2022-06-16 00:00:00 - Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight
2022-06-16 00:00:00 - Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight
(Part 2 of 2)
[WILLIAM PATTERSON (PCOS CHALLENGE):] [HB3735] Thank you Mr Chairman Madam, Vice chair and distinguished members of the committee for allowing me to testify in support of H 3735 to representative Elugardo for leading this bill. I am William Paterson, director of Public affairs with PCOS Challenge the National Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Association. I was also one of the founding board members of the organization. For us This is not just uh this bill is not just ceremonial state recognition makes a big difference in the work that we do on the ground as a support and advocacy organization.
And we have specific goals that we47 work to carry out in partnership with stakeholders, including government agencies, community leaders, organizations, influencers as well as industry partners. Polycystic ovary syndrome or PCOS is one of the most common human disorders yet most people have never heard of it. PCOS has an economic burden of nearly $8 billion nationally, uh and a significant part of that is also a stroke and their nearly 2 200,000 excess cases of stroke a year, attributed to PCOS but that's not talked about.
The research also suggests, as you heard that 50 to 70% of those affected by PCOS are going undiagnosed or misdiagnosed. And of those that are diagnosed, many patients are not being appropriately counseled and treated. PCOS is and PCOS Awareness Month is an opportunity to help change that and to maximize the impact our organization. PCOS Challenge The National Polycystic Ovary Syndrome Association supports PCOS Awareness Month at the state level with tool kits for our partners highlighting ways to engage with patients and educate patients, providers, researchers and other stakeholders by week.
So we have weekly things planned for PCOS Awareness Month and this is how we also carry out things at the federal level or the national level. The first week we focus on support on PCOS and support resources for PCOS. The second week we focus on fertility, family building and maternal health. The third week we focused on lifestyle management of PCOS. The fourth week we focus on PCOS and related disorders. As you heard many of the connections around PCOS and comorbidities associated with PCOS. And then the fifth week we focus on adolescent health because that is and a really important part of early detection and intervention.
So having an awareness month helps reduce the stigma. I have many personal connections to PCOS and each person's lived experience is really just heartbreaking. Um yet the stories have a common thread that all starts with lack of awareness and education about PCOS. My wife has PCOS, I've spent more than my share of days in hospital rooms dealing with related issues around the disorder. My aunt, who's like a second mother to me, she struggled for many years with PCOS and I never knew it because again, she was afraid to talk about it but went through multiple miscarriages, her oldest daughter because PCOS is genetic, has PCOS my second oldest daughter, her second oldest daughter, my cousin as well has PCOS.
Uh and again, it's really important that we reduce the stigma with PCOS affecting anywhere between one in five to one in 10 women. We all know someone with PCOS whether we realize it or not and it's important for us to support our mothers, our wives, our nieces, cousins, friends who struggle with this disorder, often without the help and support that they need. So thank you again for allowing me to testify. And I respectfully ask that the committee report out favorably on H 3735 Thank you. SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
All right. Shelly shall be. I could.
[SHELBY ECKARD (CONCERNED CITIZEN):] [HB3735] Hi Yes, good afternoon and thank you for the committee members for hearing testimony on why I respectfully ask to encourage you to support House bill 3735. 1st and foremost I am a piece us patient myself but I also um in a social media, um PCOS advocate an dinfluencer. Um as you've heard, Sasha and William and others talk about how deeply PCOS affects so many people, not only in Massachusetts but around the world. Um, it's viewed mostly as an infertility or a weight issue. Um and while those are very important aspects of this very complex condition, I'd like to speak today on the mental health aspects that often aren't aren't talked about.
PCOS patients suffer at an alarmingly higher rate of mental health conditions, specifically a severe depression and anxiety. Um PCOS patients are actually seven times more likely to attempt suicide. Lack of public awareness and understanding and the stigma around mental health struggles often leads to PCOS patients suffering in the dark and feeling completely alone. I myself290 live with both depression and anxiety. Um on top of that PCOS patients often go undiagnosed and untreated for many, many years. I myself was diagnosed later in life301 when I was struggling with infertility, but looking back I should have been diagnosed much sooner.
Uh but when I was diagnosed I became an advocate on social media and now I have a large following of PCOS patients, many of them being residents of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Um through advocating and educating myself. I realized and recognized PCOS also has deep genetic and family roots. The reason I mention my passion for the mental health aspect of this is my aunt and Godmother died by suicide 10 years ago. Recently We came upon her journals and while reading them, I realized she was struggling in silence as well with many PCOS symptoms like341 infertility, body image issues, weight loss issues, anxiety and depression.
It's not known for sure if she had PCOS, but with all the knowledge and education I have acquired through advocating, I am pretty sure that she did herself have PCOS. Um, I truly believe that if she had access to better resources and public awareness, she may still be here today. Um, I bring this up because now by the grace of God, I have my own daughter Amelia who is seven and she looks exactly like my aunt um and in the many years since my aunts possible misdiagnosis of PCOS to me currently struggling with PCOS witnessing very little to no advancement and the care available for those living with PCOS.
I am absolutely terrified to my daughter's teacher because she is more likely to have PCOS herself. Um I believe that my daughter and others daughters and other PCOS patients deserve a lot better and that is why I respectfully encourage and ask you to support House resolution 3735 and make PCOS Awareness Month, September September PCOS Awareness Month. Thank you. SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
Thank you very much. Next we have Ashleigh and uh Ashley.
Okay. Lena paul.
Yes. Hi everybody. My name is Lana and I'm Lana okay, sorry, yeah,
[LANA POL (CONCERNED CITIZEN):] [HB3735] I'm so sorry for my pronounce, I'm from Ukraine, I'm living here only for eight years. I'm live in Massachusetts in Framingham and I'm proud to be a resident of Massachusetts and I like here it's a lot of the great scientists, great house workers and the great universities and everything and I just do not understand why Massachusetts cannot participate to help the woman with the PCOS. And uh470 do not do enough researchers right now we do not do like mostly anything, to beat it and I believe we should be more visible and more louder this, this problem. I would like to share my own story. So I was diagnosed when I was teen back in Ukraine
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and you're in the country, I'm sorry.
Um, so now right now I'm 42 and I like to call myself Miles myself PCOS survivor, not fighter because bottom experienced my whole life, it is notified. It's a war. I cannot get pregnant for seven years. And when it finally happened, I learned that it's not the happy end. It was only beginning uh, something that I was not ready for. So I had five unborn babies on my own. And I heard the uh, there is no heartbeat. I'm sorry five times in three different languages in my539 life. And that is not the end either.
Like after you learned this,544 you're supposed to live with the uh, that body of your unborn child in your, but in your body for some quiet times and the sometimes in some cases you must go through the whole process of labor to give the natural birth of your debt unborn baby. And after that you must stay in the hospital and listen to other newborns crying around. This is um, huge impact of the mental health of each woman who struggled with that. And I'm576 only has five. I said only because the numbers are huge. If you go to any forum in a Facebook or some social media, which is related to PCOS you will be surprised how huge it is.
And it's so sad and so unbelievable. It's still ah not estimated and nobody do anything with that. So I have a beautiful doctors, endocrinologists and OB/GYN. But they can't do anything like all their answers. There is not a lot of studies that are not, not a lot of researches. So uh there is a lot of underlying conditions which is related to PCOS and there was not officially uh say that it's connected like a migraine. I have migraine uh every month and it can be prevented if it's going to be connected to the PCOS. Like early abortions. They we do not let we're not supposed to let the635 young woman to do early abortions because it's connected as well.
They cannot conceive after this most likely. How do I know this? I know this from these forums. I know this the from the women who struggle our mental health, it's a huge, huge problem like it was said before. And I think it's we're going to655 be more visible with this awareness month. If we're going to ask our families, our friends and total society to pay attention to our problem. It's going to be heard. This668 woman like me who keep losing their babies who could keep living in pain. They are supposed to be heard. They deserve it. Thank you
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thank you very much for your testimony. Megan681 Murphy
[MEGAN MURPHY (PCOS CHALLENGE):] [HB3735] Hello everyone and thank you to the committee for taking the time to listen to us today. My name is Megan Murphy and I am a PCOS patient. PCOS has had a monumental impact on my physical and mental health and wellbeing since my teenage years. Like so many, it has negatively impacted my714 education and career and has717 really dictated many life experiences and choices. I'm here on behalf of all of those hundreds of thousands of women and girls who are currently struggling with PCOS in729 Massachusetts and ask for your support of H3735 to help change their lives.
Um, I grew up in Woburn. I went to BU and I lived in Brighton before moving out here to San Diego a few years ago and living so close to Boston and even living in the city when I got older, I had access to doctors and specialists from around the world. Not one could take my755 symptoms seriously enough to really help me, nor could they prescribe anything to help manage PCOS. I was told from doctors that are educated at Harvard Tufts. Um, you know, at MGH these amazing hubs for all different illnesses. I was told what so many of us were told that PCOS it's really777 nothing to worry about until you're trying to get pregnant, which will be difficult, if not impossible.
It doesn't cause any other serious health issues and the serious health issues that you are now experiencing. Yeah, that has nothing to do with PCOS. It's unrelated to Pcos and the hormonal prescriptions Um, that are often given to patients doesn't cause depression or anxiety and all of these symptoms you're experiencing. You know, they're really in your head and I suggest that you see a psychiatrist. This is in Boston. Um812 I remember my my niece being born, I was working at MassArt at the time and I walked up to go meet her on my lunch break and it was a profound experience.
As I walked, I walked back to work and walked by Harvard Med school. I left Beth Israel walking by Boston Children's and I became so scared as Shelby mentioned about her daughter.834 I hope she never has PCOS and if she does she is not going to get help around here. And how is that even possible? Um I can't go back and change time but I can ask you today to support H 3735. Sorry I'm a little nervous um to help change the girls and women who are struggling in Massachusetts today. I felt defeated, ignored and that PCOS was my fault and honestly that it was deserved from these doctors and you have an opportunity to make Boston a hub for PCOS innovation research and leadership. So thank you for your time today. I appreciate it.
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Thank you very much for your testimony, Jennifer Schneider.
[JENNIFER SCHNEIDER (PCOS CHALLENGE):] [HB3735] Hello, thank you. My name is Jennifer Schneider and I live in Shrewsbury Massachusetts. I'm a PCOS patient and I work as a psychotherapist in private practice. I'm here on behalf of PCOS Challenge to testify in support of Bill H3735, establishing September as PCOS Awareness Month in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, polycystic ovarian syndrome, or PCOS for short, has had an enormous impact on my life. After noticing at the age of 13 that something was wrong and that I would only get my period once a year And had put on a lot920 of weight since puberty. It wasn't until I was 20 years old that I received my PCOS diagnosis.
Now at the age of 47, after many trials of medications including multiple types of birth control pills, one of which had to later have labelling changed due to the risk of increased blood clots that was939 found diabetes medications like metformin and Actos and visits to multiple alternative health practitioners. I now have this condition somewhat under control via diet, exercise and supplements that I pay out of pocket for. However, I was never able to have Children. I've had multiple weight loss and gain journeys and all of this had an enormous impact on my mental health. One of961 the most prominent and distressing symptoms963 of PCOS for me was hirsutism which means excess hair growth on the body.
I had severe hirsutism with dark hair covering much of my body from adolescents until the age of 39 when I was finally earning enough money in my career to be able to afford laser hair removal treatment rather than constantly plucking shaving and waxing. I spent five years getting laser treatments to address this condition, none of which was covered by my health insurance. I recall sitting in the laser Hair removal office for my 20th visit and thinking what if this doesn't work?
What if this all grows back? I'm here today to ask that you pass this bill because doctors don't have great answers for individuals with PCOS. Greater awareness, early intervention, better health insurance coverage for treatment like laser hair removal that are not only cosmetic and more research on PCOS are all things that would have made a difference for me. Thank you for your time. SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
Thank you very much. Any questions from the committee.
If not, we want to thank all of you for testifying today on on the spill. 3735 We're going to section seven um of the hearing and that's on bill Age 3 117 and S 2059.
We've heard testimony earlier from senator Friedman and representative Chicago on this bill that we have other members of the public that would like to testify. So we're going to begin with
uh Pekka surely. Sorry.
Hello. Yes,
[SAWHNEY DEEPIKA (CONCERNED CITIZEN):] [HB3117] thank you very much and I apologize for any landscaping noises you can hear in the background. Um, I want to support the bill H 3117 as a naturalized citizen and resident of Massachusetts. I have always found much to be proud about in my home state. It's educational institutions, its medical prowess, it's liberal values and the pantheon of historical greats who shaped our nation. This belief remained strong until I visited the Smithsonian National Museum of African American history and culture. In 2018, I moved from room to room, absorbing the history, the suffering and the lives ruined.
I mistakenly consoled myself that at least Massachusetts did not perpetuate this level of injustice. Then I came upon a small sign which explained how the financiers based out of1131 New York and Massachusetts had funded and benefited from the slave trade. Digging Deeper, I learned how Europeans had enslaved indigenous people in the 16th century in what would become Massachusetts that led to commerce. That led to further enslavement. An idea, a belief is a powerful thing. Quock Walker was an exemplary person who refused to give up on his belief of his eventual freedom and accept that the dominant caste was deeming to be1158 his fate.
His refusal to work for1161 Jennison as a slave and instead work for Caldwell as a free person, was an act of courage and in my mind an act of civil disobedience against the prevailing laws which bound him to a cruel master. He was punished severely for that bravery and found relief through the courts of Massachusetts. Thereafter, it was only around the 1770s that the courts began to free some slaves based on landmark cases which were fought for the freedom and justice owed to Quock Walker. Even after that Massachusetts only formally abolished slavery in 1865 with the passage of the 13th Amendment.
My home state Massachusetts does not have a clean conscience. However, we are clearly trying every day to make efforts1206 big and small to right the wrongs done. Our laws are sometimes ahead of our community's conscience as they should continue to be. Let's designate July 8th as Massachusetts Emancipation Day AKA Quock Walker Day and remember his courage. Thank you so very much for listening to my testimony.
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Thank you very much. We have no Helen yang.
[HELEN YANG (AAFE):] [HB3117] Hi, I'm right here. Um dear chair, Cabral chair, Pacheco vice chairs and members of the joint committee. This is Helen Yang from the Asian Americans for Equal Rights. First of all, I want to thank you for the detailed agenda and the estimated time for each segment. Today, I'm delighted to testify to support the Quock Walker Bill. On a beautiful early summer day in June, my friend Sean Osborne, president of the Association of Black Citizens of Lexington organized a walk to celebrate Quock Walker and his legacy. That was my first time learning about Quock Walker and I was immediately fascinated by his story.
Imagine you are a slave in 1781 when slavery was still commonplace and your master did not honour an earlier promise to free you, What would you do? Walker decided to run away and then he found a job at a nearby farm. Now, what if your master came to get you and beat you up? Would you see him for assault and battery? Quock Walker did And he won. In my research. I actually dug up another1299 freedom case one year before Quock Walker ran away in 1780 Judge John law, the namesake of the city law1308 wrote in the new Massachusetts state constitution that all men were born free and equal.
Elizabeth Freeman born as1317 Mum Bett was also a slave. She heard about the new constitution and sought counsel of a from a young lawyer who helped her filed a suit. Elizabeth Freeman won her freedom. Her case was cited in Walker's case and help Walker win his case. People say great minds think the1339 same and here are two brilliant people with remarkable intellect and courage taking the initiative to free themselves through legal challenges as such. I respectfully ask you to consider adding Elizabeth Freeman to make it1352 Massachusetts Emancipation Day AKA Elizabeth Freeman and Quock Walker Day.
Those two cases paved the road for Massachusetts to become the first state of the union to abolish slavery. Every Massachusetts resident should know about this history and be proud of it. This is an uplifting and inspiring story. By designating this holiday More people1374 can learn about these incredible people and their legacy. It is also good to know that they were helped by the lawyers, judges and juries. Indeed a victory of our, of our shared humanity Sean and I firmly believe that this story makes a great musical as more and more people know about them. Perhaps someday someone will write a musical. If that happens, I'll be happy to pitch in to buy tickets for everyone on this committee. Thank you so much for the opportunity to testify. SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
Thank you very much for your testimony. We have now house shoot
um, you
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Sorry, terrible
go ahead.
[HOUZE XU (CALEX):] [HB3117] [SB2059] Yeah, uh thank you chairs and members of the joint committee for this opportunity. My name is Houze Xu president of CALex Chinese Americans of Lexington. I'm here to support Representative Ciccolo's bill H 3117 and Senator Friedman's bill S 2059. This testimony is from my own perspective and understanding observing July 8th as Quock Walker Day is not only a reminder to continue to fight racism and injustices but also a good way to learn and commemorate this historical event, especially for a first generation immigrant who might not be familiar with US history.
This event demonstrated and exemplified the power and importance of the Massachusetts constitution, which declared that all men are born free and equal. Once the bill passes Not long after more and more people will, I realize what was behind Mr. Walker's case. The decision to make slavery unconstitutional was based on the Massachusetts constitution. Without1518 this constitution It will become much challenging for Mr Walker to win the case. Additionally, the Massachusetts constitution serve as a model for the US Constitution which in turn serve as a model for the constitutions of many of many nations, including Germany,1540 Japan India1542 and South Africa.
So when we observed July 8th as Quock Walker1549 Day We not only commemorate Mr Walker's winning, but also acknowledge the Massachusetts constitution as well as John Adams who drafted the constitution and theater and Theophilus Parsons who called for the declaration of rights. Massachusetts is one of the early states that put an end to slavery Many decades before the federal government issued emancipation proclamation. Please vote favorably to observe July 8 as Quock Walker Day thank you.
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Thank you very much. Karima Lewis
I can't,
I'm hi go ahead. Can you see me? Yes, you can see what we can hear you. Okay,
[KERIMA LEWIS (EMERSON COLLEGE):] [HB3117] [SB2059] Um Chairman Cabral and the committee considering this joint bill, thank you for having the time to make a presentation and thank you Sean Osborne and the Association of Black Citizens of Lexington for this invitation as well. Um I am Kerima Lewis a history professor at Emerson College and a local historian of New England slavery who will share details of the Quock Walker story that takes note of his West African heritage and his life as an enslaved man in New England. Quock Walker was born in Barre Massachusetts in 1753.
The son of Mingo and Dinah who were born into the Akan ethnic group in the Gold Coast, now known as the country of Ghana. Um Today. Quock is a derivative of1673 the Akan name Kwaku oh Kwaku, which means boy child born on Wednesday, His parents could have been among the 66001684 Africans shipped directly from the Gold Coast to New England or among the 300,000 who were first shipped to the British West Indies from the Gold Coast and then transshipped into smaller numbers to New England during the colonial period.
Gold Coast Africans were in demand in1703 the Caribbean and in the American colonies because1706 although known to be physically strong, intelligent and hardworking laborers, they also had a reputation for being rebellious. At age nine months and 1754 Quock was sold along with his parents to James and Isabel Caldwell of Worcester He grew up in a farming community of where enslaved people toiled long hours of the day, completing a multitude of tasks from hunting, caring for livestock doing building repairs In addition to working in the fields. from the age of four or five, Quock would have had been given menial tasks to do like hilling up the trash in the field or to bring water to the workers.
He was a young boy with Mr Caldwell promised him he would be freed by age 25. This promise was not fulfilled after Mr Caldwell died when Quock was 10 years old. True to his Akan heritage of being rebellious and1764 courageous. Quock's father Mingo ran away from the Caldwell farm soon after, Mr Caldwell died. Quock Never saw his father again, But mrs Caldwell assured him he would be freed by the age of 21. However, that changed when the widow Caldwell married Nathaniel Jenison, who refused to honour this promise of freedom to Quock.
When he was not freed by the age of 25 Quock Like his resilient, Akan ancestors before him began a five year quest for the freedom which began at age 28 when he ran away from Mr Jenison to the sons of Mr Caldwell who hired him as a paid farm laborer. After Jenison forcibly retrieved them from the Caldwells Quock worked three court cases which finally reached the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court on July 8th 1783.
It was at the appeals level that Quock was granted his freedom when the then Chief justice, William Cushing relied on the 1781 court case of Elizabeth Mum Bett Freedom as precedent to find that the denial of the rights of freedom to enslaved persons was incompatible with the new Massachusetts state constitution, effectively abolishing slavery in the commonwealth of Massachusetts. Passing the joint H 3117 S 2059 Bill designating July 8th as as Massachusetts Emancipate Emancipation Day pays tribute to the over 5000 or more persons of African descent who toiled on the farms in the shops on the wharves and in the homes of wealthy residents in Massachusetts for over 145 years without financial compensation of any kind.
By also designating1883 the day as Quock Walker, Day brings attention to the untold story of how this enslaved but determined West African man fought a long battle to obtain its freedom. Moreover, there is no better way to honor the more than 20,000 enslaved persons who helped to not only build the economy but contributed to the cultural, religious and social life of New England during the 17th and 18th centuries than to pass this joint bill making July 8th Massachusetts, Emancipation Day, which also will be known as Quock Walker Day. And if I may close and say that the day is long past when the country should confront its ugly slavery past that enslaved over four million of persons of African descent over 225 years before the civil war. Thank you for your time and attention and I hope you pass this bill.
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Thank you very much
Ingrid Plymouth
Ingrid
Plymouth Ingrid Klimov.
Now we're going to Sharon Tracey
what?
[SHARON TRACY (CONCERNED CITIZEN):] [HB3117] [SB2059] Thank you, Thank you for the opportunity to speak and certainly um, People who have spoken before me about House Bill 3117 and also Senate Bill 2059 to make July 8th Massachusetts Emancipation Day, AKA Quock Walker Day have covered an immense amount of material. Um So first of all I want to mention that in addition to Senator Friedman um my Senator Joe Comerford out here in western Massachusetts is a co signer of this bill, as is Senator Gobi um from central Massachusetts who was on earlier and represents the town of Barre.
So, um, I2024 also want to mention that Sean Osborne, a longtime colleague of mine, I got in touch with me a couple of years ago, he said, hey, you know where the john a Barre? And I said, well you're probably talking about Barre, that's how we say it out here. Barre is on the shore of the Quabbin Reservoir, which is in Western Massachusetts and just parenthetically is like Boston's water supply. That's the water you're drinking from out here. I wanted to show you a picture of Quock Walker. Um Senator Friedman had mentioned the work or maybe it was Representative Ciccolo had mentioned the work of Sean Osborne in putting up on a website, historical information about different, really important people.
So this is, I don't know if you can see this is a picture of Quock walker, which is kind of cool. It's actually derived from a picture of his nephew because nobody actually had a picture of Quock Walker, he freed himself and uh, I think that that's a really important element of his story. Uh, Sean Osborne speculates that one reason why he was called Walker was because he walked away. He and his brother walked away from slavery a number of times. They walked all the way down to Connecticut his, the person who alleged that he owned him2117 went and got him and they walked some more. So, um, I am really hoping I'm not going to repeat all the other things that people said. Um, I am really hoping that by the end of the year that this committee can report2139 this bill out so that it can become law soon and I appreciate your time for hearing information about it. Thank you.
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Thank you very much. Uh, one more time Ingrid them off.
Well, England is not online. So we're going to move on to the next section of the agenda. Section eight. That's testimony on age 30 to 19 earlier that represent Philips testified. We have one person that have signed on to also testify on this building. That's L Merritt
ali merit.
Yes, I'm here.
Bad.
[ELLE MERRITT (CHARLESTON CHEW):] [HB 3219] So, I'm talking today about Charleston Chew and why should become the Massachusetts state candy. I have two reasons why. So Charleston Chew has a nice layer of chocolate right outside of it, which makes it really nice to bite into. And marshmallow makes it really nice to go back and back again for more and I really like how a lot of it has like it has a lot of yumminess and it's a nice candy snack to have and that is all I have for today. I hope that you like my reasons and that you can pass this. They can pass this.
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Thank you very much ali uh for your testimony. Really appreciate it. My name's, my name is al just letting you know is what it's Hill It's just out. Yes, that's what I pronounce it the first time, but you didn't say anything. So I figured maybe I didn't pronounce the right the first time. Okay, thank you. Thank you. Thank you for your appreciate it, appreciate it. Red testimony. Thank you. SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
Okay. Um, are we going on to Section nine of the agenda and that's our testimony on age 40 to 20 for and that's represent blaze and represent Don Don uh testified their lives have several people that also signed on to testify on this bill. Yeah, So we're going to begin with jennifer Sullivan Thank
hello,
can you hear me? Yeah.
[JENNIFER RIT SULLIVAN (MARKED BY COVID):] [HB4224] Hi, so thank2314 you to the committee for the opportunity to speak. My name is Jennifer writ Sullivan I volunteer as the Covid justice leader for the state of Massachusetts with Marked by Covid, which is a national grassroots nonprofit that promotes accountability, recognition justice and a pandemic free future by elevating truth in science. Today. I'm here in support of House bill 4224 which would establish the annual observance of a COVID-19 Remembrance Day. My family is low income. Most of my family members are essential workers who continue to be put at risk to serve their communities during this unparalleled time.
My 66 year old mother Earla Don Dimitriadis died alone and in pain on December 5th 2020 from COVID-19. My mother died due to the government's mishandling of the pandemic. Her death was preventable and she should still be here. My family has not been able to grieve. We could not hold a service or be together. And the disinformation surrounding COVID-19 has divided my family. It has been excruciatingly painful and sadly, my story is in no way unique. There has been no peace for those most impacted And while we are hurting and continue to be harmed, the country's debates have taken away from the catastrophic loss of over 750,000 lives in the US to COVID-19 with2410 almost 19,000 of those losses being right here in Massachusetts.
Communities of color and low income communities have been2420 disproportionately impacted millions in the US are experiencing long term health implications. How many people in our2428 state need support from Covid And over2431 140,000 Children in the us have lost a caregiver. How many Children are suffering these traumatic losses here in the state. And then our exhausted Frontline essential workers, what about them dealing with the impacts of PTSD after all that they've been left to carry. We2450 cannot forget what we have been through and will continue to experience due to the long lasting impacts of this historic pandemic history should not be swept under the rug.
This bill would ensure that history is remembered and recorded correctly and help in preventing a future pandemic. By recognizing the collective trauma we have all endured This bill will assist us in uniting and starting our long healing journey. As President Biden said to heal, we must remember please help us to remember all that we have endured. Thank you for your time and consideration and I would just ask that you be gentle with us. We do not share our stories out of joy.2500 It is strictly out of necessity. SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
Thank you. Thank you jennifer for your testimony. Sorry for your loss. Uh I want you to know that also2514 my family lost someone to call him. I'm sorry one of my2520 brother in law was passed away last december Also from COVID-19 alone. Not visiting my2529 sister could not go and see him. Um those are powerful stories so it's yours. So I can I hear that I hear that I appreciate your willingness to share a part of your story as well sir. Thank you.
Thank you very much. We go on to
um
2554 xavier2554 James versatile or D. J. Uh what you want whatever you prefer. You can hear me okay? Yeah, I can't hear you. Okay,
2566 [DESIRE2566 JAMES (MARKED BY COVID):] [HB4224] good afternoon. My name is Desire James Arsene Versailles I was born raised and a resident in Boston Massachusetts. I am a constituent of the Massachusetts 7th congressional district. I want to take this opportunity to thank Miss Jennifer Rit Sullivan Massachusetts Marked by Covid justice leader Who invited me on November 2, 2021 for this opportunity to participate and testify in the Special Joint Committee on2598 State Administration and Regulatory Oversight. I'm testifying to you today to support house bill 4224 an act establishing the annual observance of COVID-19 Remembrance Day.
I want to thank this, Jennifer Rit Sullivan for bringing the immediate attention for this immediate legislation to miss honourable Representative Natalie Blais and dishonorable, representative Mindy Domb. I also want to take this opportunity to thank miss honourable Representative Natalie Blais and Miss honourable2629 representative Mindy Domb for filing This immediate legislation of house bill 4224. I also want to take this opportunity to thank mr honourable senator Ed Markey and miss honorable senator Elizabeth Warren for introducing House bill 4224.
I also want to take this opportunity to thank mr honourable representative honourable chairman, Antonio Cabral and mr honourable senator and honourable chairman Mark Pacheco and honourable distinguished committee members for organising and facilitating this and all who are present for your time and this opportunity into space via this Microsoft Teams platform to testify in the special joint committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight. I am one of the millions of people whose life has been fundamentally and dramatically changed due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
I was furloughed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. My mother Mrs. Florcie Yves Chavannes Versailles was born on April 6th, 1942 in Cape Haiti the second largest city in Haiti. She visited Boston Massachusetts for a week's vacation that started in 1978 and ended in 2020. Nine2697 years ago Today On Saturday November 10th 2012, my mother suffered a stroke and was admitted into the emergency room Subsequently the intensive care unit. Five days later on Thursday November 15, 2012, mother would suffer two cardiac arrest all at Boston Medical Center. On Saturday May 30, my beloved mother passed away at the age of 78 to COVID-19.
My mother fell in love with Boston Massachusetts. She adopted and raised me from the birth in the heart of the Back Bay Boston Massachusetts. She had a huge heart to not only bring me into this world, but bring a lot of her family to the United States from Haiti because she loved this country and believed in this land of opportunity. She was the best mother anyone could find. She was a saint. She wanted me to be a gentleman to be perfect and to be the best version of myself. My mother was a2750 powerful activist. She was instrumental2752 in protest for the 10th City2754 Apartments Housing Complex.
A complex named for the protest that began on the site 20 years before being built. She volunteered at Rosie's Place and Women's Lunch Place for over 20 years in many capacities helping women who were in dire circumstances. Now. Her activism activism lives through me2771 in my work with Marked by Covid. As it was a pleasure to have been invited by Ms. Kristin Urquiza, co founder and co executive director of Marked by Covid. Back on March 11th 2021, for the opportunity to2784 participate in Marked by Covid to also quote today Mr honourable President Joe Biden to Heal we must remember also what Ms. Jennifer Rit Sullivan had mentioned before me.
It is paramount to honor my mother Ms. Florcie Yves Chavannes Versailles' legacy Ms. Jennifer Rit Sullivan's mother Ms. Earla Don Dimitriadis legacy and the legacies of every precious life lost to this catastrophic coronavirus. To quote Miss Jennifer Rit Sullivan We need to collectively recognize all we have endured to heal take measures to ensure that this does not happen again and support every person permanently marked by Covid. There will never be a normal again for all those2829 permanently marked by Covid, including me. My family and I were not able to have the appropriate funeral memorial that my mother deserves to honour her life and legacy.
To quote Mr Thomas Jefferson. We hold these truths to be self evident that all men are created equal that they are endowed by the creator of certain unalienable rights that among these are life.2850 This H 4224 Bill will allow the appropriate memorialization of all the precious lives forever marked by Covid for we are all equal in God's eyes and2859 must love one another's life as our own lives. Thank you all so much for your time. May God bless and protect you all your respective families and your loved ones as well as keep you all respective families and your loved ones safe and healthy. SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
Thank you very much for your testimony, appreciate it. Next fifth Karen morgan.
[KAREN MORGAN (CONCERNED CITIZEN):] [HB4224] Good afternoon. My name2887 is Karen Morgan and I'm a resident of Newburyport. Um I want to thank you the2892 chair and the community for giving me this opportunity to provide testimony in support of Bill H 4224 establishing the annual observance of the Covid 19 Remembrance Day. And I thank DJ and Jennifer for everything that they've shared. This is obviously personal to me. I'm both grieving and I'm suffering from the PTSD symptoms related to the deaths of My brother Micheal Marmai my and my father Mario Marmai of Weymouth Mass.
Michael was 44 years old. He was down syndrome and he lived in a group home In March of 2020. Michael's home was placed in a lockdown and unfortunately Covid got into his home infected him and he spent the next 30 days alone In the hospital until he passed on April 20th. We like so many other families said our goodbyes through Face Time. And I'm haunted by that image of Michael gasping for breath alone in the hospital. As a catholic family We didn't get to follow the traditions. Instead, Michael's wake was a drive-by. We stood outside my parent's2979 home and watched as people drove by and express their condolences.
There wasn't a celebration of his life, There wasn't any hugging, there wasn't any comforting of each other. In December, my dad and my mom were both exposed to Covid And within days they were both hospitalized. My father lost his battle on December3004 27th.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
Mhm.
Yeah.
Sorry. Okay. Mhm.
My mother was one of the lucky ones. She fought hard and she survived, but she's never going to be the same again. She required five months of 24/7 care and it took us four months to just find her a great3032 therapist. My father was fiercely loyal to his family, his friends his community and his country. He served in the navy. He settled in Weymouth where he continued to serve his community by volunteering on behalf of veterans and special needs Children and adults. Our family and friends grieved in isolation.
Once again, we never got the opportunity to celebrate the life and all the good that he did in September. My sister and I drove to D. C. Uh to the and remember in America, we remember Flag Memorial at the National Mall. As staggering as it was to see the 700 White Flags that represented Each of the lives lost in the US. It was one of the only days in the last 569 that we actually felt dad and Michael were being honored and remembered. Our families need this, we need to honor and we need to remember our lost ones. We need to acknowledge all of the frontline workers who cared for the sick. They showed up under the worst of circumstances and they put their lives on the line.
They held the hands of our loved ones as they passed because we couldn't be there. We need this for our personal healing and we need some goodness and some kindness to come out of this horrible pandemic. We can't forget my dad, Mario Michael or the other thousands and thousands of lives that were lost. We need to heal as a community. And so I ask you to please consider and support, I would encourage you the committee to vote favourably in support of this bill3140 establishing an annual observance of Covid-19 Remembrance Day. Thank you for allowing me to3148 testify today.
Thank you very much, Karen for your testimony. Sorry for your loss. Thank you Chocolate in uh finer or winner. How do you pronounce that? Jacqueline winner? That's correct. I was right the first time. Right, Jack, bear with me here, I have a four week old that I'm wearing right now. So thank you again.
[JACLYN WINER (MARKED BY COVID):] [HB4224] Good afternoon Mr Chairman, distinguished members of this committee. I'm speaking proudly in the name of Jacob's grandfather and in memory of my father Keith Mitchell Jacobs who died from coronavirus on April 14th of 2020. His Death was just the first 10 deaths to occur in Stoughton Massachusetts where um he resided with my mom and he died before a vaccine could be administered and before any public health measures could be put in3216 place such as mask wearing.
I hope you will hear my story, the story of my pain but also of my strength and support. H4224 resolutions establishing a COVID-19 remembrance day. Unfortunately, as you've heard, my story is just one of thousands in the commonwealth. What I want to do next is share with you a letter my mom wrote Um dated on May 30th 2020 just a month after we lost my dad. I think it speaks to what we were all experiencing in the heat of this pandemic and why it's so virtually important to remember and honor these victims. For background3254 My mom was the director of social work for a skilled nursing facility where she in all likelihood contracted the virus and brought it home.
This entry is titled an open3267 letter to COVID-19. At the time of this writing, you've taken over 60,000 lives, you've taken more lives than the Vietnam War. You certainly did not discriminate in your cruel path. You took the very young adolescents, middle aged and those who were medically compromised. In your cruel path. You also took several family members in one family. You set your sights on both the poor and the wealthy. You took those who prayed in churches, synagogues, mosques and in the quietness of their homes. You took wives, husbands sons, daughters, brothers and sisters as well as cherished friends.
Initially, I thought you were silently developing your cruel path in other parts of the world where you are here and this angers me. I work in healthcare and I want to know why our government did not provide us with the information we needed. Why in the early months I had a false sense of security. Why PPE and testing was not given to our staff and our residents to protect themselves and our families. Why was this information not given? Why? Our family is one of the 60,000.3333 My spouse Keith had dreams and goals. He was in the process of writing a new chapter in his life and in ours. In early April I tested for COVID, I tested positive for COVID-19.
Keith was only tested after he had a temperature of 102. This was a man who was fiercely protected by his family as he was awaiting a kidney transplant. He died alone on a ventilator with the medical staff helping our Children say goodbye. All right. His story is a story So familiar with other families. We are not invisible. Despite that we are not at our loved ones bedsides. We are their voices. We are left to complete their stories. I as well as my family have been shown enormous kindness, love and compassion from our family, friends and from my immediate work family. Again, I have seen the spirit of our country. I have been overwhelmed by the kindness of strangers.
My hope is that the lives lost would be memorialized during this pause in history. That our Children and grandchildren will know the sacrifices of our that our loved ones have endured. To COVID-19. I say you have taken our loved ones, but you did not take our spirit. You did not take away their voices. You did not and will not take3415 away our ongoing ability to demand our questions be answered. Ownership will need to be given to those who have failed and to the heroes who my family has met along the way we say thank you. Yeah. Thank you very much for your time. I appreciate the committee's um listening to our hearing. And I hope you will vote favourably on this resolution.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
Thank you very much. And this is a picture of my dad. You know, if you can see it there, we can see it was a very proud family man whose life had meaning, as did every other life we need to remember. Mhm. Thank you very much. And again sorry for your lost. Uh you know, I certainly understand that members of this committee understand And the general public um you know um as3464 I said earlier, one of my brother in law's uh asked with covid as well, said in december of 2020 alone, he was intubated as well. My sister, my sister couldn't see him either. So we understand there are many, many families, uh not only massachusetts, but throughout the country that unfortunately went through difficult times and and continue to do, we are still in the middle of this pandemic. Hopefully we can we can overcome and people get vaccinated. Unfortunately, my brothers of the Knight, but they have an absolute, just like that, right. We vaccinated. The vaccine was not available. Okay. And but that's a powerful letter certainly is. So thank you again for sharing that. Thank you. Thank you.
We're going we're going to go to the next section of the the hearing. Thank everyone who testified Up until now. We're going to go to section 10 of the agenda of the hearing. And that's testimony on S 2079
uh and that uh builders filed by Senator Lewis and we have someone signed up to testify on this bill and that's Amanda Voss.
Um and the Vargas
I'm in the voss.
We actually only about 10 minutes behind schedule. Uh So we're going to go on to the next one. We have um3580 Testimony on S 2072
when we have one person signed up at scott Yates scott? Yes, I'm here, please.
[SCOTT YATES (LOCK THE CLOCK):] [SB2072] Thank you very much. Mr Chairman, just for the record, I'm here to speak about, uh, number 2072 the act relative sleep deprivation and avoidance and promotion of good sleeping practices. Uh, I had the honour of speaking to the same group a couple of weeks ago when we were talking about the bill that would uh put Massachusetts into Atlantic time. And this is obviously related to that. It's a way of just sort of saying that sleep is important and we should do all we can to have good sleep.
Um, you know, I'm not in Massachusetts and so I don't, but I3636 share, so it's not quite as brutal for me as it is for you that the sun isn't going down for us, it's going down right about five o'clock. But I understand for you guys it's going down around 4:30 it's uh, it's rough in the winter. Um and and the only thing I can say is that, you know, anything we can do to talk about the importance of sleep, anything we can do to talk about the importance of not having sleep disruption is a good thing. Um, and so I just like with the other effort that I talked about a couple weeks ago, I applaud this effort and happy to do whatever I can to help. And I won't take any more of your time. Help get you a little bit more back on schedule. But happy to, you know, we had a great discussion a couple weeks ago and if there are questions related, I'm happy to answer those. Of course.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
yes we did. Thank you very much for testifying again.3683 Yeah. And today sunset will be 427
and keep going back. I think it's going to get to like around 4:00 before it turns in the other direction. Uh, so thank you very much for all your time that you have spent on this issue. Uh, we move on to the next bill. We have Section 12 testimony on age 30 to 11 and S 2074
and we have one person signed up in the daniel Ciccolo Chernow keep
uh, yeah, so Seattle right. That's,
can you hear me? Yes I can. Okay, great. Where did I speak to?
Thank you so much for trying to get my italian pronunciation. You're right,
you're doing good.
[DANIELLE CIACCIO (PATIENT FUNDING ALTERNATIVES):] [SB2074] [HB3211] Thank you for taking, giving me the opportunity to speak before you today in support of um, the Senate bill 2074 and House Bill3758 3211 an act designating May 6 as Moyamoya Disease Awareness Day. This is a refiled bill that was favorable favorably reported out last session. My name is Danielel Ciaccio and I live in Andover with my husband John and three Children. Sofia Lila and Jackson and I'm here today to3773 talk with you about the importance of educating the population on Moyamoya disease. For those of you who do not know what this disease is.
Moyamoya is a rare progressive condition that causes the internal carotid arteries in the brain to thicken and narrow, reduced, resulting in the reduced blood flow in the arteries will continue to narrow and close off. So3794 if left untreated patients will eventually experience3797 strokes, mental decline and even death. My son Jackson was 17 months old when he suffered a massive stroke, leaving him left sided weakend. We lived at Boston Children's Hospital and Spaulding Rehabilitation Center for 48 days where he3811 underwent testing rigorous physical occupation, occupational and speech therapies.
Three months after his initial stroke, Jackson was diagnosed with moyamoya disease. We had never heard of this disease nor the impact it can have on one's life. Jackson underwent two successful brain surgeries at Boston Children's Hospital to restore blood flow to his brain. My family feels so fortunate that we live so close to Boston Children's Hospital, which is considered one of the top hospitals in the world for treating moyamoya disease. Unfortunately not everyone is as lucky as Jackson living just 27 miles outside of Boston.
Almost no physician,3847 nurse medical provider that I have encountered has ever heard of moyamoya disease or know how fatal this diseases. I've had to educate countless medical professionals, family, friends and acquaintance of what, what what Moyamoya is and how important it is for early detection and diagnosis. I would love to see no other child or adult endure what My son Jackson has endured in just 10 short years of his life. Awareness of this disease is crucial to saving lives there's a lack of awareness that causes medical professionals to misdiagnose this disease which can lead to, which can lead to debilitating strokes.
That is why passing this bill is important to help raise awareness so that patients and providers are able to detect this condition sooner and get patients into proper care, visibility of this disease will hopefully save lives and potentially bring in additional funds for research. Since one of the surgeries to treat moyamoya disease was founded here in Massachusetts, it would be wonderful if the commonwealth would take a lead and be one of the first states to pass a bill for Moyamoya Awareness Day.
Designating May 6th as Moyamoya Awareness Day will add no additional expenses to the commonwealth, but its impacts will potentially save the commonwealth and its residents millions of dollars in care not needed due to early diagnosis and treatment of this disease. It should be our responsibility to educate the rest of the of the population so that we can help people get the proper diagnosis and treatment that they deserve. We need to advocate for those living with moyamoya and pave a better way for those that will potentially be afflicted with this terrible disease. In summary I ask for your support for this most important bill. Thank you for your time and your attention today. Thank you.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
Thank you very much Danielle for your testimony and for your patients waiting for your turn.
Thank you. Next section. We're going to hear3955 testimony on age 30 to 51 24 7 24 69. And we have one person signed up and that's Karen Karen.
Mhm. Again, Testimony on age3973 30 : 51 s 24 69. And we have one person signed up to testify and that's Karen Herron happened. Are you online?
But we'll move on to the next section the Section 14 testimony on age 38 69. And uh we have and also
we have you see Richard Stratton
On H. 31 22 s. 2038. Matthew Delaney,
Matthew Delaney.
I did see, how are you? I was just trying trying to get my sound and video back on. Can you see and hear me okay? Yes, I can please turn out Well, thank you very much.
[MATTHEW DELANEY (CONCERNED CITIZEN):] [HB3869] Mr Chairman, I begin by thanking you and uh Mr Chairman, Representative Cabral as well as the entire committee for allowing me to test to testify today. And I also want to thank my state representative Josh Cutler for drafting bill H 3869 working tirelessly to promote it. Um I have to admit following all that4063 powerful testimony. Uh and being a little nervous, I hope I'm gonna do ok. Uh But that was some powerful testimony today. I'll start by saying that I was born in Boston in 1957 and was lucky enough to move down to the Southshore coastline in this and grew up There in the 60s and developed a love of the ocean and everything in it.
Flash forward to the Winter of 2004 My wife Ramona's 93 year old Norwegian grandmother had a slip and a fall breaking her hip, Her health spiral downward and she passed away on April 20th 2004. Ramona was very close to her grand grandmother. After the gravesites graveside service in North Marshfield. We came home and um you know everybody was pretty upset and my wife kept asking you know, hoping that she was okay. Um and I suggested that that uh we needed a change of scenery and we had been down to the tip of Cape Cod many times to the sand dunes and out to Race Point.
Uh so we we drove down on Saturday morning the 24th and um Mona kept asking if if her grandmother was okay. I had assured her that she she certainly was in a much better place and not suffering anymore. Uh We arrived at range of ranger Race Point Ranger Station and purchased are over the sand permit for our jeep. We airred down our tires and drove through the dunes towards Race Point Lighthouse. Now, if you have not been in this area, the Cape in the sand dunes of Truro and Provincetown you need to do it because it's another planet. We all have to thank President Kennedy for creating the Cape Cod National Seashore. No question about it.
So as we drove out to Race Point Light through the dunes,4196 we took a left at the lighthouse and drove south as far as we could and the tide, you know, made us turn around. So now we're in the jeep and we're, You know, rolling along within five, no more than 10 feet of the water's edge. It was basically high tide. So we're basically rolling along heading north and as we were, we saw this huge rush of water swing parallel to the shore coming towards us. We were going in the opposite direction and it was no more than Maybe 154233 or 20 feet from from the car.4236 And as it passed by us, this huge blackhead lifted its head up out of the water and looked at us with an eyeball that was as big as a grapefruit.
And as soon as it appeared it disappeared under the surface and my wife says, oh my gosh, what was that? I said that was a huge whale and being a building contractor, I know the size of things. Um, This thing was 50 or 60 feet long. It was the most amazing thing we ever saw. Just just after that I just stopped the jeep and a pickup truck came flying by us. A man and a woman jumped out with binoculars in the camera and I raced over and said, what's going on? And they said we're chasing a right whale. I said, oh my gosh, I think I just saw it. So I described it and they said, yeah, that's the one.
4290 Within five or 10 minutes of that This thing was maybe 100 feet or 150 feet offshore. It started to breach itself. And if you can imagine a North Atlantic right whale, They go about one tonne per foot. So it was at least 50 to 60 tons and it gets its entire body out of the water. It's what they do in the spring. And when it hit the waves, it sounded4318 like when it hit the water it sounded like thunder. And we were getting little waves rolling in at our feet. We were all shaking our head. So this Discovery Channel live show that we watched lasted For probably 45 minutes and4337 then it stopped. We decided we were going to head further north.
We, were driving along the beach and next thing we know there was hundreds and hundreds of dolphins swimming and jumping in packs almost looking like they were playing. We were looking at each other like what in the world is going on and it was getting late in the day and everybody was getting hungry. We decided to drive back out through the dunes and I looked over and we're in the middle of nowhere and my wife was crying and um I said my gosh, what's the matter Hun She goes, I think I got my sign. And uh, So we had our youngest in the back seat, 14 year old Katrina. We, I stopped the jeep.
We all got out in the middle of nowhere hugging and crying. It was just an amazing moment. Um, ever since that day, um, we, I've been calling it, I started calling that that Whale Day and you know, and we've celebrated it in our house many, many times. It's been a long time since 2004 and this year. I don't know whether it was Covid or being cooped up or whatever. I finally said to myself, why should the Delaney's be the only people that celebrate whale Day And I decided to call my state rep. I have to leave a message and his, his staff director Cole Angley called me back. Great guy.
And I4433 explained it to a little bit to him and he says, well I can't promise anything, but we do zoom meetings every couple of weeks. And uh I got on one of those zoom meetings and uh you know, I told the story and and Josh I, I think he must, he must have liked it. You know. Uh, so um, next thing I know josh wanted to call it Right Whale Day and I, I actually love the idea. But you know, to be honest with you, I've become very passionate about the plight of the North Atlantic Right Whale ever since that encounter in the spring of 2004, studying and learning more and more about this truly majestic creature that's currently on the critically4484 endangered species list.
There are currently less than 350 North Atlantic Right Whales left on the planet. A special day to recognize our whale is long overdue. Having this Day come in April coinciding when the rights are passing our shores and coming just two days after Earth Day makes a lot of sense. Everyone in our great commonwealth should be able to join in this celebration and recognize this from the Connecticut border to North Adams to Cape Ann and down to Provincetown and New Bedford into the Rhode Island border. You don't have to live on the shoreline to appreciate this magnificent mammal and a day to increase awareness of the right whale would be so special for all of us. I sincerely request a favorable report be granted by this committee. So Bill, H 3869 can move forward towards passage by the full House and Senate and I seriously, thank you all of you for your time.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
Thank you. Mr Delaney. It's a wonderful story. Um, we certainly the people of the best. We certainly understand, but Wales.
I'm sure they will. I would be delighted hearing your story. Um, thank you. Thank you very much. Chairman. Thank you very much. We have Now Richard stratum.
Do you hear me question? Do you hear me? I can hear you, but I don't see you. Well, apparently I'm using the internet and the Microsoft software doesn't want me to use the application to do video. So I guess I'm just gonna audio in said, Okay, okay, that's okay.
[RICHARD STRAHAN (WHALE SAFE):] [HB3869] All right. So I'm gonna obviously your last comments were very sincere and very, very nice. But now I'm going to testify about the reality of the world because. My name is Richard Maximus Strahan. I volunteer as the chief science officer for Whale Safe USA, which is a working class only collaborative that organizes to stop the killing of whales and sea turtles along the Massachusetts coastline from commercial fishing and other industrial activities. So we also seek to achieve the greater task of protecting the ability of whales and sea turtles to give birth in what has become an urban sea of Massachusetts.
The coastal marine wilderness off the coast has been transformed by industrial activity over the last several decades into an urban sea that is hostile to the survival of whales and sea turtles. The city of Boston, for instance, does now not stop at the docks of the harbor. It extends for 100 miles out into the ocean Massachusetts Bay is now more akin to a suburb of Boston full of industrial activity, noise pollution, etc than any kind of wilderness area that is required for4678 the survival of endangered marine species. So interestingly, Massachusetts has already made its decision about right whales.
And the government since the 1990s is effectively committing deliberate genocide on the right whales and leatherback sea turtles by openly supporting deliberately and protecting the state's marine fishing industry from any environmental law enforcement. And it's doing this amazingly in open violation of the federal and state Endangered Species Act as well as the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act and the Marine Mammal Protection Act. So in these regards, I must oppose H 3869 as an act of hypocrisy by the Legislature and the bill's proponent and probably unwittingly, but it is. It's a source, it's a sad for passage is simply self aggrandizement vanity on the proud of legislators and supporters who memorialized the Right Whales an official state mammal back who has never done a single thing to protect these whales.
Now, that's the problem. Violation of state law, no enforcement of the law, even by Maura Healy who was the4753 Attorney General. So the State Legislature, uh, the State Legislature memorialized the right whale as the official state marine mammal back in the 1970s, but4761 that didn't do the right whale no good. I personally, the governor of Massachusetts on two or three occasions to sign proclamations establishing Right Whale Day. Obviously, these acts never compelled the Legislature to do anything to protect the whales um and to admit to Massachusetts own responsibility in killing this endangered whales Sea species.
Quite the opposite because we were getting public support for the right Whale, the executive branch and this body, the Legislature deliberately chose to hand off the right whale, the fate of endangered whales and sea whale sea turtles over to the Division of Marine Fisheries, the State Fishing Agency in order to stop the ESA and the Massachusetts ESA From being enforced against the state's fishing industry in support of the industries,4816 ongoing destruction of ocean biodiversity.
Right after the passage of MISA, the secretary of Environmental Affairs of Massachusetts violated MISA by signing an order that prevented the state's Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program from ever complying with its duties under MISA to protect endangered sea turtles and whales. The EOEEA In order to protect the fishing industry from MISA enforcement unlawfully handled the conservation of endangered marine wildlife over to the Division of Marine Fisheries and the state's fishing industry in violation of MISA statutory language. And this is still the policy of Massachusetts to the current Day.
So it's quite unfair of me, actually to simply point out these failings by the state. The sad reality is that Whale interested NGOs of Massachusetts the WINGOS like the Conservation Law Foundation and the Massachusetts Sierra Club also oppose any protection of right whales that adversely affects the fishing industry. The sad reality is that Whale Safe USA my organization is the only outfit that has ever appeared before this legislative body demanding the immediately banning of fishing gear that entangles and kills endangered whales and sea turtles.
I understand this body's failings to protect right whales is a direct result of WINGO's approval though it's not protecting right whales so you can see that I can reasonably claim that starting around 1997 itself. That year, the state government supported by state WINGOS began deliberately killing off right whales knowing it's wrong. Back then, I sued the Massachusetts Division of Marine Fisheries in the United States District Court in Boston for violating the ESA. From its own requiring licensed fishermen to use vertical buoy ropes that routinely entangle and kill endangered whales and sea turtles in violation of Federal Endangered Species Act.4941
The federal judge ruled in 1997 that the state agency was engaged in ESA prohibited conduct and ordered it to stop. But the state government and Legislature, aided by the WINGOS chose to ignore the federal order, ignore rulings of4956 law in a federal court that are still good to this day and continued killing endangered whales to this very day. So right now The right whale population was growing back in 1997, but in 2021, the state just keeps deliberately killing off the right whales and right now the right whale population is crashing at 10% a year. Which means in less than a decade Massachusetts is going to wipe out a species of whale, not Japan or the Soviet Union.
That's a good one to blame. So instead of passing a hypocritical law, I've got a suggestion. I got a great idea. Let us make today a real Day itself for right whale survival. I propose that we substitute the text of this bill with a real text that provides actually commitment from Massachusetts to5012 stop the imminent extinction right whale and protect it from any harm caused by state industries and agencies. I have submitted along with my comments a proposed single5025 page of text to accomplish this. The proposed text which I call the Right5030 Whale Protection Act will order that the conservation of right whales must5034 be handed back to the National of the Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program.
I mean that's like saying, I'm we've got to pass a lot to have the government obey the law and at the EOEEA establish a right whale recovery task force of scientists to draft a recovery plan for the whale to be implemented as official policy by Massachusetts state agencies for the preservation of the species. This proposed law which is only a page. It would include a requirement that the EOEEA conducted environmental review of DMF Division marine Fisheries5067 licence and regulation of commercial fisheries. And that's the thing here that the fishing industry has never been subject to a MEPA review.
I mean shopping malls, drugstores have to do a MEPA review, but they do5081 whatever they want because you've given the ocean to a bunch of fishermen regardless of the millions of Americans5090 in Massachusetts people who really own that ocean. And that's why we're losing biodiversity in ocean or on land because5100 of you harboring these industries so that they never grow up. They never stop being the juvenile destroyers of the environment so that they don't have to adopt modern technology because you're shielding them willfully from enforcement of environmental laws.
Never once in history has Massachusetts Marine Fisheries been subject to MEPA a fact that underscores the legislators open support for letting the marine fishing industry destroy at will all ocean diversity. So In 2021 considering that the right whale numbers are declined by 10% each year. Either Massachusetts will act now today this year to finally stop the fishing industry's killing of right whales or it will be driving the last nail into this species coffins. Did you like that?
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
Thank you very much for your testimony. And uh uh we'll see if it does any good. Huh? He's probably not. Uh
I think I think I think, I think it's uh let me just say that um please submit your written testimony to the committee. Uh, and that one page for us to consider.5171 I certainly understand your passion. It's not passion circuits science. It's fact. I'm
not gonna excuse me? Excuse me? Excuse me. Right now in federal court and I have Moore Marie Healy showing up saying denying there are right whales in massachusetts. This is reality. I am the truth. This is the truth coming knocking on the door. You know, And, and the point is here is your chance to do something. So I just, because I love you guys in the state house and I love democracy and I'm going to be lobbying your committee to adopt this text and then history will record history because I'm running the history book. Now. You want to look good in history. That's a fact. So I will record whether you accept this text or not. And actually the legislature makes any kind of move this year to actually commit massachusetts concludes please sir. Okay, thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you.
Okay, Let's go on to the next one. Um, we have, okay, um, we have ah, Now testimony on age 31 89 and we have four people5251 to testify on this legislation. We're going to start with Representative Kushmerek and followed by represent thanks. Uh, and then, uh, john reed and will yeah, a pendulum. Right? Dark angelo candle. Right, Okay. So we're gonna start with Representative Kushmerek
[REP KUSHMEREK:] [HB3189] Good afternoon Mr chairman and thank you for the opportunity to testify regarding H 3189 an act relative to Rosa Parks Day which I have co presented this year with Representative Diggs. Amongst the civil unrest and the calls for racial justice experienced in 2020 uh and throughout throughout present day it's imperative that5298 we have a chance to commemorate the leaders who helped push the United States into being what it is today.
A melting pot of races, cultures, ethnicities and the impact of Rosa Parks made on the United States was monumental and her simple yet consequential action of refusing to give up her seat and move her seat led to a nationwide movement to end racial segregation. Uh an annual proclamation from the governor's office meant to commemorate Rosa Parks but not only shine a light on her efforts in recent uh, in the civil rights movement, but it would also have an impact on our current and future generations serving as a gateway to learn more about her and other civil rights heroes.
You'll soon hear from Representative Diggs and his constituent John Reid who is a Rosa Parks historian as well as my passion constituent Will Darcangelo who worked with my predecessor on this bill to first introduce it last legislative session. Uh and so I respectful, ask respectfully ask for you to report this bill favorably out of committee. Uh and I would like to thank you for your consideration and your time this afternoon.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
Thank you Mr Chair, thank you very much Representative represented. Thanks.
[REP DIGGS:] [HB3189] Thank you for allowing me to say a few words about H 3189 thank you Mr Chairman for allowing me to speak. And uh5385 everybody in the committee um I'm honored to be here with my mentor and great friend and my former schoolteacher, Mr John Reed um he'll tell you so much about Rosa Parks and all of her efforts that she's done. But you know, this is something that should have been done a long time ago. But you know, I'm honored to be a part of with my freshman rep. Mr. Mike rep Mike Kushmerek And uh and here's Mr Reid to go ahead and bring us along Mr Reid.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
thank you too much. Uh we'll take uh ST john Reid, thank you.
[JOHN REED (BARNSTABLE HIGH SCHOOL):] [HB3189] Thank you. Chairman. Cabral My name is John Reid I'm a former teacher at Barnstable High School and back in the day it was called SMU. Now you may ask that,
that's right. You know, I have I have to have reference bombers. I have two diplomas have one that says Sm you said I'm that's my album matter and when he became you messed up. But they gave me a second diploma just so I could uh sorry,
Let me let me tell you why I'm asking the committee to support Roser Parks Day since it's a Day It should be included in all of the curriculum across the state. The Department of Ed is looking for ways to create diversity. This is not a difficult thing to do. Who is Rosa Parks and what is Rosa Parks? That's what young people need to understand today. You can be a single person and make a change. You don't have to necessarily have a mob, you don't have to necessarily go through changes. But she decided to do something that very few people do that is to say no.
That has created a situation She didn't know she was going to get arrested nor did she understand the consequence of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. But it happened, It happened at a period of time similar to this day in different places, not necessarily the commonwealth but we don't need a resurrection of bigotry or hatred here. We're looking for a way to create a better society. And the teachings of Rosa Parks will help 100%. To be exact I'm also the president of the Cape Cod branch NAACP the education committee chair. So I'm looking at it from the point of view across the commonwealth. How can we include this day into the calendar that creates the dignity and respect for a lady who had a hard battle. Once again my name is John Reed I'm the president of the Cape Cod NAACP and I thank you for your time.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
Thank you very much. Mr Reid uh we'll have Will dock Angelo.
[WIL DARCANGELO (FIRST5585 UNITARIAN CHURCH PITTSBURGH):] [HB3189] Mhm Good afternoon. Mr Chair and members of the committee I thank Representatives Kushmerek and Diggs and Mr Reed for their words in support of this bill. Um my name is Will Darcangelo5597 and I'm the Minister of the First Parish Church of Pittsburgh and the First Church in Lancaster. I'm grateful for this opportunity to give testimony regarding Bill H 3189. An act relative to Rosa Parks Day.
I'd like to begin by recognizing that we have something historic in common as Elected officials and I as5618 a minister are servants of our communities during a pivotal moment in American history. We are at this critical time experiencing first hand the beta test of our democracy, frankly. We are discovering if the model5632 of democracy we have so carefully designed will truly protect us from our Lesser human impulses we're being asked to look in the mirror and decide what kind5642 of country we wish to truly be. Are we a loving country? Are we fair are we standing in honor of our history even when it's not so comfortable to do so.
The creation5654 of Rosa Parks Day in the commonwealth of Massachusetts, joining several other states in this country to do so is an important gesture toward that end. It's a symbol of our desire to fulfill the purpose of demonstrated equality in our democracy. In 1955 in Birmingham Alabama Rosa Parks was not the first woman to refuse to give up her seat on a bus to a white man but she is the symbol we recognize as such. She is the emblem of all those who were tired of giving way to those who did not deserve their difference.
I politely and respectfully urge you to consider the importance of small but meaningful gestures such as this to approve not only this one but in its spirit to create more, such as the racial, cultural and environmental proposals coming before this committee today. You have the unique distinction to be more than just a witness to this time, but a sculpture of the world. Our descendants shall one day inherit, let them inherit a good one, a fair one, one that exemplifies the best and most courageous of our kind and holds them up as examples of what it truly means to be an American. Thank you for your time and hopefully your favorable report in time for Black History Month in February. SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
Thank you very much to all of those who testified, Thank you Representative Diggs and represent Kushmerek um, certainly a just so you know in New Bedford we are um also extremely honoured that one of the residents of the city of New Bedford actually a constituent of mine Dr. Sherrill5749 Kazan happens to be one of the original four of Greensboro Greensboro four. They refused to set5758 at that counter, those were scour counter and refused to leave until they got served. So I certainly understand how powerful these things can be. We just had, I just had the pleasure a couple weeks back to participate in the ceremony to rename um neighborhood park after Cabral Kazan uh Ferguson is his5785 adopted name, became a muslim. So you probably don't remember the your by that name But he's been living in new Bedford since the 60's
and uh and we certainly uh reminds us all the time is a personal friend of mine uh and I certainly understand how powerful these messages can be. So thank you very much for all of your testimony to work on this particular bill.
Thank you. Thank you Mr Reid you want to say something I think you know is your real probably you know the real matter of fact is your name and help Claire. That's right. He he was in New Bedford time, we've had him down here to speak and then I had some lengthy conversations when I was out that way and even that's not what I call you back. That's correct there today. But back in the day you5845 organize the kids to come out of the south and the west end to come to the campus and do some joint activities together. There's nothing wrong with the program is no matter how you reach the kids to get them out there and support from their parents because that's important Rosie Fox today just for the record is so powerful that it exemplifies when a lady can do not just what guys do because so many times people forget that women for the latest there was there were the real leader of the community and hey guys learned how to be leaders through their mothers with their eyes and their grandma's and representative, I'm sure I asked you what was uh you know, you know right away what I'm talking about. Well, I figured you would know Cyr real Kazan. Yes sir. Original poor of Queensborough for so thank you very much for all your testimony. Let me and now we go on to Uh testimony on 31 64 House 3 31 64 and we have Uh one person signed up to testify. And as Robert Douglas,
robert Douglas
um
the next bill, uh if robert Douglas shows up back and allow them to, that's the fine. We want now to section uh
seven Of the agenda and that's testimony on age 31 39. And we have um
by the number of people who have signed up to testify in this particular bill. We're gonna, we're gonna start with,
we're going to start with
recognizing
can't calendar Singh
and I pronounce that right? Yes sir. You5991 did very well, contender. Think volleyball. All right. So please we are the first to testify And that's again K to 31 39.
[GURMINDER DHALIWAL (CONCERNED CITIZEN):] [HB3139] Thank you. Mr chair6007 and the vice chair and the committee for allowing me to testify on this bill. I always uh we have to remember before we start any meeting or anything in the house. So first of all I like to thank Patricia Duffy Christina Barbara and Carolyn Dykema recognizing this, bring this bill to bring to the front of the committee. Why this bill is important for citizen. I'm gonna spoke behalf of all those people signed up. I don't think everybody is here today. Uh, they told me to, you know, they give me permission to speak for our whole community Western Mass and Boston area.
Uh, Sikh moved to United States over 100 years ago from California and they are all over the United States right now. Uh, Bill 3139 April Awareness Month April 14th is our religious birthday it's called the Sakhi so that is big pay for all the Sikhs6090 all over the world. This bill, similar bills have been already passed in California, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut. This is the first time some kind of bills he came to this in front of this committee and I'm a proud American Sikh.
I'm a treasurer of World Sikh Parliament and I'm proudly serving member of planning board in Holyoke Massachusetts executive member of experimenting, also a member of one of the school committee. So I thank this community giving me a lot and and I appreciate the community a lot. We'd like to do it back. So I was hearing, I started on 10:30 now it's almost 2:15 I was listening everybody, You guys know the COVID-19 hit. Covid-19 there was a story on Skihism on6156 New6156 York Time when we start the free meal service from New York City.
And then I start actually I will say I start mighty God help me or We serve6171 about 11,000 free meal in Holyoke area from this my restaurant, I own small restaurant. This people ask me question how You can afford 11,000 free meals. So I told him 1939, my guru Guru Nanak who came to this world When he6194 was 17 years old. His father gave him ₹206199 tell him to go lose some business. So he went out there and searching for business and he said like every business if you look they are temporary five years, 10 years until you live. So when he was coming back he found bunch of hungry people on the road. So he took that $20 bought a meal.
Cook the meal for them and serve them. So those $20 invested in 1539 and we still taking the interests of that ₹20?6237 And6237 we try to serve the world all over We can. We don't like to see anybody sleep hungry. So about this bill, why It's so important for us. one is like recognizing okay human being doing such a good thing for the community. And to encourage about my generation or other community, young people like who I work with them to teach them how to share your. If you can afford a meal, we should be sharing a bill. It's not just for us, us or us is for everybody.
We come to this world when we baby born the hands like close6290 and when we leave our hands are open. So mean, when the hands close, it means we bring the with us when we leave, go and empty handed. So try to teach our community or other community kids are surrounding me what we need to spread the love. I share the view with all those needies. So speaking about my guru who teach me this, if you earn $100, you should be $10, should be keeping it aside for the community after your profit. So that's what we're trying to do. So introducing this bill, this will come to further house or Senated and it's still being passed.
It will be viewed out from my community because that's going to encourage my community to build more community kitchen in the area so well we can help those, anybody who needs a meal a roof on their head that's going to give us a power boost to do more work to bring more people together to us. Some people ask me it's like you spend your time in the community doing this and what do you get out of it. I say I get peace in the night when I sleep I get peace. So helping other people.
So mr chairman, I will ask the committee behalf of all my community Western Mass and Boston area if You guys can be kind to pass this bill and let us work together for the community to work for those people we can help. I have so many such stories on Covid-19
when I put ad on the Facebook I said if anybody's out there need help or they're hungry calls us. I couldn't believe so many phone calls we had. I could not believe how many hungry people. One lady called me She say, are you just serving one meal can I call you another day too So on Covid-19 she was calling us every other day for six months because she had nobody to support her no meal.
She was under just bread and water like a week. I was my heart broken. Uh, a lot of stories if I can, I don't have enough time to share the story. Uh, anybody would like those stories You can go to my Facebook and they can check it out that. So it's very important for us to those bill You can consider passing those bills will be really appreciated from the bottom of my heart and once more time, one more time Thank you so much for allowing me to speak behalf of my community and thank you very much.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
God bless God bless you. Thank you very much. Thank you very much for your testimony. We have next or meet sing
permit singer meet uh that's why I said mr chair Those all people are working we have 40 to people so they all send me a letter. They said please just speak behalf of us and they're going to send a written testimony later on. So if you don't want to go through the list, that's fine with me because anybody's there they are work like you know, so that's why they give me the opportunity to take a half day. All thanks to my wife who is working for me right now covering my shift so I can't speak for everybody. So what you're telling me is all the people that signed up are working and they cannot personally testified.
Yes sir personally they cannot testify right now and they will be sending all their written testimony for sports of support of the bill. Okay? Uh
I think there's someone here. Yes please identify6566 yourself. Uh thank you thank you. Representative Cabral6571 grindr Cindy I am here. I am not one of the 42. Thank you thank you.6578 Thank you thank you. Uh please identify yourself and testify.
Um you you're a mute.
[SAWHNEY (CONCERNED CITIZEN):] [HB3139] Uh thank you Thank you. Representative chairman uh for your service and your resilience. You've been at this since 10:30 I really appreciate it. So I wish you all with a Sikh reading which translates to God is truth. I am Deepika Sawhney. I'm from Lexington. I serve my community as a school committee member as well as the town meeting member and I am a proud Sikh. Um what does it mean for people to be seen to be recognized for who they are and they're wonderful strengths, talents, culture and resilience uh that we possess. As Sikhs our story in the United States is not new, it is over 100 years old and new stories are being written every day.
These stories stretch from Dr. Dalip Singh Saund who challenged the laws which denied him citizenship in California in 1913 to the youngest Sikh child born today anywhere in the US as a citizen and is assured of equal rights. While state sanctioned aggression may no longer be the biggest challenge for our community. After September 11th, 2001 common misunderstandings about Sikh culture and customs, especially what we wear the turban have led to incidents of discrimination across the United States. This makes us as parents feel particularly anxious as we send off our Children proudly wearing our articles of faith into the world Outside of our Homes.
Our stories also encompass tragedies and6685 sacrifices too hard to bear. Such as the massacre in Oak Creek Gurdwara in 2012 and recently the Indianapolis mass shooting in April 2021. These are all due to the articles of clothing of religious articles that we wear and so are identified as Sikh. Sikh6703 stories also encompass many individual and community triumphs as there are over 500,000 of us living in the US. Sikhs in the commonwealth are doctors, scientists, educators, entrepreneurs, small business owners and elected officials participating in the vibrant economy and community fully and enthusiastically.
Much like any other community We have our celebrations, culture, cuisine and a special brand of self deprecating humor.6733 Our Sikh ethos teaches us that we are all equal and should live productive lives by serving others, earning an honest living and sharing what we have. Our humanitarian response to any crisis big or small is innate in our religious teachings and you've already heard Gurminder Singh talk about that.
By passing this bill and issuing a proclamation for April as6757 Sikh Appreciation Month and November 12th as World Equality Day in memory of Guru Nanak Dev Ji Massachusetts, our home state is doing its part to see our community and welcoming all and acknowledging the diversity of its people. I'm grateful for6772 the leadership of Representative Duffy and Representative Barbara in bringing6776 this bill forward and thank you so very6778 much for listening to my testimony. Thank you Chairman.
SHOW NON-ESSENTIAL DIALOGUE
thank you very much. Is there anyone else online? There are part of the 42 names have signed up as mr6793 the world the issue.
So
anybody else online
testify? Uh we have for the record, the folks who have Signed up to testify. The 42 individuals, um we know we had someone speaking practically for all of them basically speaking for all of them. They're all working at this time. Uh So for the record, we have the names and the at any time if you would like to submit written testimony, will accept written testimony until November 19. So there's plenty of time all of them to submit testimony. Oh,
we also today uh as part of this public hearing, we are on the bills that have not, no one has signed up to testify and I will read out those names in case someone what's testified And that's house 31 A one Age 31 Oh to age 31 58, Age 31 59 31 77 31 93 32 oh 6 32 09 30 to 1030 to 1632,
30 - 35. S 10 30 S 11 25 S 2023 S 2046 As 2049, as 2058, 2069 on 11 In 21 14, that's Spectent 21 14. Is anyone
I would like to testify on any one of these bills or any other bill that was before the committee today
hearing none. Any comments from the members of the committee, Representative Barbara last year. Would you like to Say a few words. I know you had a 42 people that signed up on that bill? Um Yeah, thank you Mr Chair, I am grateful for all the support for that bill um and for your time and chairing this hearing today. Um I feel like I I learned a lot about all these bills today, so I'm really appreciative of all the testimony that we heard today and thank you for your work and um and calling people up So appreciative, thank you very much represented Gentile Any comments. Mr Chairman, I think I think we need to have a field trip to New Bedford. Uh
That sounds good to me, you know?
Mhm Okay, so if we don't have anyone else to testify uh we're going I would the motion uh to a dream. I move we adjourn mr Chairman, you have a 2nd 2nd, 2nd in favor say, aye. Those opposed nay the ayes have it. So this hearing is a deterrent. Don't forget you can submit written testimony in November 19 on any one of these bills. Thank you. Thank you the full Day Thank you everyone.
Mhm
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