A RACE AGAINST TIME
Police reform, budget still up in air
Legislation to allow sports betting may finally see action in the House as lawmakers double down on a packed agenda slowed or stalled by the coronavirus pandemic which may force Beacon Hill to take the unusual step of extending formal sessions.
The House on Friday rolled sports betting and housing production into an economic development bill lawmakers expected to debate early this week. The House has a formal session scheduled today.
The so-called Jobs bill would allow gamblers to place legal bets on sporting events from a phone or on the internet. It also folds in Gov. Charlie Baker’s long-sought housing reforms that would make it easier for local officials to approve zoning changes to build new housing.
This year, due in large part to disruption from the coronavirus pandemic, many priority bills haven’t made it to the conference stages yet and in several cases, some bills are still awaiting any kind of action at all.
State lawmakers have yet to pass a budget, or finalize bills on police reform, economic development, housing and other topics.
“It’s the end of the session and a unique session at that with COVID,” House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Aaron Michlewitz said in a recent interview discussing the challenges of juggling multiple complex issues.
House Speaker Robert DeLeo also indicated there’s a possibility of extending the legislative session, but pointed out that the House and Senate must agree on the details.
The Legislature will need to return to tackle a state budget “at the very least,” DeLeo said in an interview with the State House News Service. He hinted the House and Senate might also return to consider bills that have been approved in each branch and are awaiting reconciliation in six-member conference committees should the clock run out.
Dueling House and Senate versions of police reform bills are among those still awaiting a consensus in committee.
So too are borrowing bills to pay for major improvements in transportation and information technology.
When it comes to the budget, DeLeo said a lack of action in Washington, D.C., on coronavirus aid has made it difficult to plan for spending, particularly when it comes to local aid. Federal lawmakers are currently in discussions over a fourth coronavirus aid bill that could include money for states and municipalities.
The House has been holding Baker’s $44.6 billion fiscal 2021 budget for roughly six months, but has yet to come forward with a new spending plan as the coronavirus takes a massive bite out of both state and local tax revenues.
‘It’s the end of the session and a unique session at that with COVID.’
AARON MICHLEWITZ House Ways and Means Committee chairman