12-15-2024 4:20am

Beacon Hill Roll Call (With Insider Process Revelations)

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.

Beacon
Hill Roll Call

Volume
49 - Report No. 50

December
9-13, 2024

By
Bob Katzen

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THE HOUSE AND SENATE: There were no
roll calls in the House or Senate last week.

Beacon Hill Roll Call’s research
shows that there are several bills from the 2023-2024 session that
have been approved unanimously by the Senate in 2023 but are
languishing in the House Ways and Means Committee as of December 13,
with only a few days left in the session. Bills not acted upon by the
end of the session on January 1, 2025 die. With no opposition in the
Senate, observers question why the bills have not yet been acted upon
by the House Ways and Means committee and brought to the House floor
for a vote.

Under House rules, any individual
representative can move to discharge any and all of these bills from
the Ways and Means Committee. There is a 7-day waiting period prior
to the House considering the motion to discharge. The discharge
motion must receive a majority vote of the members present. If the
measure is discharged from the committee, the committee has four days
within which to report out the measure for placement on the House’s
agenda for action.

A bill may also be discharged from
the Ways and Means Committee by any representative by filing a
petition signed by a majority of the House. The bill would then be
discharged seven days later and go onto the House agenda for the next
session.

A state representative who spoke on
the condition of anonymity told Beacon Hill Roll Call that some bills
are sometimes held up in committee because someone in a high position
of power either inside or outside the Statehouse is opposed to it.
“Rank and file members have little control over the bill if a
powerful person wants the measure buried,” said the legislator.

An ex-state representative who
wished to remain anonymous said, "Although under House rules,
every representative has the power to attempt to discharge a bill,
hardly any attempt is made to do this out of fear of alienating the
powerful speaker, his leadership team and committee chairs."

Beacon Hill Roll Call’s archives
show that motions to discharge a bill from a committee and bring it
to the full House for debate and a vote was a common practice back in
the 1970s and 1980s.

Beacon Hill Roll Call contacted the
office of House Speaker Ron Mariano (D-Quincy) several times last
week and asked why these bills are still in committee. No response
has been received.

Beacon Hill Roll Call had also asked
the speaker’s office the same question back in February 2024 when
these bills had been tied up in the Ways and Means Committee. At that
time, Max Ratner, a spokesman for House Speaker Ron Mariano,
responded, “Each of those bills are currently being reviewed by the
House, with a continued focus on fiscal responsibility.”

Here are three of the major bills
that were approved unanimously by the Senate and are currently
lingering in the House Ways and Means Committee:

MAKE
OBTAINING ID CARDS EASIER FOR HOMELESS PERSONS (S 2251)

On July 27, 2023, the Senate 38-0,
approved and sent to the House legislation that would make it easier
for homeless youth and adults to secure free state ID cards.

Supporters said that currently a
person experiencing homelessness faces prohibitive fees and
documentation requirements when trying to obtain an ID card. They
noted that this legislation removes those barriers by eliminating
fees and only requiring that applicants present documentation showing
that they are currently receiving services provided by the state, a
homeless service provider or another service provider. They argued
that ID cards are necessary for applying for jobs, enrolling in
school, interacting with law enforcement, accessing government
buildings, opening financial accounts and many other basic services
that many take for granted.

“When we listen to our homeless
youth about the challenges they face, there is a common denominator
and that is access to identification,” said Sen. Robyn Kennedy
(D-Worcester), the Senate sponsor of the bill. “Having proper
identification is foundation to accessing food, shelter and
employment opportunities, while also breaking the cycle of poverty.”

“Fees and documentation are not
just barriers to identification,” said Senate President Karen
Spilka (D-Ashland). “By extension, they are barriers to getting a
job, accessing healthcare and applying for services—the most basic
of necessities. These barriers harm the most vulnerable people in our
commonwealth and eliminating them is a compassionate step that makes
the path to stability a little bit easier."

(A “Yes” vote is for the bill.)

Sen.
Rebecca Rausch Yes Sen. Karen
Spilka President rarely votes

MENSTRUAL
PRODUCTS (S 2491)

On October 26, 2023, the Senate
38-0, approved and sent to the House a bill that would require all
prisons, homeless shelters and K-12 schools to maintain free
menstrual products, including sanitary napkins, tampons and underwear
liners in private and public restrooms and to make them available in
a “convenient manner that does not stigmatize any persons seeking
the products.”

Supporters said that according to
the Massachusetts Menstrual Equity Coalition, approximately one in
seven children in Massachusetts is living in poverty and struggles to
pay for menstrual products. They argued that research shows that the
inability to access menstrual products affects students’ class
attendance.

They also noted that women facing
homelessness or who are incarcerated face high barriers to access,
with Massachusetts shelters reporting that menstrual products are
among the least donated items. They argued that restricted access in
shelters and correctional facilities means that products can be used
as bargaining chips and tools of control for people in vulnerable
circumstances.

“I learned about this issue from
young people in Medford High School, Somerville High School and
Cambridge Rindge and Latin who took leadership at the local level to
make menstrual hygiene products available in their own communities,”
said sponsor Sen. Pat Jehlen (D-Somerville). “This is a true
grassroots movement starting with girls talking about their
experiences of missing valuable class time or feeling embarrassed to
access products during the school day. These conversations have
already started to change the culture and have motivated us to expand
this across the state.”

“Period products are not luxuries,
but necessities required for people’s basic needs, health and
hygiene,” said Sen. Julian Cyr (D-Truro), Senate Chair of the
Committee on Public Health. “Today’s passage of the … bill
affirms that women and all menstruating people deserve access to
menstrual products. An inaccessibility of period products speaks to
the longstanding and persistent misogyny in our society, a bias that
intersects with inequalities in housing, education, socioeconomics
and beyond. By ensuring better access to these products, we support
further access to essential health needs regardless of our situation
in life.

During floor debate, Cyr
sarcastically commented, “I think it's pretty obvious that if most
men could menstruate, these products would be as ubiquitous and free
as toilet paper.”

(A “Yes” vote is for the bill

Sen.
Rebecca Rausch Yes Sen. Karen
Spilka President rarely votes

HIV
PREVENTION DRUGS (S 2480)

On October 26, 2023, the Senate
38-0, approved and sent to the House a bill that would allow
pharmacists to prescribe, dispense and administer a short-term supply
(60-days once in a two-year period) of HIV prevention drugs, known as
pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), to a patient without a prescription.

The bill requires pharmacists to
provide counseling to the patient regarding the use of PrEP, to
inform the patient’s primary care doctor that the pharmacist has
prescribed the drug and to connect patients without a primary care
provider with a health care provider for ongoing care and to obtain a
prescription for PrEP.

Under the bill, pharmacists could
only prescribe PrEP to patients who have tested negative for HIV
within the past seven days, do not have HIV symptoms and are not
taking medications that are not safe to use with PrEP.

Supporters say that PrEP is a
life-saving medication that is nearly 100 percent effective in
stopping the transmission of HIV. They note that under current law,
individuals who take PrEP must make an appointment and go through
their doctor, a barrier that can stand in the way for people who need
the medication on short notice, cannot make an appointment or cannot
access medical care.

“PrEP is a game changer in HIV
prevention. Yet, while this life-saving medication reduces the risk
of transmission by 99 percent, it remains inaccessible for too many,”
said sponsor Public Health Care chair Sen. Julian Cyr. “Allowing
pharmacists to prescribe and dispense PrEP on a short-term basis,
similar to what’s already allowed for contraceptives, would
significantly increase the accessibility of this essential HIV
prevention tool. With greater access to PrEP we can narrow the gap in
PrEP utilization among LGBTQ+ people of color. I am someone who uses
PrEP and most of my gay, bisexual and queer friends rely on it too.
With this legislation, we are once again putting people at the center
of our public health policy. I’m thrilled it has passed the
Senate.”

“When someone is ready to begin
PrEP, it is crucial that they are able to [do so] as soon as
possible,” said Carrie Richgels, Manager of Policy and Advocacy at
Fenway Health. “At Fenway Health, we regularly work to overcome
barriers that patients face due to trauma, stigma and discrimination.
We know from experience that to overcome these obstacles we must meet
people where they are and build trust. Trust is essential to getting
people on PrEP, and a local pharmacy can provide a lower threshold of
access and can be a trusted access point for those who may face
discrimination in traditional healthcare settings.”

(A “Yes” vote is for the bill

Sen.
Rebecca Rausch Yes Sen. Karen
Spilka President rarely votes

ALSO
UP ON BEACON HILL

FRESHMAN ORIENTATION - BACK TO
SCHOOL – Twenty-two newly elected state legislators, including 19
representatives-elect and three senators-elect, attended the biennial
New Legislator Academy at UMass Amherst, which Senate President Karen
Spilka's office has described as "an opportunity for newly
elected legislators to become familiar with experiences that they
will encounter in the Legislature."

According to the State House News
Service, the agenda included nearly a dozen panels, speeches and
sessions, covering topics such as the budgeting process, ethics and
the cadence of legislative sessions.

According to Politico, a session on
the media included “the recommendation that if a reporter calls,
let it go to voicemail, or wait for them to send a text; find out
what they’re calling about before you answer; and let leadership
know what’s up – their office may be fielding the same
questions.”

COMMERCIAL DRIVER’S LICENSES (H
5139) – The House approved and sent to the Senate a new version of
legislation, originally sponsored by Gov. Maura Healey, that would
prevent commercial drivers from losing their licenses due to
passenger vehicle offenses they committed prior to September 30,
2005.

The Registry of Motor Vehicles
recently notified hundreds of bus and truck drivers that they were
ineligible for commercial licenses due to at least two past major
offenses, blindsiding many motorists who for years thought their
infractions were behind them.

“Over time, the relevance and
predictive value of these older offenses has diminished, particularly
for those drivers who have remained offense-free since,” said
Healey. "In most circumstances, a commercial driver who meets
the safety requirements of federal law should not be disqualified
from driving due solely to passenger vehicle offenses that occurred
19 or more years ago. She noted her bill would remove consideration
of pre-September 30, 2005 passenger vehicle offenses from our
disqualification law, except for multiple instances of operating
under the influence.

$3.2 MILLION FOR MASSACHUSETTS
COASTAL COMMUNITIES – The Healey Administration announced the
awarding of $3.2 million in grants for projects that proponents say
will support the economic vitality, tourism and ecosystem health of
the Bay State’s waterfront and harbors, while helping the state
reach its ambitious climate resiliency goals.

“Coastal communities play a
critical role in our economy,” said Gov. Healey. “The …. Grants
help cities and towns make infrastructure improvements to prepare for
extreme weather caused by climate change while also investing in
important blue economy businesses, commercial fishing operations and
tourist and recreational enterprises.”

“These investments will support a
range of critical initiatives, from coastal resilience and dredging
projects to pier infrastructure enhancements that protect our
shorelines,” said Secretary of Economic Development Yvonne Hao. “By
funding these efforts, we’re ensuring a safer and more enduring
future for our coasts from the North Shore to the Cape and Islands.”

“Maritime communities are
important centers of economic activity, drawing many visitors each
year and supporting the coastal industries that have been integral to
our state's economy,” said Undersecretary of Economic Foundations
Ashley Stolba. “We are proud to fund these projects and look
forward to their lasting impact on the future generations of these
towns.”

BAY STATE TO GET MORE THAN $55
MILLION FOR ZERO EMISSION VEHICLES – The U.S. Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) announced that Massachusetts will receive
more than $55 million to purchase more than 200 zero-emission
vehicles through its first-ever Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant
Program.

The program will replace existing
internal combustion engine heavy-duty vehicles with zero-emission
vehicles, while also supporting the build out of clean vehicle
infrastructure, as well as the training of workers to deploy these
new zero-emission technologies.

Recipients of the funds to replace
current school buses with zero-emission vehicles include four school
districts: $35 million for Boston; $6.6 million for Springfield; $2.9
million for Hingham; and $4.9 million for the Hamilton-Wenham
Regional School District.

In addition, the Massachusetts
Department of Energy Resources will receive $5.8 million to replace
some vehicles with battery electric vehicles and install 16 Level 2
charging stations and eight direct current fast charger stations at
eight sites.

“Everyone deserves clean air and a
healthy environment, and the … program is another step toward
making that a reality,” said EPA Regional Administrator David Cash.
“By replacing older, polluting vehicles, like school buses and box
trucks, with zero-emission alternatives, this program is driving
innovation in clean transportation, reducing harmful air pollution in
Massachusetts communities and creating good-paying jobs. These grants
are an investment in healthier communities, cutting-edge technology
and a cleaner, more sustainable future for our children.”

QUOTABLE
QUOTES

“Expanding our mountain biking
trail system will create destinations that connect visitors to our
rural communities and the mountains and forests that surround them.
It is without a doubt, that investing in accessible outdoor
recreation is beneficial not only for our state’s regional
economies but also for our health.”

--- Massachusetts Office of Outdoor
Recreation Director Paul Jahnige on the announcement of $300,000 in
grants to build and maintain destination mountain biking trail
systems that include accessibility features, offer scenic routes and
stimulate rural economies.

“In Middlesex County we have had
multiple businesses and municipalities impacted by cyberattacks and
data breaches. These incidents erode our sense of safety and security
and can cost victims millions to get their systems back up and
running.”

--- District Attorney Marian Ryan
speaking at her Ransomware Response Conference for more than 100
industry leaders at hospitals, schools, municipalities and
businesses.

“We actively solicit input from
attorneys and other court users, as well as court employees, about
what we can do better. In addition, we seek public comments on rule
changes. And we recently resumed our Judicial Performance Evaluation
program by sending out surveys about judges in selected courts to
over 10,000 lawyers and over 1,000 court employees, as well as to
jurors.”

---Supreme Judicial Court Chief
Justice Kimberly Budd giving her fourth annual address on the state
of the judiciary to the legal community.

“This year’s Climate Ready
Housing funding will enable energy retrofit improvements of nearly
1,000 homes across the state. This funding will lower costs for low-
and moderate-income residents, improve indoor air quality for our
residents and reduce greenhouse gas emissions … and will put us on
the path to achieving the commonwealth’s net zero emissions goal
while creating more resilient homes.”

---Housing and Livable Communities
Secretary Ed Augustus on the Healey Administration awarding $16
Million to decarbonize affordable housing.

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 December 9-13,
the House and Senate each met for a total of two hours and 31
minutes.

Mon
Dec. 9 House 11:01 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.

Senate 11:01 a.m. to
1:09 p.m.

Tues.
Dec. 10 No House session

No Senate session

Wed.
Dec. 11 No House session

No Senate session

Thurs.
Dec. 12 House 10:05 a.m. to 11:22 a.m.

Senate 11:12 a.m. to
11:35 a.m.

Fri.
Dec. 13 No House session

No Senate session

Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at
bob@beaconhillrollcall.com