Tallying up House attendance records
Also, Gov. Charlie Baker makes moves on legislation.
THE HOUSE AND SENATE: There were no roll call votes in the House or Senate last week. This week, Beacon Hill Roll Call reports local representatives’ roll call attendance records for the 2020 session.
The House held 332 roll calls in 2020. Beacon Hill Roll Call tabulates the number of roll calls on which each representative 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.
The first 22 roll calls from January to March were held as usual in the House chamber. The other 310 roll calls were held after COVID-19 hit and most legislators voted remotely from their homes.
In the House, 66.6% (106 representatives out of 159) did not miss any roll calls and have 100% roll call attendance records. Thirty-four percent (53 representatives out of 159) have missed one or more roll calls.
The representative who missed the most roll calls is former Rep. Angelo Scaccia, D-Boston, who missed 114 roll calls, resulting in a 65.6% attendance record.
Scaccia could not be reached for comment but sources tell Beacon Hill Roll Call that Scaccia missed many roll calls because he was devoting his time to his wife who had been ill for several months and eventually passed away.
Rounding out the top five representatives who have missed the most roll calls are former Reps. Jose Tosado, D-Springfield, who missed 73 roll calls (78% attendance record); Randy Hunt, R-Sandwich, who missed 54 roll calls (83.7% attendance record); Tom Petrolati, D-Ludlow, who missed 51 roll calls (84.6% roll call attendance record); and Hank Naughton, DWorcester, who missed 25 roll calls (92.4% attendance record.)
Rounding out the top 10 were current Reps. David LeBoeuf, DWorcester, who missed 22 roll calls (93.3% attendance record); Patrick Kearney, D-Scituate, who missed 20 roll calls (93.9% attendance record); Rady Mom, DLowell, who missed 17 roll calls (94.8% attendance record); Bruce Ayers, DQuincy, who missed 12 roll calls (96.3% attendance record); and former Rep. Aaron Vega, DSpringfield, who missed ten roll calls (96.9% attendance record).
Beacon Hill Roll Call contacted these ten legislators and asked each one for a comment on his attendance record. Only five responded: Current Reps. LeBoeuf, Kearney and Ayers; and former Reps. Naughton and Vega.
Former Reps. Scaccia, Tosado, Hunt, Petrolati and current Rep. Mom did not respond.
“I was mobilized by the National Guard for COVID relief from April through June,” responded Naughton.
“The number reflects one day that I was not able to attend a session due to a medical emergency and other times my votes were not recorded due to cellular service issues,” LeBoeuf said.
“I am a commissioned officer in the U.S. Naval Reserves,” said Kearney. “The … votes that I missed … occurred as a result of my being on my annual reserve duty and additional reserve duty due to the impact of the COVID19 pandemic. It was my distinct honor to serve my country in its time of need. I was present for the roll calls on acts and budgets.”
“In early March of 2020 I was on an official business trip with city leaders to increase our investment in economic partnerships between the city of Quincy and County Cork, Ireland, during which time I missed 12 votes in two days,” Ayers said. “This is not reflective of my service in the Legislature, as I’ve always maintained a 99 percent voting record in the House. Aside from this trip, I did not miss a single vote during the last session.”
“Despite trying to be available for every vote, the remote session and the schedule created sometimes I was not available due to district commitments,” said Vega.
2020 House Roll Call Attendance Record
The percentage listed next to the representative’s name is the percentage of roll call votes for which the representative was present and voting. The number in parentheses represents the number of roll calls that he or she missed. Most representatives’ votes are based on the total 332 roll calls. Some votes of some representatives who won a special election after the 2020 session was already underway have their votes based on fewer roll calls.
Rep. James Arciero, 100% (0); Rep. Kimberly Ferguson, 100% (0); Rep. Colleen Garry, 99.3% (2); Rep. Thomas Golden, 100% (0); Rep. Kenneth Gordon, 98.4% (5); Rep. Sheila Harrington, 99.6% (1); Rep. Stephan Hay, 100% (0); Rep. Natalie Higgins, 100% (0); Rep. Marc Lombardo, 99.6% (1); Rep. Rady Mom, 94.8% (17); Rep. David Nangle, 98.7% (4); Rep. Harold Naughton, 92.4% (25); Rep. Tram Nguyen, 100% (0); Rep. David Robertson, 100% (0); Rep. Dan Sena, 100% (0); Rep. Jonathan Zlotnik, 100% (0).
Also up on Beacon Hill
BAKER VETOES CLIMATE CHANGE BILL — Gov. Charlie Baker vetoed a 57-page climate change bill. A key section makes the state’s greenhouse gas emissions reduction goal net zero by 2050. The measure had passed the House 145-9 and the Senate 38-2 — margins that are big enough for the Legislature to easily override the veto. But it is too late for that. The 2000 Legislature ended Jan. 5 so any vetoes made or amendments proposed by the governor after that time cannot go back to the Legislature for an override or consideration.
“While I support the bill’s goals and am largely in agreement with many of its proposals, 35 hours was not enough time to review and suggest amendments to such complex legislation,” Baker said in his veto message. “Had this bill been presented to me with more time while the Legislature was still in session, I would have returned it with amendments to address the concerns. Unfortunately, because the Legislature has adjourned, I do not have that option, and therefore, reluctantly, I cannot sign the legislation as currently written.”
Baker listed several reasons he won’t sign the bill including that it will work against the critical intent of the recently enacted Housing Choice legislation, and this is a time when the commonwealth needs more affordable housing; there is nothing in this bill to adapt to the ongoing and future impacts of climate change; and the administration wholeheartedly supports the environmental justice goals of this bill, but intent without the tools to address those issues are empty promises.
“The Massachusetts economy is just beginning to recover from the pandemic downturn caused by the novel coronavirus,” Baker continued. “As we are all learning what the future will hold, I have concerns about the impacts portions of this bill will have for large sectors of the economy.”
“Climate change is the greatest existential threat facing our state, our nation and our planet,” House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka said in a joint statement. They said they will refile in its entirety the same bill the governor vetoed and get it onto the governor’s desk in the coming days.”
At that point, the governor will have the opportunity to veto or propose amendments to the bill and the Legislature will have the final say on whether it approves the amendments or overrides the veto.
“I’m deeply disappointed by Gov. Baker’s decision to veto the climate bill,” said Ben Hellerstein, state director for Environment Massachusetts. “Signing this bill would have moved us toward a cleaner, healthier future. Instead, the governor’s veto is sticking us with the dirty, polluting fuels of the past. I hope House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka move quickly to adopt these policies despite Gov. Baker’s veto.
“Charlie Baker is not the first politician in the world to have responded to climate change by procrastinating,” said Sen. Mike Barrett, D-Lexington, Senate Chair of the Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy. “I’m deeply disappointed in him and his decision, but we should look at the positive side. Dozens of legislators and thousands of citizens have been energized by the battle to get this bill into law. We’re more motivated than ever. And we’re getting right back to work.”
“( We are) deeply disappointed that Gov. Baker has vetoed this path-breaking climate bill and killed desperately needed environmental justice protections,” said a statement from the Environmental League of Massachusetts. “So much of this bill aligns with his own administration’s recommendations for achieving a net-zero economy by 2050. His Energy and Environmental Affairs team has led strong climate planning efforts. It is unfortunate that the governor stopped short of codifying those key steps into law.”
NOTIFY ABOUT SEWAGE — Baker signed into law legislation that would institute a statewide notification system so that Massachusetts residents know within two hours of the start of any combined sewer overflows (CSO) discharge if their rivers are unsafe for recreation or public use. The notifications would continue every eight hours until the discharge ends and then within two hours of the end of the discharge.
Combined sewers exist in 19 Bay State communities, which tend to be in older industrialized areas. These sewers are those that collect stormwater and wastewater together. CSOs happen during heavy storms when stormwater floods the sewers and spills out of specially designed overflow channels into rivers. Untreated sewage that can carry bacteria and endanger human health may be present in the overflow and this may disrupt local ecosystems.
The bill requires sewage system operators to issue a public advisory of any overflows to the state Departments of Environmental Protection and Public Health, local boards of health, all municipalities that are directly impacted, individuals who subscribe to an email or text notification; post on a public website run by the sewage system operator; and report to the two largest local news organizations.
“With this bill, Massachusetts is taking a big step toward a future where all of our rivers and beaches are safe for swimming, all of the time,” said Ben Hellerstein, state director of Environment Massachusetts. “Despite significant progress, too many of our rivers and beaches are still polluted. Our report, Safe for Swimming, found that 257 beaches in Massachusetts experienced at least one day in 2019 with potentially unsafe levels of fecal bacteria. Antiquated sewer systems are one big source of this pollution, along with runoff from roads and parking lots. We can and must do a better job of keeping waste out of our water. This bill will ensure the public’s right to know about sewage pollution in our waterways. We believe that more awareness of the problem will lead to more action on solutions.”
“With a COVID-19 connection to sewage, this legislation becomes more critical to preserve public health,” said co-sponsor Rep. Linda Dean Campbell, DM-ethuen. “Many citizens have fought for this for years — and they will now be able to receive individual notification of sewage spills. State government has a responsibility to ensure that our residents and local leaders are notified of public health concerns. This legislation also has a huge economic component. Our waterways in Massachusetts are treasured by all, and we all want to be able to enjoy and respect these treasures. Their viability is critical to local economies. Now, our next battle will be to upgrade our sewage treatment facilities to prevent CSOs.”
“People who kayak or boat or fish in our rivers need to know when there are discharges, so they can avoid exposure to the bacteria, parasites and viruses — including COVID-19 — in that sewage,” said co-sponsor Sen. Pet Jehlen, D-Somerville. “This bill will ensure that residents will be notified when there is a discharge. The EPA says people should stay away from sewage-contaminated water for 72 hours, and this law will give them the information so they can stay safe.”