This was a slow week on Beacon Hill–even for Beacon Hill standards. Not only did the legislature opt against advancing any legislation, they also neglected to form a conference committee to finalize the time-sensitive bill from last week which includes funding for SNAP benefits and for emergency migrant shelters.
So what have our lawmakers been up to? Not much it seems, other than perhaps prepping jabs and zingers for Boston’s St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast on Sunday. The breakfast is an annual tradition where Massachusetts elected officials of all stripes come together to roast each other. It’s essentially our own White House Correspondents Dinner, but instead of D.C. it takes place in Southie, and will be decked out with $583.50 worth of “St. Patrick's Day decorations and items.” The only way this breakfast could be more “Boston” is if the Dropkick Murphys were the house band and Big Papi was passing out mimosas.
Or, Irish coffees, rather.
Made with Dunkin’ coffee.
(Okay, okay, I’m done.)
State House Scoop
Healey’s Budget: further analysis, further disappointment
When Governor Healey released her FY2024 budget two weeks ago, it didn’t take much analysis to see it was atrocious: it proposes $1 billion in permanent tax cuts, effectively canceling out the net gain from the new Fair Share Amendment. Worse, nearly half of these cuts are designed to benefit the super wealthy. In our initial Scoop on the budget, we also noted the line items that seemed, at first blush, really great. But upon closer inspection, and some number crunching, even these encouraging line items are, well, pretty discouraging. As you read the following, just remember: it is a deliberate policy choice to spend $1 billion on tax cuts instead of goods and services.
The line item: $20 million to make community college free for residents over 25 without college degrees
The Scoop: This was one of Governor Healey’s first proposals as governor–a program she’s calling MassReconnects. We already criticized this program for being needlessly narrow; all public higher education, and especially community colleges, should be free for everyone. But more than just too narrow, it turns out this proposal is too… nothing. There are about 700,000 MA residents with some community college without a degree. If they were all to seek funding from MassReconnects, that works out to about $28 per person. If all 1.8 million residents with a high school degree and no college degree enrolled, that would allocate $11 per person. While community colleges are one of the more affordable less unaffordable options for higher education, last time I checked, a degree was still a little more expensive than that.
The line item: $2 million increase in funding for rural schools
The Scoop: Healey’s budget included $7.5 million in rural school assistant grants, up $2 million from FY2023. While this looks like a significant increase (36%), it’s still just ⅛ of what is needed–at least $60 million, according to a report released last year from a commission convened by the legislature to study the issue.
The line item: $130 million to extend additional SNAP benefits
The Scoop: Covid-era federal aid for emergency SNAP (i.e. food stamps) benefits is ending on April 1st. Without the federal dollars, Massachusetts residents who rely on SNAP will see their benefits shrink by an average of $160 per month. For many, this means reducing the benefits they have relied on to feed their families for the last three years by half, if not more, all while food costs are soaring. Governor Healey proposed funding to partially fill the gap when federal funding ends, but it’s woefully inadequate; Healey’s proposal would cover an additional $65 per month. Plus, the $130 million would only stretch a few more months. What happens to these families after that? We don’t know, but thank god we’re reducing the short term capital gains tax rate from 12% to 5%!
All eyes on Legislature as they decide fate of Boston rent control
After passing the Boston City Council 11-2, the fate of rent control in Boston now officially rests in the hands of (checks notes) a rep from Quincy and a senator from Ashland. On Wednesday, Act on Mass-endorsee Rep. Sam Montaño of Jamaica Plain filed HD.4216, which is the home rule petition to enact rent stabilization in Boston. The policy comes at a time of desperate need for affordable housing measures in Boston and all across the state. (I’m looking at you Somerville—I know my rent could definitely use some control.)
And it’s not just word-of-mouth rental horror stories; the Attorney General’s office released their 2022 Consumer Advocacy Annual Report this week which revealed that they received a record number of housing complaints this past year. For the first time ever, housing complaints outnumbered all other categories. But the battle for rent control has only just begun and advocates worry the legislature’s history of inaction on rent control is going to make this even harder.
In response to the dire need to address the Commonwealth’s housing crisis, earlier this week, over 300 people organized by Greater Boston Interfaith Organization took to the State House steps for a rally for housing justice in what one seasoned legislator described to us as one of the most lively and powerful gatherings they’ve ever witnessed. Housing rights activists, faith leaders, and renters spoke about dire conditions they’ve faced and made direct calls to Spilka and Mariano to take immediate action. Check out their campaign overview here, and help them keep up the momentum by answering their calls to action today.
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Missed a Scoop or two? You can find a full archive of all past Saturday Scoops on our blog.
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Take Action
Write a letter to the editor about the need to audit the legislature
Tell your legislators: Protect Fair Share Revenue
On November 8, 2022, after a years-long effort, Massachusetts voters passed the Fair Share Amendment. The voters spoke, and in doing so, we chose a fairer tax system that raises more than a billion dollars in annual state revenue for new investments in Massachusetts. Contact your legislators today to prioritize and protect both the new revenue from the Fair Share Amendment, and overall state revenue in general, this year in the FY24 Budget:
EMAIL YOUR REP ABOUT THE BUDGET >>
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National Day of Action to Dis-Credit the Bad BanksThe fossil fuel industry needs money to drill new wells, build new infrastructure, and otherwise create climate chaos, and banks lend our money to the industry to expand. Our friends at 350 Mass will be organizing a protest on March 21st at 12pm at the Chase branch office in Downtown Crossing, at noon. (Chase is the#1 Worst Bank in the World for lending to the fossil fuel industry.) Actions will urge customers to move their money away from the "Big Bad Banks" that do most of the lending and cut up their related credit cards, and will let the banks know that we won't let our money be used to destroy the planet's ecosystems.
SIGN UP FOR THE NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION >>
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An actually fun fact to kick off your weekend
This week, staff in US Senator Ed Markey’s office officially announced their intent to unionize. According to reports, the senator “happily complied,” saying in a statement that he is proud of staff for embodying the commitment to organize, not agonize (a catchphrase from his 2020 campaign).
Compare that to the Massachusetts State Senate, where staffers announced their intent to unionize a full year ago only to be rejected by Senate President and former labor lawyer Karen Spilka. The unionization push came in the wake of multiple devastating reports of state house staff treatment, both of which include accounts of low and unequal wages, poor working conditions, and sexual and racial harassment. Okay, I admit this has devolved into a not-so-fun fact after all, but the point is this: Senator Markey exemplifies how every employer should react to their staff unionizing. It's really not that hard. After all, it takes more muscles to union-bust than it does to smile.
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That’s all for this week! Enjoy the rest of your weekend, even if that means eating leftover corned beef and cabbage or nursing a Guinness hangover (or both!).
Until next time,
Executive Director, Act on Mass
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