The Senate Just Voted 40 to 0 for Its Housing Bill. What’s In It — And What’s Not?

Green affordable housing

Last night, the MA Senate voted unanimously (40 to 0) for its redraft of the Affordable Homes Act.

The Senate’s bill contains a $5.4 billion bond authorization, which — as it is important to acknowledge — is more than the $2 billion that the Governor actually plans to spend over the next five years. Not all of the spending authorized will materialize: the authorizations create potential, not hard reality.

But the policy components of bond bills are different: they are laws like any other laws. Their impact is not just potential, but reality.

Like Healey’s original version of the bill, the Senate bill would establish an Office of Fair Housing and legalize accessory dwelling units in single-family zoning districts without undue restrictions.

The Senate’s bill, like Healey’s, allows cities and towns to pass inclusionary zoning ordinances (i.e., requirements that a certain percentage of new construction be affordable units) by simple majority, but only allows it for requirements up to 13 percent.

The Senate’s bill, like Healey’s, creates a process for the sealing of eviction records and, importantly, allows this for cases that are dismissed or where tenants win (omissions in Healey’s original language), although the Senate did not streamline the process to make some of the sealing automatic to remove administrative burdens on tenants.

In a further win for tenants, the Senate bill bans brokers’ fees, requiring that real estate brokers’ fees be paid solely by the party that contracted with them and not born by renters for whom such fees can come as a costly and prohibitive surprise.

That all being said, the Senate’s exclusion of a local option real estate transfer fee was shameful and indefensible, a cowardly capitulation to the real estate industry, condescending a dismissal of cities and towns that want to take action, and sign that they simply do not take the housing crisis seriously. We can’t take tools off the table.

Recorded Votes from the Senate Session

Despite being in session from 10 am to midnight to work through the bill (with frequent recesses therein), there were almost no recorded votes, and there was little debate. Indeed, the third item that the Senate did was bundle 64 amendments — 1/5 of the total filed — and reject them en bloc on a voice vote (“All those in favor say aye, all those opposed say nay, the nays have it, and the amendments are rejected.” It lasts as long as it took you to read that.) The amendment to restore the local option transfer fee was among them.

They then adopted 71 amendments en bloc via voice vote. Later in the day, they rejected a bundle of 14 amendments and adopted a bundle of 30.

In other words, a total of 78 amendments were rejected via a bundled voice vote, and 101 were adopted via a bundled voice vote. Our deliberative body in action.

The remaining amendments did not get meaningful back-and-forth debate and deliberation either. Only three received recorded votes, and two of those were unanimous: the creation of a Crumbling Concrete Assistance Fund and the creation of First Time Home Buyers Savings Accounts. That those two received recorded votes is just a sign that their lead sponsors wanted to issue a press release or otherwise get public credit: the votes offer nothing in the way of transparency or accountability.

The only non-unanimous vote was on an amendment from Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester) to enable cities and towns to evade compliance with MBTA Communities Act zoning requirements. It failed 6 to 34, with two Democrats — Edward Kennedy of Lowell and Walter Timilty of Milton — joining Republicans.

Status of Amendments We Supported

  • #119, Air Quality for Homes: Withdrawn
  • #141, HOMES Judiciary Committee Bill: Adopted
  • #150, Establishing local-option rent stabilization: Withdrawn
  • #214, Foreclosure Prevention Program: Adopted but redrafted
  • #235, Encouraging homeownership: Withdrawn
  • #242, Local Option Transfer Fee: Rejected en bloc via voice vote

Status of Amendments We Supported

The House and Senate now have until July 31 to conference their two bills and vote upon consensus language.

Support Key Amendments to the Housing Bond Bill

On June 24, the MA Senate released its redraft of Governor Healey’s housing bond bill (S.2834). Although the bill contains important provisions like legalizing accessory dwelling units, creating a process for sealing eviction records, establishing an Office of Fair Housing, and banning broker fees, it fails to meet the urgency of the housing crisis and leaves out key policies, such as a local option real estate transfer fee.

The bill can — and must — get better, so write to your state senators in support of the following amendments:

#119, Air Quality for Homes (Jehlen), which would create a task force to address identification and remediation of indoor air pollution and indoor mold contamination.

#141, HOMES Judiciary Committee Bill (Eldridge), which would substitute the eviction sealing language in the bill with language reported out of the Judiciary Committee which would also allow tenants whose case is dismissed or who win to petition to seal their eviction case. While 11 states have successfully adopted eviction record sealing protections, there is nothing right now tenants in Massachusetts can do now to seal their eviction records. In Massachusetts, the moment an eviction case is filed, a tenant has a permanent and publicly available eviction record on the Trial Court’s website. Even if a tenant paid off the rent, won the case, or did nothing wrong, they are rejected from housing regardless of the outcome of the case.

#150, Establishing local-option rent stabilization (Jehlen), which would allow cities and towns to pass rent stabilization ordinances. Cities and towns need an array of tools to combat displacement, and rent control is a key tool.

#214, Foreclosure Prevention Program (Gomez), which would create a statewide mediation program to prevent foreclosures, which is critical for homeowners across Massachusetts and particularly low-income, working-class, and new homeowners.

#235, Encouraging homeownership (Jehlen), which would give tenants the right of first refusal to buy their building when the owner decides to sell. This is critical to address the high cost of housing, to keep tenants in their homes, and to stabilize our communities.  

#242, Local Option Transfer Fee (Comerford), which would give cities and towns the ability to put a small fee on high-end real estate transactions to raise dedicated funds for affordable housing. We have to give cities and towns in Massachusetts all the tools possible to tackle the housing crisis, and the real estate transfer fee, only for the towns that want it, will give them the much needed resources to do just that.

Sponsored by

Progressive Mass

MA Senate Passes Climate Omnibus Bill 38 to 2. Here’s What’s in It.

On Tuesday, the MA Senate voted 38 to 2 to pass its climate omnibus bill (An Act upgrading the grid and protecting ratepayers). The 2 NO votes coming from Republicans Peter Durant of Spencer and Ryan Fattman of Sutton. 

Here are some of the key parts of it.

Siting Reform

  • Establishes a fund to support individuals, local governments, and community organizations seeking to intervene in the siting regulatory process (formally known as “intervenors”), a Division of Public Participation within the Department of Public Utilities, and an Office of Environmental Justice and Equity
  • Creates a consolidated permitting process under the Energy Facilities Siting Board (as opposed to a series of permits across local, regional, and state levels) for various clean energy projects and limits the review process to one year for smaller projects and 15 months for larger projects
  • Requires any electric company, distribution company, generation company, transmission company or natural gas pipeline company to petition the Energy Facilities Siting Board when it seeks to take land via eminent domain
  • Requires the facility siting division within the Department of Public Utilities to maintain a clean energy infrastructure dashboard

Moving Beyond Gas 

  • Allows gas companies to provide networked geothermal energy 
  • Requires the Department of Utilities to consider the public interest (such as achieving greenhouse gas reduction goals) and the availability of non-gas alternatives when evaluating proposals from gas companies to expand territory and petitions from individuals for gas service. 
  • Requires gas companies to file plans with the Department of Public Utilities on  decommissioning gas infrastructure and remedying leak-prone infrastructure
  • Repeals the gas system expansion mandate at the DPU (i.e., the requirement that gas companies design programs “which increase the availability, affordability and feasibility of natural gas service for new customers” 

Electrification of Transportation 

  • Makes it easier for cities and towns to procure electric school buses and EV charging equipment for their municipalities
  • Authorizes $27M from the RGGI Auction Trust Fund to be made available for the Electric Vehicle Adoption Incentive Trust Fund for the next three fiscal years
  • Prohibits a historic district commission, board of a neighborhood conservation district, or condo association from prohibiting or unreasonably restricting an individual unit owner from installing electric vehicle supply equipment.
  • Requires the MBTA to develop short-term, medium-term, and long-term plans to electrify the commuter rail (Amendment #31) 

Building Decarbonization 

  • Directs the Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance to evaluate the potential of increasing energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions in all buildings owned or leased by the Commonwealth
  • Expands the mission of the Board of Building Regulations to include energy efficiency, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, and reductions in embodied carbon

Consumer Protection

  • Prohibits competitive electric suppliers, which frequently engage in predatory business practices, from signing up new residential customers,
  • Requires the Department of Public Utilities to establish discounted rates for moderate-income consumers with distribution companies

Defining Clean Energy 

  • Positive: Removes the designation of biomass as clean energy for Municipal Light Plant clean energy standards (Amendment #34) 
  • Negative: Expands the definition of “clean energy” to include nuclear, carbon dioxide removal, hydrogen, renewable natural gas and includes carbon capture & sequestration in clean energy research

Just Transition

  • Creates a commission to examine ways to increase access to employment, training, and workforce opportunities in clean energy industries and related fields for gas workers (Amendment #120) 

Other Measures

  • Updates the state’s bottle bill to expand the types of beverage containers that have a deposit, to cover water bottles, iced teas, fruit juices, and more (Amendment #67)

Unfortunately, several of the amendments we supported to strengthen the bill were withdrawn:

  • #14 Protecting the Commonwealth from Gas Expansion (Gomez), which would halt large gas infrastructure expansion projects from being approved by the Energy Facilities Siting Board (EFSB).
  • #15 Halting the Expansion of Large Gas Pipes (Gomez), which would stop the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) from approving gas companies to expand into new towns & cities not already served by gas.
  • #16 Protecting the Climate and Ratepayers from Gas Expansion (Gomez), which would halt both large gas infrastructure expansions approvals by the EFSB (Amendment 14) and gas territory expansions by the DPU (Amendment 15).
  • #100 Improving Outdoor Air Quality (Jehlen), which would create a technical advisory committee for air quality, direct the DEP to identify at least 8 pollution hot spots, install air monitors, and reduce the air pollution by 50% by 2030.
  • #106 Stemming the Expansion of RNG and Hydrogen (Eldridge), which would stop RNG and Hydrogen as being defined as clean energy.
  • #119 Prevailing Wage (Feeney), which would bring natural gas, electrical, and renewable energy utility workers under the Commonwealth’s prevailing wage statute to make it harder for work to be outsourced to low-road employers.

And several were voted down in quick, perfunctory voice votes with no accountability:

  • #28 Zero Carbon Renovation Fund (Gomez), which would provide funding for the decarbonization measures we need across sectors to meet Massachusetts’ ambitious climate goals.
  • #35 Limiting Biomass (Gomez), which would remove subsidies for burning biomass.
  • #57 Clean Energy Siting and Permitting, Local Option Amendment (Mark), which would make the consolidated permit a local option (like stretch code).
  • #116 Accurately Assessing Community Impacts (DiDomenico), which would strike a clause from the definition of cumulative impact analyses that would limit the analysis to only assessing the risks and exposures attributable to the proposed new pollution source 
  • #119 Prevailing Wage (Feeney), which would bring natural gas, electrical, and renewable energy utility workers under the Commonwealth’s prevailing wage statute to make it harder for work to be outsourced to low-road employers.

Statement on the Senate Redraft of the Affordable Homes Act

Massachusetts has a housing crisis, and voters across the state are calling for bold action. If only the Massachusetts Senate Leadership would care to listen.

While we are happy to see the bill preserve vital pieces of Healey’s bill like eviction sealing and accessory dwelling units, it in no way meets the urgency of our housing crisis. 

Rather than strengthening and building on Governor Healey’s housing bond bill, Senate Leadership has decided to cave to the real estate lobby, nixing the local option real estate transfer fee and relegating it to a commission that will likely never even meet.  

Let us be clear: the public wants to see robust action on the housing crisis. MA voters support a local option real estate transfer fee by 3 to 1 and routinely show strong support for a wide range of necessary policy solutions. 

Every day, more and more people are being displaced as they can no longer afford the crushing rents and sky-high housing prices. We need every tool in the toolbox, at every level. We can only tackle the housing crisis with investments from the federal level, the state level, and municipal level. Our State Legislature needs to stop preventing cities from playing their part. 

Around the country, right-wing Republican elected officials have been trying to prevent progressive cities from passing their own laws. Massachusetts Democrats, however, beat them to that by a century and—whether out of indifference, elitism, or plain-old corruption—uphold that system today. Our Commonwealth deserves better policy making than this.

Our First 2024 Legislative Endorsements

The Massachusetts state primary is Tuesday September 3​, the day after Labor Day. That’s 10 weeks and 1 day away. And that will go by fast. 

In April, our Elections and Endorsements Committee began sending our comprehensive policy questionnaire to candidates running in contested races for MA House and MA Senate. We view these questionnaires as a vital opportunity to educate candidates about issues that matter to progressive voters, get candidates on record, and create a more informed and engaged electorate. ​Read questionnaires we’ve received for legislative and other races so far here.​​

The Committee reviewed them in May, interviewed candidates, and deliberated to make a first round of recommendations. And then we surveyed our members because, as an organization committed to democracy, all of our endorsements must ultimately be approved by our members​

So we are proud to share our first endorsements for the 2024 cycle. Read more about them below. 

~2024 Endorsements ~

Arielle Faria for Barnstable, Dukes & Nantucket

Arielle Reid Faria is a housing champion who serves as the Managing Director of the Island Housing Trust and the co-chair of the Coalition to Create a Martha’s Vineyard Housing Bank, a key part of the statewide coalition for a local option real estate transfer fee. She brings important lived experience, a strong organizing background, and a passion for increasing civic engagement in the district and beyond. Learn more at https://www.ariellefaria.com/.

Leigh Davis for 3rd Berkshire

Leigh Davis is a housing champion, a former union member, and an environmentalist who serves on the Great Barrington Select Board. She has been a key voice in building Western Mass support for a local option real estate transfer fee and in passing policies to address the housing crisis locally, and demonstrates a strong commitment to fighting for the underserved. Learn more at https://www.leighdavis.org/.

Heather May for 9th Middlesex

Heather May is an educator at Emerson College and a community activist in Waltham. Having been active in the push to unionize non-tenured faculty, she understands the value of organizing, and she is running on strong progressive policies and the need for systemic change in the MA House. We endorsed Heather in 2022 and are proud to do so again. Learn more at https://www.heatherforwaltham.com/.


Bill Humphrey for 12th Middlesex

Bill Humphrey is a third-term Newton City Councilor, the former chair of Progressive Newton, and an outspoken advocate for workers’ rights, public education, affordable housing, transit equity, and climate action. He has shown a willingness to fight for his principles on the Council and understands the importance of building coalitions whether inside or outside of the halls of power to advance progressive policy. Learn more at https://www.billhumphrey.org/.


Evan MacKay for 25th Middlesex

Evan McKay is a union leader, pro-democracy organizer, and scholar of the criminal legal system. They were a part of the successful recent effort to democratize the UAW, making it a bolder and more responsive union, and are running to advocate for a more progressive and responsive State House that views activists as partners in advancing a shared vision. Learn more at https://www.evanforcambridge.com/.

​

Erika Uyterhoeven for 27th Middlesex

Erika Uyterhoeven has been a reliable progressive ally at the State House. She has been a vocal champion of such issues as tax fairness, worker’s rights, housing justice, climate action, and decarceration, and she is a forward-thinking policymaker eager to learn about innovative policy ideas and approaches and seed them into the debate. She is someone who has been willing to buck Leadership and stand by her principles, and she has leveraged her role as a state legislator to visit prisons and jails for oversight and accountability and to secure a commitment from the DOC to allow incarcerated individuals to testify virtually at the State House. Learn more at https://www.electerika.com/.

Erin Bradley for Norfolk, Plymouth & Bristol

Erin Bradly is a policy advocate and former State Senate staffer who has written policies that have benefited children and families across the Commonwealth. A member of the Select Board in Milton, she was a vocal supporter of MBTA Communities Act rezoning, and she has been active in building the bench of progressive women to run for office in Milton. Learn more at https://www.erinforstatesenate.com/.

FY 2025 Budget Recommendations

Saturday, June 22, 2024

Chair Michlewitz, Chair Rodrigues, Vice Chair Ferrante, and Vice Chair Friedman,

Thank you for your ongoing work in negotiating a final budget for the upcoming fiscal year. We were very pleased to see a number of the new initiatives in the budgets passed by each chamber, and we would like to call attention to the role the Fair Share Amendment has played in making new investments possible.

As you continue such negotiations, we urge you to include the following provisions in the final budget:

  • New Investments in Early Education and Child Care: Advancing the Common Start Coalition’s vision of a more robust early education and child care infrastructure with greater stability for providers, better pay for educators, and more affordability for families, as reflected in various parts of both the House and Senate FY 2025 budget.
  • Universal School Meals: Fully funding universal school meals by dedicating $190 million to School Meals For All (Line Item 1596-2422, as funded in the FY 2025 House budget).
  • Access to Counsel: Providing $2.5 million for implementation of a statewide Access to Counsel pilot program to increase access to legal representation for low-income tenants and low-income owner occupants in eviction proceedings (item 0321-1800 in the House FY 2025 budget).
  • Cash Assistance for Low-Income Families: Providing a 10% increase to TAFDC cash assistance grants for very low-income families with children (line item 4403-2000), as both House and Senate FY 2025 budgets did, a 10% increase to EAEDC cash assistance grants for older adults and people with disabilities (as in line item 4408-1000 of the Senate FY 2025 budget), and an increase of $50 per child to the annual TAFDC children’s clothing allowance (also the Senate budget).  These increases are essential, and families in deep poverty should not have to wait until next April for them to take effect.  
  • No Cost Calls Funding: Dedicating $35M in the Communications Access Trust Fund for no–cost calls in prisons and jails (item 1595-6153 in the House FY 2025 budget). This was an exciting victory last year, and we need to ensure committed funds for robust implementation.
  • No Cost Calls Reporting: Making technical fixes to the No Cost Calls reporting requirements, so that policymakers have the information they need to effectively monitor free communication (Section 29 A&B of the Senate FY 2025 budget).
  • Voting Access: Eliminating barriers to voting access by ending MA’s outlier status as the only state where if a voter doesn’t return the annual municipal census, they’re placed on the Inactive Voter list (Section 57 of the Senate FY 2025 budget). We need to continue the work of expanding access to voting.
  • New Flag, Seal, & Motto: Continuing the work to develop a new state flag, seal, and motto (as funded in line item 7008-0900 in the Senate FY 2025 budget).

Thank you again for your work.

Sincerely,

Jonathan Cohn

Policy Director

Progressive Massachusetts

MA Senate Votes 38 to 2 to Reduce Plastic Waste

Yesterday, the MA Senate passed the Plastics Reduction Act, a comprehensive bill to reduce plastic waste, by a wide margin of 38 to 2. The only NO votes were from Republican Senators Peter Durant (R-Spencer) and Ryan Fattman (R-Sutton).

The bill would prohibit carry-out plastic bags at retail stores statewide and require stores to charge 10 cents for recycled paper bags, five cents of which will be allocated to environmental protection measures (including making reusable bags widely available in low- and moderate-income communities). As of last year, more than 160 cities and towns, constituting nearly 70 per cent of the state’s population, already regulated single-use plastic bags.

The bill also takes additional steps, such as the following:

  • Preventing plastic utensils and straws from automatically being given to consumers
  • Prohibiting single-use plastic bottle purchases by state agencies
  • Creating a statewide program for recycling large plastic objects such as car seats
  • Requiring the Department of Environmental Protection to submit a report on how to expand access to composting
  • Establishing a commission on extended producer responsibility

During the floor debate, conservatives of both parties, led by Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester), sought to make the plastic bag fee optional for retailers. That amendment failed 8 to 30, with Barry Finegold (D-Andover), Mark Montigny (D-New Bedford), Michael Moore (D-Auburn), and John Velis (D-Westfield) joining the chamber’s four Republicans.

Tomorrow: MA Senate to Vote on Climate Omnibus Bill, House to Vote on Maternal Health Bill

Happy Juneteenth! Today is a reminder of both our country’s original sin of slavery and the importance of continual work to undo systems of oppression, correct historic inequities, and deliver on the promise of liberty and justice for all.

Tomorrow at the State House, the MA Senate and MA House both have an opportunity to further this work. Read on for what you can do.

Email Your State Senator about Climate Justice

Tomorrow, the MA Senate will be voting on a climate omnibus bill (S.2829) that takes steps to reform energy permitting, decarbonize buildings, electrify transportation infrastructure, expand the state’s electric vehicle charging network, and among other steps.

We know that if we are to have a just transition to renewable energy, then we need to center the communities that have been most harmed by the climate crisis and pollution.

Join the Mass Power Forward coalition in calling on State Senators to co-sponsor key amendments that accelerate our transition away from fossil fuels and address the historic and present harms faced by BIPOC communities.

  • #116 Accurately Assessing Community Impacts (DiDomenico), which would strike a clause from the definition of cumulative impact analyses that would limit the analysis to only assessing the risks and exposures attributable to the proposed new pollution source (thus making it NOT a cumulative assessment).
  • #100 Improving Outdoor Air Quality (Jehlen), which would create a technical advisory committee for air quality, direct the Department of Environmental Protection to identify at least 8 pollution hot spots, install air monitors, and reduce the air pollution by 50% by 2030.
  • #14 Protecting the Commonwealth from Gas Expansion (Gomez), which would halt large gas infrastructure expansion projects from being approved by the Energy Facilities Siting Board (EFSB).
  • #15 Halting the Expansion of Large Gas Pipes (Gomez), which would stop the Department of Public Utilities (DPU) from approving gas companies to expand into new towns & cities not already served by gas.
  • #16 Protecting the Climate and Ratepayers from Gas Expansion (Gomez), which would halt both large gas infrastructure expansions approvals by the EFSB (Amendment 14) and gas territory expansions by the DPU (Amendment 15).

Check out the Mass Power Forward action guide for more information.

Email Your State Representative about Birthing Justice

Tomorrow, the House will be taking up a bill to address our urgent maternal health crisis and racial inequities (H.4773). The bill incorporates evidence-based solutions, including those that integrate midwives and birth centers into our healthcare system.

Join the Bay State Birth Coalition in advocating for key amendments to to ensure health equity and strengthen midwifery and birth center provisions in the bill:

  • #8 Equitable Reimbursement for Certified Nurse Midwives (Fluker Oakley)
  • #9 Low-risk Pregnancy Definition filed (Fluker Oakley)
  • #15 Promoting Equitable Birth Center Leadership (Cruz)

Moreover, urge your state representative to oppose amendment #20, which would introduce severe restrictions on individual birthing choice and impose blanket fixed prohibitions instead of allowing regulations to follow current, evidence-based best practices for maternal care.

Check out the Bay State Birth Coalition action page for more information.

News Roundup – June 16, 2024

Chris Lisinski, “Mass. House unanimously approves Parentage Equality Bill,” State House News Service, June 12.

“The bill , long a priority for civil rights and LGBTQ activists, would create new pathways and clearer standards for Bay Staters to establish parentage over a child through birth as well as other means such as adoption, surrogacy and marriage.”

Taylor Dolven, “MBTA budgets ‘totally incapable of getting us where we need to be,’ board member says,” Boston Globe, June 11.

“It’s very troubling to know we are struggling to even keep our head above water here,” said director Tom McGee. “We continue to get farther and farther behind.”

The Editorial Board, “No-heavy-lifting committees a symptom of a bigger problem in Beacon Hill,” Boston Globe, June 9.

“The Massachusetts system is out of control and so are its consequences — a Legislature where power is concentrated at the very top, debate is a thing of the past, and real democracy is a distant memory.”

Andrew Brinker, “A tax on high-dollar home sales had a clear path on Beacon Hill. Then the real estate industry stepped in.,” Boston Globe, June 7.

“What happened was what we knew was going to happen,” said Mark Martinez, who leads a coalition supporting the fee. “The real estate industry has come out in full force against the transfer fee and they are spreading misinformation. Simply put, they have a lot more money than we do. It’s challenging to battle that.”

Liza Featherstone, “Here’s How We Know That Vermont’s New Climate Law Will Work,” The New Republic, June 7.

“All these developments suggest that many policymakers know the value of the venerable polluter pays principle and are undaunted by the red tape of the looming right-wing judicial hellscape. Holding environmental perps accountable and incentivizing better behavior is still popular, practical, and possible.”

Michael Jonas, “Bill to allow campaign funds for childcare on the move,” CommonWealth Beacon, June 6.

“More than three decades later, Jehlen is pushing an election law change that would make it easier for parents of young children to run for office without shelling out lots of money or relying on the kindness of friends and family.”

Adrian Walker, “Do-nothing committees show the inner workings of the State House,” Boston Globe, June 4.

“It’s all a reflection of a seriously broken system. Committees traditionally have served a significant role as a starting point for significant legislation. Chairs of important committees had real juice. Hearings were an avenue for the public to be heard.”

Suchita Nayar, “Behind the battle for a full $15 minimum wage for restaurant servers,” Boston Globe, June 3.

“Knowing how much money you’re going to account for every week, no matter if it rains and the restaurant’s slow, that was super important,” said Galvis, who immigrated from Bogota, Colombia, when she was 15, and has lived in Boston since July 2023.

The Editorial Board, “Get ready for the Beacon Hill logjam,” Boston Globe, June 3.

“To an outsider, it can all seem a bit arcane — who really cares when the Legislature approves the state budget, for instance, as long as it does? But doing legislative business the same way college students write term papers has real drawbacks because it leads to rushed and secretive policymaking, keeps agencies that need to plan their own budgets waiting, and inevitably dooms some worthy legislation.”

Samantha Gross, “#MeToo exposed a history of sexual harassment in the Mass. House. A key position to address it has been empty for years.,” Boston Globe, June 2.

“While the mandatory harassment training is a welcome update, staff say, they remain troubled about leaders’ failure to act on the broader concern that if House staffers feel unsafe on Beacon Hill, the only people they can turn to for help work for the very lawmakers they might be complaining about.”

Travis Benson, “Dissecting the ‘toxic’ State House culture,” CommonWealth Beacon, May 25.

“There is a toxic culture in the State House, particularly in the House, stemming from the speaker’s consolidation of power, which trickles down to leadership, to rank-and-file reps, and, lastly, to the advocates and organizers themselves. The culture incentivizes a Stockholm syndrome-like relationship to power, where reps fall in line for crumbs from leadership, and advocates and organizations fall in line for access to the reps.”

Jared Nicholson and Dominick Pangallo, “As mayors, we need more tools to boost housing production,” CommonWealth Beacon, May 20.

“Cities like Lynn and Salem want to be active partners in the housing solutions our residents need, and that means statewide investments must be paired with the ability to generate local resources to help make that housing a reality. If communities like ours are not able to raise funds through tools like the transfer fee, we will continue to lack the ability to support the creation of affordable homes.”

Matt Stout, “‘Millionaires tax’ has already generated $1.8 billion this year for Massachusetts, blowing past projections,” Boston Globe, May 20.

“State officials said Monday that the voter-approved surtax on high earners has generated more than $1.8 billion in revenue this fiscal year — with still two months left to go — meaning state officials could have hundreds of millions of surplus dollars to spend on transportation and education initiatives.”

Jarred Johnson, “Troubling signs at Healey’s transportation funding task force,” CommonWealth Beacon, May 18.

We need leadership, not indecision. Voters are weary of endless options devoid of vision. If the task force merely presents a menu of choices without any recommendation, the administration can’t pretend to value competitiveness. We need “all of the above” solutions learned from the reports already written and from regions that have addressed deficits and have bold-funded visions for their transportation futures.

Taylor Dolven, “After decrying ‘disinvestment’ in the MBTA, proposals by Healey and the Legislature fail to fully fund the agency,” Boston Globe, May 12.

“For months, the cash-strapped transit agency has been warning that it needs about $600 million more than it has to cover its operating expenses for the fiscal year that starts in July. These funds pay for day-to-day operations, including wages and benefits for employees, fuel and supplies, the T’s contract with Keolis for commuter rail operations, and debt repayment for capital projects….But Healey’s proposal would provide just $172 million toward filling that gap. The House of Representatives’ proposal would give the agency $257 million, the Senate’s proposal just $157.5 million.”

Samantha Gross and Matt Stout, “A few Mass. Democrats put $5m into the budget for dog parks, a castle, and more. And they did it in secret.,” Boston Globe, May 9.

“And this all played out largely in secret. House leaders tucked the largesse into sweeping budget amendments assembled in a private,wood-paneled lounge down the hall from the House chamber….These stealth earmarks are not illegal; rather, they are a coveted, traditional perk of legislative heavyweights, allowing the most powerful to funnel money to hand-picked projects before other members or the voters who elected them realize it.”

Take Action: Our State Budget Is Being Finalized Right Now.

In April and May, the MA House and Senate voted on their respective budgets for the next fiscal year. As they reconcile the differences in a Conference Committee, it’s vital that chambers put aside the inter-chamber jockeying and procrastination that so often characterizes these negotiations and instead commit to embracing the best of both budget proposals.

What would that mean? It would mean doing things like the following:

  • Early Education and Child Care: Advancing the Common Start vision of a more robust early education and child care infrastructure with greater stability for providers, better pay for educators, and more affordability for families, as reflected by various parts of both the House and Senate budget
  • Universal School Meals: Fully funding universal school meals by dedicating $190 million to School Meals For All (Line Item 1596-2422)
  • Access to Counsel: Providing $2.5 million for implementation of a statewide Access to Counsel pilot program to increase access to legal representation for low-income tenants and low-income owner occupants in eviction proceedings (item 0321-1800 in the House FY 2025 budget proposal)
  • No Cost Calls Funding: Dedicating $35M in the Communications Access Trust Fund for no–cost calls in prisons and jails (item 1595-6153 in the House FY 2025 budget proposal)
  • No Cost Calls Reporting: Making technical fixes to the No Cost Calls reporting requirements, so that policymakers have the information they need to effectively monitor free communication (Section 29 A&B of the Senate FY 2025 budget proposal)
  • Voting Access: Eliminating barriers to voting access by ending MA’s outlier status as the only state where if a voter doesn’t return the annual municipal census, they’re placed on the Inactive Voter list (an amendment included in the Senate budget that also earned the support of a majority of representatives)

Can you write to your legislators to urge them to express their support for these provisions to the budget negotiators?