Hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving full of mashed potatoes and void of heated political arguments! (Hey, one out of two ain’t bad.) Since we didn’t send a Scoop last week, we have lots to cover. Let’s dive right in, shall we?
State House Scoop
6 Reps. 10 minutes. $4 billion of our money.
On Thursday, only six representatives were present during the informal House session in which leadership passed the final ARPA (American Rescue Plan Act) spending bill, determining how $4 billion of federal COVID relief money will be spent here in Massachusetts. You may recall that the legislature failed to get this bill to the governor’s desk before taking their seven week holiday recess two weeks ago. That meant they could do one of two things: wait until the new year to pass the bill during a full formal session with debate and a roll call vote of the members, or pass it during an informal session without a roll call vote and with only a handful of members present. Yes, they chose the latter.
Over the past two weeks, a conference committee negotiated a new version of the bill behind closed doors. And once a bill emerges from these secretive conference committees, it cannot be amended. To make matters worse, legislators and the public hardly had time to read it: the conference committee made the text of the 163-page bill public only 15 hours before the “vote.” Well, let’s hope we agree with what ended up in the bill!
Here’s what else the State House did in the last few weeks:
Baker signs genocide education bill
Last week, the House and Senate both passed a bill (S 2557) that would require schools to teach the history of genocide, which Governor Baker signed into law on Thursday.
Committee hearing on bill to #StopTheShock
An Act regarding the use of aversive therapy (H225) would end the horrific practice of inflicting pain, including hitting, pinching, and electric shock, to punish disabled individuals. Yes, this happens in Massachusetts. Boston City Councilor Julia Mejia gave testimony in support of the bill, which you can watch here (Councilor Mejia’s testimony starts around 2:05).
Committee hearing on Safe Communities Act
For the fifth session in a row, the Safe Communities Act (H2418) had a committee hearing this past week. The bill, which would instate key protections for documented and undocumented immigrants, has been sent to study 3 times. It died in Ways & Means last session, despite having a majority of cosponsors in the legislature.
...and here’s what they didn’t do:
Commission to replace racist state flag met twice; has no recommendations
Two months after its self-imposed deadline, the commission to redesign our racist state seal has achieved little. The seal, which is featured prominently on our state flag, “depicts a colonist’s arm holding a sword above the image of an Algonquin warrior.” Indigenous leaders have been advocating for the bill since it was introduced in the State House in the 1980s. The commission was finally formed in January, but it has only met twice this year. With no consequences for failing to meet the deadline, it’s unclear what happens next.
2018 criminal justice reform bill failure
A provision in a 2018 criminal justice reform bill allows for people to have their past criminal convictions, such as marijuana possession, to be expunged from their records. But out of a pool that is estimated to be in the tens of thousands, only 17 people have had their marijuana convictions expunged since the bill’s passage -- due to restrictive eligibility requirements, lack of outreach, and judges’ and prosecutors’ power to prevent expungement at their discretion. Learn more here.
A small note
These examples serve as a sordid reminder that even the few progressive bills that pass the legislature each session are often void of any funding and teeth.
In other news
Jamie Belsito wins special election in the 4th Essex District, making her the first Democrat elected to that seat since 1858! Don’t get too attached though - this district was changed drastically during redistricting, making Representative-Elect Belsito ineligible to run for the same seat in 2022. If she did want to run for state rep next year, she would have to challenge incumbent Democrat Rep. Sally Kerans.
Take Action
Medicare for All: Join a MassCare delegation!
Now that the bill for Medicare for All in Massachusetts (H1267, S766) has had its hearing, it's time to get the committee members to advance it favorably. 12 of 20 Committee members - a majority - cosponsor the Medicare for All Act. This means, in theory, it should pass out of committee. But as we know, we can't take that for granted. MassCare, the leading advocacy group for Medicare for All in MA, is organizing constituents to meet with these reps individually to discuss how best we can move the bill forward.
If you're a constituent of one of these members, please join us to meet with them!
And last, a not-so-fun-fact to kick off your weekend
The speaker of the House alone determines committee chairs, vice chairs, and all leadership positions in the House of Representatives. These positions come with yearly stipends ranging from $15,000 to $65,000. Because of the high number of appointed roles, about half the membership receives some kind of stipend at the discretion of the speaker.