Middleboro Review 2: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Beacon Hill’s to-do list

Friday, July 26, 2024

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Beacon Hill’s to-do list

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DOWN TO THE WIRE — Gun reform legislation? Check.

An IT bond bill, wage transparency legislation and a Fiscal Year 2025 budget? On the governor’s desk.

A housing bill, health care overhauls, or an economic development omnibus? …TBD.

With less than one week left before the end of formal sessions for the year, lawmakers are racing to hash out details on a host of major bills. Here’s a breakdown of where things stand.

IN NEGOTIATIONS:

— HOUSING: It’s Gov. Maura Healey’s top priority. Healey went big with her $4 billion housing bond bill. Both chambers went bigger: the House-approved bill came in at $6.5 billion, and the Senate's at $5.4 billion — though actual spending likely won’t reach either number.

All three versions had similarities, but the House included $1 billion in bond authorizations to expand the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, as well as a proposal for an office-to-residential tax credit program. The Senate tacked on authorizations for grants for rural and small towns, and included a closely-watched provision that would keep broker’s fees from being passed off to renters.

— HEALTH CARE: Both chambers have approved their own versions of bills aimed at lowering prescription drug costs and overhauling hospital oversight in the midst of the Steward Health Care crisis. The Senate has long sought new pharmaceutical regulations, while the Steward-inspired bill is among House Speaker Ron Mariano’s top priorities.

— ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT: Negotiators will have to haggle over how much borrowing to authorize for the life sciences sector (the Senate bill scaled back investments the House and Healey called for). Other notable policies that could come of a compromise: Local option happy hour, a new name for the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, raising the age of juvenile jurisdiction and legislation clearing the way for a new soccer stadium on a plot of land in Everett that the Kraft group has been eyeing as a potential home for the New England Revolution.

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, who raised concerns about the stadium proposal before it was dropped from a budget compromise last year, hasn’t changed her tune. And Boston City Councilor Sharon Durkan, a steadfast Wu ally, highlighted her own opposition in a statement posted on X last night, saying Boston officials have been “sidelined and ignored” in transportation planning discussions.

Other bills currently in conference: climate legislation that would update the siting and permitting process for clean energy; a veterans’ service bill; a Healey bill that would let the state redirect interest from the “Rainy Day” fund to help chase more federal money.

WHAT ELSE COULD END UP ON THE TABLE:

A lot. There’s still a handful of bills that only one chamber has passed — and many more that neither has taken up yet. One bit of last minute intrigue so far: Wu’s home rule petition that would allow the city to temporarily adjust its property tax burden was reported out of the Revenue Committee favorably yesterday — after an hours-long hearing in which several lawmakers, including the committee’s chairs, sounded skeptical about the proposal.

GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS . TGIF!

TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey has no public events. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, Democratic Whip Katherine Clark and MBTA General Manager Phil Eng celebrate federal funding for the Wellesley Square Commuter Rail Station at 10:30 a.m. in Wellesley.

THIS WEEKEND — CommonWealth Beacon's Gin Dumcius is on WBZ’s “Keller @ Large” at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. Sen. Elizabeth Warren is on WCVB’s “On the Record” at 11 a.m. Sunday.

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2024 WATCH

FROM ONE FORMER PROSECUTOR TO ANOTHER — Healey jumped back into her surrogate role last night, hopping on the “Out For Kamala Harris” call with a host of LGBTQ+ celebrities, all boosting the vice president’s campaign.

Healey implored listeners to donate to Harris, and didn’t miss the chance to knock former President Donald Trump for walking back his promise to debate the likely Democratic nominee in the fall.

"Kamala Harris is a person of strength, of grace, of empathy, of compassion, and yes, she is tough — which is probably why Donald Trump backed out of a debate tonight,” Healey said on the call.

— “Former Gov. Deval Patrick ready for VP Harris' trip to Berkshire County Saturday,” by Ian Pickus, WAMC Northeast Public Radio.

— “As Pittsfield readies for Kamala Harris' visit, women in politics see hope for future,” by Greg Sukiennik, The Berkshire Eagle.

— “Online voter registration spikes in Massachusetts following Biden dropout,” by Alexi Cohan, GBH News: “Online voter registration in Massachusetts shot up immediately following Joe Biden’s announcement he would no longer seek reelection, signaling renewed engagement and enthusiasm in the election, especially among young voters, organizers say. … [T]he Massachusetts secretary of state’s office recorded 7,779 online voter registrations from Sunday to Wednesday. That figure was 3,934 from Sunday to Wednesday the week before.”

HAIRY TOPIC — “Yes, JD Vance’s Beard Matters. Here’s Why,” by Emily Schultheis, POLITICO.

DATELINE BEACON HILL

LOOK WHO’S HERE — Healey will meet with Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer today, her office confirmed. Whitmer hit the campaign trail for Vice President Kamala Harris in New Hampshire yesterday and is in town for a fundraiser for her PAC today.

— “Massachusetts Ice Cream Trail makes its sweet debut,” by Diego Lopez, GBH News: “The Massachusetts Ice Cream Trail is officially up and running. The tasty trail includes more than 100 destinations — covering every county of the state — that use Massachusetts dairy products in their treats. … The initiative is a collaboration between the Massachusetts Dairy Promotion Board, the Department of Agricultural Resources, the Office of Travel and Tourism and local dairy farmers.”

Pro Briefing: Kamala Harris and the World. What we expect on foreign policy and trade. Join POLITICO Pro for a deep-dive conversation with our specialist reporters about the vice president’s approach to foreign policy. Register Now .

MIGRANTS IN MASSACHUSETTS

— “Healey administration taps consultants to guide shelter changes,” by Deirdre Fernandes, Samantha J. Gross and Stephanie Ebbert, The Boston Globe: “Accenture, a global professional services firm, had been working on the Massachusetts shelter system since 2022, helping to support an intake phone line and training homeless coordinators, before working on a policy to shorten stays in shelter. For its work with the state housing agency since June 20, 2023, Accenture made about $5 million. The state amended the contract in May and estimated spending another $6 million through June 2025.”

— “Report: Mass. faces fiscal 'time bomb' over migrants,” by Christian M. Wade, The Eagle-Tribune: “Massachusetts is facing a fiscal ‘time bomb’ from the cost providing welfare benefits for tens of thousands of migrants who've arrived in the state over the past year amid a historic surge of immigration, according to a new report. The report, released by the conservative Washington, D.C.-based Center for Immigration Studies, found the estimated 50,000 migrants who have arrived in the Bay State since 2021 are likely to become a major burden on taxpayers in the short, and long term, as they qualify for public welfare and other benefits.”

— “Afghan refugees on the North Shore find homes through a creative plan that could help many more,” by Lynn Jolicoeur, WBUR.

FROM THE HUB

— “Boston City Council looks to protect workers during extreme heat,” by Zeninjor Enwemeka, WBUR: “After Boston's recent heat emergency and record-breaking highs this summer, the city council is examining ways to protect workers from extreme heat. The council's labor, workforce and economic development committee held a hearing Wednesday to discuss the matter with public health experts, workers' rights advocates and organized labor groups.”

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PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— “T hires Keolis to electrify Fairmount commuter rail line,” by Buce Mohl, CommonWealth Beacon: “The MBTA hired Keolis Commuter Services to serve as a general contractor of sorts overseeing the buildout of battery electric train service on the Fairmount commuter rail line, which runs through Boston for about 10 miles connecting Readville and South Station. The contract was hailed as a historic first step toward decarbonizing the MBTA’s commuter rail fleet, a step that was first authorized by the board overseeing the T in 2019. But steering the business to Keolis, whose contract with the T is coming to an end and is being put out to bid, didn’t sit well with several members of the board.”

YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — District 6 Governor’s Councilor Terrence Kennedy is endorsing Tom Driscoll for Essex County Clerk of Court, according to Driscoll's campaign.

ORDER UP — “Massachusetts ballot question numbers finalized ahead of November election,” by Rachel Andriacchi, WCVB.

FROM THE 413

— “Amherst-Pelham Regional Schools already talking budget for next year,” by Scott Merzbach, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “Continued fallout from the approved $35.27 million fiscal year 2025 budget for the Amherst-Pelham Regional Schools, which exceeded financial guidelines set by the town of Amherst while falling short of maintaining all existing staff and programs, is prompting school officials to get an early start on discussing next year’s budget.”

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— “Lowell City Council appoints Corey Belanger to District 3 seat despite calls for special election,” by Peter Currier, The Lowell Sun: “The City Council voted 6-4 Tuesday evening to reject a motion by Councilor Wayne Jenness to reconsider a July 9 vote to allow District 3 residents to submit their names for appointment to the district’s City Council seat. With Councilor John Leahy’s seat now vacated, former City Councilor Corey Belanger was selected by the remaining councilors to fill it, dashing the hopes of some for a special election in Belvidere.”

— “Fall River takes a deep dive into making trash collection cheaper,” Jo C. Goode, The Herald News.

MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

GRANITE STATE BUMP — A new candidate is making all the difference for Democrats in New Hampshire.

Two new polls taken after President Joe Biden dropped out and endorsed Kamala Harris to succeed him atop the ticket show the vice president leading former President Donald Trump by half a dozen percentage points in the Granite State — outside of the margin of error for both the University of New Hampshire and the Saint Anselm polls.

It’s a stark reversal from the post-debate Saint Anselm poll that showed Trump had erased Biden’s lead in this blue-leaning swing state — one that sent some Democrats into a tailspin over their November prospects . Now, several Democrats told my colleague Lisa Kashinsky in New Hampshire yesterday — where they gathered to hear from Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Harris’ campaign co-chair and a potential VP pick (even though Whitmer insists she wants to finish out her term back home) — that they haven’t seen this much energy behind a Democratic pick since Barack Obama in 2008.

“The last four months, I couldn’t sleep. I wouldn’t let Jeannie [Shaheen] turn the TV on, because I didn’t want to see it. And it was tough, because I was worried,” the senator’s husband, Bill Shaheen, said while helping introduce Whitmer at a house party in Durham. Now? “We’ve got the right candidate,” he told Lisa. “It is euphoric.”

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HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Tamara Small and Hadley Holmes.

HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND — to Mike Cusher, Linda Feldmann, Anna Fletcher and Miles Ketchum, who celebrate Saturday ; and to Sunday birthday-ers Beata Coloyan, executive director of Boston’s Office of Neighborhood Services; Ayla Brown and to retired Daily Hampshire Gazette editor and Northampton City Councilor Stanley Moulton.

A message from CVS Health:

CVS Caremark works every day to put medicine within reach of people who need it. Our members have an average out-of-pocket cost of less than $8 for a 30-day supply of medication, and we’re actively working to bring down costs for plan sponsors and their members.

Learn more about how we’re making medicine more affordable for all Americans.

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