8-25-2024 4:20am

Beacon Hill Roll Call

Alan Earls Editor

If you have any questions about this week's report, e-mail us at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com or call us at (617) 720-1562.

Volume 49 - Report No. 34

August 19-23, 2024

By Bob Katzen

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THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call records local representatives’ votes on roll calls from recent sessions. There were no roll calls in the House or Senate last week.

$650,000 FOR MICROLOANS TO BUSINESSES (H 4800)

House 155-2, overrode Gov. Healey’s veto of $650,000 (reducing funding from $1.5 million to $850,000) for loans to small businesses.

The Senate did not act on the veto so the veto stands and the $650,000 was eliminated.

“I am reducing this item to the amount projected to be necessary due to the availability of alternative resources,” said Gov. Healey in her veto message. “This operating funding overlaps with alternative capital funding in the fiscal year 2025 Capital Investment Plan intended to support this purpose. Specifically, capital grants for Community Development Financial Institutions will be utilized to complement this funding in support of small businesses and microbusinesses.”

(A “Yes” vote is for the $650,000. A “No” vote is against it.)

Rep. Jeffrey Roy Yes

$7.5 MILLION FOR PROGRAMS TO ENCOURAGE STATE COLLEGE GRADUATES TO BECOME PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS (H 4800)

House 134-24, overrode Gov. Healey’s veto of $7.5 million (reducing funding from $10 million to $2.5 million) for programs to encourage graduates of the state’s public colleges to work as public school teachers.

The Senate did not act on the veto so the veto stands and the $7.5 million was eliminated.

“I am reducing this item to the amount projected to be necessary,” said Gov. Healey in her veto message. “The amount as adjusted here, in combination with the available balance from fiscal year 2024, is sufficient to meet projected demand and result in no reduction to fiscal year 2025 spending for this item.”

(A “Yes” vote is for the $7.5 million. A “No” vote is against it.)

Rep. Jeffrey Roy Yes

$875,000 FOR COLLEGE AND CAREER READINESS PROGRAM (H 4800)

House 154-4, overrode Gov. Healey’s veto of the entire $875,000 for a statewide college and career readiness program implemented by JFYNetWorks, a nonprofit corporation, to provide online instructional curricula to help students meet the Massachusetts state standards at each grade level and reduce learning loss and achievement gaps. The program would also prepare students for required assessments and college placement tests in middle school and high school.

The Senate did not act on the veto so the veto stands and the $875,000 was eliminated.

“I am vetoing this item because it is not consistent with my House [budget] recommendation,” said Gov. Healey in her veto message.

(A “Yes” vote is for the $875,000. A “No” vote is against it.)

Rep. Jeffrey Roy Yes

ALSO UP ON BEACON HILL

MATERNAL HEALTH (H 4999) – Gov. Healey signed into law a maternal health bill that would require certified professional midwives and lactation consultants to be licensed; encourage the creation of more freestanding birth centers; establish a grant program to address maternal mental health and substance use disorder; expand the statewide universal postpartum home visiting program; and mandate that insurers provide coverage for postpartum depression and major depressive disorder screenings for perinatal individuals.

“Massachusetts is home to the best health care, but there was work to be done to improve birth options and health equity for families across the state,” said Gov. Healey. “These important expansions in the law will help make it both safer and easier to start and grow a family here in Massachusetts, while making sure that women can make the best health care decisions for themselves.”

“Massachusetts is renowned for its world-class hospitals and health care facilities, and this legislation builds on that legacy by prioritizing maternal health care needs and providing expanded childbirth options for the commonwealth’s residents,” said House Minority Leader Rep. Brad Jones (R-North Reading). “In addition to creating a formal licensing process for certified professional midwives and lactation consultants, this legislation will offer expectant parents access to a wide range of services to ensure a successful pregnancy and childbirth, including universal postpartum home visits and postpartum depression screenings.”

“I am proud that this important legislation will take positive steps toward addressing the disparities in maternal healthcare,” said Sen. Patrick O’Connor (R-Weymouth). “Strengthening access to physical and mental health in Massachusetts will provide a more inclusive support system that keeps parents and children healthy as they embark on their new journey. Every single family in our commonwealth deserves high quality care and support. Not only are we safeguarding the health of new families, but also laying a stronger foundation for future generations.”

“These investments are part of our commitment across agencies to eliminate disparities in maternal health care that have led to worse outcomes in some communities and for people of color – especially Black birthing people,” said Health and Human Services Secretary Kate Walsh. “We are taking specific steps in designated communities to support the most disproportionately impacted residents and help provide much needed access to equitable perinatal and postpartum care.”

EARLY IN-PERSON VOTING IS OPEN FROM SATURDAY, AUGUST 24 THROUGH FRIDAY, AUGUST 30 - Early in-person voting in the upcoming September 3 state primaries kicked off Saturday, August 24 and runs through Friday, August 30. Under Massachusetts law, all cities and towns in Massachusetts are required to offer early voting.

Secretary of State Bill Galvin recommends voters check their city or town’s early voting schedule to find out what days and hours they can vote early. “With the primaries being held on the day after Labor Day, some voters may prefer to vote by mail or to vote early, especially if they have children going back to school that day,” Galvin said. “The early voting period gives you the chance to vote on whichever day you prefer, at your convenience.”

Voters who applied to vote by mail, but have not yet returned a ballot can still vote in person, if they wish. Those who have already returned their mail-in ballot will be marked off on the voting list and will not be able to vote again.

For more information, go to www.VoteInMA.com to find your community’s early voting locations and schedule.

$3.75 MILLION TO ADDRESS OPIOID CRISIS - The Healey administration announced $3.75 million in grants to 18 grassroots organizations to help reduce the harm caused by the opioid epidemic in communities disproportionately impacted by overdose deaths. The grants are awarded through the Mosaic Opioid Recovery Partnership, a new grant program designed to support underserved communities and populations that have experienced a high rate of opioid-related overdose deaths.

“Too many Massachusetts families have been devastated by the impacts of substance use disorder and we have been doing everything in our power to reduce overdoses and save lives,” said Gov. Healey. “These awards underscore our commitment to equitable access to necessary resources for prevention, recovery and treatment programs in communities disproportionately impacted by the opioid epidemic.”

“These grants ensure that opioid settlement funds are invested in community organizations that are working at the grassroots level but face challenges in competing for grant funding,” said Undersecretary of Health Kiame Mahaniah. “We’re hopeful that these diverse organizations will now have the ability to build on their substance use disorder programming while centering the voices of the community they know so well and who have been directly impacted by the overdose crisis.”

MBTA’S INCOME-ELIGIBLE REDUCED FARE PROGRAM BEGINS ON SEPTEMBER 4 - The MBTA announced that expanded access to reduced fares for income-eligible riders begins on Wednesday, September 4, 2024.

This new program provides riders who are aged 18-64 and have low income, with reduced one-way fares of approximately 50 percent off on all travel inclujding MBTA buses, subways, commuter rail and The RIDE.

The online application is available at mbta.com/income-eligible

The application can be completed in English, Spanish, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, Traditional Chinese, Haitian-Creole or Vietnamese.

The launch also includes the availability of in-person support at five locations around the MBTA service area. For more information, call 617-222-3200.

QUOTABLE QUOTES

“Our audit found that, under prior leadership, the Convention Center cherry-picked when it was convenient or not convenient to follow public records law, Chapter 30B, alongside its own policies and procedures with regard to state procurement and contracting. Deeply troubling is also the fact that prior leadership violated the law in executing a $1.2 million non-disclosure agreement – concealing allegations of racial discrimination.”

---State Auditor DiZoglio upon the release of her audit of the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority.

“Absenteeism is really a manifestation of an unmet need. Schools offer counseling, extracurricular activities, meals and the chance to learn with and from students’ peers. If students aren’t there, they can’t benefit from these opportunities and are missing out on so much more than their education.”

---Massachusetts Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler announcing the Healy administration’s “Your Presence is Powerful” campaign as part of its continued efforts to reduce chronic absenteeism and support students getting back into the classroom where they have access to a variety of supports, including universal free school meals and mental health services.

“Yes, a median sale price of $650,000 was a new all-time high for the month of July, and month after month prices are setting new records, but price gains are smaller than they could be. Interest rates are more than double where they were two years ago, and I’m certain prices would be even higher without those changes.”

---Cassidy Norton, Associate Publisher and Media Relations Director of The Warren Group announcing the median single-family sale price in the Bay State rose to $650,000 – an increase of 6.6 percent from the $610,000 price tag in July 2023.

HOW LONG WAS LAST WEEK’S SESSION?

Beacon Hill Roll Call tracks the length of time that the House and Senate were in session each week. Many legislators say that legislative sessions are only one aspect of the Legislature’s job and that a lot of important work is done outside of the House and Senate chambers. They note that their jobs also involve committee work, research, constituent work and other matters that are important to their districts. Critics say that the Legislature does not meet regularly or long enough to debate and vote in public view on the thousands of pieces of legislation that have been filed. They note that the infrequency and brief length of sessions are misguided and lead to irresponsible late-night sessions and a mad rush to act on dozens of bills in the days immediately preceding the end of an annual session.

During the week of August 19-23. the House met for a total of 30 minutes and the Senate met for a total of 15 minutes.

Mon. August 19 No House session

No Senate session

Tues. August 20 House 11:01 a.m. to 11:10 a.m.

Senate 11:30 a.m. to 11:34 a.m.

Wed. August 21 No House session

No Senate session

Thurs. August 22 House 11:00 a.m. to 11:21 a.m.

Senate 11:12 a.m. to 11:23 a.m.

Fri. August 23 No House session

No Senate session

Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com