By Jennifer Purcell

The Legislative Matters Committee held their bi-weekly meeting last Tuesday to once again discuss more potential changes to several of the ordinances and other laws that have already been set in motion.

While the amendments that have previously been discussed are usually amendments that will greatly impact all members of the community, the topics of discussion for this meeting focused more on safety as well as providing others with more inclusive and accessible options.

Closed Captioning in Public Spaces

Ordinance 23-0076 was the first topic of discussion on the agenda, an ordinance requesting the amendment of Chapter 8, Article I of the Code of Ordinances by adding a new section regarding closed captioning accessibility.

This addition to the Code of Ordinances would change the rules so that businesses that cater or offer services would be required to have closed captioning on their televisions. The reasoning behind this being brought to the attention of the committee is that several of the Councilors believe that Somerville has been falling behind in terms of their accessibility, which is unacceptable as they believe it is their duty to move in the right direction.

Councilor At-Large Willie Burnley, Jr. stated that this ordinance will not come with any fines and will not serve to discipline any businesses in the slightest, but only goes out of its way to not contradict any state or federal laws. Due to the nature of this amendment, it was passed without much discussion.

Peace Agreements for Cannabis Dispensaries

Over the course of the past few years, many states have begun to require dispensaries to have either peace agreements or project labor agreements, which would be between an employer and a union pursuant and would prohibit members from engaging in any economic interferences with the licensee’s or applicant’s business. Recently, the committee has been debating whether or not something of the sort would be appropriate to require for businesses in Somerville.

Upon hearing what these peace agreements would consist of, Committee Chair and Ward 6 Councilor Lance Davis expressed some concerns as this did not seem like something that would be within the Councilors’ power to approve. It’s an issue of federal preemption and although four states have already passed this law, there does not seem to be a legal basis as there are no examples of municipalities. Ultimately, Chair Davis decided to place this request on file and circle back to it at a later date.

Gender-Neutral Pronouns in City Ordinances

While on the subject of inclusivity, Chair Davis brought up the idea of changing all pronouns in the city’s ordinances to gender-neutral out of respect for those who don’t use pronouns that are associated with the gender binary. It was made abundantly clear that this was not to be voted on for approval as it would happen regardless of the outcome, but the topic was brought up in order to discuss the practicality of how to do it.

There will be a technology update that will allow this to happen automatically and once that has happened, the committee will be contacted and they will discuss the next steps.

Helmet Regulations for Bicyclists

The final topic of discussion regarded the safety of bicyclists in Somerville and what measures the city can take in order to keep them safe. It was requested that the Director of Mobility review the draft act relative to the operation and regulation of electric bicycles in Salem and consider supporting similar legislation.

It is no secret that electric bicycles in particular can be incredibly dangerous, therefore one of the amendments that would be made would require anyone under the age of 16 who operates one to wear a helmet. Chair Davis concluded that there is an opportunity to take up this issue, therefore marking it as complete without much discussion.