Senate rejects suspension of gas tax
Beacon Hill Roll Call records local senators’ votes on roll calls from last week. There were no roll calls in the House last week.
Suspend the 24cents-per-gallon gas tax until Labor Day
The Senate, 11-29, rejected an amendment that would immediately suspend the state’s 24-centsper-gallon gas tax until Sept. 5. The measure also requires that the total amount of revenue lost as a result of the suspension be taken out of the General Fund and transferred to the Transportation Fund, where the gas tax currently goes. All three Republicans voted for the suspension. Eight of the Senate’s 37 Democrats joined the Republicans and voted for the suspension.
“I sponsored this amendment to provide for relief to motorists across the commonwealth,” said Sen. Ryan Fattman, R-sutton, the sponsor of the amendment. “Hardworking families in Massachusetts need to see relief at the pumps, and it is our legislative responsibility to provide immediate assistance wherever we can. When you amortize 24 cents over the course of 16 gallons of gas per tank, several fill ups per week, over the course of six months to a year, it turns out to be between $600 to $1,200 worth of savings. For many, that’s a mortgage payment, rent, car payments or essential supplies for the family.”
(A “Yes” vote is for the suspension of the gas tax. A “No” vote is against suspension and favors keeping the gas tax in place).
NO: Sen. Michael Barrett; Sen. John Cronin; Sen. James Eldridge; Sen. Cindy Friedman; Sen. Edward Kennedy. YES: Sen. Barry Finegold; Sen. Anne Gobi; Sen. Bruce Tarr.
$20 million for counseling victims of crime
The Senate, 39- 0, approved an amendment providing $200 million for free counseling, advocacy and intervention services to victims of crime. Amendment supporters said the funding is necessary to forestall devastating federal program cuts and will be distributed to 161 programs statewide.
“I’m tremendously heartened to see the Senate approve a strong supplemental budget with critical investments in much needed programs that will help my constituents continue to recover from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Sen. Jo Comerford, DNorthampton. “I am proud to secure victim assistance funding, which will help ensure that victim’s rights services in the Hampshire, Franklin, Worcester districts are able to continue their critical work on behalf of children and survivors in our communities.”
Divest state’s pension fund from Russian investments
The Senate, 39- 0, approved an amendment that would require the state’s pension funds to terminate investments with any company that has been sanctioned by the United States as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or is incorporated in Russia. The list would be researched and prepared by an independent, third-party research firm and would be updated by the firm four times per year. The pension fund would be required to divest itself of 50% of the companies within six months and 100% within a year.
“We have the moral obligation here in the commonwealth of Massachusetts to take a stand and embrace any and all levers of opportunity to apply maximum pressure to a war criminal’s murderous regime, that is Vladimir Putin’s Russian Federation,” said sponsor Sen. Walter Timilty, D-milton. “It is crucial that we send a message, as one commonwealth, that we are acting against an evil regime, standing united with the courageous people of Ukraine.”
Also up on Beacon Hill
$500 payments to 500,000 eligible low-income workers — The Baker administration announced that 500,000 low-income workers will each receive $500 under the first round of the COVID-19 Essential Employee Premium Pay Program that was part of the American Rescue Plan Act approved by the Legislature several weeks ago. The administration was given the power and flexibility to implement the program and announced last week that the checks will be mailed out in the next few days.
Massachusetts residents will be eligible for the $500 if their 2020 income from employment was at least $12,750 — and their total income put them below 300% of the federal poverty level. Residents who received any unemployment compensation in 2020 and executive branch employees who received or will receive a one-time payment from the state as their employer do not qualify for this first round of payments.
For more information about eligibility and other details, go to mass.gov/info- details/covid-19- essential- employee- premiumpay- program# eligibilityparameters or call 866750-9803 Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
$1.65 billion supplemental budget — The Senate, on a voice vote, without a roll call, approved its own version of a $1.65 billion fiscal 2022 supplemental budget. The House has approved a different version of the package and a conference committee will hammer out a compromise version.
Provisions include $700 million for the state’s COVID-19 response; extending until March 2023 several protections for tenants experiencing COVID19-related financial problems; $10 million for the Office of Immigrants and Refugees to support the resettlement of Ukrainian refugees; $346 million for resources to ensure that eligible Medicaid users are able to receive health care and medical services in their own home or local community; $100 million for cities and towns to repair potholes and roads and bridges; $5 million for the Department of Mental Health to expand clientele housing supports; $609,000 for additional staff to implement the Next Generation Roadmap for Massachusetts Climate Policy legislation; and $500,000 to expand the capacity of the Commission on the Status of Women.
One of the major differences from the House version is that the Senate version would require the state’s pension funds to terminate investments with any company that has been sanctioned by the United States as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine or is incorporated in Russia.
“The passage of this supplemental budget today addresses a number of time sensitive needs as we look to simultaneously support our ongoing response to COVID-19, while continuing our commonwealth’s recovery,” said Sen. Mike Rodrigues, DWestport, chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. “We made clear with the passage of this supplemental spending plan that we will always prioritize protecting our most vulnerable populations, supporting our health care and education workforce, investing in local infrastructure needs and taking the necessary steps to ensure vital public services will be available and accessible to all who need them across the commonwealth as we recover from the impacts of the pandemic.”
“Massachusetts has avoided the worst of the financial downside from this pandemic and its effects thanks to a history of careful financial planning and consistent investment in those programs and services which support public health and build resiliency in our communities and our commonwealth,” said Senate President Karen Spilka, D-ashland. “Today’s supplemental budget continues this trend by providing targeted funding to health care, housing, education and transportation needs. Importantly, this budget ensures that Massachusetts can continue to offer sanctuary to refugees fleeing from violence abroad even as war continues in Ukraine.”
Make adoption by family members easier — The House approved its own version of a Senate-approved bill that would repeal a current law that prohibits adoption of children by family members including older siblings, aunts and uncles. The proposal would allow these family members, with the permission of the county probate courts, to legally adopt their family members. Current law only allows these family members to apply to become a guardian. The Senate has approved a different version of the legislation and the House version now goes to the Senate for consideration.
“This simple change today would make a concrete difference tomorrow in the lives of so many in our commonwealth,” said House sponsor Rep. Jack Lewis, D-framingham. “Let’s imagine for a moment that I’m 30, and my biological mom had me when she was in high school. Thirty years later, I’ve secured stable housing, a stable job and I have met all the requirements to adopt a child here in the commonwealth. Let’s say I then learn that my younger sibling, let’s say they are 10, can no longer live with our biological mother … but because of this one line in Massachusetts law, I’m unable to provide my younger sibling the stability that comes with adoption. Yes, guardianship will be floated as a possibility, but … there is nothing as stabilizing to a young person than experiencing permanency, in this case through adoption.”
Allow noncitizens to vote — The Election Laws Committee recommended that a bill that would permit cities and towns to allow noncitizens over age 18 to vote in local municipal elections be shipped off to a study committee where bills are rarely actually studied and are essentially defeated. It is a way to kill a proposal without holding a vote on the bill itself. The elections in which non-citizens could vote include an election for mayor, school committee, city council, town council, board of selectmen, select board elections, a school committee referendum and a local ballot referendum,
“I filed this legislation to extend voting rights to certain noncitizen residents because our immigrant neighbors pay taxes, send their children to public schools, start businesses and contribute to our communities in other ways,” said Sponsor Rep. Mike Connolly, D- Cambridge. “They should be able to elect leaders and have a say in local politics just like anyone else. Extending the right to vote in municipal elections will strengthen our communities and give more residents a greater civic involvement and investment in politics that affect their daily lives.”
Mandatory pet carriers in cars – Mollie’s Law — The Transportation Committee held a virtual hearing on a proposal that would require that an animal riding inside a motor vehicle comply with at least one of the following: be kept in an enclosed crate; be under the physical control of a person other than the driver; or secured by a harness or seat belt.
The bill’s sponsor, Susan Grebber, a constituent of Rep. Susan Williams Gifford, D-wareham, explains that she was driving, with her chihuahua Mollie in a pet carrier, when a vehicle hit her car from behind at more than 90 mph.
“There is no doubt in my mind that Mollie’s pet carrier saved her life from being thrown out the back window or severely injured from all the glass that shattered everywhere,” Grebber said. “I see too many moving cars with their dogs’ head hanging out the window or sitting on the driver’s lap or just moving around too much. It’s not safe and we need to make Mollie’s Law an actual law like the state of Rhode Island has to protect our pets. We must protect our animals who are part of our family the same way.”
Assist municipal lighting plants to reduce greenhouse gas emissions — The Telecommunications Utilities and Energy Committee held a virtual hearing on a measure that would allow the state’s Department of Energy Resources to assist municipal lighting plants in their efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by facilitating collaboration between municipal lighting plants and other state, local, regional and federal agencies. The Department of Energy Resources would also be allowed to assist by providing these lighting plants with training; analytical tools to determine which greenhouse gas emission reduction and electrification programs and strategies to prioritize; information on state programs in which they are eligible to participate; and sample designs and materials for greenhouse gas emission reduction and electrification programs.
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 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 March 21-25, the House met for a total of 48 minutes and the Senate met for a total of 5 hours and 59 minutes.