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Post Office Box 1147
▪
Marblehead, Massachusetts 01945
▪ (781) 639-9709
“Every Tax is a Pay Cut ... A Tax Cut is a Pay Raise”
46 years as “The Voice of Massachusetts Taxpayers”
— and
their Institutional Memory — |
|
CLT UPDATE
Sunday, March 29, 2020
Wuhan
Virus Political Fallout
Jump directly
to CLT's Commentary on the News
|
The
April 15 deadline for filing state income tax returns will
be postponed until July 15 under a deal announced Friday
between Gov. Charlie Baker and legislative leaders....
State budget writers, however, had concern about what a July
deadline would mean for tax collections this fiscal year,
and the state's ability to continue to meet its financial
obligations. The Executive Office of Administration and
Finance had told legislative leaders that the revenue hit
for the final three months of fiscal 2020 could be between
$2 billion and $3.5 billion. Baker said he would be filing
legislation to postpone the tax deadline that would also
request borrowing authority to maintain adequate cash flow,
and repay the debt in fiscal 2021 when the deferred taxes
are collected.
State House News Service
Friday, March 27, 2020
State Postpones April 15 Tax Deadline
Gov. Charlie Baker filed legislation that would postpone the
April 15 deadline for filing state income tax returns and
setting a new deadline of July 15. House and Senate leaders
have informally agreed to the extension so the bill should
sail through the Legislature quickly....
“Nothing like keeping them in suspense, but finally,
following the lead of the IRS and most states, it’s good to
see some consideration for taxpayers finally,” said Chip
Ford, executive director of Citizens for Limited
Taxation. “With all the chaos and disruption
people are suffering in their daily lives this delay was a
no-brainer, or should have been.”
Beacon Hill Roll Call
March 23-27, 2020
Extend Tax Filing Deadline to July 15
By Bob Katzen
Grounded planes, shuttered restaurants and stores, and empty
arenas, college campuses and office buildings are symbols
these days of an economy in fast decline. The question that
no one can answer with certainty is how far will the fall be
and when will it end.
As
the world struggles with COVID-19, and focuses mostly on
saving lives and slowing the virus' spread, financial
analysts are running models and taking a stab at what's to
come and whether states are equipped to handle it.
To
analysts at Goldman Sachs, the surge in layoffs combined
with a spending collapse that's "both historic in size and
speed" led to a forecast of negative 6 percent growth in the
first quarter, nosediving to negative 24 percent in the
second quarter. For reference, a 24 percent decline in
economic output would be almost 2.5 times the size of the
largest quarterly decline in gross domestic product in the
history of modern statistical record-keeping -- the 10
percent decline in early 1958.
In
a report issued March 20 and titled "A Sudden Stop for the
US Economy," Goldman Sachs forecast 12 percent growth in the
third quarter and 10 percent in the fourth quarter, with
full-year growth in 2020 at an annual average of negative
3.8 percent.
On
Beacon Hill, the second quarter hit is setting up to torpedo
the $43.3 billion fiscal 2020 budget Gov. Charlie Baker
signed last July. The budget appeared to have been trending
in the black, but Baker now faces stark choices about
keeping it balanced and working with lawmakers on a budget
plan for fiscal 2021, a year when many have been hoping for
large new investments in public education and mass
transit....
In
a separate report, published on March 19, Moody's Investors
Service maintained its stable outlook on the state and local
governments sector with a caveat that it "will reassess as
necessary as events unfold."
Moody's flagged substantial tax revenue declines and massive
public health costs as "profound challenges" for state and
local governments.
"Still, state and local governments have many credit
strengths with the potential to mitigate the financial
impact, including generally strong reserves and significant
spending flexibility," analysts reported. "This will allow
most to withstand the effects of the outbreak without a
substantial decline in credit quality."
State House News Service
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
Grim Economic Outlook Suddenly Shrouds State Budget
Moody's: States Can Retain Credit Quality Through Outbreak
Another week of exile brought extended school closures and
the planting of a giant "Keep Out" sign on the state's front
lawn as Gov. Charlie Baker's frustrations with President
Donald Trump and the federal response bubbled over.
The
comity that had infused state and national politics for a
short period also began to fall back into some familiar
patterns as traditional rivalries resurfaced.
That didn't stop Congress, however, from delivering a more
than $2 trillion relief package that will make an estimated
$2.67 billion available to the state, according the Center
on Budget and Policy Priorities. That doesn't count the
millions available to small businesses through loans and the
direct checks that will be mailed to many residents to get
them through the outbreak.
The
titular underbrush metaphor was deployed by Baker to convey
his ongoing feelings of bitterness toward the federal
government, which stem from states being outbid by the feds
in their efforts to purchase personal protective equipment
for front line health care workers.
"We
are doing everything we can through an incredibly messy
thicket that is enormously frustrating for all of us to try
to get them the gear they deserve and they need," Baker
said, describing how orders had disappeared before his eyes.
"Until the godd ... Until the thing shows up here in the
commonwealth of Mass. it doesn't exist," Baker said,
catching himself before, God forbid, he cursed on live
television....
Back on Beacon Hill, where the House and Senate appeared
from the outside to be working well together, Speaker Robert
DeLeo and Senate President Karen Spilka announced over the
weekend that they were working on a bill to address
evictions and foreclosures. Yet, nothing surfaced.
The
Senate, instead, passed a bill to expand the scope of
practice of nurses to address what could become a shortage
of clinical health professionals. Before the Senate even
voted, though, House Majority Leader Ron Mariano, who has
long been a skeptic of scope of practice changes, said it's
the House position that Gov. Charlie Baker can accomplish
the same thing through executive order, and would not be
taking that bill up.
Baker wound up using his emergency powers over nurses after
all.
The
Legislature did finish a municipal election bill to let town
leaders postpone local elections scheduled this spring, and
a broader municipal governance bill overcame a brief snag
when Rep. Chynah Tyler of Boston tried to include language
blocking Baker from shuttering recreational pot shops as
long as liquor stores remain open.
Packies fell under the rubric of food stores in Baker's
order closing all non-essential businesses, beginning
Tuesday at noon and lasting through April 7. The governor
has also asked the Legislature to allow restaurants to sell
beer and wine as part of their take-out business during the
emergency. The House late Friday agreed to that idea, with
some conditions, and the matter is now before the Senate.
While the response to coronavirus is a daily evolving
exercise on Beacon Hill, toll revenues are falling, T fares
are plummeting and, Lottery sales are cratering. Never mind
sales taxes, capital gains and lodging fees.
Budget officials, including the House and Senate chairs of
the Ways and Means, are expected to call a virtual meeting
of economists to attempt to wrap their heads around the
impact, for both this fiscal year and next.
Still, Baker and legislative Democrats reached a deal on
Friday to postpone the income tax filing deadline from April
15 to July 15, in keeping with the new federal deadline, and
a bill filed by the governor would allow for short-term
borrowing to paper over any cash flow issues that arise as a
result.
State House News Service
Friday, March 27, 2020
Weekly Roundup - A “Messy Thicket”
On
Beacon Hill, the virus has shut down the capitol, driven
lawmakers back to their districts and upended a legislative
agenda that until a month ago seemed to be careening toward
major new laws dealing with transportation, housing and
climate change. Instead, the near-term agenda is assessing,
responding to and reassessing the virus impacts on a daily
basis....
This is a time of year when the House is usually getting set
for its annual budget debate and taxpayers are rushing to
get their tax returns filed. Instead, lawmakers are
wondering how they'll get a budget done at all and reviewing
legislation allowing Treasurer Deb Goldberg to execute
bridge borrowing to balance this year's budget since tax
collections are plummeting and collections from annual
returns will be delayed given the state's new July 15 tax
filing deadline....
Tax
collectors from the Department of Revenue are due to report
Friday on March receipts, which will only begin to show some
of the initial consequences of the coronavirus pandemic and
the steps taken to slow its spread.
Going into March, tax revenues were running 1 percent, or
$176 million, above the state's year-to-date benchmark.
March through June is traditionally the largest four-month
span for tax collections, and collections for those months
are critical for budget-balancing purposes.
The
Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation had estimated a $300
million to $500 million shortfall could materialize over the
last quarter of the fiscal year, but that estimate is now
dated and does not reflect the major impacts of the federal
fiscal stimulus bill or the just-announced extension of the
tax-filing deadline from April 15 to July 15, a move that
will shift between $2 billion and more than $3.5 billion in
personal and corporate income taxes into next fiscal year.
"We
are moving towards an unprecedented hit to revenue as people
are laid off & stores close reducing income & sales tax
revenue as costs increase (e.g. more use of MassHealth),"
Sen. Adam Hinds, who co-chairs the Revenue Committee,
tweeted Tuesday.
The
senator said he is expecting income tax collections -- which
account for 58 percent of the state's tax haul -- "will
decrease sharply" as layoffs continue. With the stock market
trending down, Hinds said to prepare for capital gains tax
revenue to "go through the basement next year." Sales tax
revenue, almost a quarter of state collections, "will
obviously take a hit as well" as shops close. "We simply
don't have our numbers yet, but it's clear this is an
unprecedented impact on our budget, vital programs &
economy."
A
bill Gov. Baker filed Friday would authorize bridge
borrowing to account for foregone collections due to the
shift in the tax-filing deadline. Senate President Karen
Spilka told the News Service this week that a "virtual
hearing" was being planned to give economic experts an
opportunity to chime in on the changing situation and what
it could mean for state receipts.
State House News Service
Friday, March 27, 2020
Advances - Week of March 29, 2020
Hours after fast-tracking a bill to allow the postponement
of springtime municipal elections, House and Senate leaders
said Monday that they are having talks around the
possibility of lowering the number of signatures certain
candidates must collect to secure ballot access amid a
bipartisan push to change a process that conflicts with
public health advice about limiting the spread of the
coronavirus.
Massachusetts High School Democrats and Massachusetts
Teenage Republicans sent a joint letter to legislative
leaders Sunday urging them to decrease the number of
signatures required to appear on the ballot or extend the
deadline to submit signatures. Both groups said their
members tend to be involved in gathering signatures for
candidates and campaigns, but may be more likely to spread
the coronavirus without outward signs of symptoms.
"As
of right now, the signature collection process requires
thousands of social interactions, and includes the exchange
of pens, paper, and clipboards, each of which may be handled
by hundreds or even thousands of individuals," the
organizations wrote....
Not
only are candidates seeking enough signatures to appear on
the ballot, but initiative petitions that the Legislature
does not act on itself are eligible this year to be put
before voters in November if their sponsors collect an
additional 13,000 signatures by July.
"Given that the current pandemic will not likely be resolved
by July, it is imperative that these measures be voted on to
give the campaigns ample time to collect the necessary
signatures, of which we recommend lowering the quantity,"
the young Democrats and Republicans wrote.
State House News Service
Monday, March 23, 2020
Signature Requirements Unchanged Amidst Health Crisis
DeLeo, Spilka Say They're Discussing Options
To
protect the health of people while they shop during the
COVID-19 pandemic, Boston Mayor Martin Walsh on Tuesday
morning issued an executive order allowing plastic bag use
in the city for retailers that qualify as essential
businesses under a Gov. Charlie Baker executive order.
State House News Service
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Plastic Bag Use Temporarily Allowed in Boston Stores
So-called single-use paper and plastic bags are not only
back in every Massachusetts community, but they are also the
only option at grocery stores.
To
try to slow the spread of coronavirus, earlier this week
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker temporarily banned the
use of reusable shopping bags. He also mandated that the
single-use bags be available to consumers free of charge.
According to Sierra Club, as of February 2020, 139 of
Massachusetts’s 351 cities and towns had local regulations
restricting thin-film plastic bags — either banning them or
charging consumers for each bag to discourage use. More than
60 percent of the state lives in those communities, which
include major cities like Boston, Worcester, Springfield,
Lowell, and Cambridge, among others....
Massachusetts is not alone in easing restrictions on
single-use plastic bag use during the pandemic. Earlier this
week, Connecticut Governo Ned Lamont lifted the state’s
ordinary requirement that customers pay 10 cents per bag,
trying to encourage their use.
The New Boston Post
Friday, March 27, 2020
Medical Experts Commend Massachusetts For
Switching Back To Single-Use Plastic Bags
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh says his temporary suspension of
the city’s ban on single-use plastic shopping bags is about
“flexibility.” He’s lying.
It’s about “stupidity.” Boston’s anti-plastic-bag mandate
was idiotic from the beginning, and now it’s being outed by
the coronavirus crisis as the danger to public health it’s
always been.
Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday also announced a temporary
ban on reusable bags.
“From now on, reusable bags are prohibited and all
regulations on plastic bag bans are lifted,” Baker said....
What’s happened is that workers in grocery stores are
complaining about the filthy, germ-infested reusable bags
they’re being asked to stick their arms into on the front
lines of the coronavirus crisis. As Drew Cline of the New
Hampshire-based Josiah Bartlett Center told me, “Research
clearly shows that poorly-handled reusable shopping bags are
like little Ubers for dangerous microorganisms.”
Cline’s think tank released a report last week listing study
after study showing that reusable bags are great ways to get
a coronavirus party going at your local grocery store. In
one study, Loma Linda University researchers sprayed
reusable bags with a solution of a safe norovirus surrogate,
then set volunteers loose to shop at a local market.
Researchers found the fake bugs on the hands of grocery
clerks, on packaged food surfaces, on shopping carts — even
on the customer self-checkout screens. And the available
data shows coronavirus is even more likely to survive on
surfaces than the usual viral suspects.
Using reusable shopping bags during the coronavirus pandemic
is like leaving your liquor cabinet unlocked while your
teenagers are “sheltering in place” at home. You’re just
asking for trouble.
So
why doesn’t Mayor Marty do what N.H. Gov. Chris Sununu did
and ban the use of these disease-covered social-status sacks
in public spaces? ...
And
yet Mayor Marty is leaving the ban largely in place, and he
can’t wait to bring it back. Why?
Because Boston’s liberal, $500K-condo crowd doesn’t care
about the environment. They care about looking like they
care about the environment. Plastic shopping bags? How
gauche! Besides, they clash with the reusable coffee mug I
got from an indigenous craftsman during an ecotourism trip
to Guatemala!
Oh,
forgot to mention: Starbucks and Dunkin’ aren’t taking those
anymore, either.
The
Left has long shown symptoms of skewed thinking — and it
doesn’t look like they’re eager for a cure.
The Boston Herald
Thursday, March 26, 2020
Plastic ban hypocrisy is in the bag for woke Left
By Michael Graham
President Trump has approved Gov. Charlie Baker’s federal
disaster request, declaring a major disaster in
Massachusetts and freeing up federal funding to help combat
COVID-19.
Baker had sent a letter to the president Thursday asking for
federal assistance “as a direct result of the overwhelming
and adverse impacts from the coronavirus pandemic.”
Coronavirus cases in the state topped 3,240 on Friday, with
35 deaths....
President Trump on Friday signed a $2.2 trillion coronavirus
economic relief package. U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan said
Massachusetts will receive approximately $2.67 billion for
“additional resources to cope with the pandemic” at the
state and local levels.
The Boston Herald
Saturday, March 28, 2020
Federal aid is on the way to help Massachusetts in the fight
against coronavirus |
Chip Ford's CLT
Commentary
“Nothing like keeping them in
suspense, but finally, following the lead of the
IRS and most states, it’s good to see some
consideration for taxpayers finally,” said
Chip Ford, executive director of Citizens
for Limited Taxation. “With all the
chaos and disruption people are suffering in
their daily lives this delay was a no-brainer,
or should have been.”
Beacon Hill Roll Call
March 23-27, 2020
Extend Tax Filing Deadline to July 15
On Friday,
March 20, U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin
announced that the U.S. government will give individuals
and companies an extra three months to file their 2019
tax returns, extend the deadline to July 15 due to the
China Wuhan virus pandemic. As so many state tax
returns are based on the federal tax return, which must
be completed first, individual states began extending
their filing dates. I wondered all week if
Massachusetts would ever get around to extending its
deadline. It finally did, on Friday after most
other states with an income tax had announced their
extensions.
|
States Extending Income Tax Filing Deadlines |
|
March 20,
2020 |
|
Income tax
filing and payment deadline postponements: |
AL, CA, CT,
IN, IA, NM, OR, SC, UT |
|
Income tax
payment deadline postponements: |
MD, OK, VA |
|
March 22,
2020 |
|
Extended
income tax filing and payment deadlines: |
KY |
|
March 23,
2020 |
|
Extended
income tax filing and payment deadlines: |
IA, MD, NE,
NY, ND, WI, DC |
|
March 24,
2020 |
|
Income tax
filing extensions: |
AZ, CO, DE,
GA, HI, ID, IA, MN, MO, MT, PA, RI, VT |
|
March 25,
2020 |
|
Income tax
filing extensions: |
AK, OK, VA |
|
March 26,
2020 |
|
Income tax
filing extensions: |
IL, ME |
|
March 27,
2020 |
|
Income tax
filing extensions: |
MA, OH, WV
(under active consideration in MI and NJ) |
|
Source:
https://taxfoundation.org/state-tax-coronavirus-covid19/#timeline |
It's as if
those occupying the Massachusetts State House couldn't bear to consider the confusion
and challenges confronting its taxpayers and quickly
make the obvious decision as most states did. To
add insult to injury, Massachusetts has an alleged
"full-time" Legislature, which most other states don't
but managed this nonetheless.
Perhaps this is
more understandable this time than the usual Beacon Hill
flim-flam.
The state fiscal year ends on June 30. The extension
of the tax-filing deadline from April 15 to July 15 will
move between $2 billion and more than $3.5 billion in
personal income and corporate taxes into next fiscal year.
The State House
News Service reported:
Going into March, tax
revenues were running 1 percent, or $176
million, above the state's year-to-date
benchmark. March through June is traditionally
the largest four-month span for tax collections,
and collections for those months are critical
for budget-balancing purposes.
The Massachusetts Taxpayers
Foundation had estimated a $300 million to $500
million shortfall could materialize over the
last quarter of the fiscal year, but that
estimate is now dated and does not reflect the
major impacts of the federal fiscal stimulus
bill or the just-announced extension of the
tax-filing deadline from April 15 to July 15, a
move that will shift between $2 billion and more
than $3.5 billion in personal and corporate
income taxes into next fiscal year.
"We are moving towards an
unprecedented hit to revenue as people are laid
off & stores close reducing income & sales tax
revenue as costs increase (e.g. more use of
MassHealth)," Sen. Adam Hinds, who co-chairs the
Revenue Committee, tweeted Tuesday.
The senator said he is
expecting income tax collections -- which
account for 58 percent of the state's tax haul
-- "will decrease sharply" as layoffs continue.
With the stock market trending down, Hinds said
to prepare for capital gains tax revenue to "go
through the basement next year." Sales tax
revenue, almost a quarter of state collections,
"will obviously take a hit as well" as shops
close. "We simply don't have our numbers yet,
but it's clear this is an unprecedented impact
on our budget, vital programs & economy."
Massachusetts
will receive approximately $2.67 billion from the $2.2
trillion economic relief package that Congress finally
passed and the president signed on Friday, for
“additional resources to cope with the pandemic” at the
state and local levels according to
U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan. The state has its
accumulated $3.5 billion "rainy day" fund.
President Trump has granted Gov. Charlie Baker’s federal
disaster request, declaring a major disaster in
Massachusetts and freeing up federal funding to help
combat COVID-19.
State House News
Service reported ("Signature Requirements Unchanged Amidst
Health Crisis"):
Hours after fast-tracking a
bill to allow the postponement of springtime
municipal elections, House and Senate leaders
said Monday that they are having talks around
the possibility of lowering the number of
signatures certain candidates must collect to
secure ballot access amid a bipartisan push to
change a process that conflicts with public
health advice about limiting the spread of the
coronavirus....
Not only are candidates
seeking enough signatures to appear on the
ballot, but initiative petitions that the
Legislature does not act on itself are eligible
this year to be put before voters in November if
their sponsors collect an additional 13,000
signatures by July.
"Given that the current
pandemic will not likely be resolved by July, it
is imperative that these measures be voted on to
give the campaigns ample time to collect the
necessary signatures, of which we recommend
lowering the quantity," the young Democrats and
Republicans wrote.
Along with health
and the economy, democracy and self-government is taking a
hit from the Wuhan China pandemic. Elections being
postponed is one thing. They will still occur.
Candidate and petition signatures have hard deadlines,
closing in fast. (See State House News Service report
below: "Signature Requirements Unchanged Amidst Health Crisis")
While candidate
signature requirements can be adjusted by passing a quick
statutory amendment or law (if that's even desirable
by incumbents in this Legislature), signature requirements
for initiative petitions are locked into the state
constitution.
Massachusetts General Laws, Chapter 53, Section
7
. . . Every nomination
paper of a candidate for a state office shall be
submitted to the registrars of the city or town
where the signers appear to be voters on or
before five o'clock post meridian of the
twenty-eighth day preceding the day on which it
must be filed with the state secretary; and
certification of nomination papers of candidates
for state office shall be completed no later
than the seventh day before the final day for
filing said papers with the state secretary. . .
.
Massachusetts Constitution, Article 81
. . . Section 1.
Legislative Procedure. - If an initiative
petition for a law is introduced into the
general court, signed in the aggregate by not
less than such number of voters as will equal
three per cent of the entire vote cast for
governor at the preceding biennial state
election, a vote shall be taken by yeas and nays
in both houses before the first Wednesday of May
upon the enactment of such law in the form in
which it stands in such petition. If the general
court fails to enact such law before the first
Wednesday of May, and if such petition is
completed by filing with the secretary of the
commonwealth, not earlier than the first
Wednesday of the following June nor later than
the first Wednesday of the following July . . .
It would
require a constitutional amendment (and a few years
waiting for it to get onto a statewide ballot) to change
those initiative petition requirements, by which time
the original initiative petitions will be dead.
The Legislature needs to vote on them
— soon.
We all need a
laugh right about now, and you have got to love the irony.
Suddenly those environment-threatening evil "single-use"
plastic bags have been resurrected to save the planet!
The New Boston
Post reported ("Medical Experts Commend Massachusetts For
Switching Back To Single-Use Plastic Bags"):
So-called single-use paper and plastic bags are not only
back in every Massachusetts community, but they are also the
only option at grocery stores.
To try to slow the spread of coronavirus, earlier this week
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker temporarily banned the
use of reusable shopping bags. He also mandated that the
single-use bags be available to consumers free of charge.
In his Boston
Herald column Michael Graham noted ("Plastic ban hypocrisy
is in the bag for woke Left"):
What’s
happened is that workers in grocery stores are
complaining about the filthy, germ-infested reusable
bags they’re being asked to stick their arms into on
the front lines of the coronavirus crisis. As Drew Cline of the
New Hampshire-based Josiah Bartlett Center told me,
“Research clearly shows that poorly-handled reusable
shopping bags are like little Ubers for dangerous
microorganisms.”
Our all-knowing
elite betters and the holier-than-thou tree-huggers have had
an epiphany forced onto them. It's been recognized
that their "environment-friendly" reusable cloth bag
substitutes are disease-ridden carriers of the plague.
Their "woke" cloth bags have now been banned as a public
health threat, replaced by a victorious resurrection of
life-saving plastic.
There's nothing
quite like the rude intrusion of reality to grab everyone's
attention. All it took was a pandemic to expose the
folly of PC extremism. As has been said, "Every cloud
has a silver lining."
|
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|
Chip Ford
Executive Director |
|
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State House News
Service
Friday, March 27, 2020
State Postpones April 15 Tax Deadline
By Matt Murphy
The
April 15 deadline for filing state income tax returns will
be postponed until July 15 under a deal announced Friday
between Gov. Charlie Baker and legislative leaders.
The change, which requires legislation to facilitate bridge
borrowing, means the state tax deadline will now align with
the new federal tax deadline, which was postponed last week
by Internal Revenue Service.
"In partnership with our colleagues in the Legislature, we
are committed to providing this flexibility to taxpayers in
a way that protects the Commonwealth's strong fiscal footing
that we have all worked hard to develop over the past
several years," Baker said in a statement announcing the
agreement.
Conservative groups like the Pioneer Institute and the
Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, along with the Massachusetts
Society of Certified Professional Accountants, have been
calling for days for the state to delay the tax filing
deadline, and give filers and tax preparers clarity on what
will be expected of them. As of Wednesday, 21 states had
already postponed their tax filing deadlines, including 17
that had pushed back to July 15.
State budget writers, however, had concern about what a July
deadline would mean for tax collections this fiscal year,
and the state's ability to continue to meet its financial
obligations. The Executive Office of Administration and
Finance had told legislative leaders that the revenue hit
for the final three months of fiscal 2020 could be between
$2 billion and $3.5 billion. Baker said he would be filing
legislation to postpone the tax deadline that would also
request borrowing authority to maintain adequate cash flow,
and repay the debt in fiscal 2021 when the deferred taxes
are collected.
Beacon Hill Roll
Call
Volume 46 - Report No. 13
March 23-27, 2020
By Bob Katzen
EXTEND TAX FILING DEADLINE TO JULY 15 – Gov. Charlie Baker
filed legislation that would postpone the April 15 deadline
for filing state income tax returns and setting a new
deadline of July 15. House and Senate leaders have
informally agreed to the extension so the bill should sail
through the Legislature quickly.
“In partnership with our colleagues in the Legislature, we
are committed to providing this flexibility to taxpayers in
a way that protects the commonwealth’s strong fiscal footing
that we have all worked hard to develop over the past
several years,” Baker said in a statement announcing the
agreement.
“Taxpayers already hit with declining paychecks and
retirement accounts should not bear the additional interest
and penalties stemming from an inability to meet the April
15 deadline, especially when their inability to make those
filings in a timely way is largely due to compliance with
Coronavirus containment strategies promoted by health
officials and governments at all levels,” read a press
release from the Pioneer Institute for Public Policy
Research. “Additionally, given the current economic crisis,
money that would be going to the state could instead be used
for life’s necessities and work to keep the local economy
afloat during the extension period until payments are due in
July.”
“Nothing like keeping them in suspense, but finally,
following the lead of the IRS and most states, it’s good to
see some consideration for taxpayers finally,” said Chip
Ford, executive director of Citizens for Limited
Taxation. “With all the chaos and disruption people are
suffering in their daily lives this delay was a no-brainer,
or should have been.”
“Anything the governor can do to help people keep more of
their money at this time should be applauded,” said Paul
Craney, spokesperson for Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance. “By
extending the deadline to mirror the federal level, people
will have more funds now to pay for essential costs in these
trying times. This will end up saving the state money in the
long term.”
State House News
Service
Tuesday, March 24, 2020
Grim Economic Outlook Suddenly Shrouds State Budget
Moody's: States Can Retain Credit Quality Through Outbreak
By Michael P. Norton
Grounded planes, shuttered restaurants and stores, and empty
arenas, college campuses and office buildings are symbols
these days of an economy in fast decline. The question that
no one can answer with certainty is how far will the fall be
and when will it end.
As the world struggles with COVID-19, and focuses mostly on
saving lives and slowing the virus' spread, financial
analysts are running models and taking a stab at what's to
come and whether states are equipped to handle it.
To analysts at Goldman Sachs, the surge in layoffs combined
with a spending collapse that's "both historic in size and
speed" led to a forecast of negative 6 percent growth in the
first quarter, nosediving to negative 24 percent in the
second quarter. For reference, a 24 percent decline in
economic output would be almost 2.5 times the size of the
largest quarterly decline in gross domestic product in the
history of modern statistical record-keeping -- the 10
percent decline in early 1958.
In a report issued March 20 and titled "A Sudden Stop for
the US Economy," Goldman Sachs forecast 12 percent growth in
the third quarter and 10 percent in the fourth quarter, with
full-year growth in 2020 at an annual average of negative
3.8 percent.
On Beacon Hill, the second quarter hit is setting up to
torpedo the $43.3 billion fiscal 2020 budget Gov. Charlie
Baker signed last July. The budget appeared to have been
trending in the black, but Baker now faces stark choices
about keeping it balanced and working with lawmakers on a
budget plan for fiscal 2021, a year when many have been
hoping for large new investments in public education and
mass transit.
In their analysis, Goldman Sachs cautioned about highly
uncertain timing and possible relapses, saying their
projection of a gradual recovery hinges on factors like
effective testing and mitigation, weather effects, medical
breakthroughs and the ways that consumers and businesses
adapt to change.
Spending declines, and job impacts, are particularly acute
in certain U.S. industries, with a projected 85 percent
decline in sports and entertainment spending, a 75 percent
drop in transportation spending, and a 65 percent fall in
hotel and restaurant spending, according to the report.
Housing and construction are also suffering. Analysts
examined housing data in Asian countries hit earlier by the
virus, reports of widespread open house cancellations and
the shutdown of construction projects. They concluded it all
adds up to a "large hit to the real estate and construction
sector."
Unemployment? The Goldman Sachs forecast sees it rising from
3.5 percent to 9 percent nationally over the next couple of
quarters. The jobs losses will be concentrated in low-wage
occupations prone to temporary layoffs, the report said,
including businesses forced to lay off employees because of
abrupt cash flow problems.
In a separate report, published on March 19, Moody's
Investors Service maintained its stable outlook on the state
and local governments sector with a caveat that it "will
reassess as necessary as events unfold."
Moody's flagged substantial tax revenue declines and massive
public health costs as "profound challenges" for state and
local governments.
"Still, state and local governments have many credit
strengths with the potential to mitigate the financial
impact, including generally strong reserves and significant
spending flexibility," analysts reported. "This will allow
most to withstand the effects of the outbreak without a
substantial decline in credit quality."
On the tax front, capital gains receipts, which are always a
volatile category, "will weaken materially in the next tax
year" due to stock market losses, which will also exacerbate
unfunded public pension liabilities in the states.
Sales taxes, which in Massachusetts are critical to the MBTA,
school construction, and other government services, will
also fall. Tourism is a major sector in Massachusetts and
Moody's says states that rely more heavily on tourism "will
feel the pain from sales tax revenue declines more
severely."
The MBTA is also heavily reliant on fare revenues, which are
also tanking. Moody's described fare-dependent mass transit
enterprises as "among the most vulnerable issuers to
financial effects from the coronavirus" and the backdraft
whipped up by fare declines could draw more oxygen from a
sales tax falloff.
Coronavirus infections will rise through the second quarter,
Moody's said, as governments implement travel restrictions,
quarantines and close schools and businesses to slow the
spread of the virus, and "the fear of contagion will dampen
consumption and investment."
Citing a higher degree of uncertainty than usual, Moody's
also referenced its "downside scenario," which envisions a
"significant increase in infections and fear, substantial
market declines, shortages of goods because of global supply
chain disruptions and low commodity prices for an extended
period."
Another huge factor: the outcome of talks in Washington D.C.
on a third coronavirus bill, which is setting up to be the
largest in size. While uncertain about the outcome, Moody's
said federal aid "is bulwark against financial calamity for
state and local governments in times of crisis and
disaster."
State House News
Service
Friday, March 27, 2020
Weekly Roundup - A “Messy Thicket”
Recap and analysis of the week in state government
By Matt Murphy
Another week of exile brought extended school closures and
the planting of a giant "Keep Out" sign on the state's front
lawn as Gov. Charlie Baker's frustrations with President
Donald Trump and the federal response bubbled over.
The comity that had infused state and national politics for
a short period also began to fall back into some familiar
patterns as traditional rivalries resurfaced.
That didn't stop Congress, however, from delivering a more
than $2 trillion relief package that will make an estimated
$2.67 billion available to the state, according the Center
on Budget and Policy Priorities. That doesn't count the
millions available to small businesses through loans and the
direct checks that will be mailed to many residents to get
them through the outbreak.
The titular underbrush metaphor was deployed by Baker to
convey his ongoing feelings of bitterness toward the federal
government, which stem from states being outbid by the feds
in their efforts to purchase personal protective equipment
for front line health care workers.
"We are doing everything we can through an incredibly messy
thicket that is enormously frustrating for all of us to try
to get them the gear they deserve and they need," Baker
said, describing how orders had disappeared before his eyes.
"Until the godd ... Until the thing shows up here in the
commonwealth of Mass. it doesn't exist," Baker said,
catching himself before, God forbid, he cursed on live
television.
The ability of Massachusetts to procure protective masks,
gloves and other gear was only one of the issues that Baker
was worked up about on Thursday, as his voice got loud
discussing the idea of shutting down schools for the rest of
the year, or the value of tele-medicine (which he believes
in).
"There are a lot of kids for whom school is going to be the
place where they're going to have the biggest and best and
most significant opportunity to get the kind of education
they need," Baker said. "And I don't want to start with the
assumption that we're just going to blow that off for the
rest of the year."
But clearly things are going to get worse before they get
better.
Baker requested a federal disaster declaration from the
Federal Emergency Management Agency and extended his order
to keep schools and daycare centers closed from April 6
through to May 4. On Friday, he advised anyone traveling to
Massachusetts from another state or country to
self-quarantine for 14 days.
Visitors arriving by air, land, and sea will be greeted with
pamphlets and highway billboards advising them to
self-isolate, and if they don't have to come at all, that
would be best, Baker said.
All of these steps are designed to flatten the curve of
transmissions. Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou
Sudders identified a new goal this week as well: "Increase
the cadre," she said.
What she meant was the need to increase the available
workforce of health professionals to treat the rising tide
of COVID-19 patients, which by Friday afternoon had climbed
to 3,240, including 35 deaths and 288 patients hospitalized.
Throughout the week, Baker and Sudders highlighted efforts
to coordinate volunteers with professional health care
backgrounds and to expand the scope of practice for nurses.
Fourth-year medical students, in some cases, will be allowed
to graduate early and get an emergency 90-day license to
practice medicine and retired doctors can quickly get
reinstated.
The state, however, still cannot or won't say how many
hospital beds they'll need when the surge hits, or when they
expect that tsunami to arrive. Maybe, they're just hoping
they've flattened the curve enough that it will just lap at
the doors of Bay State hospitals instead.
Regardless, the lack of public information on surge
preparation stood out in contrast to New York Gov. Andrew
Cuomo, who was on television daily putting on what one
health care executive told the News Service was a "master
class" in crisis communication.
"He'd be the Democratic nominee for president if this were
six months ago," the official said.
It's not six months ago, though.
Which might explain why President Donald Trump appeared to
be getting a little antsy this week as the economy remains
in lockdown seven months ahead of an election, and he
started talking about reopening by Easter.
"Yeah, no. We're not going to be up and running by Easter.
No," Baker said.
On Capitol Hill, Democrats and Republicans in Congress
battled over the contours of an historic stimulus bill, with
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and others accusing the GOP of
insisting on a $450 billion "slush fund" for corporate
America.
Warren and every other non-infected senator, however, wound
up voting for the more than $2 trillion relief package that
also had billions in low-interest loans for small businesses
and direct payments to most Americans. Trump signed the
stimulus bill Friday afternoon.
Back on Beacon Hill, where the House and Senate appeared
from the outside to be working well together, Speaker Robert
DeLeo and Senate President Karen Spilka announced over the
weekend that they were working on a bill to address
evictions and foreclosures. Yet, nothing surfaced.
The Senate, instead, passed a bill to expand the scope of
practice of nurses to address what could become a shortage
of clinical health professionals. Before the Senate even
voted, though, House Majority Leader Ron Mariano, who has
long been a skeptic of scope of practice changes, said it's
the House position that Gov. Charlie Baker can accomplish
the same thing through executive order, and would not be
taking that bill up.
Baker wound up using his emergency powers over nurses after
all.
The Legislature did finish a municipal election bill to let
town leaders postpone local elections scheduled this spring,
and a broader municipal governance bill overcame a brief
snag when Rep. Chynah Tyler of Boston tried to include
language blocking Baker from shuttering recreational pot
shops as long as liquor stores remain open.
Packies fell under the rubric of food stores in Baker's
order closing all non-essential businesses, beginning
Tuesday at noon and lasting through April 7. The governor
has also asked the Legislature to allow restaurants to sell
beer and wine as part of their take-out business during the
emergency. The House late Friday agreed to that idea, with
some conditions, and the matter is now before the Senate.
While the response to coronavirus is a daily evolving
exercise on Beacon Hill, toll revenues are falling, T fares
are plummeting and, Lottery sales are cratering. Never mind
sales taxes, capital gains and lodging fees.
Budget officials, including the House and Senate chairs of
the Ways and Means, are expected to call a virtual meeting
of economists to attempt to wrap their heads around the
impact, for both this fiscal year and next.
Still, Baker and legislative Democrats reached a deal on
Friday to postpone the income tax filing deadline from April
15 to July 15, in keeping with the new federal deadline, and
a bill filed by the governor would allow for short-term
borrowing to paper over any cash flow issues that arise as a
result.
Their bottom lines might be taking a hit, but with normal
business lagging some companies are stepping up in other
ways. About a dozen marijuana businesses who would prefer to
be open and selling product to anxious consumers, but have
shifted to making hand sanitizer, and Uber is delivering
meals and discounted rides to work for front-line union
health care workers.
Rep. Mike Day won't be needing a ride anywhere, after he
announced that he was the first state lawmaker to test
positive for COVID-19. Day, in a Facebook post, said he fell
ill on March 12, but had recovered. He learned of his
positive test on Monday, and was supposed to be in
quarantine through Thursday, but plans to extend his stay at
home voluntarily.
Congressman Seth Moulton and his wife were also
self-quarantining with symptoms, while U.S. Rep. Ayanna
Pressley said she had been tested after falling ill and
learned Friday that she tested negative.
STORY OF THE WEEK: It's a disaster. Time to declare it as
such.
SONG OF THE WEEK: Joe Biden to the governor: You're doing a
heck of a job, Charlie Parker.
State House News
Service
Friday, March 27, 2020
Advances - Week of March 29, 2020
Massachusetts this week is just one of many battlegrounds
across the country engaged in a warlike effort to slow the
spread and damage caused by a virus that has moved across
the globe like a silent, deadly wrecking ball. Residents,
mostly hanging out in or near their homes unless they have
roles deemed essential, are approaching their third week in
a state of emergency stemming from COVID-19, which has shut
down vast swaths of the economy, forced tens of thousands of
people into unemployment, infected more than 3,200 people in
Massachusetts, and killed 35 others here, so far.
On Beacon Hill, the virus has shut down the capitol, driven
lawmakers back to their districts and upended a legislative
agenda that until a month ago seemed to be careening toward
major new laws dealing with transportation, housing and
climate change. Instead, the near-term agenda is assessing,
responding to and reassessing the virus impacts on a daily
basis.
State officials are also analyzing the largest economic
stimulus bill in modern American history and making sure its
resources are efficiently distributed to deliver on their
potential to help health care workers fighting the virus,
save businesses and jobs, and prevent people from falling
into poverty. "There can be no economic recovery without
public health," Boston Mayor Martin Walsh said Friday.
For state government officials, lobbyists and interest
groups -- and the reporters who cover them -- life has
become a daily crash course in crisis communications and
reporting. With reporters working on and off Beacon Hill,
the News Service will continue to keep people apprised of
the fast-changing developments, the flood of emergency
orders and legislative activity that appears to be picking
up. On Day 18 of the state of emergency, here's a look at
some of the things that are known about another
unpredictable week ahead:
— LEGISLATING IN A PANDEMIC: The demands on the Legislature
are growing at a time when legislative leaders have yet to
outline plans for dealing with the annual state budget, the
flood of proposals seeking funding and state support as part
of the COVID-19 response, or even operational changes that
might facilitate the flow of business. Congress has approved
three significant COVID-19 bills while lawmakers here agreed
to delay municipal elections and waive a one-week waiting
period for jobless benefits. Other major proposals,
including bills filed by Gov. Charlie Baker, await action.
Social distancing directives make the usual process of
legislating difficult if not impossible and, without a
remote voting method, legislative leaders so far have opted
to meet in informal sessions, where the advancement of any
bill requires the consent of everyone present. This is a
time of year when the House is usually getting set for its
annual budget debate and taxpayers are rushing to get their
tax returns filed. Instead, lawmakers are wondering how
they'll get a budget done at all and reviewing legislation
allowing Treasurer Deb Goldberg to execute bridge borrowing
to balance this year's budget since tax collections are
plummeting and collections from annual returns will be
delayed given the state's new July 15 tax filing deadline.
— COVID-19 TRACING AND TRACKING METHODS: Extensive
information about a tracing and tracking program to help
slow the spread of the virus will be announced next week,
Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders said
Friday. Her announcement came after Gov. Charlie Baker
announced another unprecedented step to slow COVID-19.
"Starting today, all travelers arriving to the Commonwealth
are instructed to self-quarantine for 14 days," Baker said.
Travelers arriving at Logan Airport, Worcester Airport, and
South Station will receive informational flyers. Roadside
message boards will alert drivers.
— DISASTER DECLARATION: Gov. Baker announced Thursday that
he's filed a request for a federal disaster declaration in
connection with COVID-19. The Trump administration has
already assigned such designations to several other states,
creating more flexibility to aid in the virus fight and
making certain workers eligible for unemployment benefits.
Look for a decision on the request soon.
— ELECTIONS IN THE COVID-19 ERA: Four special elections
originally slated for Tuesday are now postponed until later
in the spring -- special Senate elections to fill the seats
of former Sens. Don Humason and Vinny deMacedo are May 19,
and, on the House side, elections to fill the seat of former
Reps. Shaunna O'Connell and Jennifer Benson are June 2.
A new law passed and signed by Gov. Baker this week also
allows cities and towns to postpone municipal elections
planned for on or before May 30, and allows early voting by
mail for all elections -- including the special legislative
elections -- held prior to June 30.
Campaigns are already preparing for the Sept. 1 primary, and
the Legislature will need to decide soon if it wants to
modify any of the procedures around those contests --
candidates for state House and Senate seats must file their
nomination papers by April 28, and the deadline is May 5 for
Congressional and statewide candidates. The Massachusetts
High School Democrats and Massachusetts Teenage Republicans
joined forces to urge legislative leaders to either decrease
the number of signatures required or push back the filing
deadline, and Republican U.S. Senate candidate Kevin
O'Connor, whose father was hospitalized with COVID-19, has
been repeatedly calling for a deadline extension to protect
the health and safety of signature-gathering volunteers and
campaign staff.
Advocates have also renewed their call for allowing voters
to register on Election Day, arguing that the public health
crisis could make it difficult for voters to keep their
registrations up to date. "There is no guarantee that the
coronavirus crisis will have receded by September 1, when
Massachusetts state primaries are scheduled, or even for the
November elections," Common Cause Massachusetts and other
groups said this week. "The Election Modernization Coalition
urges the Legislature to recognize that this crisis is of
indeterminate length, and that we must also act quickly to
ensure that the fall’s elections take place as scheduled,
maximize participation, and maintain public health."
— GETTING MONEY TO THE JOBLESS: An historic surge in jobless
claims associated with the widespread business closures has
flooded the Division of Unemployment Assistance, led by
Director Richard Jeffers, with new claims. Gov. Baker says
cloud-based technology has helped the state handle the load.
A call center that featured 50 employees is up to 300, he
said Thursday, and that labor force will grow to 400 soon.
— STATE REVENUE FREEFALL: Tax collectors from the Department
of Revenue are due to report Friday on March receipts, which
will only begin to show some of the initial consequences of
the coronavirus pandemic and the steps taken to slow its
spread.
Going into March, tax revenues were running 1 percent, or
$176 million, above the state's year-to-date benchmark.
March through June is traditionally the largest four-month
span for tax collections, and collections for those months
are critical for budget-balancing purposes. The
Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation had estimated a $300
million to $500 million shortfall could materialize over the
last quarter of the fiscal year, but that estimate is now
dated and does not reflect the major impacts of the federal
fiscal stimulus bill or the just-announced extension of the
tax-filing deadline from April 15 to July 15, a move that
will shift between $2 billion and more than $3.5 billion in
personal and corporate income taxes into next fiscal year.
"We are moving towards an unprecedented hit to revenue as
people are laid off & stores close reducing income & sales
tax revenue as costs increase (e.g. more use of MassHealth),"
Sen. Adam Hinds, who co-chairs the Revenue Committee,
tweeted Tuesday.
The senator said he is expecting income tax collections --
which account for 58 percent of the state's tax haul --
"will decrease sharply" as layoffs continue. With the stock
market trending down, Hinds said to prepare for capital
gains tax revenue to "go through the basement next year."
Sales tax revenue, almost a quarter of state collections,
"will obviously take a hit as well" as shops close. "We
simply don't have our numbers yet, but it's clear this is an
unprecedented impact on our budget, vital programs &
economy."
A bill Gov. Baker filed Friday would authorize bridge
borrowing to account for foregone collections due to the
shift in the tax-filing deadline. Senate President Karen
Spilka told the News Service this week that a "virtual
hearing" was being planned to give economic experts an
opportunity to chime in on the changing situation and what
it could mean for state receipts.
— THE STATE OF EDUCATION: This was supposed to be the runup
to a new golden era of investment in K-12 education but now
K-12 schools and most early education programs across
Massachusetts are closed through at least May, leaving
parents with more than a month during which they must figure
out care and learning options for their children, in many
cases while working remotely themselves. Colleges, too, have
transitioned their students to online learning, in some
cases for the rest of the spring semester. No one knows for
sure how long things will continue this way. Hundreds of
early education providers remain open on an emergency,
drop-in basis for the children of health care workers,
grocery store employees and others whose jobs are deemed
essential business by the state. At a Tuesday meeting, Board
of Elementary and Secondary Education members are slated to
discuss steps to support families, students and schools.
Gov. Charlie Baker, when he announced the school closure
extension, said it was "not an extended school vacation" and
that districts would take the time to "provide the best
possible opportunities for remote learning to all students."
Education officials have published lists of resources for
families trying to provide some form of early education and
K-12 learning at home. The Department of Elementary and
Secondary Education also issued guidance for school leaders,
telling them that if they have not already developed a
remote learning model, they should "take time to engage in a
thoughtful planning period with local stakeholders in order
to launch in early April." The remote learning landscape may
be an uneven one, with differing levels of resources across
school districts and families, and with varied home
environments and access to technology for students. Boston
schools officials purchased 20,000 Chromebooks for students
who don't have computers at home, and the state has
partnered with public television stations to make
educational material available without an internet
connection.
— FISCAL STIMULUS/RELIEF BILL: The COVID-19 spending
demands, which are coming as state revenues sink, will get a
substantial injection of financing from the $2 trillion aid
package that completed its journey through Congress on
Friday. President Donald Trump is expected to sign the bill.
The week ahead should produce some informed insight on a
bill that so far has been outlined only in the broadest
terms. Shortly after the bill passed the U.S. House on a
voice vote, U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan outlined some of the
benefits Massachusetts can expect: about $2.67 billion from
a new State and Local Coronavirus Relief Fund to "provide
states and localities additional resources to cope with the
coronavirus pandemic"; about $1 billion from a fund meant to
"protect the jobs of the employees of the transit agencies,
funding their paychecks during this public health
emergency"; $60.8 million in Housing and Urban Development
Emergency Solution Grants; $45.3 million to support child
care and early education; almost $33 million to address the
impact of COVID-19 among individuals and families who are
homeless or at risk of homelessness; about $20 million in
Community Development Block Grants; $10 million in funding
for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program; and $8.3
million in election assistance to, among other things,
"increase the ability to vote by mail, expand early voting,
and expand online registration."
— MUNI GOVERNANCE, TO-GO RESTAURANT BEER AND WINE: Gov.
Baker's legislation aimed at municipal governance relief
during the crisis is set to progress in the Legislature. The
House Ways and Means Committee on Friday afternoon advanced
a wide-ranging bill (H 4586) combining two of Baker's
proposals, and a shorthanded House immediately approved the
bill. The legislation on its way to the Senate would give
towns options to postpone town meetings or conduct them with
smaller attendance and to approve interim budgets if they
are unable to approve annual budgets during the state of
emergency. It also allows restaurants to sell beer and wine
to go with food orders, though the committee added language
requiring orders to be placed before midnight. The
restaurant industry is among the hardest hit by the pandemic
and businesses in that sector are scrambling for ways to
stay afloat. The bill does not include other components of a
Baker bill that would grant state authorities ability to
modify or waive requirements in annual MCAS examinations.
State House News
Service
Monday, March 23, 2020
Signature Requirements Unchanged Amidst Health Crisis
DeLeo, Spilka Say They're Discussing Options
Colin A. Young
Hours after fast-tracking a bill to allow the postponement
of springtime municipal elections, House and Senate leaders
said Monday that they are having talks around the
possibility of lowering the number of signatures certain
candidates must collect to secure ballot access amid a
bipartisan push to change a process that conflicts with
public health advice about limiting the spread of the
coronavirus.
Massachusetts High School Democrats and Massachusetts
Teenage Republicans sent a joint letter to legislative
leaders Sunday urging them to decrease the number of
signatures required to appear on the ballot or extend the
deadline to submit signatures. Both groups said their
members tend to be involved in gathering signatures for
candidates and campaigns, but may be more likely to spread
the coronavirus without outward signs of symptoms.
"As of right now, the signature collection process requires
thousands of social interactions, and includes the exchange
of pens, paper, and clipboards, each of which may be handled
by hundreds or even thousands of individuals," the
organizations wrote.
After a semi-regular meeting with Gov. Charlie Baker, both
House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Karen Spilka
said they've been discussing the possibilities around
signature collection.
"We are talking about not so much maybe extending the
deadline, but maybe -- you know, we have to consider not
only state level but the federal level as well, the U.S.
Senate candidates -- in terms of number of signatures,"
DeLeo said. "So I think those are the things that ... we're
talking about."
Spilka said, "we're having ongoing discussions about that."
Asked to clarify if she meant discussions about reducing the
number of signatures needed to get on the ballot, she said,
"and we're looking at the options, yes."
Candidates for elected office from state representative to
Congress face signature gathering thresholds and deadlines
to qualify for the primary ballot this September. The most
onerous requirements are those imposed on candidates for
U.S. Senate, who must gather 10,000 signatures from
registered voters. Nominations for the state Senate require
a minimum of 300 certified signatures, with 150 for
Massachusetts House candidates.
"I can tell you from my own perspective, I'm doing a lot of
it -- Well, just but most of it by mail," DeLeo said Monday.
"So there are ways of making sure that you get your 150
signatures."
Not only are candidates seeking enough signatures to appear
on the ballot, but initiative petitions that the Legislature
does not act on itself are eligible this year to be put
before voters in November if their sponsors collect an
additional 13,000 signatures by July.
"Given that the current pandemic will not likely be resolved
by July, it is imperative that these measures be voted on to
give the campaigns ample time to collect the necessary
signatures, of which we recommend lowering the quantity,"
the young Democrats and Republicans wrote.
After meeting with the governor Monday afternoon -- Spilka
said all meeting attendees maintained a distance of six feet
from one another -- the speaker and Senate president offered
their thoughts on Baker's announcement that all
non-essential businesses must close by noon Tuesday and that
people should stay home as much as possible.
"We're still looking at the governor's order or the
essential work situation. You know, I think that there may
be still some questions about it and I know that we're
getting calls as to is this business considered a part of it
or that business," Spilka said. "But I think it's important
the message that people get is clearly: stay at home unless
you are an essential worker and in the list of all those
pages of businesses. Unless you are part of an essential
workforce, stay at home."
DeLeo said that the main thrust of the governor's
announcement Monday -- stay at home as much as possible --
is an important message, but that he and others in the House
"really need a little time to take a closer look at it."
"I know there were a number of businesses that were found to
be essential that we're taking a look at now," he said. "But
I think we're obviously doing everything in anything we can
to get the message out to have the all those folks who can
remain at home, remain at home."
State House News
Service
Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Plastic Bag Use Temporarily Allowed in Boston Stores
By Michael P. Norton
To
protect the health of people while they shop during the
COVID-19 pandemic, Boston Mayor Martin Walsh on Tuesday
morning issued an executive order allowing plastic bag use
in the city for retailers that qualify as essential
businesses under a Gov. Charlie Baker executive order.
"During this challenging time, we understand the retail
establishments our residents rely on -- like grocery stores,
pharmacies, and restaurants -- need added flexibility to
best serve their customers," said Walsh. "We are adjusting
Boston's plastic bag ordinance to give establishments and
residents the help they need during this time."
The order permits temporary exemptions from a city ordinance
restricting plastic bag use in the city to protect the
environment and reduce solid waste.
Essential businesses will be allowed to use plastic bags,
and will be exempt from the requirement that they charge
customers a fee for checkout bags. The order went into
effect Tuesday and will remain in effect until the last day
of the public health emergency declared by the Boston Public
Health Commission.
The New Boston
Post
Friday, March 27, 2020
Medical Experts Commend Massachusetts For Switching Back To
Single-Use Plastic Bags
By Tom Joyce
So-called single-use paper and plastic bags are not only
back in every Massachusetts community, but they are also the
only option at grocery stores.
To try to slow the spread of coronavirus, earlier this week
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker temporarily banned the
use of reusable shopping bags. He also mandated that the
single-use bags be available to consumers free of charge.
According to Sierra Club, as of February 2020, 139 of
Massachusetts’s 351 cities and towns had local regulations
restricting thin-film plastic bags — either banning them or
charging consumers for each bag to discourage use. More than
60 percent of the state lives in those communities, which
include major cities like Boston, Worcester, Springfield,
Lowell, and Cambridge, among others.
While some would argue that single-use plastics are wasteful
and bad for the environment, in part because they are made
from petrochemicals, epidemiologists tell New Boston Post
that Baker made the right move, given the circumstances.
Dr. Brian Labus, a communicable diseases expert, says
relying on single-use paper and plastic bags probably won’t
do much, but it’s something.
“While packaging materials aren’t a major source of
transmission of the virus, we are trying to avoid having
multiple people handling the same objects,” said Labus, an
assistant professor at the School of Public Health at the
University of Nevada at Las Vegas, in an email message.
“Something that you have been carrying around all day or
keeping in your house where there are sick individuals could
serve as a potential way to spread the virus to others.
“Temporarily switching to single-use paper and plastic bags
can play a role in stopping the spread of coronavirus,” he
added. “The people at greatest risk are going to be the
people working in stores that would have to handle the
reusable bags from multiple customers. If we can do
something simple to protect them, no matter how small, it is
worth it.”
Dr. William Petri, a professor of infectious diseases at the
University of Virginia’s School of Medicine, supports
Baker’s decision.
Petri told New Boston Post that temporarily banning an
assortment of reusable items — including grocery bags,
coffee cups, and water bottles — would be helpful.
“Most of the transmission seems to happen through fomites,
which just means contaminated surfaces,” Petri said in a
telephone interview. “Someone with COVID-19 could be
completely without symptoms, touch a surface or a grocery
bag. If someone else touches that bag or surface, it becomes
contaminated. It does make good sense to take a step back.
It’s less environmentally responsible, but it could make a
difference in reducing transmissions.”
Dr. Robyn Gershon, a professor of epidemiology at New York
University’s School of Global Public Health, also said Baker
made the right call, adding that whatever can be done to
minimize the spread of the virus through inanimate objects
is prudent.
“The whole point is to keep the virus off our hands — all of
our hands — and the more ways we can keep that from
happening now (and especially in light of the fact that we
don’t actually know how much is spread through this direct
contact vs droplets) the better,” Gershon said in an email
message to New Boston Post. “We also don’t know the
infectious dose — how much of the virus is actually needed
in order to cause infection. Until we know these important
parameters of infection spread, we should be prudent and
limit opportunities for contact — and if that means we go to
plastic for now — that may be warranted now.”
Massachusetts is not alone in easing restrictions on
single-use plastic bag use during the pandemic. Earlier this
week, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont lifted the state’s
ordinary requirement that customers pay 10 cents per bag,
trying to encourage their use.
The Boston
Herald
Thursday, March 26, 2020
Plastic ban hypocrisy is in the bag for woke Left
By Michael Graham
Boston Mayor Marty Walsh says his temporary suspension of
the city’s ban on single-use plastic shopping bags is about
“flexibility.” He’s lying.
It’s about “stupidity.” Boston’s anti-plastic-bag mandate
was idiotic from the beginning, and now it’s being outed by
the coronavirus crisis as the danger to public health it’s
always been.
Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday also announced a temporary
ban on reusable bags.
“From now on, reusable bags are prohibited and all
regulations on plastic bag bans are lifted,” Baker said.
“During this challenging time, we understand the retail
establishments our residents rely on — like grocery stores,
pharmacies, and restaurants — need added flexibility to best
serve their customers,” Walsh said in a statement. “We are
adjusting Boston’s plastic bag ordinance to give
establishments and residents the help they need during this
time.”
Uh … no. What’s happened is that workers in grocery stores
are complaining about the filthy, germ-infested reusable
bags they’re being asked to stick their arms into on the
front lines of the coronavirus crisis. As Drew Cline of the
New Hampshire-based Josiah Bartlett Center told me,
“Research clearly shows that poorly-handled reusable
shopping bags are like little Ubers for dangerous
microorganisms.”
Cline’s think tank released a report last week listing study
after study showing that reusable bags are great ways to get
a coronavirus party going at your local grocery store. In
one study, Loma Linda University researchers sprayed
reusable bags with a solution of a safe norovirus surrogate,
then set volunteers loose to shop at a local market.
Researchers found the fake bugs on the hands of grocery
clerks, on packaged food surfaces, on shopping carts — even
on the customer self-checkout screens. And the available
data shows coronavirus is even more likely to survive on
surfaces than the usual viral suspects.
Using reusable shopping bags during the coronavirus pandemic
is like leaving your liquor cabinet unlocked while your
teenagers are “sheltering in place” at home. You’re just
asking for trouble.
So why doesn’t Mayor Marty do what N.H. Gov. Chris Sununu
did and ban the use of these disease-covered social-status
sacks in public spaces?
Because like so many on the Left, science comes second.
Politics comes first.
After all, if Mayor Marty were motivated by data, the
plastic-bag ban would never have been imposed in the first
place. As we’ve written in this space before, single-use
plastic bags are better for the environment than the
obnoxious cotton shopping bags woke women get from
“fair-trade” vendors on the web.
Paper bags are a lot heavier and take a lot more CO2 to
ship. Reusable bags require a lot more emissions to
manufacture. One British study found that shoppers have to
use a cotton bag 131 times before it had a smaller global
warming impact than a lightweight plastic bag used only
once. How many times does the average reusable bag actually
get reused? Fewer than 15.
As New York Times science writer John Tierney wrote last
month, “Single-use plastic bags aren’t the worst
environmental choice at the supermarket — they’re the best.
High-density polyethylene bags are a marvel of economic,
engineering and environmental efficiency.”
And yet Mayor Marty is leaving the ban largely in place, and
he can’t wait to bring it back. Why?
Because Boston’s liberal, $500K-condo crowd doesn’t care
about the environment. They care about looking like they
care about the environment. Plastic shopping bags? How
gauche! Besides, they clash with the reusable coffee mug I
got from an indigenous craftsman during an ecotourism trip
to Guatemala!
Oh, forgot to mention: Starbucks and Dunkin’ aren’t taking
those anymore, either.
The Left has long shown symptoms of skewed thinking — and it
doesn’t look like they’re eager for a cure.
The Boston
Herald
Saturday, March 28, 2020
Federal aid is on the way to help Massachusetts in the fight
against coronavirus
By Lisa Kashinsky
President Trump has approved Gov. Charlie Baker’s federal
disaster request, declaring a major disaster in
Massachusetts and freeing up federal funding to help combat
COVID-19.
Baker had sent a letter to the president Thursday asking for
federal assistance “as a direct result of the overwhelming
and adverse impacts from the coronavirus pandemic.”
Coronavirus cases in the state topped 3,240 on Friday, with
35 deaths.
Federal funding and assistance will now be available for
emergency protective measures at the state, municipal and
tribal level, according to a White House press release.
Federal funding will also be available for crisis counseling
for affecting individuals across the state.
W. Russell Webster, the Federal Emergency Management Agency
regional administrator, will oversee recovery operations
here.
President Trump on Friday signed a $2.2 trillion coronavirus
economic relief package. U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan said
Massachusetts will receive approximately $2.67 billion for
“additional resources to cope with the pandemic” at the
state and local levels.
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