I know, I know. I’m not who you expected in your inbox this morning. Fear not, our regular Scooptress Erin is alive and well and probably sipping a fancy cocktail on the beach as you read this. So this week, the Scoop is coming to you in a new, limited edition flavor: me, Brenna! As a big fan of ice cream, authoring the most important ice cream themed newsletter in #mapoli is really a dream come true.
A little bit about me:
- I’m the organizing director here at Act on Mass;
- My favorite flavor of ice cream is Uhlman's chocolate peanut butter (real ones know the best ice cream in Central Mass is Uhlmans);
- And I’ve had Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s rendition of ‘Walking on Sunshine’ playing on repeat all week. (Go ahead, click it. I promise it’s worth it.)
DiZoglio nailed the criticisms against the legislature’s opacity. But believe it or not, there’s even more to criticize the legislature about. Every single joint committee missed last week’s deadline to submit their individual operating rules, like whether or not to publish committee votes. And this is no outlier: State House News Service reported this week that this is the slowest, least productive start to a session at any point in the last two decades.
The criticisms abound, so if you don’t mind, *mic tap* I’d like to jump in on the fun.
State House Scoop
Mariano: "I don't need someone with a political agenda in the executive branch passing judgement on me"
Alright fellow MA taxpayers, time to empty your pockets because we’re about to fund one hefty legal battle. After 17 days of silence, the speaker has come out of hiding with a feisty (or as he describes it, “respectful”) letter, claiming Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s intent to audit the legislature is, “wholly unnecessary, as the public currently has full and ready access to the House’s financial information.”
The data he’s referring to is actually quite limited, and mostly irrelevant to the intent of DiZoglio’s audit, given the scope of her investigation. But Mariano claims that these areas are “the sole constitutional purview” of the General Court. In an interview, he explained he doesn't intend to change the law: "I don't need someone with a political agenda in the executive branch passing judgement on me." DiZoglio responded in a quote saying she was not asking permission and intends to go forward with the audit.
But wait, it gets even spicier! Mariano goes on to write that “[f]or an executive officer to claim any authority over the General Court is to suggest an authority over the people themselves.” Yup—Mariano is claiming that the legislature speaks on behalf of the people and thus an audit of his legislature is an audit of the people. He must not remember that 86% of Massachusetts voters support greater transparency in the State House… Not to mention DiZoglio was elected by the people of MA, whereas Mariano is elected speaker by *checks notes* his colleagues.
With eviction crisis looming, lawmakers show no signs of interest in taking action
Beacon Hill is no stranger to missing deadlines—in fact it seems to be their favorite pastime. So it comes with little surprise that the state’s pandemic-era eviction prevention policy expires on March 31st and legislators are mum. This comes on the heels of a new report from the Princeton Eviction Lab which found that evictions in Boston are up 75% from last year. The key component of the policy, known as Chapter 257, requires that eviction cases be paused while tenants are applying for rental aid, such as the Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT) program. The deadline for the policy to expire has been extended twice since being enacted in 2021.
A new report from our friends at Homes For All Massachusetts found that after the state’s eviction moratorium expired in October 2020 (don’t even get me started on that), BIPOC communities faced evictions at disproportionately high rates, as much as 6x likelier in some cities. Not only would letting this policy lapse cause countless people to lose their housing, but it would particularly devastate communities of color.
There is a bill (H.1682/S.1048) to make the pandemic-era protections permanent and avoid the impending eviction crisis. Alas, the bill has received virtually no movement as far as outsiders can tell; legislators have less than a week to pass this in time, and they haven’t even scheduled a hearing.
A case study in legisplaining: MA lawmakers apathetic to new UN climate report
Following the release of the latest UN climate report, a team of Boston Globe reporters reached out to several legislators and staff who worked on climate policy to seek reactions and next steps. Many of them, they reported, refused to go on the record, saying that they feared repercussions. But let’s investigate a quote from Senator Michael Barrett, who drafted much of the climate legislation over the past several years. Indulge me in a case study on legisplaining (like mansplaining, but legislator explaining), if you will:
“I’m not interested in freaking people out and forcing them to the right,” Barrett said, though he said the state needs to increase the urgency of its response. “My job is to figure out how to really see climate policies succeed, and sometimes that can be complicated.”
Tactic 1: The Blame Game
Here, Barrett shifts blame to an allegedly spook-able electorate, suggesting that taking bold climate action in Massachusetts could make voters more conservative. This is demonstrably false. A 2021 study by Brown University found that an overwhelming 90% of testimony submitted for environmental bills in Massachusetts supported climate action, and a majority of that testimony was submitted by unaffiliated individuals (read: constituents, not paid lobbyists). Despite this, bills supported by the utilities lobby had a significantly higher chance of progressing through the legislature and ultimately passing both chambers than those supported by the majority of constituents. Some people are to blame for MA’s slow response to address climate change (the utilities lobby, real estate developers, corporate-friendly legislative leaders…), but the voters are not among them.
Tactic 2: “You wouldn’t understand—it’s complicated”
Sure, determining which climate policies are successful is complicated—that’s why folks dedicate their lives to researching, drafting, and advocating for good climate policy, and we should follow their lead as experts. And of course, the lack of climate action in MA is not the sole responsibility of one senator. But a legislator’s job doesn't begin and end at figuring out complicated policy—they also need to fight for it. So if it's that complicated to pass climate bills with a Dem supermajority trifecta......maybe it’s time for some serious turnover.
New polling shows strong support for teachers’ Right to Strike
Bad news for haters of labor rights: a new poll shows that 2/3rds of Bay Staters support allowing teachers to strike for higher wages and better working conditions. Nearly half of all voters indicated strong support, demonstrating this is an issue people are passionate about.
The poll could not come at a better time: a mounting number of battles between teachers unions and local school districts are happening in Massachusetts, including several districts which have gone on strike and endured the legal consequences and fees. Conditions teachers are reporting—understaffing, unlivable wages, and lack of support and supplies—are so dire that our educators are forced to break the law in order to hold the line on their needs and the needs of their students.
Come to think of it—this is certainly bad news for the governor too, who went on the record saying she opposed giving teachers the right to strike. Support seems especially high among her base: 85% of Democrats and Democrat-leaning independents were in support, one of the largest margins of any demographic.
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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
Tell your legislators: We need action on evictions and right to strike
Disappointed you didn’t get to partake in the Right to Strike poll and itching to make your voice heard? Me too. Join me in calling our legislators to let them know that we must support teachers in their pursuit of a just working environment by passing (H.1845/S.1217), and that we must make Chapter 257 eviction prevention policies permanent by passing (H.1682/S.1048) immediately. And while you’re at it, might as well tell them you support DiZoglio’s audit of the legislature!
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That’s all for this week! Erin will be back at the helm next week, more relaxed and tan than ever. But rest assured, dear reader, that I’ll be all up in your inbox again. And in the meantime, I’ll be singing the people want suuuunshine, wooaaah! and treating myself to a scoop of ice cream.
Until we next meet,
Brenna Ransden
Organizing Director, Act on Mass
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