POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: On the frontlines of the shelter crisis

 

BY LISA KASHINSKY Presented by With help from Kelly Garrity VELIS' VIEW — A young boy was wandering around the room at the hotel where John Velis and his fellow National Guard members were stationed. He couldn’t have been more than 6 years old. The boy was hungry. But, because of a language barrier, he didn’t know how to ask for something to eat. One Guard member handed him a granola bar as another spoke to his parents. The boy struggled to open it. He tried biting the packaging. When Velis ripped it open, the boy beamed. He reminded Velis of his own son. “The human side of this is something that I didn’t anticipate,” Velis told Playbook. “Talking to these folks, finding out about their life journey. It was something that I didn’t think I would get out of this. And I most certainly did.” State Sen. John Velis was activated by the National Guard to help with the state's emergency shelter system. | Office of John Velis/Courtesy Velis was one of the hundreds of National Guard members activated by the state to help out across dozens of hotels and motels serving as shelters for more than 3,800 migrant and homeless families. Now the state senator is back on Beacon Hill with firsthand knowledge of the situation on the ground just as he and his colleagues prepare to take a critical vote on $250 million to help float the state’s emergency shelter system for a few more months. The Westfield Democrat said he would “proudly” support more money for the program. And he wants the state to have “flexibility” around how to spend it because “so many things can pop up, particularly on the ground.” The spending bill sent over from the House includes stipulations like designating $50 million specifically for overflow shelter. The Senate has yet to release its version. The shelter system exceeded Gov. Maura Healey’s 7,500-family capacity limit last Thursday . Starting today, the state is teaming up with federal officials for the first of two legal clinics aimed at shortening the work-authorization process for hundreds of migrants to weeks instead of months — something Healey argues is essential to accelerating their departure from the shelter system. Velis said the migrants he spoke with want to work. “It was literally across the board, at every hotel, that every single person that I spoke to said, ‘We want to work.’ And they said it with such conviction,” he said. “There’s this misperception out there that we have this group of individuals who are kind of just loving life [in the shelter system]. And that’s not the case," Velis continued. "They’re incredibly grateful that they have a spot to be in. But they also want to get out there and they want to provide for their families.” But Velis said the federal government has to do more than just process work permits faster. While he was deployed, Velis said he encountered asylum-seekers with court dates scheduled as far out as 2027 — another sign of laggardness within the nation’s immigration system. And he worries about the state’s ability to keep funding an emergency shelter program that was never meant to handle this much volume. Massachusetts needs an “off ramp,” Velis said. Asked if that means the state should consider changes to the “right-to-shelter” law, the senator said “every single factor should be on the table” — particularly with the feds “abdicating their authority” on the issue. “The status quo is unsustainable without incredibly adverse financial consequences to the commonwealth,” Velis warned. “I’m not suggesting repeal. I’m not saying preserve. But is a conversation worth having about modifying [the shelter law]? I would certainly engage. I would certainly say that's a worthwhile conversation.” GOOD MONDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Get ready for a busy few days on Beacon Hill before formal sessions end for the year on Wednesday. TODAY — Healey kicks off apprenticeship week at 11 a.m. at Boston Carpenters and hosts a contract celebration with SEIU 1199 at 2 p.m. at the State House. Rep. Seth Moulton addresses The New England Council at 9:30 a.m. at the Hampshire House in Boston. Gabe Amo is scheduled to be sworn in as Rhode Island’s 1st District U.S. representative in the evening. Tips? Scoops? Email us: lkashinsky@politico.com and kgarrity@politico.com . A message from Conservation Law Foundation: Conservation Law Foundation is separating fact from fiction when it comes to the role of bioenergy in cutting climate-damaging pollution and transforming our economy to one built on clean energy. The economic, environmental, and public health of our communities and businesses demand that we invest in energy efficiency and clean energy sources – while moving with caution and care on bioenergy resources. Get the full story.   BALLOT BATTLES RENT-CONTROL CAMPAIGN FOLDS — Tracking tens of thousands of signatures short before a crucial deadline, the group pushing a 2024 ballot question on local-option rent control ended its campaign Friday night. The ballot committee — led by state Rep. Mike Connolly and supported by former Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone and state Sen. Jamie Eldridge , among others — had collected just 10,175 of the 74,574 signatures that are due to local officials next week. While public and private polling showed majority support for a ballot measure that would let cities and towns implement rent control, the effort was splintering progressives and housing advocacy groups. And it was meeting fierce resistance from conservative and real-estate industry groups, which cheered the campaign’s demise. Connolly said the decision to abandon the ballot campaign was made in part to refocus efforts behind similar legislation that’s up for a hearing on Tuesday . But that, too, is an uphill battle. House Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz said in a recent interview on NBC10’s “At Issue” that voters “got rid of [rent control] for a reason.” While Michlewitz said he’ll “keep an open mind” as rent-control bills — including a home-rule petition being pushed by his mayor, Michelle Wu — wind through the legislative process, “I need to be convinced and I think that a lot of my colleagues need to be convinced.”   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.     FROM THE HUB — “Boston Mayor Wu downplays reported Mass and Cass spillover spike at nearby hospital,” by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: “Mayor Michelle Wu downplayed statements from Boston Medical Center’s top executive, saying that there hasn’t been a spike in the number of people loitering outside and sheltering in the emergency department since tents were removed at Mass and Cass. Wu did say, however, that the city has been targeting ‘hotspots,’ particularly at the Boston Public Library in Copley Square and the Massachusetts Avenue MBTA station.” — RELATED: “Life after Mass and Cass: Ex-Homeless talk ‘Opportunity’,” by Flint McColgan, Boston Herald. — “Boston’s plan to ban fossil fuels in new buildings goes up in smoke,” by Sabrina Shankman, Boston Globe: “More than three years after introducing her Green New Deal plan for Boston as a mayoral candidate, Mayor Michelle Wu said in an interview last week that the city will not be participating in a state program that will allow 10 communities to ban developers from including fossil fuels in new buildings. … Wu said, ‘it breaks my heart,’ but that the city was not applying for the state program because it appears it was not actually intended for a city as complex as Boston.” PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES AROUND AND AROUND — Acting Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt wants to “find solutions, and not just a long-term solution” to one of the state’s most crash-prone intersections. The state wants to replace the intersection of Route 28 and Chickatawbut Road in Milton with a roundabout. But the plan has drawn opposition from residents and local officials who would rather see dedicated left-turn lanes and other fixes. A push to reduce the speed limit in the area was pocket-vetoed by Gov. Charlie Baker just before he left office. Tibbits-Nutt pledged more partnership during a recent visit to the town. More from the Herald’s Lance Reynolds.   A message from Conservation Law Foundation:     2024 WATCH ANOTHER ONE BITES THE DUST — Sen. Tim Scott dropped out of the 2024 presidential race Sunday night in a Fox News interview . The South Carolina Republican said he has no plans to endorse one of his rivals. POLITICO’s Natalie Allison has more . Meanwhile, Vivek Ramaswamy is apartment hunting in New Hampshire as the Ohio entrepreneur shifts his campaign staff to the Granite and Hawkeye states in a bid to boost his longshot campaign, POLITICO’s Adam Wren reports . And Donald Trump echoed dictators as he campaigned in Claremont, N.H., on Saturday, calling those on the political left “vermin.” The former president remains the polling frontrunner in New Hampshire and nationally by a sizable margin. PETER DURANT IS A CLOWN FOR ENDORSING DESANTIS, THE BOOK BANNER, RE-WRITES HISTORY, DON'T SAY GAY DIM WIT! That's before defining the ENVIRONMENTAL DESTRUCTION in FLORIDA or the numerous other issues...homeowners insurance? radioactive roads? DEAD MANATEES? POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: DESANTISLAND — One of GOP state Rep. Peter Durant ’s first big actions as state senator-elect: endorsing Ron DeSantis for president, per the Florida governor's campaign. THIS IS THE CLOWN THAT PETER DURANT ENDORSED: NOTE: GREAT BARRINGTON DECLARATION is a DIRTY ENERGY KOCH fund think tank - it's a SCAM! Ron DeSantis' New Surgeon General Appeared in 'Demon Sperm' Doctor's COVID Conspiracy Video excerpt: One of the video's main speakers, Dr. Stella Immanuel, is a physician who operates a medical clinic in a Texas strip mall next to her church, Firepower Ministries. In the video, she called hydroxychloroquine a "cure" and said, "You don't need a mask" to prevent the virus' spread. Immanuel has claimed that ovarian cysts and endometriosis are caused by "demonic seed." Demons insert sperm into sleeping individuals when they have sex in their dreams, Immanuel claimed in articles on her church's website. Ladapo has also promoted the anti-parasite medication ivermectin as a treatment for COVID-19 symptoms. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has advised against using ivermectin as a COVID-19 treatment. In October 2020, Ladapo signed the Great Barrington Declaration, a statement that called for developing societal herd immunity to COVID-19 through natural infection. https://www.newsweek.com/ron-desantis-new-surgeon-general-appeared-demon-sperm-doctors-covid-conspiracy-video-1631372 DESANTISLAND — One of GOP state Rep. Peter Durant ’s first big actions as state senator-elect: endorsing Ron DeSantis for president, per the Florida governor's campaign. DAY IN COURT — “Former Methuen police chief, ex-officer both plead not guilty at arraignment in corruption case,” by Nick Stoico, Boston Globe: “Former Methuen police chief Joseph Solomon and a former city councilor that he hired as a police officer both pleaded not guilty to fraud and corruption charges and were released on personal recognizance during arraignments Friday in Essex Superior Court, according to court records.” Inside the courtroom with the Eagle-Tribune .   GET A BACKSTAGE PASS TO COP28 WITH GLOBAL PLAYBOOK : Get insider access to the conference that sets the tone of the global climate agenda with POLITICO's Global Playbook newsletter. Authored by Suzanne Lynch, Global Playbook delivers exclusive, daily insights and comprehensive coverage that will keep you informed about the most crucial climate summit of the year. Dive deep into the critical discussions and developments at COP28 from Nov. 30 to Dec. 12.. SUBSCRIBE NOW .     THE LOCAL ANGLE — “Cambridge bike lanes face murky path forward after City Council elections,” by Bob Seay, GBH News: “Cambridge has been on a tear to build separated bike lanes on city streets over the last four years, setting ambitious targets and bypassing traditional community engagement processes to set up safer biking infrastructure. But local elections … made the project’s future murky. Some supportive councilors declined to run for reelection, and one of the program’s most vocal opponents narrowly won a seat on the council.” — “Truro wraps up voter registration hearings, clearing way for Nov. 16 town meeting,” by Walker Armstrong, Cape Cod Times: “The Truro Board of Registrars completed hearings Thursday on the 66 voter registration challenges filed with the town, wrapping up a contentious four-day process that saw nearly half of the challenged individuals either being taken off the voter rolls by the Board or removed prior to the week’s proceedings, according to records reviewed by the Times.” — “No school in Andover on Monday as teachers strike continues,” by Abbey Niezgoda and Kaitlin McKinley Becker, NBC10 Boston. MEDIA MATTERS THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY — CommonWealth Beacon’s Bruce Mohl reports that MBTA public relations officials were ordered to ignore calls from then-Boston Globe reporter Andrea Estes for the paper’s April story about top MBTA managers living far from the public transit system. The Globe issued multiple corrections to the story . Estes was fired, and is now trying to get her job back, per Mohl. MEANWHILE IN MAINE PORTRAIT OF A KILLER — A four-reporter team from the Boston Globe chronicles the circumstances that led up to Robert Card ’s deadly shooting spree in Lewiston. ICYMI — Maine Gov. Janet Mills created an independent commission to investigate the shootings. A message from Conservation Law Foundation: Conservation Law Foundation is working to fight climate change and secure a livable and healthy future for all New Englanders. We know New England needs to end its reliance on fossil fuels, and that presents a pressing question: What role will bioenergy play in the region’s energy system as we move toward 2050? The fossil fuel industry is leaning hard on selling biofuels such as renewable natural gas as viable options to meet state mandates for cutting climate-damaging emissions. But what’s beneath the surface is more of the same climate-damaging fuels. We don’t have time or resources to waste on costly and ineffective solutions. Conservation Law Foundation is sorting fact from fiction. Bioenergy’s role in New England’s clean energy future is a limited and targeted one. Get the full story.   HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to NCAA president and former Gov. Charlie Baker, who turns 67; NECN/NBC10’s Sue O’Connell ; Sudbury state Rep. Carmine Gentile, Monica Scalpato Burke and POLITICO alum Jonathan Topaz . 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: 99 problems but a budget ain't one

 

BY LISA KASHINSKY AND KELLY GARRITY ON TO THE NEXT ONE — There’s nothing like the threat of a delayed summer vacation to get warring Democratic lawmakers to lay down their arms. A relative, if temporary, peace settled over the State House on Monday as lawmakers made quick work of the month-late state budget accord. The mood was light: House and Senate Ways and Means Chairs Aaron Michlewitz and Michael Rodrigues each quoted Jay-Z in presenting their deal. By nightfall, legislators had also extended horse racing and simulcasting, directed $180 million in aid toward financially strained hospitals and set aside $20 million for central and western Massachusetts farmers who lost crops in last month's floods. But the flurry of eleventh-hour activity belies the reality that the clashes between chambers that have dominated Beacon Hill as of late are hardly resolved. Lawmakers are heading for the exits with millions of dollars in tax breaks for renters and businesses and credits for seniors and families still on the negotiating table for the second straight summer. The larger supplemental spending plans from which horse racing and hospital and farm aid were plucked remain in limbo. “It’s just the volume of things before us,” Rodrigues told reporters at the State House. “We wanted to get the budget done first. So I’m sure we’ll get tax relief done as soon as possible.” Top Democrats are also teeing up dueling gun bills for the fall. Senate President Karen Spilka told the Boston Herald that she wants to move forward with her own firearm regulations after the August recess. Such a move would again put the chambers at odds over gun legislation, after Speaker Ron Mariano’s attempt to fast-track the House’s firearms bill got jammed up in procedural drama. But first, lawmakers will have to deal with any budget amendments or vetoes from Gov. Maura Healey, who now has 10 days to review the fiscal year 2024 spending plan. “I’m grateful to Senate President Spilka, Speaker Mariano and the Legislature for putting forward a budget that includes investments that are urgently needed to make our state more competitive, affordable and equitable,” Healey said in a statement. But she also nudged lawmakers to get back to their tax talks. “We also know that the job isn’t done until we pass tax relief to make our state more affordable for families and businesses,” the governor said. GOOD TUESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Just how late is the late state budget accord? Not late enough to break records. This budget deal is on track to be the second-latest in 22 years, according to the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation . And Massachusetts isn't the only state with a fiscal year 2024 budget still outstanding. But the drawn-out negotiations add to an already sluggish start to the legislative session. So Playbook asked Rodrigues if he thinks the policies lawmakers packed into the budget bill make up for the relative lack of laws they’ve passed so far this year . “Yeah, I mean, we have a lot in there,” Rodrigues said. But he also rejected the notion that lawmakers are being lethargic. “I have not been slow. I've been in here every day, all day,” he said. “So it certainly hasn't been slow in Senate Ways and Means land. The Massachusetts State House | Lisa Kashinsky/POLITICO TODAY — Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll have no public events. Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su speaks at the NAACP convention at 11:45 a.m. at the BCEC. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu speaks at a Roxbury park opening at 1 p.m. and attends National Night Out events starting at 3:15 p.m. Tips? Scoops? August recess book recommendations? Email us: kgarrity@politico.com and lkashinsky@politico.com .   SUBSCRIBE TO POWER SWITCH: The energy landscape is profoundly transforming. Power Switch is a daily newsletter that unlocks the most important stories driving the energy sector and the political forces shaping critical decisions about your energy future, from production to storage, distribution to consumption. Don’t miss out on Power Switch, your guide to the politics of energy transformation in America and around the world. SUBSCRIBE TODAY .     DATELINE BEACON HILL — “Lawmakers Tap One-Time State Funds To Fuel Spending Boost,” by Sam Drysdale, Colin Young and Chris Lisinski, State House News Service (paywall): “The Legislature in its new annual budget agreement used about $1 billion from the state's new income surtax to push state spending up by more than $3.5 billion, but also tapped more than $600 million from other state funds and sources to fuel the spending surge.” — “East-west rail not in state budget, but backers see other funding options,” by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican: “The projects — $4 million for site selection and preliminary engineering in Palmer and $8.5 million for track work in Pittsfield — were included last month in MassDOT’s 2024-2028 Capital Investment Plan. … But [a Western Massachusetts Passenger Rail Commission] report remains overdue three months after its last meeting, raising fears the train plan is losing steam while there is federal money on the table.” FROM THE HUB — “Boston police watchdog agency at crossroads as directors leave, first sustained complaint rejected,” by Sean Cotter, Boston Globe: “Boston’s police watchdog agency broke new ground at its meeting this month: Two years after it was first created and after receiving more than 200 citizen complaints, the Office of Police Accountability and Transparency’s Civilian Review Board sustained an allegation against a police officer. Even then, the finding — which took issue with the department’s practice of publicly identifying children who have been killed — was almost immediately rejected by Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox.” — “Boston Mayor Wu bans fossil fuels in new city-owned building construction,” by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: “In the latest push for her Green New Deal, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu signed an executive order that prohibits city-owned buildings from being constructed or renovated in a way that allows for the use of fossil fuels.” — “Unionization efforts underway amid overhaul of Boston planning agency,” by Gintautas Dumcius, Dorchester Reporter: “As the Wu administration moves to revamp the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA), two unions — AFSCME Council 93 and SENA Local 9158 — have been seeking out BPDA staff members as part of unionization drives.” — WATCH: Black voters helped propel Joe Biden and Kamala Harris to the White House. But their support has softened over time. Harris, at the NAACP convention in Boston, told GBH’s Paris Alston and Jim Braude “that tells me that we have more work to do, which we are doing, which is to inform people about what we have achieved and to also thank them.” More from the interview . — “After 10 hours of discussion, NAACP approves slate of policy priorities,” by Tiana Woodard, Boston Globe. — “Combating violence in Boston a ‘top issue' for officials, mayor says,” by Mary Markos, NBC10 Boston.   STEP INSIDE THE WEST WING : What's really happening in West Wing offices? Find out who's up, who's down, and who really has the president’s ear in our West Wing Playbook newsletter, the insider's guide to the Biden White House and Cabinet. For buzzy nuggets and details that you won't find anywhere else, subscribe today .     THE RACE FOR CITY HALL — ENDORSEMENT CORNER: The Environmental League of Massachusetts Action Fund has endorsed Samantha Perlman for mayor of Marlborough. The group also endorsed Henry Santana for Boston at-large city councilor this week. — “Petition drive to limit New Bedford City Council terms crashes,” by Arthur Hirsch, New Bedford Light. MIGRANTS IN MASSACHUSETTS  — FEDERAL APPEAL: Cape and Islands District Attorney Robert Galibois is asking federal prosecutors to probe the migrant flights to Martha’s Vineyard orchestrated by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis last September. “My office posits that, due to the interstate transportation of these migrants, this alleged scheme remains available for federal prosecution,” Galibois wrote in a letter to Attorney General Merrick Garland on Monday. — “State opens second welcome center for migrants and families experiencing homelessness,” by Sarah Betancourt, GBH News: “State officials on Monday opened the second welcome center for resident and migrant families experiencing homelessness on the campus of Eastern Nazarene College in Quincy. Health and Human Services Secretary Kate Walsh said the center, the first to also accommodate an on-site shelter, is meant to serve the growing number of people seeking refuge in Massachusetts.” — "Mass. lawmakers ask Biden administration to speed up migrant work permits," by Tal Kopan, Boston Globe: "Bay State lawmakers, led by Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, appealed to the Department of Homeland Security and its sub-agency, US Citizenship and Immigration Services, to expedite the process of issuing work permits so newly arriving immigrants are not stuck for months without sources of income, reliant on state services." FROM THE 413 — “Easthampton city council expected to override mayor veto of crisis pregnancy center ordinance,” by Juliet Schulman-Hall, MassLive: “Almost a month after Easthampton Mayor Nicole LaChapelle vetoed a controversial ordinance passed by the city council related to crisis pregnancy centers, the city council is meeting again to discuss the ordinance. … Councilor Owen Zaret, who spearheaded the ordinance, said he expects the council to override the veto.” — More: “Reproductive equity groups urge Easthampton council to override mayor’s veto on pregnancy center ordinance,” by Maddie Fabian, Daily Hampshire Gazette. THE LOCAL ANGLE — “Mass. women's colleges are at the forefront of trans admissions dilemma,” by Jenny Hellwig, Boston Business Journal: “Massachusetts is home to five women’s colleges, more than any other state in the U.S. … [O]nly six women’s colleges across the country have written policies accepting applications from transgender men. Three of those are located in Massachusetts: Mount Holyoke, Simmons University, and Bay Path University.” — “Attorney general files public records lawsuit against Malden charter school,” by Adria Watson, Boston Globe: “Andrea Campbell’s office said the Malden-based charter school received 10 records requests between January and November of last year, but declined to provide the records. In response to the requests, Mystic Valley Regional officials claimed the school was exempt from the state’s public records law.” HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH SPOTTED — Former Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Frontier Security Strategies’ Ed Cash last night at the Parish Cafe in Back Bay and at Mr. Dooley’s Irish pub. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Boston City Councilor Ruthzee Louijeune, Jehuda Reinharz, Nora Bergman and Asher Perez. 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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