Saugus – Volume 48 – Report No. 18 – May 12, 2023

If you have any questions about this week’s report, e-mail us at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com or call us at (617) 720-1562.

Beacon Hill Roll Call

Volume 48 – Report No. 18

May 1-5, 2023

Copyright © 2023 Beacon Hill Roll Call. All Rights Reserved.

By Bob Katzen 

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   THE HOUSE AND SENATE: There were no roll calls in the House or Senate last week. This week, Beacon Hill Roll Call reports on the percentage of times local representatives voted with their party’s leadership during the first four months of the 2023 session. 

   The votes of the 2023 membership of 24 Republicans were compared with those of GOP House Minority Leader Brad Jones (R-North Reading). The votes of the 2023 membership of 131 Democrats were compared to House Speaker Ron Mariano (D-Quincy). Beacon Hill Roll Call uses 25 votes from the 2023 House session as the basis for this report. This includes all roll calls that were not quorum calls or votes on local issues.

   Rep. Susannah Whipps (U-Athol) is unenrolled and not affiliated with either the Republican or Democratic party. We based her voting record on how many times she voted with Democratic House Speaker Ron Mariano.

    THE DEMOCRATS: A total of 125 (95.4 percent) of the 131 Democrats voted with Mariano 100 percent of the time. There were only six Democratic representatives who voted differently than Mariano on any roll calls. 

    The three representative who voted the most times against Mariano were Reps. Erika Uyterhoeven (D-Somerville); Russell Holmes (D-Boston); and Colleen Garry (D-Dracut). All three voted against Mariano twice. There were only three other representatives who voted against Mariano: Reps. Mike Connolly (D-Cambridge), Danillo Sena (D-Acton) and Jeff Turco (D-Winthrop). Each one voted against Mariano only once.

   THE REPUBLICANS: One hundred percent of the 24 GOP members voted with Jones 100 percent of the time.

REPRESENTATIVES’ SUPPORT OF THEIR PARTY’S LEADERSHIP FROM JANUARY TO MAY 2023

   The percentage next to the representatives’ name represents the percentage of times the representative supported his or her party’s leadership so far in 2023. The number in parentheses represents the number of times the representative opposed his or her party’s leadership.

    Some representatives voted on all 25 roll call votes. Others missed one or more roll calls. The percentage for each representatives is calculated based on the number of roll calls on which he or she voted.

Rep. Jessica Giannino100 percent (0)                         Rep. Donald Wong 100 percent (0)                         

ALSO UP ON BEACON HILL

   GROWING HEMP (S 40) – The Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture Committee heard testimony on a bill that would allow Massachusetts farmers to grow and sell hemp that is used to make products for commercial sale. Under current law, only industrial hemp (hemp used solely for industrial purposes) can be grown in the Bay State. 

   If the bill passes, many allowable products would be made from hemp including cosmetics, personal care and grooming products; animal and human products intended for consumption such as dietary supplements, foods and beverages; and products intended for other uses such as cloth, fiber, fuel, paint, paper, particleboard and plastics.

   The measure allows land with hemp crops to be considered farmland for tax purposes and sets up a licensing system for hemp growers.

   Sponsor Sen. Jo Comerford (D-Northampton) said she filed the bill to bring the state definition of hemp in line with the federal definition, to allow for the sale of edible CBD products from locally grown hemp in marijuana stores and to authorize the Department of Public Health to regulate CBD in food.

   “Hemp is a valuable agricultural crop, with many uses, but the commonwealth currently does not allow farmers to sell this product in ways that maximize its full potential,” said  Comerford. “You can buy CBD products in the state of Massachusetts but they won’t be made with Massachusetts-grown hemp. That does not make sense. The hemp industry and hemp farmers deserve sensible policies.”

 

   RAW OR UNPASTEURIZED MILK SALES (S 43) – The Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture’s hearing also included legislation that would allow licensed raw milk farmers to deliver raw milk directly to the consumer. Current law allows only the on-farm sale of raw milk. The measure also allows raw milk farmers to sell raw milk from their farm stands even if the stand is not contiguous to their raw milk dairy.  

   The bill would also allow farmers to sell raw milk to consumers through third-party cooperative buying clubs. This would allow consumers to join together and have the milk delivered to a nearby location so each individual consumer does not have to travel miles to the few farms that sell on-site.

   “Our farms and farmers struggle and allowing the sale of raw milk off farm premises, such as at a Farmers Market, not only helps farmers economically but makes it easier for consumers,” said sponsor Sen. Anne Gobi (D-Spencer).

   CHOKING ON FOOD (H 2130) – The Public Health Committee held a hearing on a proposal expanding the current law that requires restaurants with more than 25 seats to have on the premises an employee trained in manual procedures to remove food lodged in a customer’s throat.

   The measure would make the requirements apply to all restaurants regardless of their seating capacity. The measure exempts take-out only restaurants and food trucks. It also eliminates the option of having a manual device on the premises for removing stuck food because critics say it has been determined that such devices are dangerous. Another provision prohibits any person who has been properly trained from being held liable for any civil damages as a result of any acts or omissions provided during the emergency assistance. 

   Supporters noted that Choke-Save classes are given by the American Red Cross and are inexpensive. They are also often offered by municipal Departments of Health and Human Services.

   

   “[This bill], known as the ‘Choke Save’ bill, removes the 25-person threshold to require choke response training for restaurant employees because someone can choke as easily in a smaller venue as a larger one,” said sponsor Rep. Ruth Balser (D-Newton). “This bill will save lives by ensuring that restaurant employees will be able to respond to a choking emergency immediately, rather than delaying a response until emergency personnel might arrive.”

QUOTABLE QUOTES

   “Labor issues are still hindering employers, but that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the number of problems small business owners face in Massachusetts. It is not the time to put the brakes on tax relief for small businesses, as estate tax reform is long overdue in Massachusetts.”

   — Christopher Carlozzi, the Massachusetts state director of the National Federation of Independent Business.

   “The threat of tick-borne disease is not going away. In fact, Massachusetts has seen one of the fastest growing increases of tick-borne disease cases in the nation in the past 30 years. It is our duty as a Legislature to act. This bill would establish a special commission of field experts and legislators charged with leading the way in identifying the best practices for increasing Lyme Disease awareness, combatting its harmful spread and assisting those suffering from its long-term effects.”

   —Sen Patrick O’Connor (R-Weymouth) testifying in favor of his bill creating a special commission to help combat Lyme disease.

   “Massachusetts is a leader in public education on the cutting edge of student development and advancement. Despite these gains, many of our children attend school in older buildings, where outdated plumbing puts them at risk of lead ingestion. This cannot continue.”

   —Sen. Joan Lovely (D-Salem)  on the third edition of the MASSPIRG Education Fund report “Get The Lead Out” which gave Massachusetts a C- grade for its lack of a statewide requirement to prevent lead contamination of schools’ drinking water.

     “If we give away hundreds of millions of dollars each year in new tax breaks for the ultra-rich and large corporations, we won’t be able to make the investments in housing, childcare and transportation that are needed to make Massachusetts truly affordable, equitable and competitive.”

   —Andrew Farnitano, spokesperson for Raise Up Massachusetts in response to new data showing that state tax revenues plummeted last month, falling $2.2 billion below April 2022 collections.

   HOW LONG WAS LAST WEEK’S SESSION? Beacon Hill Roll Call tracks the length of time that the House and enate 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 and a mad rush to act on dozens of bills in the days immediately preceding the end of an annual session

    During the week of May 1-5, the House and Senate each met for a total of 20 minutes.

Mon.   May 1       House  11:02 a.m. to  11:08 a.m.

                   Senate 11:05 a.m. to  11:11 a.m.

Tues.  May 2       No House session

                   No Senate session

Wed.   May 3       No House session

                   No Senate session

  

Thurs. May 4       House  11:01 a.m. to  11:15 a.m.                   

                   Senate 11:24 a.m. to  11:38 a.m.

Fri.   May 5       No House session

                   No Senate session

   Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.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.