Senator Sal DiDomenico submitted written testimony in support of several foreclosure related bills at a hearing held Wednesday before the Joint Committee on the Judiciary. These bills, which are aimed at reducing the amount of foreclosures in the Commonwealth, include S. 865, “An Act to establish a foreclosure mediation program,” S. 673, “An Act to establish mandatory foreclosure mediation with judicial review,” and S. 684, “An Act to enable judicial clarification of ownership in evictions.”

“As a Senator representing a district with a high rate of foreclosures, I fully understand the importance of these pieces of legislation,” said Senator DiDomenico. “Foreclosures have an adverse impact on families, communities and the state economy and, for these reasons, it is important that we work together to prevent unnecessary evictions.  In these uncertain economic times, ensuring Massachusetts residents are allowed to keep their homes and keeping our neighborhoods stable should be a top priority.”

Sen. Sal DiDomenico has been awarded the “Legislator of the Year” by the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Planning Association. The honor, which recognizes an elected official who has made a significant contribution to community planning, was given to Senator DiDomenico and Representative Linda Dorcena Forry for their work as chairs of the Joint Committee on Community Development and Small Business and their support of the Community Preservation Act, a bill co-sponsored by both legislators.

THE HOUSE AND SENATE. There were no roll call votes in the House or Senate last week.

Beacon Hill Roll Call reports local senators' final roll call attendance records for the 2011 session. Additional roll calls will not take place until January 2012.

The Senate held 136 roll call votes in 2011. Beacon Hill Roll Call tabulates the number of roll calls on which each senator was present and voting and then calculates that number as a percentage of the total roll call votes held. That percentage is the number referred to as the roll call attendance record.

Only 16 of the Senate's 40 members have 100 percent roll call attendance records.