Middleboro Review 2: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Never ending legislating

Thursday, November 14, 2024

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Never ending legislating

THE ~~PARTY~~ SESSION NEVER ENDS — A steady stream of bills have made it to Gov. Maura Healey’s desk since legislators ended their last formal session this summer with a pile of legislation still stuck in conference committee negotiations.

That could become the new legislative normal. Senate President Karen Spilka and House Speaker Ron Mariano both are open to the idea of scrapping the deadline.

It’s one they’ve already somewhat regularly been blowing by: In 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic threw a wrench in legislating; and in 2022, ballooning state revenues triggered an almost-forgotten tax cap law, sending billions in rebates back to taxpayers and scuttling talks of a tax relief bill.

No global pandemic or mandatory tax rebates shook negotiations this year, but lawmakers still wrapped a marathon session without deals on a slew of closely watched bills.

Still, compromises have since emerged on several of them — including bills dealing with maternal health, liquor licenses in Boston and attacking federal funds to the state — and lawmakers in both chambers adjusted to pave the way for the passage of the hulking economic development bond bill they’re voting on today.

Whether Democratic leaders will decide to officially ditch the deadline, created decades ago to avoid lame-duck lawmaking and free up lawmakers during peak campaign season, is “up for discussion,” Spilka said yesterday after huddling with Mariano and Healey.

"I think our rules are constantly evolving depending upon how the sessions go,” she told reporters.

Mariano concurred: "I think it is time that we sort of reassess the difficulties that we had this year and ways that we can maybe improve and not have a repeat performance that necessitates us going to the end of the year,” he said.

Changing the rules comes with a caveat: House and Senate negotiators would likely need to agree on joint rules, something they still haven’t done with less than two months left until the end of the current two-year session.

That doesn’t mean they couldn’t start giving less weight to the mid-summer cut-off for formal lawmaking — though there’s minor risk involved with trying to push bills through during informal sessions, where a single objection can cause delays.

But both leaders pointed to the work they’ve been able to get done this fall.

“Maybe,” Mariano posited, “July 31 is an arbitrary deadline."

GOOD THURSDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Tips? Scoops? Thoughts on the legislative calendar? Drop me a line: kgarrity@politico.com

TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey speaks at a Health Policy Commission hearing at 9:30 a.m. in Boston, delivers remarks at a luncheon honoring MOAR Executive Director Maryanne Frangules at 12:15 p.m. at the State House, swears in Justice Amy Blake as the next Chief of the Massachusetts Appeals at 1 p.m. and meets with electeds from Derry and Donegal at 1:30 p.m. in her office. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll speaks at Salem State’s Cyber Range ribbon cutting at 9 a.m. in Salem. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu speaks at the Italian Consulate of Boston’s Festival of Italian Creativity at 6:15 p.m. downtown. State Auditor Diana DiZoglio attends the Merrimack Valley YMCA Annual Meeting at 6 p.m. in Lawrence.

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DATELINE BEACON HILL

— “Beacon Hill’s most powerful Democrats still considering whether to tinker with audit law after election,” by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: “The two most powerful Democrats in the Massachusetts Legislature said they are still considering whether to tinker with a voter-approved law that grants more power to the State Auditor’s Office to investigate the inner workings of the House and Senate. House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka again indicated Wednesday they could ask their members to make changes to a successful ballot question that was championed by State Auditor Diana DiZolgio, a former state lawmaker who regularly clashed with leadership.”

FROM THE HUB

— “The Boston City Council demanded a USPS official come testify on mail delays. The Post Office said, nah,” by Niki Griswold, The Boston Globe: “In a letter sent to the Boston City Council on Tuesday, a top USPS lawyer informed the councilors he would not allow Joshua Balcunas, Boston’s postmaster, to testify before the council, defying a rare subpoena the council issued last month to compel him to participate in a hearing on reported mail delivery delays.”

THE RACE FOR CITY HALL

FROM THE OPINION PAGES — “Trump, Wu, and Josh Kraft: How last week’s election will shape next year’s race for Boston mayor,” by Shirley Leung, The Boston Globe: “Last week Josh Kraft — the leading prospective challenger to [Boston Mayor Michelle] Wu — was calling around to gauge whether the shifting political landscape would help or hurt his candidacy. As far as I can tell, Kraft — whose father is Robert Kraft, the billionaire owner of the New England Patriots — has yet to decide whether to enter the race. The central questions for any contender: Does Trump’s election create a wider lane for a moderate Democrat to challenge Wu? Or will Boston voters rally around her as a bulwark against Trump? The answer depends on who you ask.”

… OR — “Country’s sharp right turn could lead a pathway for Ed Flynn in Boston mayor’s race,” by Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald: “Donald Trump’s gains across all of the voting wards in Boston – a 5% bump from 2020 that was even bigger in blue-collar districts and in South Boston and Dorchester — make it less daunting for a candidate like the Southie city councilor to take on [Boston Mayor Michelle] Wu.”

— “Methuen mayoral candidates outline positions in debate,” by Teddy Tauscher, The Eagle-Tribune.

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DAY IN COURT

— “City of Boston sues chef Barbara Lynch for $1.7 million in unpaid taxes,” by Janelle Nanos, The Boston Globe: “In the wake of last month’s announcement that she would close and sell her remaining restaurants, chef Barbara Lynch is now being sued by the City of Boston for nearly $1.7 million in unpaid personal property taxes. According to a lawsuit filed Wednesday in Suffolk Superior Court, the celebrated-but-embattled chef has tallied up a ‘vast unpaid amount of taxes’ across her seven restaurants in Fort Point, the South End, and Beacon Hill that have gone unaddressed for over a decade.”

— “Fight over $1.5 billion power line project lands in Springfield court,” by Jim Kinney, The Springfield Republican: “A seven-year, multistate courtroom and public relations fight between the nation’s top developer of green energy and backers of a proposed $1.5 billion power line through Maine has landed in Springfield. At stake, says New England Clean Energy Connect and parent Avangrid, is access to lower-cost, clean electricity to Massachusetts.”

FROM THE DELEGATION

— “‘We will find someone to run against him’: After trans athletes comment, Salem Democrats vow to challenge Seth Moulton,” by Anjali Huynh, The Boston Globe: “Democrats in Representative Seth Moulton’s hometown are pledging to find a challenger to run against him in the 2026 midterms, following continued backlash against his remarks about how trans athletes and identity politics contributed to Democratic losses last week. Liz Bradt, chair of the Salem Democratic City Committee, endorsed a future election challenge against Moulton on Wednesday, telling the Globe that she had heard from ‘several’ people in the area who were considering running against him in Massachusetts’ Sixth District.”

OFF TO THE LEADERSHIP RACES — Rep. Lori Trahan is seeking reelection as co-chair of the Democratic Policy and Communications Committee, she announced Wednesday morning.

“The threat to our constituents from a Republican trifecta led by President-elect Donald Trump is grave, and we must fast track that learning process so we can reposition ourselves to mitigate the damage and be victorious in 2026,” the Westford Democrat wrote in a letter to her House colleagues.

Trahan won the role last year, after Minnesota Rep. Dean Phillips relinquished it to run for president against President Joe Biden. More on Trahan’s leadership reelection bid from the Eagle-Tribune.

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MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS

— “Is your cannabis up to snuff? Mass. labs say some testing is dishonest,” by Emilia Wisniewski, MetroWest Daily News: “Several independent laboratories that test cannabis products are calling for more state regulation, saying the current environment encourages dishonesty among testing companies and leads to the approval of sub-par products for dispensary shelves.”

FROM THE 413

— “Amherst regional and town School boards denounce anonymous letter maligning superintendent,” by Scott Merzbach, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “Members of the Amherst Regional, Pelham and Amherst school committees are calling an anonymous, typewritten letter critical of Superintendent E. Xiomara Herman and her administration, accompanied with confidential and personal information about a school district employee, both unacceptable and disappointing, while endorsing the work of the district’s leader."

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— “Somerville to reaffirm sanctuary status, calls on other Massachusetts cities to do same,” by Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald: “The Somerville City Council is set to reaffirm its commitment as a sanctuary city, with a resolution touting concerns around an ‘increasingly hostile’ political climate and President-elect Trump’s return to the White House. Somerville has been a sanctuary city since 1987, meaning it refuses to cooperate with federal immigration enforcement. Councilors are slated to vote and uphold the status Thursday night.”

— “Minority-owned small businesses raise concerns about a new federal transparency law,” by Trajan Warren, GBH News: “Minority business owners, who already face numerous hurdles, will now have another obstacle in their way. At the beginning of 2025, the new federal Corporate Transparency Act will go into effect, requiring a heightened level of disclosure from small business owners. It may have a heavier impact on minority-owned firms.”

— “Striking teachers allege school officials of possible spying,” by Paul Leighton, The Salem News: “Fines. Unfair labor practice complaints. Charges of possible spying. Those were the latest developments on Wednesday in the increasingly acrimonious Beverly teachers strike. The strike was set to continue into its seventh day on Thursday, with schools closed for the fourth day. And the two sides appeared no closer to a settlement after a contentious day. In a press conference Wednesday night, the Beverly Teachers Association said school officials may have been using a school camera to possibly spy on teachers during negotiations.”

RELATED — “Marblehead students file injunction to resume extracurriculars during strike,” by Caroline Enos, The Salem News.

— “Tax shift results in savings of $15 on $750K home,” by Ethan Forman, Gloucester Daily Times: “After debating about how much to shift a portion of Gloucester’s tax levy between residences and commercial, industrial and personal properties, the City Council voted 6-1 Tuesday night for a 1.03 tax shift, which has been in place for the past several years. This shift factor resulted in an estimated tax rate of $9.73 per $1,000 of assessed value for homes, and $10.04 per for businesses, according to a presentation the Board of Assessors provided at a public hearing.”

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HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

TRANSITIONS — Former Gov. Deval Patrick has been appointed as a senior partner at the Vistria Group. He first joined the firm in January.

— Nick Schonberger has joined MassDevelopment as a transformative development initiative fellow. He previously was the senior entrepreneurship program manager at CommonWealth Kitchen

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Todd Feathers, a Lowell Sun alum; Tamika Olszewski and New Hampshire Democratic Party Chair Ray Buckley.

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