POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: How Healey’s pot pardon stacks up

 

BY KELLY GARRITY AND LISA KASHINSKY NOT JUST BLOWING SMOKE — Gov. Maura Healey cast the blanket pardon of simple marijuana possession convictions that she unveiled Wednesday as potentially the “most sweeping cannabis pardon ever proposed by any governor in the United States.” Is it? Healey is asking the Governor’s Council to sign off on a plan to wipe out all past state court misdemeanor convictions for possession of marijuana. She estimates “hundreds of thousands” of people would see their convictions erased, but declined to drill down on the numbers at her State House press conference. Clearing people’s records will in most cases happen automatically, she said. But it could take months to get through them all. Healey described her proposal as the broadest action taken by any governor to forgive past cannabis crimes since President Joe Biden in 2022 pardoned thousands of people convicted of simple possession of marijuana under federal law and urged state executives to follow suit. But Healey is not the first governor to cancel swaths of cannabis convictions. Here’s how Healey’s push stacks up against other states: ILLINOIS — Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker said in 2022 that nearly 800,000 low-level marijuana convictions had been pardoned or expunged under the state’s Cannabis Regulation and Tax Act . MISSOURI — Voters passed a constitutional amendment in 2022 legalizing cannabis and requiring the state to expunge misdemeanor marijuana offenses from the records of anyone no longer in prison or on probation. But the state’s Republican governor, Mike Parson, has shot down the idea of a blanket pardon . OREGON — In 2022, then-Gov. Kate Brown moved to pardon roughly 47,000 adults who had been convicted of simple marijuana possession before the state legalized weed in 2015. CALIFORNIA — The 2016 ballot measure that legalized recreational cannabis sales reduced most felony charges for possession, possession for sale, cultivation and unlawful transport to misdemeanors. Follow-up laws required courts to clean up cannabis-related arrest and conviction records automatically. THE REST — Pennsylvania let people apply for an official pardon during a one-month window in 2022 . Colorado Gov. Jared Polis, a Democrat, has pardoned several thousand people with marijuana-possession convictions. And Rhode Island has expunged 23,000 cases and counting . And so on. Now back to Healey. Our governor's proposal is still lacking in detail. But it appears to hew closely to what Biden put forward in 2022 and doubled down on in another wave of pardons late last year , both in practice and in message. Just as Biden said his goal was to remove a barrier for people struggling to secure housing or jobs, Healey said much the same on Wednesday. “A conviction may be a barrier to jobs , to getting housing, to even getting an education,” Healey, a surrogate for Biden’s reelection campaign, said at the State House. “All for doing something that isn’t even cause for arrest today. That doesn’t sit right with me.” Gov. Maura Healey proposed a blanket pardon of simple marijuana possession convictions. | Lisa Kashinsky/POLITICO GOOD THURSDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS . More than half of the members of the all-Democratic Governor’s Council have publicly voiced support for Healey’s proposal, though it’s unclear when they’ll take it up after the group abruptly canceled its meeting on Wednesday. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, for one, is calling on councilors to move “swiftly.” TODAY — Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll have no public events. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu addresses The New England Council at 10:30 a.m. at the Park Plaza Hotel and signs labor contracts at 1 p.m. at City Hall. Tips? Scoops? Email us: kgarrity@politico.com and lkashinsky@politico.com .   Easily connect with the right N.Y. State influencers and foster the right relationships to champion your policy priorities. POLITICO Pro. Inside New York. Learn more .     DATELINE BEACON HILL WHAT SUPP WITH THE SHELTER SUPP — Senators will vote today on a sweeping early education and child care bill that aims to expand access for families and fortify the industry’s workforce. Senate President Karen Spilka and some of her colleagues will hold a rally in support of the bill at 10:30 a.m. on the State House steps. What’s less clear is when the Senate will take up the $260 million spending plan the House sent over last week that includes $245 million for the state’s overburdened emergency assistance program and limits on how long families can stay in the shelter system. Spilka said her chamber will tackle the supp in “short order.” But she remained noncommittal Wednesday on whether she supports capping shelter stays. YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS ENDORSEMENT CORNER — State Sen. Marc Pacheco told Playbook he's endorsing longtime Raynham Selectman Joe Pacheco (no relation) in the race to fill his seat in the 3rd Bristol and Plymouth District. A former State House staffer, the Raynham Democrat is serving his sixth term as a selectman. CAIN INCHES CLOSER — Quincy City Council President Ian Cain has told the MassGOP that he pulled nomination papers to run for U.S. Senate as a Republican, party Chair Amy Carnevale told Playbook. The party is “in communication” with Cain about his potential bid, she said. Cain did not respond to a request for comment. KENNEDY-BROWN 2024? — Independent presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. plans to announce his running mate later this month. Among the people he’s spoken with: former ambassador and former Sen. Scott Brown , per The Washington Post . — “ Three Democrats will compete in the primary to succeed William 'Smitty' Pignatelli as 3rd Berkshire State House District representative,” by Clarence Fanto, The Berkshire Eagle: “The latest entrant into the 3rd Berkshire District contest is Jamie Minacci, a member of the Stockbridge Select Board elected in May 2022. She announced her candidacy at the Stockbridge Democratic Town Committee caucus last Saturday. Also competing in the Democratic primary on Sept. 3 are Leigh Davis, vice chair of the Great Barrington Select Board and Patrick White, member and a previous chairman of the Stockbridge Select Board.” FROM THE HUB — “Wu in talks with MBTA on city-funded commuter rail stop,” by Gintautas Dumcius, CommonWealth Beacon: “Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has been in talks with the MBTA over the construction of a new Needham Line commuter rail station, funded by the city. The discussions were initially connected with a Wu administration plan to move Roxbury’s O’Bryant School of Mathematics and Science to the vacant West Roxbury Education Complex. … Talks with the MBTA continued even as the O’Bryant plan fell apart.” FROM THE DELEGATION TIKTOK ON THE SENATE CLOCK — The U.S. House voted in rare bipartisan fashion on Wednesday to approve a bill co-sponsored by Reps. Seth Moulton and Jake Auchincloss that would force the sale of TikTok or, if that doesn’t happen within six months, ban it in the U.S. But the bill divided our all-Democratic congressional delegation. Reps. Lori Trahan, Stephen Lynch and Bill Keating joined Moulton and Auchincloss in voting in favor of it. But Democratic Whip Katherine Clark and Reps. Richard Neal, Jim McGovern and Ayanna Pressley voted against it. “We need comprehensive data privacy legislation — not narrow policy that targets one platform that millions rely on to get news, make a living & build community,” Pressley posted on X to explain her vote. The president has said he would sign the bill if it reaches his desk. But it faces an uncertain future in the Senate. Sen. Ed Markey said in a post on X that the “privacy problem” goes beyond TikTok. “We don't need to ban TikTok to fix their invasive practices,” Markey wrote. “The answer,” he said, is to pass his updated Children and Teens’ Online Privacy Protection Act. Sen. Elizabeth Warren previously told our colleagues that legislation shouldn’t target just one social media outlet and that there should be “curbs in place on social media across the board.” AWAITING REPLY — Markey is asking embattled Steward Health Care CEO Ralph de la Torre to testify at the field hearing he’s planning on for-profit health care companies next month in Boston, he posted on X . — “‘We’re not playing games anymore’: Residents occupy McGovern’s Northampton office with Gaza demands,” by James Pentland, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “Pushing their congressman to do more to stop the destruction of Gaza, members of the Leahy Fast for Palestine Committee and supporters occupied Rep. Jim McGovern’s local office and spoke with him by phone for half an hour Tuesday afternoon. … After spending the night at the congressman’s office, the group added a demand that the U.S. veto no more U.N. cease-fire resolutions. The U.S. has vetoed three so far.”   JOIN US ON 3/21 FOR A TALK ON FINANCIAL LITERACY: Americans from all communities should be able to save, build wealth, and escape generational poverty, but doing so requires financial literacy. How can government and industry ensure access to digital financial tools to help all Americans achieve this? Join POLITICO on March 21 as we explore how Congress, regulators, financial institutions and nonprofits are working to improve financial literacy education for all. REGISTER HERE .     DAY IN COURT — “On zoning law, Campbell seeks legal shot across the bow,” by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Beacon: “Supreme Court Justice Serge Georges Jr. on Wednesday kicked the tires on Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s bid to, as he put it, send a shot across the bow of more than 100 other municipalities by taking her MBTA Communities case against Milton straight to the state’s highest court. Campbell wants to skip a trial in Superior Court and go straight to the SJC in May in an effort to establish clearly that Milton and other communities in the state are subject to the law and her office has the authority to enforce compliance.” — “Mass. to expand drug treatment courts for parents struggling with addiction,” by Chris Serres, The Boston Globe: “... Massachusetts plans to expand the concept from two courts, in Greenfield and Springfield, to at least seven more cities over the next two years. Cities that will become home to the courts include Boston, Dedham, Fall River, Lawrence, Lowell, Pittsfield, and Worcester, the Massachusetts Trial Court announced Wednesday.” FROM THE 413 — “Prosecutors say footage purportedly shows Wilmer Puello-Mota in Russian military,” by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican: “Rhode Island prosecutors pursuing child pornography charges against former Holyoke City Councilor Wilmer Puello-Mota acknowledged this week there exist photos and videos that purportedly show him serving in the Russian military in Russia or Ukraine.” WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD BE READING — “After cease-fire votes, some city councilors wonder if they should be debating foreign policy,” by Spencer Buell, The Boston Globe: “On the one hand, councilors say they felt a moral and democratic obligation to speak out on behalf of their constituents against injustice, no matter where it’s taking place. But others wonder if it’s beyond their brief.” — “Mistreatment persists at Bridgewater State Hospital, report says,” by Deborah Becker, WBUR: “The report, from the Disability Law Center, found patients at Bridgewater State Hospital were subjected to illegally forced medication injections, violence from staff, lack of medical care, inappropriate medication for opioid use disorder and mold contamination. The report recommends that the state transfer control of Bridgewater State Hospital from the Department of Correction to the Department of Mental Health.” — “Mass. child care providers brace for cuts to state grants,” by Carrie Jung, WBUR. MEANWHILE IN RHODE ISLAND NAME CHECK —   “Romney slams Whitehouse over leadership of budget panel,” by Ted Nesi, WPRI: “Mitt Romney has had it with the way Sheldon Whitehouse is leading the Senate Budget Committee. … ‘It’s appropriate that this hearing is being held during Academy Awards season,’ Romney quipped. ‘I’m afraid what we do here is more "Barbie" than it is "Oppenheimer."'" HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH TRANSITIONS — Christina Grant is the new executive director of the Center for Education Policy Research at Harvard. Grant is currently the state superintendent of education in Washington, D.C. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Taunton Mayor Shaunna O’Connell, former Massachusetts Democratic Party Chair Gus Bickford, Jackson Cote, Denise Lloyd, Kenzington “Zing” Elechko, Miles Weber and Susan Slattery . NEW HORSE RACE ALERT: THE TRUTHS ABOUT YOUTHS — Hosts Steve Koczela and Jennifer Smith break down the latest data on why young people are leaving Greater Boston. CommonWealth Beacon's Gintautas Dumcius talks the tipped wages ballot battle. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud . 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 .   Follow us on Twitter Lisa Kashinsky @lisakashinsky Kelly Garrity @KellyGarrity3   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Ottawa Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters FOLLOW US

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POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Granite State of primary play

 

BY LISA KASHINSKY Presented by With help from Kelly Garrity POLL POSITION — Nikki Haley’s New Hampshire momentum is for real. A new poll of likely Granite State GOP primary voters shows it’s the former South Carolina governor — not Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis — who’s making the strongest play for second place in the first primary state. But Donald Trump remains immovable atop the field. The former president leads his Republican rivals with 49 percent support in a new Suffolk University/Boston Globe/USA TODAY survey out this morning — putting him 30 percentage points above his closest rival. That would be Haley, the former U.N. ambassador who notched 19 percent support in this survey. DeSantis is at 10 percent. No one else cracked double digits in the poll of 500 likely GOP primary voters that was conducted after the second debate and has a margin of error of plus-or-minus 4.4 percentage points. The poll captures three trends that have come to define the 2024 Republican presidential primary in New Hampshire and across the early nominating states: Trump remains dominant, DeSantis is on the decline and Haley’s rise looks increasingly real. Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley waves while arriving for a campaign event, on July 6, 2023, in North Conway, N.H. | Charles Krupa/AP Photo And it’s against that backdrop that the GOP candidates will flood New Hampshire next week, starting with the former president on Monday and most of the rest of the field at a weekend cattle call hosted by the state GOP. A real race for second place could energize Republicans on both sides of the state line at a time when it increasingly looks like the nation is headed for a rematch between Trump and President Joe Biden that few voters want . The MassGOP is quite literally banking on it, as it looks to GOP hopefuls not named Trump to help replenish its depleted coffers as it tries to pay off its debt. But DeSantis’ continued struggles in New Hampshire — now reflected across several recent surveys that have showed support for the Florida governor waning and Haley climbing — also illustrate how Trump alternatives who’ve been tailoring their pitches to his voters and to conservative-skewing Republican activists now have to figure out how to broaden their appeal beyond the party’s base. That will be particularly key in New Hampshire and Massachusetts (yes, as a Super Tuesday state, we matter, too). Independents who make up the largest share of both states’ voters are poised to play a significant role in their GOP primaries without a big draw on the Democratic side. The only major candidate who's making clear overtures across the aisle: former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, whose political operation is now going so far as to try to recruit Democrats to switch their party registration and play on the GOP side, my colleague Alex Isenstadt scooped. There’s definite, though likely limited, interest in Christie from the left , Mia McCarthy and I reported over the summer. Now New Hampshire just needs to schedule its primary. GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS . Maura Healey is getting ready to deliver on one of the centerpieces of her gubernatorial campaign. The governor plans to sign the sweeping tax breaks lawmakers passed last week into law without any changes during a 1 p.m. ceremony at the State House alongside Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll and Democratic legislative leaders. TODAY — Healey also makes a “major announcement” at the Offshore WINDPOWER Conference at 8:30 a.m. at the Hynes Convention Center and visits the American Red Cross blood drive at the State House at 2:30 p.m. Driscoll speaks at MassDOT’s Moving Together Conference at 8:45 a.m. at the Sheraton Boston. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is on “Java with Jimmy” at 9 a.m. and attends an Italian flag raising at 10:30 a.m. outside City Hall. Tips? Scoops? Polls? Email me: lkashinsky@politico.com .   A message from Delta Dental of Massachusetts: Delta Dental of Massachusetts is committed to educating communities around the state about how a healthy smile is a powerful thing. There are a multitude of connections between your oral and overall health, making it imperative to take care of your mouth. Healthy oral habits can help prevent more serious health concerns such as diabetes, heart disease, and depression later in life. Speak with your dentist or visit ExpressYourHealthMA.org for more information.   DATELINE D.C. MCCARTHY MAKES HISTORY — Republican Kevin McCarthy is out as House speaker in a historic vote that’s rocked Capitol Hill. And he’s not going to try to regain his gavel , POLITICO’s ace Congress team reports. The Democrats who helped seal his downfall aren’t mincing words as chaos yet again consumes their chamber. As Rep. Seth Moulton put it on X , “Democrats bailed [McCarthy] out” on a deal to extend government funding. “[W]e weren’t going to bail him out again.” Democrats said they just couldn’t trust the California Republican. “Through his duplicitous misuse of power, profound disregard for the needs of the American people, and disloyalty to anyone but himself, Kevin McCarthy has proven unworthy of presiding over the House,” Katherine Clark , the No. 2 House Democrat, who whipped votes against McCarthy , said in a statement after the vote. “Hakeem Jeffries is the only person in command of this Chamber, and House Democrats will be proud to cast yet another vote to put him in the Speaker’s chair.” DATELINE BEACON HILL — “Goodbye, Columbus. Bill proposes Indigenous Peoples Day across Mass.,” by John L. Micek, MassLive: “Next Monday, Oct. 9, around two-dozen communities across the commonwealth will pause to celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day — and not Columbus Day. But if a Central Massachusetts lawmaker has anything to say about it, by the time Oct. 9, 2024 rolls around, the entire Bay State will officially celebrate Indigenous Peoples Day.” — “Calls for changes to Bridgewater State Hospital come with dark details,” by Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald: “Bridgewater State Hospital is more like a prison than a mental health hospital, lawmakers are being told. … Legislation offered by state Rep. Ruth Balser, H2985 or An Act transferring Bridgewater State Hospital from the Department of Correction to the Department of Mental Health, would do exactly as its name suggests.”   GO INSIDE THE CAPITOL DOME: From the outset, POLITICO has been your eyes and ears on Capitol Hill, providing the most thorough Congress coverage — from political characters and emerging leaders to leadership squabbles and policy nuggets during committee markups and hearings. We're stepping up our game to ensure you’re fully informed on every key detail inside the Capitol Dome, all day, every day. Start your day with Playbook AM, refuel at midday with our Playbook PM halftime report and enrich your evening discussions with Huddle. Plus, stay updated with real-time buzz all day through our brand new Inside Congress Live feature. Learn more and subscribe here.     MIGRANTS IN MASSACHUSETTS — “More than 1,200 families entered Massachusetts emergency shelter since August,” by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: “More than 1,200 families have entered Massachusetts’ emergency shelter system nearly two months after Gov. Maura Healey declared a state of emergency, according to data provided by the administration.” FROM THE HUB — “Boston Chamber urges City Council to fund police intelligence to ‘quell recent violence’,” by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: “The business community is urging the City Council to approve millions of dollars in grant funding for the Boston Regional Intelligence Center, saying that the money is needed to 'quell recent violence' that has put public safety at a 'crisis point.’... The City Council is expected to vote on funding the intelligence arm of the city’s police department on Wednesday, three weeks after rejecting three $850,000 grants set aside for the BRIC. A fourth $850,000 grant was later filed by the mayor.”   A message from Delta Dental of Massachusetts:     THE RACE FOR CITY HALL ENDORSEMENT CORNER — Revere Acting Mayor Patrick Keefe is picking up support from one of his former mayoral rivals, City Councilor Gerry Visconti , in his bid for a full term atop the city. Keefe , who’s been serving as mayor since Brian Arrigo left in the spring to run DCR, faces former mayor and current Councilor Dan Rizzo in November. AND THEN THERE WERE TWO — New Bedford voters set up a rematch of the city's 2019 mayoral election when they sent Mayor Jon Mitchell and Air Force veteran Richard Tyson Moultrie through to the November ballot yesterday. See the unofficial preliminary election results. PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES — “Weeks later, T chief still reviewing how Green Line extension got so bad, so quickly,” by Taylor Dolven and Daniel Kool, Boston Globe: “The T’s top official said Tuesday he’s still in the middle of reviewing why so much of the MBTA’s new subway expansion became so defective it’s been slowed to walking pace for safety. Three weeks after MBTA data show the agency began to impose extreme slow zones that stretched to cover more than a mile’s worth of Green Line extension track, T general manager Phillip Eng declined to share any new information about how the failure happened.” — “Lynn ferry service extended through October,” by James Bartlett, Item Live.   Enter the “room where it happens”, where global power players shape policy and politics, with Power Play. POLITICO’s brand-new podcast will host conversations with the leaders and power players shaping the biggest ideas and driving the global conversations, moderated by award-winning journalist Anne McElvoy. Sign up today to be notified of new episodes – click here .     THE LOCAL ANGLE — “Leaving money on the table? Worcester doesn't have 'capacity' to plan events at Polar Park,” by Craig S. Semon, Telegram & Gazette: “Three city councilors are disappointed the city is ‘leaving money on the table’ by not cashing in on the allotted ‘city revenue days’ at Polar Park, part of the lease agreement with the Worcester Red Sox.” — “Deal will keep 95-year-old artist Salvatore Del Deo in Provincetown dune shack, family says,” by WCVB. MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE — “New Hampshire trolls Massachusetts in lottery ad: ‘The no-good Massachusetts Tax Shark … stealing all our lottery winnings’,” by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: “As the Powerball jackpot continues to spike well above $1 billion, Bay Staters who live near the New Hampshire border may want to consider heading over the state line for a lottery ticket. That’s the message from the New Hampshire Lottery, which in a new ad trolls Massachusetts — warning of the prowling Bay State ‘Tax Shark’ that devours lotto winnings.”   A message from Delta Dental of Massachusetts: Snoozing or losing…sleep? Snoring is a widespread problem, affecting 30-45 percent of the population. It can have social consequences, disrupting marriages and roommate relationships, but can also be negatively impacting your overall health. Snoring often prevents a good night’s sleep, leaving individuals waking up fatigued or more seriously, it may be a by-product of obstructive sleep apnea. The good news is, your dentist may be able to help. Your dentist can help provide you with a wide array of plastic appliances, similar to mouthguards or orthodontic retainers, which can be worn while sleeping and assist with snoring. Some appliances reposition the lower jaw forward which, as a result, helps maintain an open, unobstructed airway in the throat. Speak with your dentist for more information on how to alleviate snoring or visit ExpressYourHealthMA.org to learn more.   HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH TRANSITIONS — Crystal Rountree will join Jumpstart for Young Children as CEO in January. Rountree is currently EVP and chief revenue and development officer at Teach for America. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Special Envoy for Northern Ireland and former Rep. Joe Kennedy III ; Boston Mayor Michelle Wu communications chief Jessicah Pierre, Max German, Miles Halpine, Eliza Adelson, Alexis Cantor, Will von Meister, Steve Picheny, Jon Tapper, Justin Dynia and DFER’s Mary Tamer . Happy belated to Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance’s Paul Craney , who celebrated Tuesday. 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 .   Follow us on Twitter Lisa Kashinsky @lisakashinsky   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Ottawa Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters FOLLOW US

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