police reports against police officers • Securing Officer Department Information – we have filed a bill to protect Internal Affairs records from disclosure without court order. • PTSD Presumption for First Responders • Prior MBTAPolice Time Buyback Congressional Visit & National News: E arlier this month, I traveled to Washington DC with John Nelson (VP-MassCop & member of the BPPACoalition Group) to meet with the entire Massachusetts Congressional Delegation. I personally met with every member fromMassachusetts in the House except Representative Ayanna Pressley and Senator ElizabethWarren. However, in both offices (Pressley &Warren), I was able to meet with staff personnel. Senator Ed Markey was very generous with his time, as well as every other Massachusetts member of the House of Representatives. Representative Richard Neal, who is a good friend of the BPPA and law enforcement, will be the Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee, one of the most powerful positions in Washington. He is actively working with me and John Nelson on future events in Washington D.C. that will have positive effect on our members and their families. Representative Stephen Lynch, another good friend of the BPPA and the law enforcement community, was extremely gracious with his time. Rep. Lynch spent over thirty minutes meeting with us, discussing our Confidentiality/Peer Support Bill signed into law by Governor Charlie Baker a couple of weeks ago, a bill in D.C. filed by NAPO to create a funding stream for Peer Support Networks, and a few other pieces of legislation that supports police officers and first responders. Avery big thank you to Representative Lynch and his staff for always making time to meet or talk to members of the BPPA. As our day progressed, we spent a good deal of time with Representatives JimMcGovern, Katherine Clark and Joseph Kennedy. Each of these Representatives took their time discussing the confidentiality law and the bills previously stated that are on the national front for police officers and first responders. Each representative made us feel comfortable and welcome in what most of us would feel is an intimidating setting at the Capital. We were also very fortunate to be able to meet with Representatives Bill Keating, Seth Moulton and newly-elected Representative Lori Trahan. All of whom stepped out of on- going engagements to speak with us, extended their support to our concerns, and looked forward to working with us in the future. John and I ended our long day at the U.S. Capitol with the great honor of meeting Senator Lindsay Graham of South Carolina, Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Colonel of the U.S. Air Force Reserve and steadfast supporter of law enforcement across the country. Although the Senator emerged from a closed door meeting being hounded and pursued by the media, he stopped in his tracks and thanked me for all we do to keep the public safe on a daily basis. We shared a conversation on why we were in Washington, D.C., the newly created Confidentiality/Peer Support Law, and the upcoming Police Week ceremonies. New legislative session updates By Lawrence A. Calderone, BPPA Legislative Agent