This week the weather matched the news: mostly dreary and drizzly, with a few peeks of sunshine.
First, the sunshine: bees are going to get their first ever vaccine against common diseases (it’s administered through food, not a tiny bee-sized needle, as I had imagined), the ozone hole is projected to close entirely within the next 40 years, and Norwell, Massachusetts native Jennifer Coolidge stole the show at the Golden Globes.
And now, the drizzle: up on Beacon Hill, the Speaker of the House is refusing to seat two newly elected Democratic reps who beat their Republican opponents by narrow margins, flipping both districts from red to blue.
Kind of a weird way to kick off the new Democratic trifecta, if you ask me.
Let this serve as a reminder to all of us: just because Democrats hold all the highest positions in the state (majorities in the House and Senate, plus the Governor), this is by no means a guarantee of progressive, or even “lower-case d” democratic rule.
Without a Republican governor to hide behind, it will be interesting to see legislative leadership’s true colors. And with the glimpse I’ve gotten thus far, it’s not looking pretty.
State House Scoop
Mariano refuses to swear in two new Democratic reps, caves to Republicans
It’s been over two months since the polls closed in November, and yet the outcomes of two House races have yet to be determined. Well, sort of. Despite a public recount and certification of those results, it turns out that Speaker Mariano actually has the final say in who gets sworn in and who doesn’t.
Yes, you read that right: according to MA legal precedent, the House [read: the Speaker] chooses whether to seat newly-elected representatives, and could even call for a new election if he wanted to. (I thought there was nothing left that could shock me about the power of the Speaker at this point, but here we are.) Last week, Speaker Mariano announced he would not swear in Democrats Kristin Kassner of the 2nd Essex and Margaret Scarsdale of the 1st Middlesex, caving to persistent legal and political pressure from their Republican opponents.
Yesterday, a panel hand-picked by Mariano convened at a hearing to review the certified election results with each candidate and their legal team in attendance. It’s unclear what the panel will do with the arguments they heard, or when they will make any further decisions, leaving the constituents of the 2nd Essex and 1st Middlesex districts in the lurch.
Spilka, Healey express support for free community college (at least for some)
Ringing in the new legislative session, the Big Three (the Speaker of the House, the Senate President, and the Governor) had their first meeting this week to discuss their policy priorities. Both President Spilka and Governor Healey took the opportunity to announce their respective plans for free community college here in the Bay State–a fantastic step towards making higher education affordable for all. But their proposals differ starkly over a key question: free for whom? The Senate President’s plan would make community college free for everyone (good!), the governor would only make it free for people 25 and older who don’t have a college degree (less good!), and the Speaker didn’t consider it a priority at all (bad!).
Making community colleges free for everyone would be an incredible investment in low-income communities for whom cost is a barrier to higher education, as well as the younger generations as a whole who find themselves having to take on crushing debt in order to earn a degree. Next step? Make all public universities tuition-free. If only there were a bill for that…
Take Action
Sign up for the MYCC Lobby Week for Public Committee Votes + Climate Priorities
The Massachusetts Youth Climate Coalition (MYCC) is organizing a Youth-led Lobby Week 2/6/23 - 2/10/23. Over 115 young people are slated to attend over 25 legislator meetings to advocate for key climate legislation and *drumroll* transparency measures like public committee votes! The agenda will include virtual lobby trainings on Monday afternoon, virtual deep dives on policy priorities Monday night, an in person lobby day at the State House on Tuesday, and then virtual meetings for those who can’t make it in person for the remainder of the week. If you're interested in participating in Lobby Week, complete the RSVP form as soon as you can!
RSVP FOR THE MYCC LOBBY WEEK >>
Justice for Cambridge Resident Arif Sayed Faisal
On January 4th, Cambridge Police murdered Arif Sayed Faisal, a 20-year-old UMASS student and resident of Cambridge. Faisal is remembered by his community as a bright, hardworking, and studious young man who worked at CVS while pursuing his bachelor’s degree in engineering. The Bangladesh Association of New England (BANE) has set up a GoFundMe to support Faisal’s family in the aftermath of his murder. Please join us in supporting Faisal by donating:
--
Meet with your legislator about Public Committee Votes
Are you interested in meeting with your legislator to urge them to vote for Public Committee Votes? Sign up to join the People’s House Campaign and we’ll connect you with your district team, or get you set up with all the resources you need if there’s not already a team in place!
--
That’s all for this week. Enjoy the holiday weekend, and have a peaceful and restful MLK day.
Until next time,
Erin Leahy
Executive Director, Act on Mass
Want Saturday Scoops sent straight to your inbox? Subscribe to the Scoop here.