Middleboro Review 2: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Charlie Baker’s belated win

Thursday, June 20, 2024

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Charlie Baker’s belated win

ALMOST SIGNED, SEALED & DELIVERED — In a few hours, Massachusetts will finally fulfill one of former Gov. Charlie Baker’s top legislative priorities.

But it’ll be his successor who gets to sign the bill banning “revenge porn,” making Massachusetts the 49th state in the country to criminalize sending or posting sexually explicit photos or videos of others without their consent.

Gov. Maura Healey is gathering advocates, survivors and the lawmakers who helped hash out the details of the compromise bill that both chambers approved and sent to her desk last week for the bill signing ceremony at the State House this morning.

Baker tried to propel the bill through the Legislature for three consecutive sessions, and he and former Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito hosted several roundtables with victims to help highlight support for the cause, to no avail. The Republican governor cited the inability to get the legislation across the finish line as one of his few regrets from his eight years in office. Now Democrats who control both chambers have delivered the bill to his Democratic successor.

It’s the second major policy Baker went to war for that the Legislature has now delivered on under Healey. The package of tax cuts Healey signed last year was built upon a proposal Baker had nearly successfully pushed the year before — until a massive tax haul triggered a little-known law that required the state to give back $3 billion to taxpayers and ground tax-relief talks to a halt.

Healey often highlights the tax cuts as one of her biggest legislative achievements to date. Some flack from progressives hasn’t slowed the victory lap — the governor’s political arm released a 30-second digital ad ahead of April’s tax filing deadline this year promoting the cuts and credits included in the $1 billion bill.

But unlike with tax relief — where House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka cited the new governor as one of the factors that got them on board with the bill — finding agreement on the revenge porn legislation “had nothing to do with the administration,” state Rep. Michael Day, the House chair of the Judiciary Committee, told reporters last week. “This was the two branches,” Mariano added.

Baker and Polito are putting the bill’s passage in the win column. The team was “thrilled” to see it moving forward, Polito said in a statement last week, calling the protections it will provide “overdue.”

Meanwhile, Baker is still quietly lobbying for another piece of unfinished business: legislation that would expand the list of crimes that require a dangerousness hearing.

“Former LG Karyn Polito and I tried — for years — along with a large community of victims of domestic abuse and child sexual assaults — to get Massachusetts lawmakers to deal with this gaping hole in our laws concerning dangerous individuals. We could not get it done, and now an innocent young girl is dead,” Baker posted on Facebook , linking to a Boston Globe editorial detailing a 16-year-old Acton girl’s murder. “C’mon folks,” he added, “Please make this happen.”

GOOD THURSDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS . Hope everyone has been staying cool the past couple days. WBUR and NBC10 Boston have tips on how to beat the heat.

TODAY — Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll host the signing ceremony at 10 a.m. at the State House. Healey attends a ribbon cutting at 11:30 a.m. in Somerville and announces new affordable housing development grants at 2:30 p.m. in Danvers. Attorney General Andrea Campbell hosts a drag story hour at 4 p.m. in Boston. State Auditor Diana DiZoglio speaks at the American Legion Auxiliary Massachusetts Girls State Conference at 2 p.m. in North Easton and attends the WORK Inc. annual fundraiser at 6 p.m. in Quincy.

Tips? Scoops? Birthdays? Email me: kgarrity@politico.com.

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DATELINE BEACON HILL

— “State watchdog calls on Mass. lawmakers to appoint receiver for ‘rudderless’ cannabis commission,” by Matt Stout, The Boston Globe: “A state watchdog on Tuesday asked lawmakers to quickly appoint a receiver to handle day-to-day operations at the state’s beleaguered cannabis regulatory agency, arguing it has become a “rudderless” steward of Massachusetts’ nascent $7 billion legal cannabis industry. Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro’s call to legislative leaders further ratcheted up scrutiny of the Cannabis Control Commission, which has been beset by a series of scandals, high-profile job vacancies, and resignations.”

— “More Than 1,300 Added To Payroll Amid Healey Hiring Controls,” by Sam Drysdale, State House News Service (paywall): “Gov. Maura Healey in April imposed controls on state government hiring, citing slumping state tax collections. Since then, tax receipts have rebounded and the Executive Branch has quietly hired 1,304 new employees. The total cost of new hires to Healey's administration has been $87.1 million since the hiring restrictions went into effect on April 3, according to publicly available payroll data confirmed by the comptroller's office and the Executive Office of Administration and Finance.”

— “Business leaders push back on rising health plan costs,” by Christian M. Wade, The Eagle-Tribune: “The state Division of Insurance is reviewing proposals from large commercial insurers to increase premium rates by an average of 8.4% next year for merged group health plans offered to businesses with 50 or fewer employees. The insurance rate hikes, if approved by regulators, would far exceed the 3.6% benchmark for health care costs set by the Massachusetts Health Policy Commission, an agency that tracks health care spending. But business leaders say the higher rates would add to mounting financial pressure on private employers that already includes rising labor and energy costs, as well as a paid family and sick leave law.”

— “Massachusetts 911 outage Tuesday caused by security glitch, officials say,” by Todd Prussman and Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: “The statewide 911 outage on Tuesday was caused by a firewall security system built into the emergency notification network, according to a preliminary finding by the state. The Massachusetts 911 Department and the service’s third-party managing contractor, Comtech, determined that a firewall prevented calls from going through the system for two hours on Tuesday, from approximately 1:15-3:15 p.m., according to an update from the department.”

RELATED — “A statewide 911 crash? That’s not supposed to happen,” by Hiawatha Bray, The Boston Globe.

— “Beacon Hill marks Juneteenth with calls to protect education, pursue reparations,” by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald.

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR

NOTICE THAT STUDENT PROTESTS ARE CALLED 'PRO-PALESTINIAN' & NOT ANTI-GENOCIDE!

— “Emerson College to cut faculty positions amid enrollment decline linked to campus protests, crackdown,” by Daniel Kool, The Boston Globe: “Emerson College will lay off staff and not fill some vacant positions in fiscal year 2025 to account for an enrollment decline it said was caused in part by ‘negative press and social media’ from pro-Palestinian demonstrations and subsequent arrests, according to an email sent to faculty and staff Tuesday. President Jay Bernhardt wrote that the enrollment decline is expected to be isolated to one year, but the decline will ripple through the budget for the next few fiscal years.”

FROM THE HUB

— “50 years after desegregation order, how do Boston schools teach it?,” by Saraya Wintersmith, GBH News.

MEDIA MATTERS

— “Cambridge is considering a controversial approach to saving local news: Having the city pay for it,” by Spencer Buell, The Boston Globe: “The Cambridge City Council is weighing a proposal that would see the city pay $100,000 each year to support local news, pointing to the role a robust free press plays in monitoring city policy and keeping residents informed about and involved in the decisions that impact their neighborhoods. If enacted, the effort would be unprecedented in the U.S., experts say, and raises ethical questions about journalistic independence: Could a newsroom that relies on funding from a city council be trusted to reveal wrongdoing at City Hall?”

YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS

ENDORSEMENT CORNER — Attorney General Andrea Campbell is endorsing Rep. Jeff Jackson in his bid for attorney general in North Carolina. More background on Jackson's bid from POLITICO's Madison Fernandez.

— 1866 Action Fund is endorsing a slate of district and county candidates a few months out from September’s primary. The list includes several incumbent state legislators: state Sens. Liz Miranda and Lydia Edwards; and state Reps. Brandy Fluker-Oakley, Russell Holmes, Chynah Tyler, Chris Worrell and Marcus Vaughn.

The PAC is also backing some candidates vying for open House seats: Arielle Faria in the Cape & Islands district, Leigh Davis in the 3rd Berkshire, and Clinton Graham in the 7th Norfolk. And it's supporting Johnnie McKnight, who is challenging incumbent state Rep. Bud Williams. Williams did not submit the group’s questionnaire before the deadline, according to its founder Reynolds Graves .

Outside the legislature, 1866 is throwing its support behind Tamisha Civil for Governor’s Council in District 2 and Eunice Zeigler in District 5; Allison Cartwright in her bid for Suffolk County Supreme Judicial Court clerk; Stephanie Everett’s bid for Suffolk County Register of Probate; and Faustina “Kathy” Gabriel for Suffolk County clerk of civil courts.

Graves, a lobbyist and campaign consultant who served as campaign manager for Harvard professor Danielle Allen ’s gubernatorial bid, founded the PAC last year to support Black candidates in down-ballot races . The plan is to provide paid media for all of the PAC's endorsed candidates, according to Graves.

PARTY POLITICS

PARTY PLAY — The MassGOP is celebrating a nod from the Republican National Committee in what it says is a “monumental milestone” for the Massachusetts Republican Party. The RNC added the MassGOP to its “Chairman’s Circle,” according to the MassGOP — the latest sign the state party is back in the fold with the national operation.

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DAY IN COURT

— “Jasiel Correia doubles down on allegations of extortion against his ex-lawyer,” by Jo C. Goode, The Herald News: “Former [Fall River] mayor Jasiel Correia II is not giving up on his bid for early release from his six-year prison sentence, doubling down in a response to prosecutors' opposition and continuing to argue that he’s the victim of ineffective assistance of counsel by his defense attorney, Kevin Reddington.”

FROM THE 413

— “Akers Age Waiver Likely to Move on Beacon Hill Soon, but with Cap on His Pension,” by Matt Szafranski, Western Mass Politics & Insight.

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— “Facing budget shortfall, Worcester school leaders urge state funding account for inflation,” by Kinga Borondy, Telegram & Gazette: “Without a fix to a state funding formula to adjust for two years of skyrocketing inflation, 219 school districts, many of them larger urban districts, will struggle to close budget gaps and be forced to make program and staff cuts, according to a report that will be released this week. The Massachusetts Education Justice Alliance calculates the shortfall to be $465 million.”

— “These are the 2024 Black leaders of Mass., chosen by MassLive readers,” by Dave Eisenstadter, MassLive.

— “Divided Worcester City Council votes to keep Mill Street redesign, for now,” by Marco Cartolano, Telegram & Gazette.

— “AG cautions Sandwich town committee about open meeting law lapses,” by Rachael Devaney, Cape Cod Times.

— “City clamps down on sober homes and lodging houses,” by Grace Ferguson and Arthur Hirsch, The New Bedford Light: “This month, the city sent letters to more than a dozen sober houses telling them they need a lodging house license, which could require costly building upgrades. And the city has taken court action against two sober houses to investigate them for code violations. Some people in the recovery community say the city appears to be targeting sober houses. … City spokesperson Jonathan Darling says the city is routinely enforcing the law the same way it does for all properties. The city sent licensing letters to all properties that qualified as lodging houses under state law, he said.”

HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

TRANSITIONS — Brooke Barton has joined the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center as its new chief operating officer.

Jennifer Tracey is the new chief program officer at RIZE Massachusetts. She was director of the Boston Mayor’s Office of Recovery Services.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to state Sen. Sal DiDomenico, Mark Gardner, The Boston Globe’s Samantha J. Gross, Eagle-Tribune alum Breanna Edelstein, Tom Tripicco, Sydney Asbury, and Anastasia Nicolaou. Happy belated to Ann Scales, Sen. Ed Markey campaign alum Liz Vlock, Galen Clark, Seth Stevenson and Katie Burke, who celebrated Wednesday.

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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