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Marblehead, Massachusetts 01945
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“Every Tax is a Pay Cut ... A Tax Cut is a Pay Raise”
47 years as “The Voice of Massachusetts Taxpayers”
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their Institutional Memory — |
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CLT UPDATE
Monday, August 23, 2021
The Week From Hell
Jump directly
to CLT's Commentary on the News
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Most Relevant News
Excerpts
(Full news reports follow Commentary)
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The two resort casinos
and lone slots parlor in Massachusetts raked in
$95.74 million in gaming revenue last month,
generating a record $27 million in taxes and fees
for the state in the process....
Since legalizing
gambling in 2011, Massachusetts has collected more
than $842.66 million in gaming revenues -- about
$438.4 million from Plainridge Park, about $158.16
million from MGM and about $246.1 million from
Encore Boston Harbor. Based on historic monthly
averages, Massachusetts can expect almost $259.5
million in average annual gaming revenue.
State
House News Service
Monday, August 16, 2021
State’s Share of Casino
Revenues Hits Record in July
Amid a public debate
over whether to award “premium pay” to public
employees who worked in person during the COVID-19
pandemic, the Baker administration quietly inked
deals to give thousands of state employees $2,000
bonuses for their work. The agreements were reached
under the radar and with no announcement, despite
recent comments by Gov. Charlie Baker that
consideration of such bonus pay should be part of a
public discussion.
On Monday, the Baker
administration signed an agreement with the
Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union,
which represents state correction officers, to award
the bonuses.
The agreement, which is
separate from the MCOFU contract, gives full-time
union member employees who worked in person between
November 2, 2020, and May 29, 2021, and who were not
given the option of working remotely or in a hybrid
schedule, a $2,000 bonus. Employees who worked
part-time or on a hybrid schedule will get a $1,000
bonus. The bonus applies to direct care and public
safety workers and those who work in other roles
like cleaning or maintenance.
A nearly identical
agreement was signed July 27 with AFSCME Council 93,
which represents people working in juvenile justice,
higher education, and a range of other occupations,
as part of AFSCME’s newest contract....
Negotiations with other
unions are ongoing. According to the Massachusetts
Nurses Association, the state has proposed a bonus
for its workers, but an agreement is not yet signed.
Patrick Russell, the
president of the Massachusetts Organization of State
Engineers and Scientists, said his union asked the
administration to bargain once federal stimulus
money became available, and they are still in
discussions. “We’ve had preliminary conversations
with the Commonwealth about hazard pay,” Russell
said....
Megan Piccirillo, a
spokesperson for SEIU Local 509, said last summer,
state workers in hospitals, mental health
facilities, and group homes, and social workers for
the Department of Children and Families, all got
premium or hazard pay. They received $5 to $10
hourly wage increases, depending on the position.
Members who did not miss a shift between March 10
and April 12, 2020, got $500 bonuses. Health care
workers from other unions were also eligible for
similar bonus pay.
The contracts come as
the state is considering what to do with a huge
influx of money from the federal American Rescue
Plan Act.
CommonWealth Magazine
Friday, August 13, 2021
Some state workers get
$2,000 bonus for pandemic work
Legislative leaders are
eyeing an extension of the state's COVID-19
emergency paid leave program, tying the plan to Gov.
Charlie Baker's new vaccine mandate for state
workers.
Baker's office on
Thursday announced that all executive branch
employees will be required to be fully vaccinated
against COVID-19 by Oct. 17, or face disciplinary
action unless they are approved for a medical or
religious exemption.
Senate President Karen
Spilka and House Speaker Ronald Mariano each
indicated support for the move on Thursday and said
members of their branches were discussing vaccine
mandates as part of their plans to return to
in-person work.
Later Thursday, the two
top Democrats joined with Sen. Jason Lewis and Rep.
Paul Donato to issue another statement, saying
they'll work to extend the paid leave law passed in
May....
"In order for the
Governor's vaccine mandate to be successful, the
Legislature will work to extend emergency paid COVID
leave in the Commonwealth past the September 30,
2021 deadline and ensure that all workers have the
opportunity to take time from work to receive the
vaccine if and when they can."
State
House News Service
Friday, August 20, 2021
House, Senate Target Extension
of COVID Paid Leave Law
Gov. Charlie Baker
wants the Legislature to take another look at the
charitable giving tax deduction that Democrats
delayed for another year, proposing once again to
implement the voter-approved tax break as part of a
budget bill the Republican is filing to allocate
last year's surplus....
The governor, in an
interview with the News Service, said his goal for
using the surplus is to "fill gaps" and support the
programs and organizations that were most strained
by the COVID-19 pandemic. More than $1 billion in
capital gains taxes would also flow automatically to
the state's "rainy day" fund, pushing the balance on
the reserve account to a record $4.63 billion.
While the full details
of the proposal have yet to be released, the
governor's plan would allow a 5 percent tax break on
donations to charity to take effect in 2022,
fulfilling the promise of a ballot law approved by
voters more than 21 years ago.
"I think this one's
worth another look, and I hope the Legislature gives
it some serious consideration because, as I said,
it's affordable, people voted on it and many of the
organizations that would benefit from this did a lot
of really heavy lifting for us all over the course
of the last 16 months," Baker said.
Supporters of the
charitable giving tax deduction hoped its
implementation would spur donations to many of the
non-profits that were stretched thin during the
pandemic. Baker said many of the food pantries,
shelters and addiction treatment providers that
would benefit "carried a big part of the burden of
helping people through the pandemic," adding that
the tax break "would send the appropriate signal to
them that their work is appreciated."
However, the
Legislature, led by Democrats, put a delay on the
implementation of the tax break in the fiscal year
2022 budget it sent to Baker in July, arguing that
the uncertainty of the state's economic health
warranted a cautious approach....
Baker said some of the
facts on the ground have changed since lawmakers
took those votes during the last week in July.
"There are a lot of
good ideas that end up taking many trips around the
track before they get enacted, and I'm perfectly
willing to give this one another try because I think
it's worth it," Baker said.
Since the Legislature
overrode the governor's veto, the Department of
Revenue has reported that July tax collections were
up 5 percent from last year and that tax revenues
for the full fiscal year 2021 beat projections by
more than $5 billion, or 17 percent.
"We know a lot more
about the current state of play fiscally for the
commonwealth at this point in time than we did
then," Baker said. "I mean, we knew we were in
pretty good shape. I'm not sure people understood
just how good of shape we were in."
State
House News Service
Wednesday, August 18, 2021
Baker Relaunches Push for
Charitable Giving Tax Break
Employers would see
their long-term obligation to replenish the state's
unemployment insurance fund cut by $1 billion under
a proposal Gov. Charlie Baker made on Wednesday,
suggesting use of a large piece of the state's
sizable surplus to reduce the burden on businesses.
Baker filed legislation
to spend almost $1.57 billion in surplus tax
collections from the budget year that ended July 1
after revenues exceeded expectations for the year by
roughly $5 billion.
The surplus, under
Baker's proposal, would also allow state government
to cancel a planned draw of $1.1 billion from
reserves to cover fiscal year 2021 operating
expenses, and to deposit another $1.1 billion in
capital gains taxes into the "rainy day" fund,
pushing its balance to a record $4.63 billion.
Baker recommended using
some of the remaining $568 million available to
spend to cover union contract agreements, bonuses of
up to $2,000 for state employees required to work
during the pandemic and 800 new shelter beds for the
next year. And he asked the Legislature to
reconsider its decision to delay for one year the
implementation of a tax deduction for donations to
charity.
The governor's plan to
offset the cost of the unemployment benefits paid
out over the course of the past 16 months due to the
COVID-19 pandemic comes as the business community
has been pressuring the administration and the
Legislature to use federal relief funding to pay
down that long-term debt....
Baker and the
Legislature devised a plan to borrow up to $7
billion to replenish the unemployment insurance
trust fund and spare businesses immediate sharp
increases in their rates, but employers would still
have to pay that money back over the next 20 years.
"This transfer will
reduce the need to borrow funds for COVID-era
claims, and thereby reduce the need for future
employer assessments," Baker wrote in his filing
letter on Wednesday....
The proposal was
welcomed by employers, but organizations
representing the business community continued to
urge Baker and Democratic lawmakers to also divert
some of the state's $5.3 billion in American Rescue
Plan Act funding toward unemployment costs as well.
Associated Industries
of Massachusetts CEO John Regan called it a
"good-faith proposal to begin to pay down the
unemployment insurance deficit caused by a
public-health emergency beyond the control of
employers." ...
Jim Klocke, the CEO of
the Massachusetts Nonproft Network, also said "now
is the time" to restore the charitable giving tax
deduction, which was approved by voters on the
ballot in 2000 but has only available for one of the
past 21 years.
"The state charitable
deduction will create a critical lifeline for
nonprofits, especially those that have been
operating in the face of significant revenue
constraints," Klocke said, estimating that the
deduction will be utilized by over 627,000 low- and
middle-income donors each year.
Massachusetts Budget
and Policy Center President Marie-Frances Rivera,
however, said both the charitable deduction and the
UI transfer missed the mark in providing relief to
the people and businesses who need it most.
"The Governor's
proposal is an across-the-board business-bailout
rather than one that specifically supports
struggling businesses. A $1 billion decision is not
one that should be made lightly. Targeted grants and
loans -- particularly for communities of color --
can be better and less expensive ways to support
businesses that have struggled during the pandemic,"
Rivera said.
Massachusetts Taxpayers
Foundation President Eileen McAnneny said employers
would love to see their full UI debt from the
pandemic canceled, but surmised that "might not be
realistic given competing needs." ...
Before the full scope
of the surplus was known, Baker had proposed to
spend as much as $900 million on a two-month sales
tax holiday as a way to give back to taxpayers who
helped keep the economy afloat during the pandemic,
but Democratic leaders dismissed that proposal....
Just how quickly the
Legislature will consider Baker's close-out budget
remains to be seen.
Lawmakers are on summer
recess and plan to return to full lawmaking business
sometime after Labor Day, when they will resume
hearings focused on how to spend the roughly $5
billion in remaining ARPA funds from the federal
government.
State
House News Service
Wednesday, August 18, 2021
Baker: Use Surplus $$$ To
Reduce Employer UI Burden
Baker filed a
"close-out" budget for the fiscal year that ended
June 30, proposing to use $1 billion of the surplus
to replenish the UI trust fund and reduce the amount
employers will have to repay through assessments
over the next 20 years.
Business groups called
it a good first step, but they still want to see the
Legislature and administration direct additional
federal relief dollars to the same cause. Baker also
asked the Legislature to reconsider its decision to
postpone for another year the implementation of a
tax deduction on donations to charity, arguing that
it's worth another try after Democrats overrode his
budget veto last month to delay the tax break.
The more than $5
billion in unbudgeted tax revenue collected in
fiscal year 2021 means the state can cancel its
planned $1.1 billion draw from reserves and instead
make an additional $1.1 billion deposit, pushing the
"rainy day" fund balance to a new record high of
more than $4.63 billion, under Baker's plan.
While the war against
COVID-19 raged at home, the evacuation of
Afghanistan after two decades of fighting devolved
into chaos as Americans and Afghan allies struggled
to escape the country now under Taliban control.
Sen. John Velis, who
served in Afghanistan, circulated a letter signed by
at least 70 legislators imploring Congress and
federal officials to do all they can to protect
Afghans who risked their lives to support the United
State's mission in that country over the years.
Gov. Baker said
Massachusetts "is ready to assist Afghan refugees
seeking safety and peace in America," but for now
the Massachusetts Port Authority said it has not
been contacted about accepting Afghan refugees
through local ports of entry.
Former Rep. Geoff
Diehl, who is running for governor as a Republican,
agreed with Baker's sentiment to help Afghan allies,
but knocked Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito for not
supporting Donald Trump in 2020 after the former
president "projected strength in that region and ...
was able to reduce our military footprint while at
the same time maintaining peace."
Diehl also accused
Baker this week of not doing enough to explain to
voters why, in his opinion, an income surtax on
millionaires is a bad idea.
State
House News Service
Friday, August 20, 2021
Weekly Roundup
While most lawmakers
remain in vacation mode amid an ongoing summer
recess that will likely continue through Labor Day,
the Legislature's to-do list keeps growing longer.
Legislative leaders on
Thursday set their sights on extending a COVID-19
emergency paid leave program, which they passed in
May with an expiration date of Sept. 30.
A day earlier, Gov.
Charlie Baker submitted a $1.57 billion supplemental
budget bill that renews his push to implement a
voter-approved charitable giving tax donation and
calls for spending the state's massive tax surplus
on unemployment insurance relief for businesses,
union contract agreements, offering bonuses to state
employees for pandemic work, shelter beds and human
service rate increases.
The House will soon
need to set dates for the first special election of
the 2021-2022 session to fill the 4th Essex House
district after Rep. Brad Hill, the House's
number-two Republican, on Friday announced he would
resign Sept. 15 to join the Massachusetts Gaming
Commission.
Meanwhile, separate
working groups of lawmakers in the House and Senate
have been preparing plans and protocols for the
Legislature's return to in-person work. With the end
of the summer recess on the horizon, more
legislators and staff could soon be repopulating the
State House.
Senate President Karen
Spilka said Thursday she expects her working group,
led by Majority Leader Cindy Creem, to put forward
its recommendations "very soon." The House and
Senate panels have each been talking about vaccine
mandates as part of their efforts, and a
spokesperson for Speaker Ronald Mariano said some
sort of vaccine requirement will be an "integral"
part of the House's plan, along with other virus
mitigation measures.
It's not yet clear how
either branch would seek to impose a vaccine mandate
-- adding one into their rules, for instance, could
bring the idea up for debate on the floor, where
opposition is possible -- or what such a policy
would look like....
With the potential for
a hurricane to make landfall in southern New England
on Sunday, recovery efforts are likely to be front
and center early next week. The State Emergency
Operations Center at the Mass. Emergency Management
Agency headquarters in Framingham has been
activated, as will secondary command centers in
Agawan and Tewksbury.
State
House News Service
Friday, August 20, 2021
Advances - Week of Aug. 22, 2021
Rep. Brad Hill, the
Ipswich Republican who serves as second-in-command
of the House minority caucus, has been tapped by the
governor, treasurer and attorney general to take on
a new job as a member of the Massachusetts Gaming
Commission.
Hill will assume the
Gaming Commission seat vacated by Bruce Stebbins'
shift to the Cannabis Control Commission at the
start of this year, and Hill will fill the remainder
of the term, which runs into 2025. Gov. Charlie
Baker, Attorney General Maura Healey and Treasurer
Deborah Goldberg were responsible for jointly
appointing someone with experience in professional
gaming regulatory administration or gaming industry
management to the Gaming Commission.
"It has been my
distinct honor and privilege to serve the people of
Massachusetts and the 4th Essex District for nearly
25 years," Hill said. "I am deeply grateful to the
Governor, Treasurer and Attorney General for this
incredible opportunity to continue supporting the
Commonwealth, and am eager to begin this new chapter
working alongside my fellow Commissioners." ...
Hill was elected to the
House in 1998, appointed minority whip in 2009 and
became assistant minority leader in 2015. He has
been active in House debates around sports betting,
and the governor's office press release announcing
his appointment to the Gaming Commission referred to
Hill as "a determined advocate for the Massachusetts
gaming industry."
State
House News Service
Friday, August 20, 2021
Rep. Brad Hill Appointed to
Gaming Commission
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What a depressing week
that was. The "Delta" variant of the CCP Covid-19 pandemic
has reprised mandatory masking and vaccinations, and other restrictions
along with doubts of
the vaccination's efficacy without booster shots.
The "Lambda" variant, dominant in Peru and circulating throughout
South America, no doubt is infiltrating through befuddled and
incontinent Joe Biden's self-imposed open-border immigration crisis.
Biden — more likely those running his
administration and propping him up — promoted
and continues to encourage the invasion then provides secret relocation of hundreds of thousands
of untested and contagious illegal immigrants, surreptitiously
transporting and embedding
them in states across the nation. Gee whiz, I wonder why the
pandemic is spreading . . .
Then came Biden's
humiliating (and infuriating) unconditional surrender of Afghanistan to Taliban
terrorists without a plan to rescue thousands of American citizens
and thousands more of our allies, likely leaving many if not most behind,
a sacrifice to the terrorists when the Biden administration's arbitrary
retreat deadline
runs out
next week. Meanwhile that southern border with Mexico remains
wide open to hordes of illegal aliens flooding into our country
from around the world — already
including terrorists according to the U.S. Border Patrol, now with likely
more on their way. Just in time for the 20th anniversary of
9/11/2001 —
the worst attack on American soil ever. It'll be quite a
celebration for Al-Qaeda and its Taliban sponsors who had the
patience to win.
Could all that damage and
more have been done to the USA in under eight months without intent,
without purpose, through just shocking incompetence alone?
The week was topped off
with the threat and arrival of Hurricane Henri over the weekend.
Hooboy what a week, one for the
record books. Wish I could think it couldn't get worse
— but I expect it will.
Even when there was a
sliver of good news it was quickly swallowed.
The
State House News Service reported on Monday ("State’s
Share of Casino Revenues Hits Record in July"):
The two resort casinos and
lone slots parlor in Massachusetts raked in
$95.74 million in gaming revenue last month,
generating a record $27 million in taxes and
fees for the state in the process....
Since legalizing gambling
in 2011, Massachusetts has collected more than
$842.66 million in gaming revenues -- about
$438.4 million from Plainridge Park, about
$158.16 million from MGM and about $246.1
million from Encore Boston Harbor. Based on
historic monthly averages, Massachusetts can
expect almost $259.5 million in average annual
gaming revenue.
Yet another
record revenue bonanza for the state, this time from
casino hauls. Just about anywhere but
Massachusetts this would be good news for taxpayers,
after all, this revenue is paid voluntarily by
gamblers — much like
the revenue raked in from The Lottery. But in
The People's Republic of Taxachusetts it means only
more money for Bacon Hill to spend any way the swamp
wants to spend it.
Last Friday, August 13,
CommonWealth Magazine reported ("Some state workers get
$2,000 bonus for pandemic work"):
Amid a public debate
over whether to award “premium pay” to public
employees who worked in person during the COVID-19
pandemic, the Baker administration quietly inked
deals to give thousands of state employees $2,000
bonuses for their work. The agreements were reached
under the radar and with no announcement, despite
recent comments by Gov. Charlie Baker that
consideration of such bonus pay should be part of a
public discussion....
The contracts come as
the state is considering what to do with a huge
influx of money from the federal American Rescue
Plan Act.
On Friday
the State
House News Service reported ("House, Senate Target Extension
of COVID Paid Leave Law"):
Legislative leaders are
eyeing an extension of the state's COVID-19
emergency paid leave program, tying the plan to Gov.
Charlie Baker's new vaccine mandate for state
workers....
Senate President Karen
Spilka and House Speaker Ronald Mariano each
indicated support for the move on Thursday and said
members of their branches were discussing vaccine
mandates as part of their plans to return to
in-person work.
Later Thursday, the two
top Democrats joined with Sen. Jason Lewis and Rep.
Paul Donato to issue another statement, saying
they'll work to extend the paid leave law passed in
May.
State revenue is piling up
almost — almost
— faster than the Legislature can come
up with grand schemes to spend it, all of it. Not even a
passing thought is given to the source of the state's cash bonanza:
Taxpayers.
On Wednesday the State
House News Service reported ("Baker Relaunches Push for
Charitable Giving Tax Break"):
Gov. Charlie Baker
wants the Legislature to take another look at the
charitable giving tax deduction that Democrats
delayed for another year, proposing once again to
implement the voter-approved tax break as part of a
budget bill the Republican is filing to allocate
last year's surplus....
The governor, in an
interview with the News Service, said his goal for
using the surplus is to "fill gaps" and support the
programs and organizations that were most strained
by the COVID-19 pandemic. More than $1 billion in
capital gains taxes would also flow automatically to
the state's "rainy day" fund, pushing the balance on
the reserve account to a record $4.63 billion.
While the full details
of the proposal have yet to be released, the
governor's plan would allow a 5 percent tax break on
donations to charity to take effect in 2022,
fulfilling the promise of a ballot law approved by
voters more than 21 years ago.
"I think this one's
worth another look, and I hope the Legislature gives
it some serious consideration because, as I said,
it's affordable, people voted on it and many of the
organizations that would benefit from this did a lot
of really heavy lifting for us all over the course
of the last 16 months," Baker said....
However, the
Legislature, led by Democrats, put a delay on the
implementation of the tax break in the fiscal year
2022 budget it sent to Baker in July, arguing that
the uncertainty of the state's economic health
warranted a cautious approach....
Baker said some of the
facts on the ground have changed since lawmakers
took those votes during the last week in July....
Since the Legislature
overrode the governor's veto, the Department of
Revenue has reported that July tax collections were
up 5 percent from last year and that tax revenues
for the full fiscal year 2021 beat projections by
more than $5 billion, or 17 percent.
"We know a lot more
about the current state of play fiscally for the
commonwealth at this point in time than we did
then," Baker said. "I mean, we knew we were in
pretty good shape. I'm not sure people understood
just how good of shape we were in."
Bravo to
Gov. Baker for giving it another shot, despite the
futility. The Legislature is not going to part
with one cent of the state's historic revenue
bonanza. What's theirs is theirs and what's
yours is theirs too.
The News Service also on
Wednesday reported ("Baker: Use Surplus $$$ To
Reduce Employer UI Burden"):
Employers would see
their long-term obligation to replenish the state's
unemployment insurance fund cut by $1 billion under
a proposal Gov. Charlie Baker made on Wednesday,
suggesting use of a large piece of the state's
sizable surplus to reduce the burden on businesses.
Baker filed legislation
to spend almost $1.57 billion in surplus tax
collections from the budget year that ended July 1
after revenues exceeded expectations for the year by
roughly $5 billion.
The surplus, under
Baker's proposal, would also allow state government
to cancel a planned draw of $1.1 billion from
reserves to cover fiscal year 2021 operating
expenses, and to deposit another $1.1 billion in
capital gains taxes into the "rainy day" fund,
pushing its balance to a record $4.63 billion....
The governor's plan to
offset the cost of the unemployment benefits paid
out over the course of the past 16 months due to the
COVID-19 pandemic comes as the business community
has been pressuring the administration and the
Legislature to use federal relief funding to pay
down that long-term debt....
Baker and the
Legislature devised a plan to borrow up to $7
billion to replenish the unemployment insurance
trust fund and spare businesses immediate sharp
increases in their rates, but employers would still
have to pay that money back over the next 20 years.
"This transfer will
reduce the need to borrow funds for COVID-era
claims, and thereby reduce the need for future
employer assessments," Baker wrote in his filing
letter on Wednesday....
The proposal was
welcomed by employers, but organizations
representing the business community continued to
urge Baker and Democratic lawmakers to also divert
some of the state's $5.3 billion in American Rescue
Plan Act funding toward unemployment costs as well.
Associated Industries
of Massachusetts CEO John Regan called it a
"good-faith proposal to begin to pay down the
unemployment insurance deficit caused by a
public-health emergency beyond the control of
employers." ...
Massachusetts Budget
and Policy Center President Marie-Frances Rivera,
however, said both the charitable deduction and the
UI transfer missed the mark in providing relief to
the people and businesses who need it most.
"The Governor's
proposal is an across-the-board business-bailout
rather than one that specifically supports
struggling businesses. A $1 billion decision is not
one that should be made lightly. Targeted grants and
loans -- particularly for communities of color --
can be better and less expensive ways to support
businesses that have struggled during the pandemic,"
Rivera said....
Before the full scope
of the surplus was known, Baker had proposed to
spend as much as $900 million on a two-month sales
tax holiday as a way to give back to taxpayers who
helped keep the economy afloat during the pandemic,
but Democratic leaders dismissed that proposal....
Just how quickly the
Legislature will consider Baker's close-out budget
remains to be seen.
Lawmakers are on summer
recess and plan to return to full lawmaking business
sometime after Labor Day, when they will resume
hearings focused on how to spend the roughly $5
billion in remaining ARPA funds from the federal
government.
In its
Friday
Weekly Roundup the State
House News Service added:
Baker filed a
"close-out" budget for the fiscal year that ended
June 30, proposing to use $1 billion of the surplus
to replenish the UI trust fund and reduce the amount
employers will have to repay through assessments
over the next 20 years.
Business groups called
it a good first step, but they still want to see the
Legislature and administration direct additional
federal relief dollars to the same cause. Baker also
asked the Legislature to reconsider its decision to
postpone for another year the implementation of a
tax deduction on donations to charity, arguing that
it's worth another try after Democrats overrode his
budget veto last month to delay the tax break.
The more than $5
billion in unbudgeted tax revenue collected in
fiscal year 2021 means the state can cancel its
planned $1.1 billion draw from reserves and instead
make an additional $1.1 billion deposit, pushing the
"rainy day" fund balance to a new record high of
more than $4.63 billion, under Baker's plan.
This
common sense proposal should be a no-brainer.
Employers didn't lay-off employees. The
state shut down their businesses by gubernatorial
edict. How can employers possibly be
considered responsible, liable for the government's
heavy hand? Why should employers who managed
to survive the government's decree be punished for
surviving — punished
twice?
In its
Advances - Week of Aug. 22, 2021
the State
House News Service reported:
While most lawmakers
remain in vacation mode amid an ongoing summer
recess that will likely continue through Labor Day,
the Legislature's to-do list keeps growing longer....
The House will soon
need to set dates for the first special election of
the 2021-2022 session to fill the 4th Essex House
district after Rep. Brad Hill, the House's
number-two Republican, on Friday announced he would
resign Sept. 15 to join the Massachusetts Gaming
Commission.
Meanwhile, separate
working groups of lawmakers in the House and Senate
have been preparing plans and protocols for the
Legislature's return to in-person work. With the end
of the summer recess on the horizon, more
legislators and staff could soon be repopulating the
State House.
Senate President Karen
Spilka said Thursday she expects her working group,
led by Majority Leader Cindy Creem, to put forward
its recommendations "very soon." The House and
Senate panels have each been talking about vaccine
mandates as part of their efforts, and a
spokesperson for Speaker Ronald Mariano said some
sort of vaccine requirement will be an "integral"
part of the House's plan, along with other virus
mitigation measures.
It's not yet clear how
either branch would seek to impose a vaccine mandate
-- adding one into their rules, for instance, could
bring the idea up for debate on the floor, where
opposition is possible -- or what such a policy
would look like....
With the
potential for a hurricane to make landfall in southern New
England on Sunday, recovery efforts are likely to be front and
center early next week....
Did you
notice in the that report that Rep. Brad Hill
(R-Ipswich) is resigning to take a better state job?
Republicans will be giving up one of their 30 House
seats (of the total 160 members in the House)
dropping their caucus to 29. How much more
irrelevant, impotent can Republicans become?
(Of the 40 members of the state Senate Republicans
hold three — three
seats.)
The News Service on Friday
further reported ("Rep. Brad Hill Appointed to
Gaming Commission"):
Rep. Brad Hill, the
Ipswich Republican who serves as second-in-command
of the House minority caucus, has been tapped by the
governor, treasurer and attorney general to take on
a new job as a member of the Massachusetts Gaming
Commission....
"It has been my
distinct honor and privilege to serve the people of
Massachusetts and the 4th Essex District for nearly
25 years," Hill said. "I am deeply grateful to the
Governor, Treasurer and Attorney General for this
incredible opportunity to continue supporting the
Commonwealth, and am eager to begin this new chapter
working alongside my fellow Commissioners." ...
Hill was elected to the
House in 1998, appointed minority whip in 2009 and
became assistant minority leader in 2015.
Thirty-two
more "nationwide search" appointments/promotions and
Massachusetts Republicans in the Legislature will be
wiped out, become an extinct species, to which I
can't help but ask: "If a tree falls in the woods
and there's nobody around to hear it does it make a
noise?"
|
 |
 |
|
Chip Ford
Executive Director |
|
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State House News
Service
Monday, August 16, 2021
State’s Share of Casino Revenues Hits Record in July
By Colin A. Young
The two resort casinos and lone slots parlor in
Massachusetts raked in $95.74 million in gaming revenue last
month, generating a record $27 million in taxes and fees for
the state in the process.
Encore Boston Harbor led the way in July with a record-high
$59.07 million in gaming revenue, the Mass. Gaming
Commission announced Monday. The Everett casino's slots
brought in $34 million last month from $402.82 million in
wagers while its table games generated just more than $25
million. One quarter of Encore's monthly gaming revenue is
due to the state as tax, working out to about $14.77 million
for state coffers.
In terms of revenue, MGM Springfield had its best month
since before Encore opened in June 2019. The Springfield
casino counted $23.71 million in gaming revenue in July --
slots produced $18.95 million in revenue from $219.4 million
wagered and table games generated about $4.76 million in
revenue. MGM Springfield also pays a 25 percent state tax on
gross gaming revenue, about a $5.93 million levy last month.
At Plainridge Park Casino in Plainville, July was similarly
the best revenue month since the opening of Encore. The slot
machines there took in $185.68 million last month and kept
$12.95 million as revenue, a payout percentage of 93.02
percent. Plainridge Park's revenue, taxed at a rate of 49
percent, generated more than $6.34 million in taxes and fees
for state government.
Since legalizing gambling in 2011, Massachusetts has
collected more than $842.66 million in gaming revenues --
about $438.4 million from Plainridge Park, about $158.16
million from MGM and about $246.1 million from Encore Boston
Harbor. Based on historic monthly averages, Massachusetts
can expect almost $259.5 million in average annual gaming
revenue.
CommonWealth Magazine
Friday, August 13, 2021
Some state workers get $2,000 bonus for pandemic work
New contracts give correction officers, direct care workers
hazard pay
By Shira Schoenberg
Amid a public debate over whether to award “premium pay” to
public employees who worked in person during the COVID-19
pandemic, the Baker administration quietly inked deals to
give thousands of state employees $2,000 bonuses for their
work. The agreements were reached under the radar and with
no announcement, despite recent comments by Gov. Charlie
Baker that consideration of such bonus pay should be part of
a public discussion.
On Monday, the Baker administration signed an agreement with
the Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union, which
represents state correction officers, to award the bonuses.
The agreement, which is separate from the MCOFU contract,
gives full-time union member employees who worked in person
between November 2, 2020, and May 29, 2021, and who were not
given the option of working remotely or in a hybrid
schedule, a $2,000 bonus. Employees who worked part-time or
on a hybrid schedule will get a $1,000 bonus. The bonus
applies to direct care and public safety workers and those
who work in other roles like cleaning or maintenance.
A nearly identical agreement was signed July 27 with AFSCME
Council 93, which represents people working in juvenile
justice, higher education, and a range of other occupations,
as part of AFSCME’s newest contract.
Mark Bernard, executive director of the AFSCME council, said
in an email to members that the contract “reflected all our
members have done, and all they have risked, to deliver
essential public services during one of the most frightening
and uncertain times in modern history.”
According to the Executive Office for Administration and
Finance, the state has executed agreements with four unions
so far – MCOFU, AFSCME, SEIU Local 509, and NAGE – to
provide additional support for employees.
Negotiations with other unions are ongoing. According to the
Massachusetts Nurses Association, the state has proposed a
bonus for its workers, but an agreement is not yet signed.
Patrick Russell, the president of the Massachusetts
Organization of State Engineers and Scientists, said his
union asked the administration to bargain once federal
stimulus money became available, and they are still in
discussions. “We’ve had preliminary conversations with the
Commonwealth about hazard pay,” Russell said.
Not all public safety workers got bonuses. According to the
Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts and the State
Police Association of Massachusetts, neither firefighters
nor state police officers have gotten bonus pay. Chris
Keohan, a spokesperson for the police union, said the union
has not gotten bonus or hazard pay despite taking on
increased responsibility for things like assisting with
vaccination sites, transporting vaccines, and operating
morgues. The union is in contract negotiations now.
The new bonuses come on top of temporary wage hikes
implemented for some state workers last spring.
Megan Piccirillo, a spokesperson for SEIU Local 509, said
last summer, state workers in hospitals, mental health
facilities, and group homes, and social workers for the
Department of Children and Families, all got premium or
hazard pay. They received $5 to $10 hourly wage increases,
depending on the position. Members who did not miss a shift
between March 10 and April 12, 2020, got $500 bonuses.
Health care workers from other unions were also eligible for
similar bonus pay.
The contracts come as the state is considering what to do
with a huge influx of money from the federal American Rescue
Plan Act. At a recent hearing, House Ways and Means chair
Aaron Michlewitz asked Baker if he had considered using the
money for premium pay for essential workers.
Baker responded that he had used existing state money to
give extra money to health care workers who are working in
front-line settings. But Baker said determining what
additional premium pay to award should be a public
discussion. He said lawmakers would have to consider whether
to bump up pay for union versus non-union workers, whether
to pay only health care workers or also first-responders or
also other public-facing workers, and which workers had
already gotten a pay bump.
“Figuring out exactly how to frame that type of a program or
investment at what level we thought was frankly exactly the
sort of thing that would make sense to go through a more
public process,” Baker said.
State House News
Service
Friday, August 20, 2021
House, Senate Target Extension of COVID Paid Leave Law
By Katie Lannan
Legislative leaders are eyeing an extension of the state's
COVID-19 emergency paid leave program, tying the plan to
Gov. Charlie Baker's new vaccine mandate for state workers.
Baker's office on Thursday announced that all executive
branch employees will be required to be fully vaccinated
against COVID-19 by Oct. 17, or face disciplinary action
unless they are approved for a medical or religious
exemption.
Senate President Karen Spilka and House Speaker Ronald
Mariano each indicated support for the move on Thursday and
said members of their branches were discussing vaccine
mandates as part of their plans to return to in-person work.
Later Thursday, the two top Democrats joined with Sen. Jason
Lewis and Rep. Paul Donato to issue another statement,
saying they'll work to extend the paid leave law passed in
May.
That measure, which Baker signed into law after the
Legislature rejected his amendment seeking to carve out
municipal workers, is in place through Sept. 30 and offers
up to one week paid leave for workers diagnosed with
COVID-19 or who need time off to isolate, get a vaccine,
deal with the shot's side effects, or care for a family
member with the virus. It's based on legislation originally
filed by Donato and Lewis.
"The evidence is overwhelming: receiving the COVID-19
vaccination is the best way to keep our residents safe, end
the pandemic in Massachusetts, and ensure we can continue
the process of building a robust and equitable economic
recovery," the lawmakers said. "In order for the Governor's
vaccine mandate to be successful, the Legislature will work
to extend emergency paid COVID leave in the Commonwealth
past the September 30, 2021 deadline and ensure that all
workers have the opportunity to take time from work to
receive the vaccine if and when they can."
State House News
Service
Wednesday, August 18, 2021
Baker Relaunches Push for Charitable Giving Tax Break
Deduction Will Feature in Guv's Proposal to Spend Surplus
By Matt Murphy
Gov. Charlie Baker wants the Legislature to take another
look at the charitable giving tax deduction that Democrats
delayed for another year, proposing once again to implement
the voter-approved tax break as part of a budget bill the
Republican is filing to allocate last year's surplus.
Baker on Wednesday will file legislation to spend almost
$1.57 billion in surplus tax collections from the budget
year that ended July 1, while another $1.1 billion from the
surplus would be used to cancel a planned draw on reserves.
The governor, in an interview with the News Service, said
his goal for using the surplus is to "fill gaps" and support
the programs and organizations that were most strained by
the COVID-19 pandemic. More than $1 billion in capital gains
taxes would also flow automatically to the state's "rainy
day" fund, pushing the balance on the reserve account to a
record $4.63 billion.
While the full details of the proposal have yet to be
released, the governor's plan would allow a 5 percent tax
break on donations to charity to take effect in 2022,
fulfilling the promise of a ballot law approved by voters
more than 21 years ago.
"I think this one's worth another look, and I hope the
Legislature gives it some serious consideration because, as
I said, it's affordable, people voted on it and many of the
organizations that would benefit from this did a lot of
really heavy lifting for us all over the course of the last
16 months," Baker said.
Supporters of the charitable giving tax deduction hoped its
implementation would spur donations to many of the
non-profits that were stretched thin during the pandemic.
Baker said many of the food pantries, shelters and addiction
treatment providers that would benefit "carried a big part
of the burden of helping people through the pandemic,"
adding that the tax break "would send the appropriate signal
to them that their work is appreciated."
However, the Legislature, led by Democrats, put a delay on
the implementation of the tax break in the fiscal year 2022
budget it sent to Baker in July, arguing that the
uncertainty of the state's economic health warranted a
cautious approach.
The tax break, according to the Department of Revenue, would
be worth about $64 million in the current budget and as much
as $300 million annually moving forward. Critics also
suggested that wealthy residents stood to benefit the most
from the charity deduction and that donations would
predominantly flow to wealthier institutions like large
hospitals, museums, and universities, not local non-profits.
While Baker vetoed the delay, the Legislature solidly
overrode his objection by votes of 124-35 in the House and
34-6 in the Senate, with only seven Democrats and the one
House independent joining all 33 Republicans to side with
the governor.
House Speaker Ron Mariano at the time said the override was
consistent with the Legislature's original position that the
tax break should be "revisited" next year, and Revenue
Committee Co-Chair Rep. Mark Cusack said the committee
needed more time to review the deduction.
Baker said some of the facts on the ground have changed
since lawmakers took those votes during the last week in
July.
"There are a lot of good ideas that end up taking many trips
around the track before they get enacted, and I'm perfectly
willing to give this one another try because I think it's
worth it," Baker said.
Since the Legislature overrode the governor's veto, the
Department of Revenue has reported that July tax collections
were up 5 percent from last year and that tax revenues for
the full fiscal year 2021 beat projections by more than $5
billion, or 17 percent.
"We know a lot more about the current state of play fiscally
for the commonwealth at this point in time than we did
then," Baker said. "I mean, we knew we were in pretty good
shape. I'm not sure people understood just how good of shape
we were in."
The governor also pushed back against the notion that it was
a tax break for the rich, calling back to the vote in 2000
when it was approved by 72 percent of the electorate.
"This benefit wasn't voted on by the 1 percent of the
population in Massachusetts. It was voted on by way north of
50 percent of the people of Massachusetts," he said.
Baker intends to outline more of his plans to allocate the
$5 billion in surplus revenues later Wednesday morning. The
proposal, according to a senior administration official, is
"designed to improve the Commonwealth's economic
competitiveness, support vulnerable communities, and make
investments in other key priorities."
State House News
Service
Wednesday, August 18, 2021
Baker: Use Surplus $$$ To Reduce Employer UI Burden
Guv's Spending Bill Would Push "Rainy Day" Fund to $4.63 Bil
By Matt Murphy
Employers would see their long-term obligation to replenish
the state's unemployment insurance fund cut by $1 billion
under a proposal Gov. Charlie Baker made on Wednesday,
suggesting use of a large piece of the state's sizable
surplus to reduce the burden on businesses.
Baker filed legislation to spend almost $1.57 billion in
surplus tax collections from the budget year that ended July
1 after revenues exceeded expectations for the year by
roughly $5 billion.
The surplus, under Baker's proposal, would also allow state
government to cancel a planned draw of $1.1 billion from
reserves to cover fiscal year 2021 operating expenses, and
to deposit another $1.1 billion in capital gains taxes into
the "rainy day" fund, pushing its balance to a record $4.63
billion.
Baker recommended using some of the remaining $568 million
available to spend to cover union contract agreements,
bonuses of up to $2,000 for state employees required to work
during the pandemic and 800 new shelter beds for the next
year. And he asked the Legislature to reconsider its
decision to delay for one year the implementation of a tax
deduction for donations to charity.
The governor's plan to offset the cost of the unemployment
benefits paid out over the course of the past 16 months due
to the COVID-19 pandemic comes as the business community has
been pressuring the administration and the Legislature to
use federal relief funding to pay down that long-term debt.
While the unemployment rate in Massachusetts ticked down
below 5 percent in June, it reached a nation-leading peak
above 17 percent at the height of the pandemic, straining
the unemployment system and leaving employers on the hook to
rebuild the fund used to pay out worker benefits.
Baker and the Legislature devised a plan to borrow up to $7
billion to replenish the unemployment insurance trust fund
and spare businesses immediate sharp increases in their
rates, but employers would still have to pay that money back
over the next 20 years.
"This transfer will reduce the need to borrow funds for
COVID-era claims, and thereby reduce the need for future
employer assessments," Baker wrote in his filing letter on
Wednesday. "Throughout the pandemic, the Legislature and the
Administration have worked closely to respond to the
unprecedented experience of employers and workers as we
navigate through an unfamiliar economic environment and we
hope to continue to do so through the expenditure of these
funds."
The proposal was welcomed by employers, but organizations
representing the business community continued to urge Baker
and Democratic lawmakers to also divert some of the state's
$5.3 billion in American Rescue Plan Act funding toward
unemployment costs as well.
Associated Industries of Massachusetts CEO John Regan called
it a "good-faith proposal to begin to pay down the
unemployment insurance deficit caused by a public-health
emergency beyond the control of employers."
"AIM also advocates for use of federal stimulus money from
the American Rescue Plan Act to stabilize the system and
allow the economic recovery to continue," Regan said, asking
that the administration also grant non-profits that
self-insure their UI costs another payment deadline
extension until Dec. 31.
More than two dozen business groups and chambers of commerce
also wrote a letter to House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate
President Karen Spilka on Wednesday urging them to support
the governor's proposal and use additional ARPA funds to
help businesses get back on their feet.
"Many of the states' other priorities -- education, health
care, transportation, and childcare -- are supported with
separate ARPA and CARES aid. Allocating funding for the UI
system demonstrates that the state considers its employers a
priority too," the letter stated.
Jim Klocke, the CEO of the Massachusetts Nonproft Network,
also said "now is the time" to restore the charitable giving
tax deduction, which was approved by voters on the ballot in
2000 but has only available for one of the past 21 years.
"The state charitable deduction will create a critical
lifeline for nonprofits, especially those that have been
operating in the face of significant revenue constraints,"
Klocke said, estimating that the deduction will be utilized
by over 627,000 low- and middle-income donors each year.
Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center President
Marie-Frances Rivera, however, said both the charitable
deduction and the UI transfer missed the mark in providing
relief to the people and businesses who need it most.
"The Governor's proposal is an across-the-board
business-bailout rather than one that specifically supports
struggling businesses. A $1 billion decision is not one that
should be made lightly. Targeted grants and loans --
particularly for communities of color -- can be better and
less expensive ways to support businesses that have
struggled during the pandemic," Rivera said.
Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation President Eileen McAnneny
said employers would love to see their full UI debt from the
pandemic canceled, but surmised that "might not be realistic
given competing needs."
"This obviously doesn't address the whole problem but it's
more than a good faith effort to try to alleviate some of
that burden," McAnneny said. "We think not only will it help
small businesses and rightfully socialize the cost of the
economic shutdown over the full taxpaying community, but it
should help jumpstart employers."
Before the full scope of the surplus was known, Baker had
proposed to spend as much as $900 million on a two-month
sales tax holiday as a way to give back to taxpayers who
helped keep the economy afloat during the pandemic, but
Democratic leaders dismissed that proposal.
The new plan to close the books on fiscal year 2021 calls
for spending $405 million on retroactive and fiscal year
2022 union contract costs, $39 million on rate increases for
human service workers, $17 million to support 800 temporary
shelter beds and rate increases for providers, and $3
million to accommodate nursing students at Quinsigamond
Community College and Worcester State University who were
displaced by the closure of Becker College.
The bill also proposes $40 million for one-time bonus
payments of up to $2,000 for front-line state workers, $5
million to pilot a supportive housing program for people
experiencing homelessness and $20 million to support
employees of residential special education schools.
After a $173 million transfer of excess sales tax revenue to
the MBTA and School Building Authority, the administration
said the remainder of the surplus was needed to cover fiscal
2021 deficiencies of about $300 million and $400 million in
federally reimbursable expenses for which the state is still
awaiting funding.
On the policy front, Baker proposed to make a number of
federal COVID-19 loans and grants, including Paycheck
Protection Program (PPP) loans, non-taxable for all
Massachusetts recipients, and is seeking the authority for
MassHealth - the state's Medicaid program - to directly
negotiate rebate agreements for certain medical supplies and
other non-drug products.
Just how quickly the Legislature will consider Baker's
close-out budget remains to be seen.
Lawmakers are on summer recess and plan to return to full
lawmaking business sometime after Labor Day, when they will
resume hearings focused on how to spend the roughly $5
billion in remaining ARPA funds from the federal government.
The mid-August filing of the budget is the earliest by Baker
since fiscal 2018 when he put forward a bill on July 13,
according to the Taxpayers Foundation. Over the past four
years, the Legislature has taken until mid-October to
mid-December to complete its work on a close-out budget.
Comptroller William McNamara needs the close-out budget to
be enacted and signed by Baker before he can close the books
on fiscal 2021, which is supposed to happen by Oct. 31.
State House News
Service
Friday, August 20, 2021
Weekly Roundup - Hard Pivot
Recap and analysis of the week in state government
By Matt Murphy
For several days last week while in California with his
family, Gov. Charlie Baker did what most people, let alone
the chief executive of a state, can't seem to accomplish for
more than five minutes at a time.
He put his cell phone away.
"I had a really nice time with my family," Baker told the
Roundup this week. "We spent several days with no phones and
we talked about a lot of stuff, but the no phone
thing...that part of it was pretty blissful."
The governor was mum on whether those talks moved him any
closer to a decision on reelection in 2022, but by Monday
after Baker had been home for a few days it was clear the
tranquility he savored on the West Coast had been left
behind.
With COVID-19 back on the march, Tropical Storm Henri
roaring up the coast and the start of the new school year
creeping closer, the Republican spent the week under
building pressure to follow Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention guidance and implement a mask mandate in K-12
schools.
Massachusetts Medical Society President Dr. Carole Allen and
Massachusetts Academy of Family Pediatricians President Dr.
Julie Johnston were among those calling for universal
masking in schools as the governors of Connecticut and Rhode
Island this week took similar steps.
On Friday, Baker relented.
Education Commission Jeff Riley plans to ask the Board of
Education next week to give him the authority to implement a
mask mandate in public schools grades K-12. The mandate will
run through Oct. 1, at which point middle and high schools
with at least 80 percent vaccination rates will be allowed
to relax the rules.
The announcement came mere days after Baker said mandates
were "not the right way to play this game," and that it was
important for local officials to "own the decisions they
make" related to masks and COVID-19.
The governor's case that Massachusetts was in a better
position than most other states still holds. The state has
among the highest vaccination and lowest hospitalization
rates in the county, and that's why, he said, he is still
not considering a new mask mandate for public indoor spaces,
which Boston Mayor Kim Janey decided to impose in her city
Friday.
But he is prepared to require all 42,000 state employees
under his purview to get vaccinated by Oct. 17 or risk
disciplinary action.
Baker on Thursday rolled out one of the strictest
return-to-work policies in the country for state employees,
requiring proof of vaccination regardless of whether someone
is working in the office or remotely. Baker said he opted
against giving workers the option of regular testing instead
of a vaccine because he said such exceptions have been shown
to reduce vaccine uptake rates, which he regards as the only
true way out of the pandemic.
Some unions aren't on board. While SEIU 509 supported
Baker's action, the union representing prison guards
threatened to take the governor to court, if necessary.
"The (Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union)
Executive Board has begun the process of pursuing all legal
and legislative remedies at our disposal, up to and
including an injunction in court," union leaders wrote in a
memo to members.
However, the correction officers -- and other public
employees opposed to being told they must be vaccinated --
may find the Legislature to be a dead end. Senate President
Karen Spilka and House Speaker Ron Mariano both voiced their
support for Baker's approach.
In fact, the two Democratic leaders issued a joint statement
Thursday evening expressing their intention to extend
COVID-19 paid leave provisions beyond Sept. 30 to ensure
workers have the time they need to get vaccinated.
Spilka and Mariano had far less (as in nothing) to say about
Baker's plan to spend $1.57 billion of surplus tax revenue
from fiscal year 2021 to help employers on their
unemployment insurance costs, boost the number of shelter
beds in the state, and increase rates for human service
providers.
Baker filed a "close-out" budget for the fiscal year that
ended June 30, proposing to use $1 billion of the surplus to
replenish the UI trust fund and reduce the amount employers
will have to repay through assessments over the next 20
years.
Business groups called it a good first step, but they still
want to see the Legislature and administration direct
additional federal relief dollars to the same cause. Baker
also asked the Legislature to reconsider its decision to
postpone for another year the implementation of a tax
deduction on donations to charity, arguing that it's worth
another try after Democrats overrode his budget veto last
month to delay the tax break.
The more than $5 billion in unbudgeted tax revenue collected
in fiscal year 2021 means the state can cancel its planned
$1.1 billion draw from reserves and instead make an
additional $1.1 billion deposit, pushing the "rainy day"
fund balance to a new record high of more than $4.63
billion, under Baker's plan.
While the war against COVID-19 raged at home, the evacuation
of Afghanistan after two decades of fighting devolved into
chaos as Americans and Afghan allies struggled to escape the
country now under Taliban control.
Sen. John Velis, who served in Afghanistan, circulated a
letter signed by at least 70 legislators imploring Congress
and federal officials to do all they can to protect Afghans
who risked their lives to support the United State's mission
in that country over the years.
Gov. Baker said Massachusetts "is ready to assist Afghan
refugees seeking safety and peace in America," but for now
the Massachusetts Port Authority said it has not been
contacted about accepting Afghan refugees through local
ports of entry.
Former Rep. Geoff Diehl, who is running for governor as a
Republican, agreed with Baker's sentiment to help Afghan
allies, but knocked Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito for not
supporting Donald Trump in 2020 after the former president
"projected strength in that region and ... was able to
reduce our military footprint while at the same time
maintaining peace."
Diehl also accused Baker this week of not doing enough to
explain to voters why, in his opinion, an income surtax on
millionaires is a bad idea.
Rep. Brad Hill, an Ipswich Republican and the second-ranking
member of the House GOP caucus, is about to join Diehl --
not as a candidate for governor, but as a former member of
the House.
Hill was appointed jointly to the Massachusetts Gaming
Commission by Baker, Attorney General Maura Healey and
Treasurer Deb Goldberg. He plans to resign Sept. 15, which
would make him the first legislator to leave this session
unless Sen. Joe Boncore beats him to the punch.
Boncore is in negotiations with MassBIO to become the trade
and lobbying group's next CEO, but when those talks might
wrap up is anybody's guess. Assuming Boncore does leave,
Boston City Councilor Lydia Edwards said this week she will
run for his Senate seat, icing talk that the East Boston
resident might be gearing up for a run for attorney general.
On the Gaming Commission, Hill will find himself overseeing
an industry that is rebounding well from the pandemic,
posting record returns in July as MGM Springfield looks to
bring poker tables back to its gaming floor before the end
of the year.
STORY OF THE WEEK: No vax, no mask, no service (or job or
learning).
State House News
Service
Friday, August 20, 2021
Advances - Week of Aug. 22, 2021
A major storm is barreling toward the Bay State, mask and
vaccine mandates are expanding amid continued spread of the
Delta variant, and the need for booster shots to keep
COVID-19 at bay is coming into clearer focus.
Many local school boards have already undertaken the arduous
process of debating mask mandates, and next week the state
Board of Elementary and Secondary Education will take up the
topic itself as the Baker administration seeks to require
all K-12 students and staff to cover their faces, at least
temporarily.
While most lawmakers remain in vacation mode amid an ongoing
summer recess that will likely continue through Labor Day,
the Legislature's to-do list keeps growing longer.
Legislative leaders on Thursday set their sights on
extending a COVID-19 emergency paid leave program, which
they passed in May with an expiration date of Sept. 30.
A day earlier, Gov. Charlie Baker submitted a $1.57 billion
supplemental budget bill that renews his push to implement a
voter-approved charitable giving tax donation and calls for
spending the state's massive tax surplus on unemployment
insurance relief for businesses, union contract agreements,
offering bonuses to state employees for pandemic work,
shelter beds and human service rate increases.
The House will soon need to set dates for the first special
election of the 2021-2022 session to fill the 4th Essex
House district after Rep. Brad Hill, the House's number-two
Republican, on Friday announced he would resign Sept. 15 to
join the Massachusetts Gaming Commission.
Meanwhile, separate working groups of lawmakers in the House
and Senate have been preparing plans and protocols for the
Legislature's return to in-person work. With the end of the
summer recess on the horizon, more legislators and staff
could soon be repopulating the State House.
Senate President Karen Spilka said Thursday she expects her
working group, led by Majority Leader Cindy Creem, to put
forward its recommendations "very soon." The House and
Senate panels have each been talking about vaccine mandates
as part of their efforts, and a spokesperson for Speaker
Ronald Mariano said some sort of vaccine requirement will be
an "integral" part of the House's plan, along with other
virus mitigation measures.
It's not yet clear how either branch would seek to impose a
vaccine mandate -- adding one into their rules, for
instance, could bring the idea up for debate on the floor,
where opposition is possible -- or what such a policy would
look like.
There's the option of policies like those instituted by
Auditor Suzanne Bump and Treasurer Deb Goldberg, where
workers have to get vaccinated or submit to regular COVID-19
testing, or the harder-line approach without a testing
alternative, favored by Gov. Baker and Attorney General
Maura Healey.
"The Legislature's got to make whatever they think is the
right decision for themselves," Baker said Friday, a day
after he issued an executive order mandating that about
44,000 executive branch employees and contractors be fully
vaccinated by mid-October. Baker said one reason he chose
not to go the vaccine-or-tests route is because "there's
been a lot written about the fact that when you have the
regular testing option, people don't get vaccinated."
"People are tired of the pandemic, and I completely get and
understand that," he said. "It's been a really long, rough,
tough period, filled with all kinds of awful things...but
one thing that's abundantly clear at this point, is the way
out of this, most fundamentally, is to get everybody
vaccinated, and if that means employers need to push a
little bit to get their people vaccinated, I think that's
appropriate."
With the potential for a hurricane to make landfall in
southern New England on Sunday, recovery efforts are likely
to be front and center early next week. The State Emergency
Operations Center at the Mass. Emergency Management Agency
headquarters in Framingham has been activated, as will
secondary command centers in Agawan and Tewksbury.
Gov. Baker, MEMA officials and others will get twice-a-day
briefings on the storm, which was a strengthening tropical
storm as of Friday, and will coordinate recovery efforts.
Baker activated up to 1,000 members of the National Guard to
assist with high-water rescue, debris clearing and public
safety support if necessary. Camp Edwards, on Cape Cod, is
being prepared to host thousands of utility workers who
could be called upon to restore power once the storm passes.
Baker said as many as 300,000 homes could lose power during
the storm, but reminded residents that crews will not be
able to begin restoration work until the storm's high winds
die down.
"It's pretty clear that this one's not going to clip us ...
it looks like it's gonna come up through Newport, maybe veer
a little bit west in the general direction of Worcester and
then cut right up toward the Merrimack Valley. That's a huge
swath of the commonwealth that's going to be right in the
middle of this thing," Baker said Friday. "That's part of
the reason why what we would really urge everybody to do is
to try to arrange their affairs in such a way so that they
are in one place with shelter, and hopefully food and
electricity, from the beginning of Sunday through Monday."
State House News
Service
Friday, August 20, 2021
Rep. Brad Hill Appointed to Gaming Commission
By Colin A. Young
Rep. Brad Hill, the Ipswich Republican who serves as
second-in-command of the House minority caucus, has been
tapped by the governor, treasurer and attorney general to
take on a new job as a member of the Massachusetts Gaming
Commission.
Hill will assume the Gaming Commission seat vacated by Bruce
Stebbins' shift to the Cannabis Control Commission at the
start of this year, and Hill will fill the remainder of the
term, which runs into 2025. Gov. Charlie Baker, Attorney
General Maura Healey and Treasurer Deborah Goldberg were
responsible for jointly appointing someone with experience
in professional gaming regulatory administration or gaming
industry management to the Gaming Commission.
"It has been my distinct honor and privilege to serve the
people of Massachusetts and the 4th Essex District for
nearly 25 years," Hill said. "I am deeply grateful to the
Governor, Treasurer and Attorney General for this incredible
opportunity to continue supporting the Commonwealth, and am
eager to begin this new chapter working alongside my fellow
Commissioners."
Hill told the News Service that he plans to resign from the
House effective Sept. 15 and will start as a gaming
commissioner on Sept. 16.
"I want to ensure that our local bills are completed and
passed before I leave, and this will give me time to work
with the leadership to get that done," he said.
Hill was elected to the House in 1998, appointed minority
whip in 2009 and became assistant minority leader in 2015.
He has been active in House debates around sports betting,
and the governor's office press release announcing his
appointment to the Gaming Commission referred to Hill as "a
determined advocate for the Massachusetts gaming industry."
"Brad Hill has been a dedicated public servant for over two
decades and has years of experience working with the
Massachusetts gaming community," Baker said. "I am confident
that he will be well-suited to serve in this new role during
a transformative time in the Commonwealth's gaming industry
and am pleased to make this appointment."
Hill is set to join a commission that is shifting gears from
licensing and overseeing the construction of casinos to
regulating an industry that has been legal here for almost a
decade. If the Legislature legalizes sports betting, the
Gaming Commission is expected to serve as that industry's
regulator as well. |
NOTE: In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. section 107, this
material is distributed without profit or payment to those who have expressed a prior
interest in receiving this information for non-profit research and educational purposes
only. For more information go to:
http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml
Citizens for Limited Taxation ▪
PO Box 1147 ▪ Marblehead, MA 01945
▪ (781) 639-9709
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