Middleboro Review 2: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook:

Wednesday, May 11, 2022

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook:

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SANCTUARY STATES — Senate leaders are proposing $2 million in grants for abortion access, infrastructure and security as part of their nearly $49.7 billion budget proposal.

But Massachusetts is eyeing significantly less funding than other blue states now rushing to become sanctuaries for people seeking abortions should Roe v. Wade be struck down.

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul is pledging $35 million to support abortion providers. In California, lawmakers have proposed a $20 million state-administered fund to help patients with travel and other related costs as part of a package of more than a dozen bills to expand abortion access. Oregon created a $15 million Reproductive Health Equity Fund earlier this year in response to neighboring Idaho’s six-week abortion ban. Maryland’s Democratic-led legislature set aside $3.5 million for a clinical training program, though Republican Gov. Larry Hogan has now decided to withhold the funding.

The Empire State is also looking at replicating Connecticut’s new law extending legal protections to providers and out-of-state patients. Gov. Charlie Baker has signaled he’s open to the concept, but it’s yet to come up in the Legislature.

Keep in mind that Massachusetts is a much smaller state than New York or even California, where Planned Parenthood affiliates operate more than 100 clinics compared to four in the Bay State.

And the funding Bay State senators are proposing — up from the $500,000 the House passed in its budget — could, as CommonWealth Magazine’s Bruce Mohl reports , be a big budget boost for the three nonprofit abortion funds poised to benefit from taxpayer dollars. One of the groups, the Abortion Rights Fund of Western Massachusetts, told MassLive’s Alison Kuznitz the extra money “will be hugely helpful.”

Plus, unlike Hochul’s $35 million abortion fund, which relies on the state health commissioner’s emergency fund rather than a legislative appropriation, Senate Ways and Means Chair Michael Rodrigues signaled that making abortion funding a line item in Massachusetts’ budget rather than an earmark means it’s meant to last.

“Hope not,” Rodrigues said when asked if it’s something the Senate would look to fund in future years. “But we think it’s a very strong possibility that these funds are going to be necessary in the future.”

GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Republicans are gearing up for another tax battle on Beacon Hill after Senate budget writers followed their House counterparts in keeping tax breaks out of their fiscal 2023 budget.

Minority Leader Bruce Tarr said Republicans will propose “targeted tax relief” amendments to the budget. State Sen. Patrick O’Connor is calling for a “robust tax break package” that includes elements similar to Gov. Charlie Baker’s $700 million tax relief proposal. And state Sen. Ryan Fattman’s office said multiple gas tax relief efforts are on the table as amendments as prices at the pump again shatter records.

House Republicans failed to advance tax relief amendments during their budget debate. Top Democrats in both chambers remain uninterested in suspending the gas tax. And while Senate President Karen Spilka says she’s open to tax relief, she’s made clear it’s something she wants to tackle after the budget process. Rodrigues, the Senate budget chief, told reporters yesterday that senators have yet to engage in “serious discussions about any sort of tax changes.”

TODAY — Baker, U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu participate in a memorial service for civic leader Jerry Rappaport at 10 a.m. in Cambridge. Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito participates in a FutureSkills roadshow in Worcester at 9:30 a.m. Wu speaks at the Emerald Necklace Conservancy’s Party in the Park Luncheon at noon. The Boston Globe’s Shirley Leung moderates “Visibility and Vulnerability in America” with Tiffany Chu, Wu’s chief of staff, and other AAPI community members. GOP governor hopeful Geoff Diehl and running mate Leah Cole Allen host a tele-town hall at 7:30 p.m.

Tips? Scoops? Thoughts on Tom Brady becoming a NFL analyst if he ever retires? Email me: lkashinsky@politico.com.

A message from PhRMA:

Thousands of scientists in Massachusetts are creating ground-breaking treatments to fight everything from the common cold to cancer. Gov. Charlie Baker’s bill would let the government set prices on medications, limiting the amount of research scientists can do to create cures. More importantly, it might make some medications harder to get. Gov. Baker: let the scientists do their jobs, don’t discriminate against patients, and stop threatening access to medications. Go to SupportMassCures.com to learn more.

THE LATEST NUMBERS

— “Massachusetts reports 10% jump in COVID cases, hospitalizations eclipse 700 patients,” by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: “The state Department of Public Health reported 2,909 COVID-19 cases, a 10% increase from 2,651 infections recorded last Tuesday. … In the state’s weekly breakthrough report, the state reported 28,797 breakthrough infections last week — a 162% surge from the 10,982 fully vaccinated cases during the prior week.”

DATELINE BEACON HILL

— “Senate budget focuses on early education, mental health, local aid,” by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: “The state budget proposal released by the Senate Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday largely hews to the same ideology as the plan adopted by House budget writers: Avoid tax cuts, while putting excess money toward investments in areas such as early education, mental health care, and housing. … Two big policy initiatives included in the House budget – providing free phone calls to prison inmates and providing universal free school meals to all students – were left out of the Senate’s budget. That means it will be up to a conference committee to decide whether those policies make it into the final version. ‘I have no objection to it,’ [Senate Ways and Means Chair Michael] Rodrigues said when asked about both policies. ‘We just haven’t included it in our budget.’”

— "Blue states want to become abortion safe havens. It will cost them," by Lisa Kashinsky, Shia Kapos and Victoria Colliver, POLITICO: "Groups that operate clinics and run abortion access funds warn that they’ll need more money, more providers and more space to help care for the influx of people who will cross state lines to seek abortions. That means states hoping to protect access need to move fast to expand provider networks and deliver the financial support needed."

— “State looks to change health insurance rate setting process for individuals, small businesses,” by Jessica Bartlett, Boston Globe: “Consumer and business advocacy groups have long decried rising health insurance premiums, warning that health care has become increasingly unaffordable. The Massachusetts Division of Insurance has responded to the cries for action with draft regulations that, advocates say, could slow the growth of premiums and increase transparency into the rate setting process for hundreds of thousands of individuals and small businesses.”

— “Legislators drum up support for aid-in dying bill with approaching deadline,” by Sarah Betancourt, GBH News: “Advocates for two Massachusetts bills that would allow terminally ill people to end their own lives say the contentious topic has made it further than ever before on Beacon Hill. During a virtual briefing held Tuesday, the Compassion & Choices Action Network and the Death with Dignity National Center said they're hoping public support for aid-in-dying — exemplified by a new Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll, which found that nearly 77% of residents support the idea — could propel it to become law in the commonwealth.”

— UKRAINE AID: Democratic state Reps. Bruce Ayers of Quincy and Kay Khan of Newton recently teamed up with a bipartisan group of current and former South Shore elected officials to collect walkers, wheelchairs, crutches, canes and other durable medical equipment to ship to people in need in and around Ukraine as it remains under assault by Russia. The group collected about a hundred items over a few weeks. Ayers said his Quincy Helping Hand program will continue to collect equipment through mid-May.

“Thanks to the generosity of our communities, we were able to put together a good amount of equipment that will be very helpful to aid efforts in Ukraine,” Ayers said in a statement.

FROM THE HUB

— “Mayor Wu announces expansion of early college programs for Boston students,” by Adria Watson, Boston Globe: “Boston Mayor Michelle Wu on Tuesday announced the expansion of six new early college programs and innovative pathways at five high schools in Boston for the 2022-2023 school year.”

— “Neo-Nazi group spotted at St. Patrick’s Day parade remains active in Boston,” by Ross Cristantiello, Boston.com: “NSC-131 is far from the only hate group active in Massachusetts. In 2021, The Southern Poverty Law Center tracked 14 hate groups operating in the state. They represent neo-Nazi, anti-LGBTQ, anti-Muslim, and white nationalist ideals, according to SPLC.”

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ON THE STUMP

— “‘Culture change needs to start from a governor’: Sonia Chang-Díaz on her bid for governor,” by Rebecca Tauber, GBH News: “On Attorney General Maura Healey, largely considered the frontrunner in the race, [state Sen. Sonia] Chang-Díaz criticized her opponent as not strong enough on justice issues. … She also criticized Gov. Charlie Baker on the student debt crisis and how his administration handled the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home, calling his identity as a moderate conservative, in contrast with much of the national Republican party, ‘a very low bar.’”

— More: “Chang-Díaz ‘feels solid’ about the Democratic convention, shifts focus to undecided voters,” by Samantha J. Gross, Boston Globe: “On GBH News’ Boston Public Radio Tuesday, the Jamaica Plain Democrat said between the support she’s garnered on the campaign trail and the large number of undecided delegates, she is confident she’ll reach the 15 percent threshold required to be placed on the primary ballot alongside front-runner Attorney General Maura Healey, who is leading Chang-Díaz by just about every metric. … And while Chang-Díaz has struggled to find opportunities to directly challenge Healey on bigger public stages, her schedule indicates that she’s been attempting to make inroads with communities beyond Boston in an effort to make it through the convention.”

— ALLEN ON MANDATES: Leah Cole Allen, a registered nurse and former state representative who’s campaigning for lieutenant governor as Geoff Diehl’s running mate, says she’s been let go from her job at Beverly Hospital, where she worked through most of the pandemic, for not getting the Covid-19 vaccine.

“Unfortunately my beloved Beverly Hospital let me go,” Allen said on the North Shore podcast “Breaking Bread with Joe Piantedosi” on its Mother’s Day episode.

“Everybody should do what’s right for them. If you feel that you’re protected by the Covid vaccine, you should absolutely get it. But I also think that people should have a choice if they want to take it or not, and I don’t believe it should be tied to your employment,” said Allen, who noted she didn’t get the jab because she was pregnant and is still breastfeeding.

— SIGNATURE MOVES: State Rep. Tami Gouveia says she has enough signatures to get on the ballot for lieutenant governor. Rep. Seth Moulton says he’s secured his spot for reelection in MA-06, and that no other Democrat pulled nomination papers to primary him. State Rep. Lenny Mirra also said his campaign submitted more than enough signatures to make the ballot in the Second Essex district.

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— “The MBTA's general manager says he will work with federal investigators on safety issues,” by Bob Seay, GBH News: “Stephen Poftak, the general manager of the MBTA, said the agency will work with the Federal Transit Administration as it reviews its safety procedures following several serious accidents over the past year. His comment follows a letter the agency received from the FTA last month, and reporters obtained this week, in which the federal agency said it was ‘extremely concerned with the ongoing safety issues’ at the agency.”

DAY IN COURT

— “Judge finds celebrity chef Mario Batali not guilty of indecently assaulting woman at Boston bar,” by Ivy Scott and Travis Andersen, Boston Globe: “A Boston Municipal Court judge on Tuesday found celebrity chef Mario Batali not guilty of indecently assaulting a woman during an encounter at a downtown bar in 2017.”

— “Springfield teacher who was threatened, abused by students awarded nearly $1 million after federal jury finds schools violated Americans with Disabilities Act,” by Will Katcher, MassLive: “A federal jury has awarded a former Springfield teacher nearly $1 million after finding that the city’s school district did not make reasonable accommodations to her medical needs, effectively forcing her out of a job she held for more than three decades.”

A message from PhRMA:

WARREN REPORT

— “Elizabeth Warren is ‘just plain wrong’ to blame corporations for high inflation, Chamber of Commerce CEO says,” by Matt Egan, CNN Business: “US Chamber of Commerce CEO Suzanne Clark is pushing back against Senator Elizabeth Warren and others who blame high inflation on dominant corporations. … Warren responded to the Chamber of Commerce CEO’s comments by pointing out that more than 75% of US industries, from agriculture to healthcare, have less competition than 20 years ago.”

— “Judge won’t make Sen. Warren retract letter about COVID book,” by Gene Johnson, The Associated Press: “A federal judge in Seattle has declined to order Sen. Elizabeth Warren to retract statements she made criticizing a book that promotes misinformation about COVID-19 and suggesting that companies that sold it might face liability.”

DATELINE D.C.

— “Democratic support for SCOTUS expansion grows after leak,” by Emily Brooks, The Hill: “Support for a bill to expand the Supreme Court has ticked up among House Democrats in the aftermath of a leaked opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade becoming public. … Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) leads companion legislation to the Judiciary Act of 2021 in the Senate that is co-sponsored by Sens. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), but it has not seen the same wave of new support in the aftermath of the leak.”

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FROM THE 413

— “Register of Deeds Cheryl Coakley-Rivera calls on gubernatorial candidate Maura Healey to back new Springfield courthouse,” by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican: “Hampden Register of Deeds Cheryl Coakley-Rivera wants Attorney General Maura Healy, frontrunner for the Democratic nomination for governor, to throw her weight behind a new Springfield courthouse. Healey has been reluctant to talk about the courthouse because she was charged in defending the state in a lawsuit brought by Coakley-Rivera and others. But the suit is settled now with the state agreeing to a long list of repairs , improvements and to keep courthouse workers involved and informed. … In a written statement from her campaign, Healey would only support the study, not make a commitment to build [a] new courthouse.”

— “UMass grad students urge Biden to cancel student debt,” by Scott Merzbach, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “Graduate student employees at the University of Massachusetts are calling on President Joe Biden to issue an executive order canceling all student debt. A resolution unanimously adopted Thursday by the Graduate Employee Organization, United Auto Workers 2322, which has almost 2,500 members at UMass, cites inflation, ongoing contract talks with the administration that could reduce salaries, and the concept that education is a right that should be accessible for everyone as reasons for Biden to take action.”

— “Chronic homelessness just doubled across western Massachusetts. Experts are clear about why,” by Greta Jochem, Berkshire Eagle: “Across all four western Massachusetts counties, 2,836 people faced homelessness one night in February. That's an increase from last year. The number of chronically homeless people more than doubled. The reasons are known. The solutions remain elusive.”

— “Amherst begins wastewater testing for COVID virus,” by Jim Russell, Springfield Republican: “The town has begun testing the municipal wastewater system for the concentration of the COVID-19 virus. … Data from the first test on April 23 to the most recent, May 4, shows 20% increase in concentration of the virus in the town’s wastewater system.”

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— "Mass. will soon post complaints against police officers online. But some will be missing," by Grace Ferguson, WBUR: "Massachusetts plans to launch a new online database later this month with thousands of complaints against law enforcement officers across the state. But some information will be missing, according to the people who compiled the records. ... More than a dozen agencies still haven’t submitted their data to the state yet. Some departments have only provided complaints for the last few years, even though some officers have worked in the state for decades. And the commission plans to deliberately leave out complaints that are still under investigation."

— "Mass. Latino communities ‘struggling’ with employment, educational opportunities, report finds," by Tiana Woodard, Boston Globe: "The state’s Latino population is among the most diverse in the country. Yet, they lag behind other groups in Massachusetts and nationwide when it comes to economic, educational, and health outcomes, according to a report released by Boston Indicators, UMass Boston’s Mauricio Gastón Institute for Latino Community Development and Public Policy, and the Latino Equity Fund."

— “Massachusetts confirms state’s first two cases of unexplained hepatitis in children,” by Jessica Bartlett, Boston Globe: “Massachusetts is investigating two cases of pediatric hepatitis of unknown origin, the state’s first such cases since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a nationwide health alert April 21 asking doctors to look out for unexplained cases of liver damage in children.”

MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

— “Fox News host Sean Hannity endorses Republican Gail Huff Brown in N.H. congressional race,” by Travis Andersen, Boston Globe: “Former Boston television reporter Gail Huff Brown, a New Hampshire Republican congressional candidate who’s married to former Ambassador Scott Brown, is trumpeting the endorsement she’s received from Fox News personality Sean Hannity.”

A message from PhRMA:

Massachusetts is a booming biotech ecosystem. Its scientists and researchers are developing ground-breaking treatments to fight everything from the common cold to cancer.

Gov. Charlie Baker’s bill imposes government prices on medications, which would then limit the amount of research scientists can do to create lifesaving treatments. By setting medication prices, it also means politicians decide which patients and diseases are more important than others.

State bureaucrats should not be playing doctor. When the government imposes artificial prices from the top-down, some patients can lose access to their medications. Seniors, the disabled, and the chronically ill are most vulnerable to these policies.

Gov. Baker: let the scientists and doctors do their jobs, don’t discriminate against patients, and stop threatening access to medications. Go to SupportMassCures.com to learn more.

MEDIA MATTERS

— “New York Times veteran James Dao is named editorial page editor of The Boston Globe,” by Larry Edelman, Boston Globe.

TRANSITIONS — Daily Item alum Gayla Cawley is now a reporter at the Boston Herald.

SPOTTED — at President Joe Biden’s Cinco de Mayo reception last week at the White House: state representative hopeful and Chelsea City Councilor Judith García.

ALSO SPOTTED — Labor Secretary Marty Walsh ordering some Dunks ... in Korea.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to state Treasurer Deb Goldberg, Phil Sanzo, Bryan Barash, Greg Piatelli, Nicole Landset Blank and Kasey Poulin.

Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com.

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