The House passed their version of the FY2024 budget this week, completing another major milestone on its seven month journey to enactment. For something so major, there was really nothing to see; if you tuned into the live stream to watch the budget debate this week (and I hope for your sake that you didn’t), you likely saw an empty chamber. This is because the real “debate” about what to include in the budget was taking place, in real time, behind closed doors.
Ah, really putting that live stream function to use!
Next, the Senate will release and vote on their version of the budget on May 10th. In the meantime, the Senate is expected to vote on the disastrous tax cut bill any day now. Since Healey proposed the cuts, and the House modified and added more, the Senate is our last hope to block these tax cuts for the rich. And by that I of course mean we’re our last hope to get them to block it.
State House Scoop
House passes $56 billion budget in 3 days and almost no debate
The House passed their version of the FY2024 budget this week. Let’s break it down:
What’s in the budget
The budget came in at around $56 billion—on its face, the largest ever budget in MA history. But as our friends and expert number crunchers at Mass Budget explain, $56 billion actually represents a7.4% spending decrease considering last year’s many supplemental budgets and adjusting for inflation. This means, in all likelihood, that some social services are going to be cut. This is especially gross considering that the House wants to cut taxes for the rich and corporations in the same fell swoop.
As for the substance of the budget, not too much changed from the version drafted by House Ways & Means, which we broke down in an earlier Scoop. In fact, according to Speaker Mariano, this year’s process was “as efficient and stress-free as any budget in the past 32 I've done.” Allow me to translate: “I had near-total control over the content of the budget and nobody dared to push back.”
The budget process: no public input
The budget determines how much we’re funding our schools, our infrastructure, our elections, our rental assistance programs, and so much more, all of which has an enormous impact on our lives. Despite that,** the House budget didn’t have a single hearing at which members of the public could testify.**
Being as generous to legislative leaders as possible (not that they’ve earned it…), you could argue that the hearing on Governor Healey’s budget proposal served that purpose. But a 6-hour hearing starting at 11AM on a Monday isn’t exactly accessible for working people or those with childcare needs, especially since testifiers aren’t told in advance when they’ll be called on to testify.
In order to testify at all, you have to 1) know that the hearing has been scheduled in the first place and 2) know about it before the sign-up deadline, which is no easy feat. Who would have guessed, looking at the legislative calendar, that this was the one public hearing for the budget?
The budget process: no floor debate
All of this brings us to the floor debate (“debate” here in the loosest sense of the word), which took place over 3 days this week. Despite over 1,500 amendments, there was one roll call vote on an individual amendment–a GOP-backed tax-related amendment that died along party lines. Other than that, the only recorded votes were on seven mega amendments (called “consolidated amendments”) which passed virtually unanimously.
There were originally over 1,500 amendments filed to the budget, including everything from earmarks for local projects to major policy changes. To expedite the process (“expedite” is putting it mildly) the Speaker and Ways & Means chair hole up privately in the Speaker’s lounge to zip them into big consolidated amendments by category. Instead of a lively debate on the floor in front of the public, all the action was happening off-screen, where just a handful of legislators had a seat at the table. Members are expected to vote yes on any consolidated amendment because the contents have leadership’s blessing. After all, you wouldn’t want to be caught “voting off” from what the Speaker wants.
One last thing: when these amendments are “consolidated,” they can also be rewritten or deleted entirely. For example, Consolidated Amendment A might “include” amendments 1, 2, and 3, but if you read the PDF, you see it actually only includes the language of amendments 1 and 3, thus totally erasing amendment 2 from consideration. This is what we call being “consolidated away.” Is there language in the mega amendments that members of the public might object to? Certainly. Were there really positive or even desperately needed amendments that got consolidated away? You betcha. Was any of that up for discussion or debate? Not one bit.
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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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Report: more landlords than renters in MA Legislature
The Globe recently released a damning study about the discrepancies between legislative property ownership and that of everyday Bay Staters. They found that the vast majority of the legislature—at least 86% or 170 lawmakers—own their home, compared to 61% of Bay Staters, and a mere 35% of Bostonians. Even more absurd: there are more landlords in the legislature than renters, which could explain why the Legislature has taken zero action on addressing the housing crisis four months into the session. In fact, several major gatekeepers in housing policy are landlords, including House Ways & Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz, and the senate chairs of the Joint Housing Committee, Lydia Edwards and John Keenan. And guess what? State law doesn’t bar legislators from voting on legislation in which they have a financial stake.
Perhaps it's no surprise, then, that policies like rent control face seemingly impossible odds despite their stunning popularity; 65% of likely MA voters support lifting the ban on rent control. The stakes of tackling our housing crisis are climbing higher and higher; evictions are on the rise, shelters are overflowing, rents are surging to record highs, and first-time homeownership has become a mere fantasy for all but the most affluent Bay Staters.
These are the stakes of a healthy democracy; of having a legislature that reflects and truly represents the people they serve. And man oh man are we a far cry from that.
SEE IF YOUR REP IS A LANDLORD >>
CALL YOUR REP IN SUPPORT OF RENT CONTROL >>
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Take Action
Tell your senator: no tax cuts for the wealthy
The House recently voted to cut $1.1 billion in taxes, essentially canceling out the new revenue brought in by the Fair Share Amendment which voters passed at the ballot box in November. About half of those cuts are designed to benefit the super-wealthy and corporations. Luckily, it’s not a done deal: this giant tax giveaway still has to be approved by the Senate.
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Get Out The Vote for Robert Orthman for 10th Suffolk RepJoin Act on Mass endorsee Robert Orthman tomorrow, Sunday April 30th at 2pm in West Roxbury for a Get Out The Vote canvass for the upcoming special election on May 2nd. Join friends and neighbors alike to knock doors, talk to voters and spread the word about Orthman’s progressive platform! No prior experience required.
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Mass-Care Lobby Day
Join our friends at Mass-Care for a lobby day next Thursday, May 4th at the State House for Medicare for All. No previous lobbying experience required to lead - they will train you! Mass-Care will help you and your team plan a successful constituent meeting, from day-of logistics to the details of the bill. On Lobby Day, we’ll meet together at the State House, find our teams, hear from our inspiring lead legislators on lobbying best practices, and then go to legislator meetings!
RSVP FOR THE MASS-CARE LOBBY DAY >>
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That's all for now! Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and may all these April showers truly bring May flowers.
Until next time,
Erin Leahy
Executive Director, Act on Mass
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