POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Inside the Legislature's latest power struggle

 

View in browser   BY LISA KASHINSKY With help from Kelly Garrity EVERYBODY WANTS TO RULE THE JOINT COMMITTEES — The House and Senate have been so deeply at odds over joint committee rules for so long that all it took to blow everything out into the open was a notice for a hearing. State Sen. Michael Barrett on Monday accused his House co-chair on the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy of scheduling a hearing on energy bills for later this week without his consent. “There's a small chance this is merely a serious error,” Barrett said in a statement. “Otherwise, I regret to say, the use of my name appears to be fraudulent.” But Barrett isn't just peeved about one listening session.  He said state Rep. Jeffrey Roy’s “unilateral act” not only violates the rule that joint committee chairs agree on hearing schedules, but also breaks with broader governing practices designed to give the Senate an equal say on panels where their members are outnumbered. And he claimed other Senate chairs "are being pressed along similar lines." Barrett is giving voice to what some senators have been privately griping about for months. They say House chairs pushed boilerplate rules this session that would let them leverage their chamber’s numerical advantage on joint committees by using majority votes to call hearings and move bills without senators' consent. Barrett echoed those concerns in his statement: "It’s almost as if the House is done with the delicate power-sharing that enables joint committees to work. It wants either to dominate the joint committees due to the House’s sheer numerical advantage or drive us towards the Congressional model, in which the House and Senate handle bills separately," he said. "Either way, this is quite a turn in the road.” But four representatives who chair joint committees told Playbook that senators are the ones pulling a power grab by trying to hold onto veto power on panels where they’re in the minority. And they say the House is just trying to bring uniformity to joint committees that often operate under informal agreements between chairs — arrangements that sometimes carry over several sessions. "I am advocating for committee rules that prevent one Chair from maintaining absolute control  over which bills are released from Committee," Roy said in a statement, adding that such "power ... not only diminishes the influence of each individual member of the Committee" but was "wielded last session to delay the consideration of major energy legislation, and to block hundreds of other bills from advancing through the Committee." Roy argued that rules debates "should not prevent the Committee from holding hearings on critical legislation." But the intra-committee feud is potentially thwarting progress on energy initiatives as the state scrambles to meet its climate goals. House members on the TUE committee are planning their first hearing of the session on Thursday, while senators are slating their own for Friday — a split that could, as the State House News Service points out , force some people to testify twice on bills that touch on everything from offshore wind to clean-energy credits. "We're going to be in separate rooms," Barrett told Playbook. "I don't see how that's going to help us in the fight against global warming." Interchamber tensions are could also threaten activity on other committees as lawmakers sift through thousands of bills and negotiate over which ones will move forward. While not every pair of co-chairs is at odds, the energy committee kerfuffle has laid bare one area of Democratic disagreement that's derailed the lawmaking process in the past sessions (read: CommonWealth Magazine's recap of the 2015 joint committee fight ) and could so again as this one ramps up. GOOD TUESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Salem voters are heading to the polls to pick their next mayor today. They're choosing between Dominick Pangallo, the former chief of staff to mayor-turned-Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, and former Salem Mayor Neil Harrington. Patch and The Salem News have what you need to know about the candidates. TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey is on WBUR’s “Radio Boston” at 11:30 a.m. Healey and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu speak at the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce’s annual dinner at 5:45 p.m. at the Omni Boston Seaport hotel. Wu speaks at the city’s Asian American, Native Hawaiian & Pacific Islander (AANHPI) Heritage Month celebration at 4:45 p.m. at City Hall Plaza. Driscoll testifies at the inaugural hearing of the 21st Century Agriculture Commission at 10 a.m. Sen. Ed Markey hosts a press conference on expanding SCOTUS at noon outside of the court. Tips? Scoops? More joint committee tea? Email me: lkashinsky@politico.com .   DATELINE BEACON HILL — HEALEY HAS HER HOUSING SECRETARY: Gov. Maura Healey has tapped former Worcester city manager Ed Augustus as the state’s first standalone housing secretary in more than 30 years, the State House News Service scooped . The former state senator and chief of staff to Rep. Jim McGovern stepped down as chancellor of Dean College in Franklin last month. He starts his new gig as the face of Healey’s housing efforts on June 1 . The Healey administration said the new secretariat, which is being split off from the state’s economic development office, will work to “create more homes and lower costs” and focus “on the urgent need to build places to live that are affordable and closer to public transit.” — “Amid high political tensions, Healey administration weighs in on federal protections for trans student athletes,” by Samantha J. Gross, Boston Globe: “Governor Maura Healey’s administration on Monday stepped into what has quickly become a political minefield: transgender student participation in school sports. Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler submitted public comment in support of the Biden administration’s proposed changes to a federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in schools.” — “Thousands of police officer disciplinary records could be released next month, POST official says,” by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: “Thousands of disciplinary records detailing misconduct among police officers all across Massachusetts could be released to the public as soon as next month, the head of the state’s law enforcement licensing agency told the Herald.” — “Report: Mass. outward migration increases fourfold,” by Christian M. Wade, The Eagle-Tribune: “ The outward migration of taxpayers and income leaving Massachusetts has nearly quadrupled over the past decade, with the state’s top earners leading the exodus, according to a new report. The Pioneer Institute’s 'Tax Reality Sets In' report, which is based on newly released U.S. Census data, found that between 2019 and 2021, Massachusetts rose to the fourth highest among states with the largest net outmigration of wealth, following behind California, New York and Illinois.”   DON’T MISS POLITICO’S HEALTH CARE SUMMIT : The Covid-19 pandemic helped spur innovation in health care, from the wide adoption of telemedicine, health apps and online pharmacies to mRNA vaccines. But what will the next health care innovations look like? Join POLITICO on Wednesday June 7 for our Health Care Summit to explore how tech and innovation are transforming care and the challenges ahead for access and delivery in the United States. REGISTER NOW .     FROM THE HUB — REDISTRICTING SAGA RESUMES: Boston’s latest redistricting hearing got off to a sputtering start yesterday after councilors couldn’t even agree on what they were legally allowed to talk about, Kelly Garrity writes in. Councilors at the civil rights and immigrant advancement committee session debated whether they could directly address potential new maps or had to stick to discussing the judge’s ruling overturning the last one, lest they potentially violate the state’s open meeting law — part of what led to the initial lawsuit. After an extended recess, committee chair Ruthzee Louijeune got the conversation rolling, opening the floor for councilors to “talk about generally what people want to see in a map,” without discussing specific proposals. Old tensions flared up, and when the hours-long meeting wrapped it was unclear whether the group had made progress. The clock is ticking. A new map needs to be drawn by May 30 to avoid delaying this year's municipal elections. There are currently three plans on the table — one from Louijeune, one from Mayor Michelle Wu and one from Councilor Kendra Lara . Wu also said her team is in talks with Council President Ed Flynn to set up special meetings, the Dorchester Reporter’s Gintautas Dumcius reported last night . — “Boston Public Schools’ improper billing practice wasted $25,000, opened avenues for potential corruption, city finds,” by Naomi Martin, Boston Globe: “Boston Public Schools improperly handled a plumbing vendor’s invoices and wasted nearly $25,000 that could have been spent on students, an investigation released Sunday by a city watchdog agency found.” — “Teachers union votes to split from Greater Boston Labor Council,” by Gintautas Dumcius, Dorchester Reporter: “Members of the Dorchester-based Boston Teachers Union [last] week voted in support of breaking away from the Greater Boston Labor Council, a union umbrella group with 100,000 members. The teachers union has more than 8,000 members, making it the largest city of Boston union.”     WHAT'S ON CAMPBELL'S DOCKET — “AG investigating BPD to determine if ‘gang unit’ engages in ‘unconstitutional policing,’” by Chris Faraone, DigBoston: “The inquiry came to light through an email that Suffolk Lawyers for Justice (SLJ) sent to hundreds of public defenders and criminal defense attorneys on May 2. The Boston nonprofit oversees bar advocates who provide services to indigent clients, and explained in the group memo that ‘the Civil Rights Division of the Attorney General’s Office is conducting an investigation into [YVSF] to determine whether that unit engages in a pattern or practice of unconstitutional policing.’” — “AG Andrea Campbell picks her targets,” by Jennifer Smith, CommonWealth Magazine: “She ran on an equity platform that extended from her years on the council, pledging to work to restore faith in the criminal justice system and put state muscle into protecting vulnerable populations and their interests. Practically, that’s turned out to be complicated.” PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES — “Train service from Boston to Foxboro scheduled to resume Tuesday,” by David Linton, The Sun Chronicle: “Those traveling to the Taylor Swift concerts at Gillette Stadium this weekend by MBTA Commuter Rail can breathe easy again. A tweet pinned to @MBTA_CR, the agency’s Twitter account, on Monday evening said regular train service between South Station and Foxboro would resume Tuesday morning.”   GET READY FOR GLOBAL TECH DAY: Join POLITICO Live as we launch our first Global Tech Day alongside London Tech Week on Thursday, June 15. Register now for continuing updates and to be a part of this momentous and program-packed day! From the blockchain, to AI, and autonomous vehicles, technology is changing how power is exercised around the world, so who will write the rules? REGISTER HERE .     DAY IN COURT — “Charlie Baker’s son pleads ‘not guilty’ to OUI charge after allegedly blowing 0.15 on breath test,” by Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald: “[Andrew ‘AJ’] Baker, dressed in a well-tailored blue suit, did not speak during court while his attorney pleaded not guilty on his behalf or when walking out of the building after quietly accepting the stipulation for his release that he not operate a vehicle without a valid license.” FROM THE 413 — “Amherst Town Council charts racial equity steps,” by Scott Merzbach, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “A volunteer from AmeriCorps who will lead youth programming on behalf of the town’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Community Responders for Equity, Safety and Service departments; and hiring a consultant to help establish a Resident Oversight Board for the Police Department and review public safety protocols used by officers are among steps being taken to fulfill goals outlined by a community visioning process to improve police-community relations and further the town’s racial equity goals.” — “New data: Homelessness in western Massachusetts reaches five-year high,” by Alden Bourne, New England Public Media: “The Western Massachusetts Network to End Homelessness released a report saying more than 3,300 people did not have housing as of January 2023." THE LOCAL ANGLE — “Salem leaders scale back psilocybin enforcement,” by Dustin Luca, The Salem News: “Psilocybin, the psychoactive compound at the heart of fungi-based plant medicines like magic mushrooms, has been effectively decriminalized in Salem after a unanimous vote from the City Council Thursday night.” — “Braintree teachers, town reach contract agreement after months of contentious talks,” by Fred Hanson, The Patriot Ledger. — “As anti-Semitic hate crimes spike in Massachusetts, Combined Jewish Philanthropies of Greater Boston launches ‘Face Jewish Hate’ campaign,” by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald.   MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE — "4 New Hampshire Republicans who endorsed Trump 19 days ago are now backing Ron DeSantis," by Dasha Burns and Jonathan Allen, NBC News: "'I’m endorsing both,' [Juliet Harvey-Bolia] said in a telephone interview. 'DeSantis has a lot of promise for the future, and Trump is great now.'” HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH TRANSITIONS — Emily Carwell and Ian Staples are joining Democratic Minority Whip Katherine Clark’s office. Carwell will be policy director and previously was staff director of the Senate Democratic Policy and Communications Committee. Staples will be national security adviser and previously was acting deputy assistant secretary of Defense for Senate Affairs. — Andrew Brinker is now a reporter on the Boston Globe's business team covering housing. — Juliet Schulman-Hall is now the Northampton enterprise reporter for MassLive. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Christian Scorzoni , the Lowell Sun’s Alana Melanson , Emma Rothschild and Alvin Gunnion . 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

POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA

Tennessee House goes full fascist with purge of Black Dems

 

OD Action is now atAdvocacy!

Today’s Action: Tell Congress to deliver federal LGBTQ+ protections!

---

BREAKING: 236,000 jobs added in March

Daily Dose of Democracy:

Tennessee House expels two Black Democrats for gun-control protest
Tennessee Republicans hit a disgusting new low when they voted to expel two young Black Democratic Representatives from the House, Justin Jones and Justin Pearson, for "breaking decorum" by joining a protest for gun reforms in the wake of the awful Nashville school shooting that killed three children. Curiously enough, the House chose NOT to expel Rep. Gloria Jones, who happens to be a white woman. This fascistic and unilateral abuse of power is a perfect illustration of the rancid racism that animates the Republican Party, their wholehearted disdain for democracy, and their willingnes to break every rule and every norm to entrench their power and to punish liberals for expressing themselves.

Take Action: Demand the Tennessee GOP restore the House Democrats they expelled for supporting gun reform protests!

---

Republicans vowing retaliation for Trump's indictment hit with bad news
The GOP plan to indict liberals like the Clintons and the Bidens as payback for Trump's arrest is NOT going well.

Take Action: Disqualify Trump from holding public office!

---

Scientists can't be any more clear: we are running out of time
Sunrise Movement: The window to stave off ecological disaster is rapidly closing on us. The Sunrise Movement is ready to take the climate fight to Congress to get legislation passed to protect our future. Can you chip in to support their efforts?

---

Biden proposes new rules for transgender student athletes that allows for some restrictions, opposes categorical bans
The Biden administration announced a new rule that would oppose categorical bans on trans athletes but would allow for "some limitations." This represents some of the strongest protections for trans athletes to date but also falls short of what many trans activists were hoping for. One thing is sure; Republicans who could not care less about women's sports will be up in arms over the extension of any protections at all for young trans kids.

Take Action: Tell Congress to pass the PRO Act and protect workers' rights!

---

Supreme Court denies West Virginia’s request to enforce anti-trans sports ban against cross-country and track athlete
Now for some good trans news! The Supreme Court squashed an anti-trans sports ban in West Virginia so that Becky Pepper-Jackson, a 12-year-old transgender girl, can continue to run on her track-and-field team. The only dissenting justices were Alito and Thomas, who reminded everyone that the only people they think deserve rights are the ones who take Clarence Thomas out on superyachts.

Take Action: Pass the Supreme Court Ethics Act!

---

Son of Rebekah Jones, Florida whistleblower, arrested in probe of "threatening Internet posts"
Florida state police arrested the thirteen-year-old son of Florida COVID-19 whistleblower and took him into custody, claiming that the boy had made "terroristic threats" by sharing ironic memes with his friends, who alerted school authorities. The memes would indicate an intention to shoot up a school. Jones believes the arrest is political intimidation by the DeSantis administration, whom she recently sued for unjustified termination. During the COVID crisis, Jones says she was fired for refusing to manipulate infection data to suit DeSantis' reopening plans.

---

Manchin furious over latest legal setback to Mountain Valley Pipeline project
One of the poison pills that progressives had to swallow to get Manchin on board with President Biden's historic climate law was agreeing to fast-track one of Manchin's pet pipeline projects. But it looks like we may have our cake and eat it too, since a federal court has once again mothballed the project over concerns that the pipeline’s threats to water quality have not been adequately accounted for. That's just tooooooo bad. So sorry.

---

Republicans make fatal mistake amid impending Trump indictment
No Lie with Brian Tyler Cohen. What a dumb move...

🚨 Brian Tyler Cohen launched a Spanish YouTube channel! The left has a huge problem reaching Spanish speaking audiences, and our vote share among Spanish speakers is actually declining, so please spread the Democrats' message by subscribing to his channel (and watch some videos to get them going in the algorithm) by clicking here.

---

Black couple says Texas authorities seized their newborn because they chose a midwife over a hospital
The joy of new parents Temecia and Rodney Jackson quickly turned to a dystopian nightmare after their pediatrician called CPS on them because their baby, who was born at home, had developed a mild case of jaundice. Cops came to their home at 5 AM, terrorized the family, arrested Rodney for refusing them entry, broke into their home and then took their child away. They still haven't gotten her back. The deeply entrenched racism in American healthcare that results in a shockingly high Black maternal mortality rate has pushed many Black families to seek midwife services, for which they are then punished by CPS and police for attempting to go outside the system. Just shocking, abhorrent stuff that Republicans will tell you doesn't exist.

---

Trump makes play for DeSantis donors
In a typically Trumpian move to cut his opponent off at the knees, Trump has reportedly been cold-calling DeSantis donors and working to convince them to jump ship. Trump's indictment has somehow been a windfall for him in the finance department, raising over $12 million since the indictment news broke, but it's clear he sees the Floridian fascist as a clear threat to his candidacy. Let's hope they exhaust themselves fighting each other.

---

Democrats respond to stunning Clarence Thomas illegal billionaire gift scandal
The shocking ProPublica report about Supreme Court Justice Thomas' right-wing billionaire vacation sugar daddy set off a chorus of outrage and disapproval from Democrats. They managed to run the whole gamut of responses: AOC demanded his impeachment, Bill Pascrell demanded his resignation, Sheldon Whitehouse called for an investigation and Senate Judiciary Chair Dick Durbin, who would be in charge of leading an impeachment drive, tepidly called for passing an "enforceable code of conduct." No word from Durbin on impeachment, despite being handed one of the most brazenly corrupt abuses of power by a Supreme Court Justice in modern history.

---

Iowa turns down $3M federal grant for climate change planning
Nihilistic Republicans are so beholden to their fossil fuel donors that they are turning down millions of dollars in free federal money. Iowa, Florida, Kentucky and South Dakota were the only states who refused this free money — MILLIONS OF DOLLARS — from the government because cleaning the air, creating green jobs and reducing pollution would hurt their backers' bottom lines.

---

---

That's a LOT of bad apples

Ohio ex-police officer sentenced to 15 years in prison for child porn

Civil rights investigation opened into US Park Police killing of 17-year-old Black boy

Police sued by student shot in police incident at Western High School, Las Vegas

Louisiana city of Plaquemine sued after woman alleges it failed to investigate police chief accused of sexual misconduct

Redding police officer fired after sexually assaulting woman during arrest

News from abroad

Biden administration blames chaotic Afghan pull-out on Trump

World economy faces weakest growth since 1990, according to the IMF

China moves warships after US hosts Taiwan's Tsai

Dingo attempts to eat baby

French protestors torch Macron's favorite bistro over push to raise retirement age

Hope...

Immune system may hold secret to living to 100

New atomic-scale understanding of catalysis could unlock massive energy savings

Scientists find earliest evidence of humans doing drugs in Europe, some 3,000 years ago

Want more hope? Subscribe to our favorite good news newsletter FREE.

---

Today’s Action: Tell Congress to deliver federal LGBTQ+ protections!

Anti-LGBTQ+ legislation is at an all-time high as bigots across the country openly advocate for the ostracization and condemnation of one of America’s most vulnerable communities. Transgender people are at the center of the vitriol as state legislations across the country debate their right to exist. It is our duty to protect this community from what is increasingly being labeled as a transgender genocide. It’s disgusting that this type of governing is what we are subjected to in 2023, in what is supposed to be a “free” nation.

The ability to persecute others is not something that makes America “free.” What is important is the ability for all, regardless of identity, to live an equitable life. We have a very long way to go towards achieving that goal. The fact is, conservatives have been scapegoating and persecuting the oppressed for centuries — and doing so under the guise of religious freedom.

Despite Democrats’ best effort to pass the Equality Act last congressional session, our elected officials have yet to deliver wide-reaching protections for LGBTQ+ people. With the onslaught of laws targeting LGBTQ+ freedoms, targeted mass shootings, and the deeply troubling rise in hate crimes, we simply can’t wait any longer to secure protections for our marginalized communities.

We must not allow protections for the LGBTQ+ community, and ESPECIALLY transgender people, to fall by the wayside. Whether by reviving the Equality Act or putting forth new legislation, we must act swiftly. Every second Congress waits puts another person at risk.

Email or call (202.224.3121) your members of Congress and tell them to deliver federal LGBTQ+ protections as soon as possible!

PS — Please don't forget to sign the petition to tell Congress to expand abortion coverage and repeal the Hyde Amendment, and be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

 @advocacy | 1002 Hull St., Louisville, KY 40204