State House + Beyond: The Week Ahead in Politics

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On the COVID-19 front, Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders on Friday was blunt about the outlook. She said the virus will not be eradicated and the hope is that it will morph into a "nasty flu" to be managed and fought with vaccines and booster shots.

With an Oct. 17 vaccine mandate deadline approaching, executive department employees are still awaiting guidance for employees who may seek an exemption, as well as specific ramifications for those who fail to comply with Gov. Baker's executive order ..

Legislative committees continue their virtual hearings, with big issues on tap for next week including access to repair information for digital products, the benefits, wages and freedoms of app-based drivers, minimum mandatory sentences for drug offenses, capital punishment for people convicted of murdering law enforcement offices, and a moratorium on jail and prison construction ... Another emerging topic of concern, the resilience of infrastructure in the face of climate change impacts, is marked for a thorough scrubbing at a hearing Monday ... Gov. Baker's critics are hoping the pressure they are putting on him to finally name members of a new MBTA Board will cause him to attach names and faces with MBTA governance and accountability ... The Senate Committee on Reimagining Massachusetts Post-Pandemic Resiliency plans to release its first round of findings on Tuesday...

Sen. Brownsberger, Reps. Owens and Lawn, and Watertown officials are scheduled to attend. (Saturday, 10 a.m., Watertown Dam Overlook, Watertown)

Monday, Oct. 4, 2021

JAIL-BASED VOTING RALLY: Lawmakers, gubernatorial candidates and voting rights advocates rally to call for greater reforms to ensure eligible incarcerated people can exercise their right to vote in correctional facilities. Speakers will include Sen. Adam Hinds, who filed an amendment to the Senate's election reform bill (S 2545) targeting additional jail-based voting requirements, Rep. Miranda, and two Democrats seeking the gubernatorial nomination: Harvard University professor Danielle Allen and former Sen. Ben Downing. Advocates plan to livestream the event on Facebook. (Monday, 9 a.m., outside State House)

SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT: Several cases are scheduled to come before the Supreme Judicial Court on the first day of its October sitting: Commonwealth vs. Yat Fung NG; Kyana Jinks, et al v. Credico (USA) LLC, et al; H1 Lincoln , Inc. vs. South Washington St., LLC & others; Keith Herring vs. Commonwealth; and Joshua Perrier vs. Commonwealth. (Monday, 9 a.m., John Adams Courthouse, Room 1, Boston | Livestream)

BOSTON FED ECONOMIC CONFERENCE: Kenneth Montgomery, who became interim president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston on Friday following the departure of Eric Rosengren, will give introductory remarks as the Boston branch of the central bank kicks off its 64th economic conference. The conference, a three-day event that runs through Wednesday, focuses on racial disparities in the current economy. (Monday, 10 a.m., More Info)

HOUSE AND SENATE: Both branches hold informal sessions at 11 a.m. in the House and Senate chambers. The sessions are streamed live on the Legislature's website and attended by very few legislators.

CONSUMER PROTECTION COMMITTEE: Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure holds virtual public hearing on bills dealing with consumer privacy and technology, an area that has exploded in importance as more aspects of daily life have migrated online. Bills on the agenda deal with digital right to repair (Rep. Cronin's H 341 and Sen. Brady's S 166), security of personal financial information (H 349), protecting innovation and entrepreneurship (H 357), credit rating protection (H 415) and biometric information protection (S 161), the disclosure of radio frequency notifications (S 186), and Sen. Lesser's bill "to ensure driver privacy with electronic tolling." (Monday, 12 noon, Hearing Access and Agenda Details)

MENTAL HEALTH, SUBSTANCE USE AND RECOVERY COMMITTEE: Mental Health, Substance Use and Recovery Committee holds virtual public hearing on bills dealing with "parity and equity for people who use substances." The agenda includes a Rep. O'Day bill (H 2123) expanding access to treatment for health care professionals, a Sen. Pacheco resolve (S 1312) designating Aug. 31 as Overdose Awareness Day, and several bills creating new commissions. In recent years, the Legislature has grown especially fond of creating commissions, an approach that often punts issues to appointees and causes the Legislature, which has an extensive array of its own committees, to settle into wait-and-see mode on critical issues. The agenda also includes four bills addressing opioid manufacturers and stewardship and a slate of bills pertaining to insurance coverage and recovery environments like sober homes and halfway houses. (Monday, 1 p.m., Hearing Access and Agenda Details)

BAKER, LEGISLATIVE LEADERS MEET: Gov. Baker is slated to host a private meeting with Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, Senate President Karen Spilka, House Speaker Ron Mariano and other legislative leaders, after which a media availability typically follows. (Monday, 2 p.m., Room 360)

VOTING BILL AMENDMENT DEADLINE: Senators face a deadline to file amendments to an election reform bill (S 2545) the Senate will debate on Wednesday. The bill would permanently authorize mail-in voting without an excuse and expanded early voting, allow people to register and cast a ballot on an early voting day or Election Day, and impose new requirements on correctional facilities to boost access to ballots for eligible incarcerated voters. (Monday, 2 p.m.)

MARIANO, BELLOTTI AT ITALIAN HERITAGE FETE: House Speaker Mariano serves as master of ceremonies at the 22nd annual commemoration of Italian Heritage Month, hosted by Federica Sereni, consul general of Italy in Boston. This year's honorees are former Attorney General Francis Bellotti, Moderna executive Dr. Andrea Carfi, and MIT professor Dr. Gigliola Staffilani. The Italian-American fete has traditionally been held after-hours in the State House, which is still closed to the public, so this year's event is planned for the Dante Alighieri Cultural Center. Free and open to the public. Refreshments, and an 8 p.m. concert with Maestro Stefano Marchese. (Monday, 6 p.m., 41 Hampshire St., Cambridge)

Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2021

JUDICIARY COMMITTEE: Judiciary Committee holds a virtual hearing on 52 bills related to correctional services and sentencing. Multiple bills propose eliminating mandatory minimum sentences for drug offenses, and others would institute the death penalty for murder of law enforcement officers. A Rep. Tyler bill (H 1905) would impose a moratorium on jail and prison construction. Other bills related to telephone service for incarcerated people, decarceration and COVID-19, community corrections, health education in women's correctional institutions, parole, and crime victims' rights. (Tuesday, 10 a.m., More Info)

WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT PANEL - $3 MIL CITIZENS ANNOUNCEMENT: Nonprofit, higher education, and business leaders discuss workforce needs during a panel discussion at an event where Citizens plans to announce nearly $3 million of support to workforce development programs in Greater Boston. The panelists are Bruce Van Saun, Chairman and CEO, Citizens Financial Group; Gerald Chertavian, Founder and CEO of Year Up; Dr. Pam Eddinger, President, Bunker Hill Community College; and Jerry Sargent, Northeast Region Executive, Citizens. The discussion will be moderated by Tyra Anderson-Montina, Site Director, Boston Downtown Campus, Year Up. Masks are required and all attendees must complete a one-question health assessment. (Tuesday, 10 a.m., Year Up Boston Downtown Campus, 45 Milk Street, Second Floor, Boston)

AUTO DAMAGE APPRAISERS: Massachusetts Auto Damage Appraiser Licensing Board meets and is expected to discuss the new special commission created by the Legislature to study the labor rates paid by insurers to auto body repair shops. The issue has lingered on Beacon Hill for well more than a decade and a previous special commission conducted its own deep dive on the matter in 2008. Auto body repair shop owners told lawmakers last month that they are reimbursed by insurers at an average rate of about $40 per hour -- which they said is the lowest in the nation. The Massachusetts Insurance Federation said the problem is one of supply and demand, arguing that as the need for car repairs has decreased, the number of shops has remained mostly steady. The special commission is supposed to hold at least two public hearings "in geographically diverse areas" of the state and is expected to file a report with its findings and recommendations for possible legislative or regulatory action by Dec. 31. (Tuesday, 11 a.m., Dial 1-877-820-7831 and enter passcode 342850#)

JOINT WAYS AND MEANS - FINAL ARPA HEARING: Members of the House and Senate Ways and Means committees hold their final virtual hearing on how to spend the state's American Rescue Plan Act allocation. While other hearings have featured testimony on specific topic areas, this one is open to the public for general comments. Auditor Suzanne Bump's office said she will testify and "urge lawmakers to allocate federal funding to the Office of the State Auditor, Office of the Inspector General, Office of the Comptroller, Division of Local Services and Office of the Attorney General for oversight costs associated with ensuring this funding is spent appropriately and effectively." (Tuesday, 11 a.m., More Info)

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE: Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies holds a virtual public hearing on bills generally related to business and economic growth. The agenda includes bills related to LLC filing fees along with a Sen. Tarr bill to develop a creative economy master plan (S 280), a Rep. Gonzalez bill proposing an economic stimulus package to support small churches in gateway cities during the pandemic (H 512), and a Rep. Silvia bill that would create the Abigail Adams entrepreneurial program for women (H 533). (Tuesday, 11 a.m., More Info)

GOLDBERG, BAKER TALK: Treasurer Goldberg and Gov. Baker conduct their monthly private meeting by phone. (Tuesday, 1:30 p.m.)

GREEN LINE EXTENSION: Green Line Extension Community Working Group hosts a virtual public meeting to discuss updates on the project to extend the Green Line into Somerville and Medford. According to the state, the Union Branch of the $2.3 billion project in Somerville is marked for completion in December, with the Medford Branch completion date currently set at May 2022. (Tuesday, 4 p.m., Access Information)

WILLIAM ALLEN COMMUTATION: New England Patriots star Devin McCourty and several community groups will urge Gov. Baker to commute the first-degree murder conviction of William Allen, a Brockton man who has spent 27 years in prison and hopes to become eligible for parole. The Advisory Board of Pardons last month recommended to Baker that Allen's felony murder conviction be commuted to second-degree murder, which would make him eligible for release. (Tuesday, 4 p.m., corner of Beacon and Park streets, Boston)

SEPTEMBER REVENUES: Department of Revenue is due to report tax collections for the month of September. Through August, fiscal 2022 collections were up $639 million, or 15.6 percent higher than in the same two-month period of fiscal 2021. (Tuesday)

Wednesday, Oct. 6, 2021

SENATE VOTING BILL: Senate convenes a full formal session to consider an election reform bill (S 2545) that would permanently authorize mail-in voting and expanded early voting, implement same-day voter registration, and increase ballot access for people with disabilities and eligible incarcerated voters.
(Wednesday, Time TBD, Senate Chamber | Calendar)

SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT: Supreme Judicial Court is scheduled to hear arguments in several cases: Commonwealth vs. Richard Comenzo; The Masonic Temple Association of Quincy, Inc. vs. Jay Patel; Commonwealth vs. Leon G. Dufresne; Ofer Nemirovsky vs. Daikin North America, LLC & others; and Beth Reuter vs. City of Methuen (Wednesday, 9 a.m., John Adams Courthouse, Room 1, Boston | Livestream)

HEALTH POLICY COMMISSION: Health Policy Commission holds back-to-back virtual meetings of its Market Oversight and Transparency Committee and Care Delivery Transformation Committee.

ELECTION LAWS COMMITTEE: Joint Committee on Election Laws holds a hearing on nine bills related to jail-based voting. One of the bills (H 836), filed by Reps. Tyler and Miranda, is a priority of the Black and Latino Legislative Caucus. More Info

FINANCIAL SERVICES COMMITTEE: Four bills concerning rights, pay and benefits for app-based drivers
are on the agenda at a virtual Joint Committee on Financial Services hearing. The Coalition for Independent Work, a group funded by Uber, Lyft, DoorDash and Instacart, is pushing for lawmakers to adopt a Rep. Cusack and Rep. Gonzalez bill (H 1234) that would declare all app-based drivers independent contractors and not employees under state law while requiring the companies to create portable benefit accounts for drivers. While they advocate in favor of the bill, the industry-backed coalition is also pursuing a possible 2022 ballot question similarly deeming drivers to be independent contractors but outlining a different structure for benefits. Opponents of the initiative petition wrote to CEOs of the four companies demanding they testify at the committee's hearing to explain their push to change state law. Other bills on the agenda would impose per-mile assessments for miles traveled without passengers (H 1162), require app-based drivers to undergo fingerprint checks (H 1161), and create a "rideshare driver bill of rights" (H 1094). (Wednesday, 11 a.m., Hearing Agenda and Livestream)

GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY GROUP: Auditor Bump attends the U.S. Government Accountability Office's Domestic Working Group roundtable teleconference. The group, to which Bump was appointed in 2016, serves as an advisory council to the comptroller general of the United States. (Wednesday, 11 a.m.)

GOVERNOR'S COUNCIL - DISTRICT COURT: Governor's Council interviews District Court judicial nominee SallyAnn Janulevicus. A Boston-based sole practitioner, Janulevicus is a Hearing Committee member for the Board of Bar Overseers and also belongs to the Essex County Bar Association. Gov. Baker nominated her Sept. 29 to fill the seat left vacant in April by Judge David Dunbar Livingston. (Wednesday, 11 a.m., Council Chamber | Livestream)

SENATE DEMS CAUCUS: Ahead of a planned formal session, Senate Democrats meet virtually for a caucus. (Wednesday, 11 a.m.)

TESLER, POFTAK TALK TRANSPORTATION: Transportation Secretary Tesler and MBTA General Manager Poftak are the featured guests at a virtual event that the commercial real estate development group NAIOP Massachusetts hosts to discuss "transportation for the new normal." (Wednesday, 12 p.m., Registration)

GOVERNOR'S COUNCIL: Governor's Council holds formal assembly, planning to take procedural votes on justices of the peace, notaries public, and approval of the Treasury warrant authorizing the state to pay its bills. (Wednesday, 12 p.m., Council Chamber, Livestream)

CLEAN WATER TRUST BOARD: Massachusetts Clean Water Trust Board of Trustees meets virtually. Treasurer Goldberg participates. (Wednesday, 1:30 p.m., Zoom | More Information)

Thursday, Oct. 7, 2021

KENNEDY HEALTH AWARDS: Congressman McGovern and Ismael Rivera, director of Prevention Services at JRI Health and the RISE Program, will receive the annual awards of the Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center during a ceremony at Polar Park. Event is free, but registration by emailing RSVP@kennedychc.org is required. (Thursday, 8 a.m., Polar Park, Hanover Deck, 100 Madison St., Worcester)

PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE: Food and nutrition and oral health are the headlining topics at a Joint Committee on Public Health virtual hearing. Thirty-two bills are on the agenda, including a pair of proposals to limit the use of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, known as PFAS, in food packaging (H 2348, S 1494). A Sen. Sal DiDomenico bill would prohibit any provider from stapling shut a bag that carries delivered food (S 1408), while a Rep. Ruth Balser bill (H 2226) would create a state commission to study the public health impact of "elevated sodium and added sugars in meals served in restaurants, schools, hospitals, worksites, government buildings, and other places of public accommodation." (Thursday, 9 a.m., Agenda and Livestream)

TOURISM COMMITTEE: Lawmakers on the Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development convene a virtual hearing about bills concerning historical and cultural designations and statewide programs. Sixteen bills are on the agenda, including several aimed at protecting Native American heritage (H 3385, H 3377, S 2240, S 2239). Two bills (H 3379 / S 2249) would call for creation of a Women's Rights History Trail program linking sites "historically and thematically associated with the struggle for women's rights and women's suffrage." (Thursday, 10 a.m., Hearing Agenda and Livestream)

TAX EXPENDITURE REVIEW COMMISSION: Department of Revenue's Tax Expenditure Review Commission is scheduled to meet via videoconference. Members include DOR Commissioner Snyder, Auditor Bump, Treasurer Goldberg, House Ways and Means Committee Chair Michlewitz, Senate Ways and Means Committee Chair Rodrigues, House Minority Leader Jones, and Senate Minority Leader Tarr. (Thursday, 10 a.m.)

GAMING COMMISSION: Mass. Gaming Commission meets and could discuss policy around the Community Mitigation Fund, consider a regulation related to the transfer of casino employees from sister properties, and receive a report on problem gambling. (Thursday, 10 a.m., More Info)

HIGHER EDUCATION COMMITTEE: Joint Committee on Higher Education holds a virtual hearing to consider seven bills. One bill from Lowell Democrat Sen. Kennedy (S 2499) would require under state law that students and employees at Massachusetts community colleges to get vaccinated against COVID-19 to participate in on-campus learning until July 1, 2022. Community college leaders announced a vaccine mandate in September. Other bills (H 1968 / S 1220) would create a Workforce Opportunity Scholarship program. (Thursday, 10 a.m., ??Hearing Agenda and Livestream)

SENATE: Senate meets in an informal session. (Thursday, 11 a.m., Senate Chamber)

HIGH TECH COUNCIL - WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP: Massachusetts High Technology Council holds an event through its Women's Leadership Initiative titled "How to Engage Women and Turn the 'Great Resignation' into the 'Great Retention.'" Moderated by reacHIRE CEO Addie Swartz, the "fireside chat" features Sharra Owens-Schwartz of Rocket Software and Heather Bender of iRobot. (Thursday, 12 p.m., Registration)

MBTA, COMMISSION FOR THE BLIND: Massachusetts Commission for the Blind and MBTA host a virtual town hall meeting to discuss public transportation access for people who are blind or visually impaired and MBTA accessibility improvements. (Thursday, 12 p.m., Zoom)

CONSUMER AFFAIRS UNDERSECRETARY IN GROTON: Undersecretary of the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation Edward Palleschi presents a certificate recognizing licensees in good standing at Body Mind Spirit Salon and Day Spa in Groton. (Thursday, 3 p.m., 134 Main St., Unit 1B, Groton)

METRO SOUTH CANDIDATES RECEPTION: Metro South Chamber of Commerce holds its 31st annual Legislative and Candidates Reception, "a casual event at which business leaders, elected officials, and candidates for public office can renew contacts and discuss issues of importance to them and the business community while enjoying complimentary refreshments and hors d'oeuvres." The chamber urges members of the business community to get engaged because "legislative actions at municipal offices, on Beacon Hill and in Washington are having far greater impact on Metro South area businesses than ever before." Masks are required in accordance with Stonehill College policy. (Thursday, 5 p.m., Donahue Hall, Stonehill College, 320 Washington St., North Easton | Registration)

LEOMINSTER SAFE ROUTE TO SCHOOL: MassDOT staff host a virtual public meeting to discuss proposed improvements for Viscoloid Avenue, a Safe Routes to School project in Leominster. (Thursday, 7 p.m., More Information)

Friday, Oct. 8, 2021

SUPREME JUDICIAL COURT: On the third and final day of its October sitting, Supreme Judicial Court hears three cases: Commonwealth vs. Antwan Gonsalves, Commonwealth vs. Timothy Kostka, and Commonwealth vs. Omar L. Bonner. (Friday, 9 a.m., John Adams Courthouse, Room 1, Boston | Livestream)

UI TRUST FUND: Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund Study Commission hears a presentation on the impacts that unemployment insurance has on different industries, including those left out of the system, as well as information on benefits. The commission is co-chaired by Rep. Cutler and Sen. Jehlen. (Friday, 1 p.m., Livestream)

--State House News Service

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