Friend,
Do you ever feel so frustrated at the opaque, anti-democratic nature of our state house, that you just don’t have the words to express it?
If the answer is yes, I completely understand. And so does Auditor Diana DiZoglio. Some things, friend, can only adequately be expressed through song:
Auditor DiZoglio debuted “My Voice,” her latest musical plea for democracy and accountability at the state house on Boston Public Radio last week. This was the second of its kind for the Auditor after singing a pro-transparency parody of Katrina and the Waves’ timeless bop Walking On Sunshine at the annual St. Patrick’s day breakfast back in March.
As someone who admittedly is often told they have “theater kid energy,” I must say to our Auditor: I’m right there with you sister.
And when it comes to democracy woes at the State House, there’s plenty to sing about; after three months of no formal sessions and closed-door negotiations, legislative leaders announced late on Thursday that they have reached an agreement on the big tax cut package passed by each chamber earlier this year.
To refresh your memory: the House’s version totaled $1 billion in tax cuts, $440 million of which would exclusively benefit the top 1% and corporations. Specifically, it included three regressive tax cuts: raising the estate tax threshold from $1 million to $2 million, slashing the short term capital gains tax from 12% down to 5%, and a tax cut for large multi-state businesses like Santander Bank and Dunkin' (who, among others, successfully lobbied for this cut). Read our Scoop on the House package here. The Senate’s version, passed two months later, totaled $590 million, $185 million of which exclusively benefits the ultra-wealthy. They only included one of the regressive cuts — the estate tax cut. Read our Scoop on that here.
Now, I know we’ve been giving the Legislature a hard time about not holding a single formal session in 7 weeks, and not to mention being the least effective legislature in the country. But, frankly, I think I liked it better when they were doing nothing — or at least not this.
So, what is in the compromise tax cut package that will be voted on next week? Where did the conference committee (the group of six lawmakers hand-picked by legislative leadership to negotiate this bill behind closed doors) land on issues like short term capital gains and the corporate tax cut?
We have no clue. They haven’t told us.
It’s quite likely we, along with the vast majority of lawmakers, won’t know what’s in the final tax package more than a day before the vote takes place. And which day next week is the vote scheduled for? They haven’t told us that either.
I know, I know. Let it all out. Hell, sing it out.
State House Scoop
Mariano refuses to fund migrant shelters despite warning of 1,000 new families arriving each month
Our legislators have been loath to, well, legislate thus far this session, and once again leadership on Beacon Hill are sitting on their hands in the face of a crisis. For the first time in months, the big three — Senate President Spilka, House Speaker Mariano, and Governor Healey — met to discuss policy and strategy. Sounds vague, I know. And that’s about all reporters could get out of these three after their closed-door meeting last week. One thing we did learn, however, was the reason Healey’s $250 million in migrant shelter funding is being held up: Mariano. *feigned shock* Following the meeting, Mariano shared his reasoning with reporters:
“There’s a lot of questions around the [$250 million] number that needs to be tightened up and we’re dealing with a problem with getting information from people coming in and the organizations that are servicing it. The administration is doing the best that they can do to gather all this information and give us some hard numbers. And it’s not an easy thing to do.”
Gee, thanks for clearing that up! In actuality, the Healey administration’s housing department reports the state should expect around 1,000 families to enter the emergency shelter system each month, including newly-arrived migrants as well as local residents facing housing insecurity.
To give some context: due to an increasing number of migrants coming to the Bay State and the lack of affordable housing stock in Massachusetts, there are over 6,300 unhoused families currently in the state’s emergency shelter system, far exceeding normal capacity. Finding new shelter space for these people (think: hotels, hospitals, army bases) requires funding. And, frankly, we could use an overhaul of this system that simply is not succeeding in housing and supporting vulnerable people; dozens of immigrants arrive at Logan Airport on any given night and sleep at the airport because they haven’t been given anywhere else to go. Some haven’t eaten in days.
But oh, yeah, no rush on that funding, Mr. Speaker. Onward with your corporate tax cuts.
Ballot question highlight: End the MCAS Graduation Requirement
The MCAS (Massachusetts Comprehensive Assessment System) is a standardized test all high schoolers in Massachusetts must pass in order to graduate. Massachusetts is one of just eight states with a standardized test graduation requirement, which disproportionately impacts students with individualized education plans, students who are learning English, and students from marginalized backgrounds. As any educator, student, parent of a student, or person with a pulse knows, standardized tests are not a full and accurate assessment of any student. And when educators are forced to “teach to the test,” they narrow their curriculum, undermining the education system we like to pride ourselves on. And like all standardized tests, the MCAS comes from and perpetuates a legacy of racism and eugenics.
Despite evidence of its harm, the Legislature has killed the bill to cancel the MCAS graduation requirement (the Thrive Act) two sessions in a row. To make matters worse, the Board of Education actually voted to raise the minimum passing score of MCAS last year. And you know it’s bad when MA is to the right of federal guidance on an issue.
Luckily, we have a chance to take matters into our own hands. Led by the Massachusetts Teachers Association, there’s currently an effort to put ending the MCAS graduation requirement on the ballot in 2024. Learn more about the question and the campaign behind it here!
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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
Dozens showed up to testify for legislative staff union, & you can too!
Thank you to everyone who submitted testimony in support of H.2014/H.3069 to ensure the rights of legislative staffers to collectively bargain! With reports of underpayment and unequal payment, long hours, racial and gender discrimination and more, State House staff deserve the right to collectively bargain for better work conditions, and we are so grateful that you added your voice to the record.
You can read Act on Mass’s official testimony here, and refer to our testimony toolkit to develop your own. While the deadline to submit testimony to the official record has passed, you can still share your support for the bill by submitting your testimony on MAPLE, and sharing it with your own elected officials. In fact, please do!
SUBMIT WRITTEN TESTIMONY FOR S.2014 >>
SUBMIT WRITTEN TESTIMONY FOR H.3069 >>
Help us reach our goal: donate to support the Sunlight Agenda
By campaigning for the four key bills in the Sunlight Agenda, we can fight the anti-democratic hierarchy on Beacon Hill, but we can’t do it without your help. We need to raise $5,000 in the next month to ensure we can run a bold, effective grassroots campaign behind the Sunlight Agenda. We’ve raised over $1,300–thank you to everyone who has already donated! If you haven’t given yet, can you help us reach our goal by making a donation today?
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That's all for now. I'll be back in your inbox next week where I'll break down the final tax cut package and what it means for the Bay State. And if any other constitutional officers release a new single in the next week, you can rest assured I'll cover that too.
Yours, musically,
Erin Leahy
Executive Director, Act on Mass