Beacon Hill Roll Call Volume 48 – Report No. 40 October 2-6, 2023

THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call records local representatives’ and senators’ votes from the week of October 2-6. All Senate roll calls are on overriding Gov. Maura Healey’s veto of several items in the fiscal 2024 budget. The House already overrode the vetoes.

 

EMPLOYERS MUST DISCLOSE A SALARY RANGE WHEN POSTING A JOB (H 4109)

House 148-8 approved and sent to the Senate a bill, dubbed the Frances Perkins Workplace Equity Act, which would require employers with 25 or more employees to disclose a salary range when posting a job position.

 

Supporters said that in the Greater Boston area in 2021, women on average were paid 70 cents for every dollar earned by a man. They noted this gap widens among communities of color, where Black and Latina women have the highest gender and racial wage gaps of 51 and 55 cents, respectively.

 

“With the passage of this legislation, the House takes bold action to empower workers, reduce persistent gender and racial wage gaps and help businesses attract and retain talent,” said chief sponsor Rep. Josh Cutler (D-Duxbury), House chair of the Committee on Labor and Workforce Development. ”Pay transparency is good policy for employees and employers alike.”

 

“As House vice chair of the Women’s Caucus, I can attest to the dedication and hard work behind the Frances Perkins Workplace Equity Act from leaders throughout Massachusetts,” said Rep. Christine Barber (D-Somerville). “Significant gender and racial wage gaps continue to exist today and this legislation takes concrete steps to ensure that women get fair wages to create pay equity in the commonwealth.”

 

“I voted against [the bill] because I was concerned about the mandates it would have imposed on Massachusetts businesses, especially small businesses, which I do not believe were adequately resolved by the final bill,” said Rep. Steve Xiarhos (R-Barnstable).

 

“Imposing undue burdens on small businesses stifles their ability to grow and invest back into their employees and communities,” said Rep. Nick Boldyga (R-Southwick), another opponent of the measure. “These progressive mandates threaten the state’s economic vitality and hinder the entrepreneurial spirit.”

 

(A “Yes” vote is for the bill. A “No” vote is against it.)

 

 

 

Rep. Paul Donato             Yes                                          Rep. Steven Ultrino           Yes

 

$1 MILLION FOR HEADSTART PROGRAMS (H 4040)

Senate 38-0, overrode Gov. Healey’s veto of $1 million (reducing funding from $17.5 million to $16.5 million) in funding for grants to Head Start programs.

 

“I am reducing this item to the amount projected to be necessary,” said Healey in her veto message. “The adjusted funding level proposed here is consistent with the fiscal year 2023 General Appropriations Act and sustains significant expansion to this line-item in recent fiscal years.”

 

(A “Yes” vote is for the $1 million.)

 

 

 

Sen. Jason Lewis             Yes

 

$1.4 MILLION FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION SERVICES (H 4040)

Senate 38-0, overrode Gov. Healey’s veto of $1.4 million (reducing funding from $1.8 million to $400,000) in funding for suicide prevention programs.

 

“I am reducing this item to an amount consistent with my House [budget] … recommendation,” said Healey in her veto message. “The program goals are sufficiently funded through an expansion in the Suicide Prevention and Intervention … line item.

 

(A “Yes” vote is for the $1.4 million.)

 

 

 

Sen. Jason Lewis             Yes

 

$250,000 FOR PROSTATE CANCER RESEARCH (H 4040)

Senate 38-0, overrode Gov. Healy’s veto of $250,000 (reducing funding from $1.25 million to $1 million) in funding for prostate cancer research.

 

“I am reducing this item to the amount projected to be necessary,” said Healey in her veto message. “This will allow the program to continue its current level of services.”

 

(A “Yes” vote is for $250,000.)

 

 

 

Sen. Jason Lewis             Yes

 

$250,000 FOR PARENT-CHILD PLUS PROGRAM (H 4040)

Senate 37-1, overrode Gov. Healey’s veto of $250,000 (reducing funding from $4,250,000 to $4,000,000) in funding for the Parent-Child Plus Program. According to its website, “The goals of this intensive, evidence-based home visiting model are to promote school readiness and academic success by strengthening parent-child verbal interaction and reading and play activities in the home.”

 

“I am reducing this item to the amount projected to be necessary,” said Healey in her veto message. “The adjusted funding level proposed here is consistent with the fiscal year 2023 General Appropriations Act and sustains significant expansion to this line-item in recent fiscal years.”

 

(A “Yes” vote is for the $250,000. A “No” vote is against it.)

 

 

 

Sen. Jason Lewis             Yes

 

$880,000 FOR MASSACHUSETTS SERVICE ALLIANCE (H 4040)

Senate 37-1, overrode Gov. Healey’s veto of $880,000 (reducing funding from $2,280,000 to $1,400,000) in funding for the Massachusetts Service Alliance. According to its website, the Massachusetts Service Alliance is a “private, nonprofit … organization, established in 1991, that expands volunteerism and service in Massachusetts. It provides funding, training and support to individuals and organizations, enabling them to tackle pressing issues, strengthen communities, and make our commonwealth a better place to live.”

 

“I am vetoing this item because it is not consistent with my House [budget] … recommendation,” said Healey in her veto message. “This is a passthrough and will not impact core Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development programming.”

 

(A “Yes” vote is for the $880,000 million. A “No” vote is against it.)

 

 

 

Sen. Jason Lewis             Yes

 

 

ALSO UP ON BEACON HILL

 

GOV. MAURA HEALEY SIGNS TAX RELIEF PACKAGE (H 4104) – Gov. Healey signed into law the conference committee version of a tax relief package. It was drafted and approved by the Legislature as a compromise to the different versions approved by the House and Senate. Supporters say this will provide $561.3 million in tax relief in fiscal year 2024 and $1.02 billion per year in subsequent years.

Provisions include increasing the rental deduction cap from $3,000 to $4,000; reducing the estate tax for all taxpayers and eliminating the tax for all estates under $2 million by allowing a uniform credit of $99,600; increasing the refundable tax credit for a dependent child, disabled adult or senior from $180 to $310 per dependent in taxable year 2023, and then to $440 in subsequent years while eliminating the child/dependent cap; doubling the refundable senior circuit breaker tax credit from $1,200 to $2,400; increasing the refundable Earned Income Tax Credit from 30 percent to 40 percent of the federal credit; and reducing the short-term capital gains tax rate from 12 percent to 8.5 percent.

 

Other provisions double the lead paint tax credit to $3,000 for full abatement and $1,000 for partial abatement; ensure that employer student loan payments are not treated as taxable compensation; make public transit fares, as well as ferry and regional transit passes and bike commuter expenses, eligible for the commuter expense tax deduction; increase from $1,500 to $2,000 the maximum that municipalities may pay seniors to do volunteer work to reduce their property taxes; raise the annual authorization for the low income housing tax credit from $40 million to $60 million; and allow cities and towns to adopt a local property tax exemption for affordable real estate that is rented by a person whose income is less than a certain level set by the municipality.

 

The measure also includes two provisions which the Mass Fiscal Alliance says will result in tax hikes. One would require Massachusetts married couples who file income tax returns jointly at the federal level to do the same at the state level. The other changes the system under Chapter 62F that requires that annual tax revenue above a certain amount collected by the state go back to the taxpayers. Under current law, the money is returned to taxpayers based on what he or she earned and paid in taxes.  The new tax package changed that and provides that each taxpayer will receive a flat rate refund, unrelated to what they earned or paid in taxes.

 

“We are thrilled to deliver on our promise to pass tax cuts that will result in real savings for the people of Massachusetts, including the country’s largest child and family tax credit that will go back in the pockets of parents and caregivers,” said Gov. Healey. “Everywhere we go, we hear about how people are struggling to keep up with the rising cost of living. This tax package delivers savings for those who need it most, while making long overdue changes that will better allow Massachusetts to compete with other states.”

 

“The High Tech Council appreciates the effort Gov. Healey and the Legislature put into this first step towards addressing the state’s tax outlier status,” said High Tech Council President Chris Anderson. “Unfortunately, the final tax ‘relief’ legislation falls short of delivering the meaningful change needed, as it includes both an expansion of the voter-approved income surtax and an unconstitutional redistribution of income through changes to the voter-approved Chapter 62F rebate formula.”

 

Anderson concluded, “The High Tech Council looks forward to collaborating with Gov. Healey, her cabinet and legislators across the commonwealth who are committed to defending and strengthening our business climate and the associated high quality of life it brings to Massachusetts residents.”

 

“These tax cuts translate to real money back in the pockets of the people of Massachusetts every single year,” said Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll. “Families, seniors, renters, businesses and commuters will see hundreds of dollars in savings each year. Gov. Healey and I look forward to spreading the word across the state that savings are here for the people of Massachusetts.”

 

“The modest tax relief package signed by the governor is nothing more than modest, it’s at best an adjustment for inflation,” said Paul Craney, spokesman for the Mass Fiscal Alliance. “If the goal was to pass a piece of legislation that would make Massachusetts more economically competitive, keep taxpayers here or attract taxpayers to Massachusetts, then this tax relief package is not nearly enough.”

 

Craney continued, ”In reality, after this tax relief package is passed into law, Massachusetts goes from the state with the highest short term capital gains tax in the country to the second highest. Massachusetts goes from the state with the most aggressive estate tax in the country to now only better than Oregon and Rhode Island. Meanwhile, states like New Hampshire and Florida don’t even have these taxes. Taxpayers should hold their applause until the governor and Statehouse leaders do more.”

 

“When Massachusetts’ middle-class families succeed, we all succeed—and that is exactly what this tax relief bill will help us do,” said Senate President Karen Spilka (D-Ashland). “This legislation answers the calls that we have heard from people around the state, saying that their costs are rising, they cannot find housing and it’s becoming hard to operate a business. It puts real dollars back into the bank accounts of working families, relieves financial strains for our young professionals, puts meaningful incentives into developing affordable housing and will keep our state competitive for businesses who will invest in our workforce.”

 

EQUITY IN EDUCATION EVENT – What can our business, political and education leaders do differently to connect Black and Latino students to pathways to careers that our thriving life sciences, health, clean tech and other sectors so urgently need to fill?

 

Join MASSterList, the State House News Service, and the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education on Tuesday, October 24th, for a policy event from 8:15 – 10:30 am at the MCLE New England – 10 Winter Place, Boston (Downtown Crossing), (in-person only).

 

Register for this FREE event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/equity-in-education-tickets-723011084617?aff=BHRC

 

COVER $5,000 FOR RELOCATION EXPENSES FOLLOWING A FIRE (H 1109) – The Financial Services Committee held a hearing on a measure that would require insurance companies to provide $5,000 to cover relocation and other expenses for tenants displaced by a fire or by damage caused by a fire. Current law requires the companies to provide only up to $750.

 

“I sponsored this bill after a three-alarm fire broke out in the Folly Hill Meadows apartment complex in Beverly, leaving about 40 residents homeless,” said sponsor Rep. Jerry Parisella (D-Beverly). “Insurance only covered up to $750 for their relocation, leaving most of them in limbo and scrambling to find help from the city, state and local nonprofits. This bill would raise that amount and help residents like these across the commonwealth who are displaced by a fire.”

 

INCREASE FINES FOR VIOLATING HANDICAPPED PARKING (H 3261) – The Transportation Committee held a hearing on a proposal that would allow cities and towns to increase the fines for handicap parking violations from a maximum of $350 to a maximum of $450. The measure also would place the money into a specialized account to be used for ADA upgrades in the city or town where the violation occurred.

 

“This bill would accomplish two things,” said sponsor Rep. Bruce Ayers (D-Quincy). “It would strengthen our current laws on handicap parking protection, while raising funds to make our communities more handicap accessible. Passage of this bill would help our towns and cities cultivate a more independent lifestyle for our seniors, veterans and people with disabilities, by raising these funds on the backs of those who break laws meant to protect our vulnerable citizens.”

 

RENAME COLUMBUS DAY  (H 2989, S 1976) – The Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight held a hearing on two bills that would designate the second Monday in October, now known as Columbus Day, as Indigenous Peoples Day and recommends appropriate exercises in schools to acknowledge the history of genocide and discrimination against Indigenous people.

 

The hearing was held on October 3 with only six days left until this year’s Columbus Day on October 9. Neither the House nor Senate have voted on the bill itself so any name change, if approved, would have to wait until 2024 to take effect.

 

“Christopher Columbus did not discover the Americas,” said co-sponsors Sen. Jo Comerford (D-Northampton) and Rep. Christine Barber (D-Somerville) in a joint statement. “That myth — steeped in racism and violence — has allowed generations to credit a European man with discovering a land already teeming with societies. Indigenous communities and tribal nations in the commonwealth and across the United States call us to act. It is thanks to their courageous truth telling that we recognize the legacy of colonization in the name of Columbus as one not worthy of extraordinary memorialization or celebration.”

 

“Twenty states and the District of Columbia observe Native American or Indigenous Peoples Day in addition to or in replacement of Columbus Day,” continued the statement. “In 2021, President Joe Biden formally commemorated Indigenous Peoples Day with a presidential proclamation, becoming the first U.S. president to do so. Massachusetts should do the same. Let us change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples Day — a holiday to honor those who first settled this land. This holiday will pay rightful tribute to the contributions of Indigenous people in Massachusetts — past, present and future.”

 

REPLACE “HEARING IMPAIRED” WITH “DEAF OR HARD OF HEARING” (S 1983) – Another bill heard by the Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight would remove the term “hearing impaired” from the state’s law books and replace it with “deaf or hard of hearing.”

 

Supporters said the National Association of the Deaf recommends this change in terminology due to the negative connotations of the phrase “hearing impaired.” New York, Utah, New Hampshire, Louisiana and California have already passed similar bills into law.

 

“I introduced this bill because of the advocacy of high school students from the CAPS Program for the Deaf at Newton North High School, who wrote to me about why they reject the term ‘hearing impaired’ and why it’s painful for them to see it used in Massachusetts law,” said sponsor Sen. Cindy Creem (D-Newton). “The language in our statutes should reflect the rich culture and diversity of the deaf and hard of hearing community, not falsely imply that the community is somehow damaged or less than.”

 

SUICIDE PREVENTION SIGNAGE (S 970)- The Judiciary Committee held a hearing on legislation that would require parking garages that are more than three stories or 30 feet, to post suicide prevention signage with information on suicide prevention including the “Dial 988” behavioral health emergency line and the words “You Are Not Alone.” The sign must be posted conspicuously on each of the four walls of a garage on each floor above 3 stories or 30 feet in height and in each elevator lobby and stairwell on each floor leading to the top level of the garage. Businesses which do not comply will be fined $50 per day. The revenue from the fines would be distributed equally to Massachusetts non-profit organizations dedicated to preventing suicide.

 

The bill also directs the state to conduct a study of mass transportation facilities, including railways and crossings, which are potential means of suicide or locations where a suicide has occurred in the last ten years. A report with the finding would then be submitted and within one year, the Department of Public Health would develop regulations requiring the MBTA to integrate at mass transportation facilities, physical infrastructure and design elements that will reduce and eliminate means of suicide.

 

“Over the last several years we have seen a disturbing trend in suicide deaths at parking garages and MBTA facilities across the commonwealth,” said sponsor Sen. Paul Feeney (D-Foxborough).  “[The bill] aims to address the prevalence of suicide deaths at these facilities by requiring clear signage be posted with information on suicide prevention … It is my hope that these signs may spark a moment of pause for that person in pain, a moment to reconsider, a reminder that they indeed are not alone.”

 

QUOTABLE QUOTES

 

“We’re glad to see the Legislature is seriously considering reducing the plastic that contaminates our state. This statewide law is overdue.”

—Lydia Churchill of Environment Massachusetts and Janet Domenitz of MASSPIRG following a public hearing on legislation that would restrict the Use of Styrofoam and other Polystyrene products.

 

 

“We know that there are innovative, brilliant companies across Massachusetts with the potential to scale, and we know they don’t all have connections to resources, friends and family to fundraise from, and existing networks from which to tap talent. With Massachusetts Founders Network (MFN) we can support founders no matter where they are in Massachusetts–and ultimately level the playing field when it comes to connections, capital, and other support.”

— Director Jeffrey Thomas of Lever, an economic development nonprofit, commenting on the creation of the MFN, a new initiative that gives startup founders equitable access to resources that will help their companies grow.

 

“A college education should be accessible and affordable to anyone, regardless of their socioeconomic status. President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris know that unencumbered access to higher education is a key element to creating generational wealth that all Americans deserve an opportunity to earn.”

— Steve Kerrigan, chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Party on President Biden’s announcement that an additional 125,000 Americans, including 28,670 from the Bay State, have been approved for $9 billion in student debt relief.

 

“Massachusetts has a rich history of cranberry growing. This industry has long provided economic and environmental benefits, and it’s important to work with farmers to ensure the long-term viability of their farms. Our administration stands in support of cranberry farmers. We look forward to continued collaboration in utilizing modern techniques for growing and harvesting to conserve water and protect our open spaces.”

— Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper announcing October as “Massachusetts Cranberry Month.”

 

HOW LONG WAS LAST WEEK’S SESSION? Beacon Hill Roll Call tracks the length of time that the House and Senate were in session each week. Many legislators say that legislative sessions are only one aspect of the Legislature’s job and that a lot of important work is done outside of the House and Senate chambers. They note that their jobs also involve committee work, research, constituent work and other matters that are important to their districts. Critics say that the Legislature does not meet regularly or long enough to debate and vote in public view on the thousands of pieces of legislation that have been filed. They note that the infrequency and brief length of sessions are misguided and lead to irresponsible late-night sessions.

 

During the week of October 2-6, the House met for a total of four hours and 37 minutes while the Senate met for a total of four hours and 12 minutes.

 

Mon.   Oct. 2    House  11:01 a.m. to 11:26 a.m.

Senate 11:12 a.m. to 11:41 a.m.

 

Tues.  Oct. 3    No House session

No Senate session

 

Wed.   Oct. 4    House  11:01 a.m. to  3:05 p.m.

No Senate session

 

Thurs. Oct. 5    House  11:03 a.m. to 11:11 a.m.

Senate  1:01 p.m. to  4:44 p.m.

 

Fri.   Oct. 6    No House session

No Senate session

 

Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bo*@****************ll.com

Bob founded Beacon Hill Roll Call in 1975 and was inducted into the New England Newspaper and Press Association (NENPA) Hall of Fame in 2019.