Well, it’s official. Governor Healey signed the $1 billion tax cut bill on Wednesday, essentially cutting as much in taxes as will be raised by the Fair Share amendment passed by voters in November.
In the days since, Governor Healey, Lieutenant Governor Driscoll, Speaker Mariano and President Spilka have gone on a self-congratulation tour, promoting the bill in the media and at speaking engagements across the state.
To give you an idea of how they’re messaging it: Driscoll tweets “Together, we are moving Massachusetts forward.” An op-ed penned by Mariano and Spilka claims the bill “makes Mass. more affordable.” And Healey tweets, well, take a look for yourself:
Hmm, I wonder why she doesn’t mention the tax cuts for the top 1% and corporations. And, really, Governor. $50 per year is supposed to help renters save up for a down payment? Insulting.
Boston rents are up as much as 23% since just last summer. Let’s get personal for a minute, by way of an example: rent for my room in Somerville (I have two roommates) went up $100/month this year, meaning I’m paying $1,200 more on rent this year than last year. The $50 per year the Governor is touting covers about 4% of my rent increase. And odds are good that my rent will go up again next year. Gee, home ownership, here I come!
The truth is, if Beacon Hill leaders really wanted to help renters, they would support rent control. Which, famously, they don’t.
… Do I feel another song coming on?
Rep. Mike Connolly took a page out of Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s playbook this week and wrote, recorded, and debuted a song about a pressing political issue: the need for rent control.
I have a confession, friend. When I wrote in the 9/23 Scoop that if any other electeds released a new single I would be sure to cover it in the Scoop, I didn’t actually expect that to happen. Well played, Big Mike.
Anyways, I’m just glad there’s finally a trend on Beacon Hill I can get behind. At this rate, we can have a whole album by November 2024.
---
State House Scoop
Legislature celebrates budget overrides, but capitulates on No Cost Calls
The House and Senate have now both addressed Healey’s budget vetoes and amendments, overriding many of her highly-criticized cuts. Legislators agreed, near-unanimously (as always), that the below funding should stay in the FY24 budget:
✅ $1 million in Head Start State Supplemental Grants
✅ $35 million in salary rate funding for center-based early educators
✅ $1 million in funds earmarked for Hey Sam, a youth suicide-prevention textline
✅ $7.675 million to community action agencies
Yes, Governor Healey really did veto all those things, and a few months later cut $1 billion in taxes. Perhaps the most egregious of Healey’s amendments, the governor also changed the language of the No Cost Calls program in the budget, which mandates that phone calls be free for incarcerated folks. While it was a long time coming, the inclusion of this policy in the budget was one of the only progressive policy victories we’ve seen this session. Healey’s amendment punted the implementation of the program by five months; instead of the cost-free calls starting immediately, plus reimbursements back through July when the budget was passed, incarcerated people and their loved ones would now have to wait until December 1st of this year for free phone calls.
While the House and Senate both voted down this amendment because of a drafting error, they quickly passed their own version of the change, maintaining Healey’s five month delay. That’s right—they went through the process of a veto override, but chose not to reject Healey’s change. And now, incarcerated people and their families will pay the price, literally.
Lawmakers promise movement on shelved gun control bill
Ending a months-long hiatus on the matter, House leaders released a new version of the anticipated gun control bill on Thursday and announced plans to bring it to a vote by the end of the month. Despite being a stated priority for Speaker Mariano, progress on this bill stalled in the spring due to intra-chamber fighting. What was the key disagreement between the House and Senate that set this bill back by months? They couldn’t agree on which committee the bill should be assigned to. And, apparently, they still don’t. House Ways & Means is holding a hearing on this new bill on Tuesday without their Senate counterparts – something in danger of becoming the new normal on Beacon Hill as each chamber struggles for more power over the other.
And yet, they were able to set aside their differences to come together to pass tax cuts for the wealthy. A moving story about overcoming adversity. Really brings a tear to the eye.--
Missed a Scoop or two? You can find a full archive of all past Saturday Scoops on our blog.
--
Act on Mass endorses the Audit the Legislature Ballot Question
If you’re a habitual Scoop reader, you probably already know that our Legislature is broken. Not only is it among the least transparent in the country, it’s also officially the least effective. By exempting themselves from Public Records Law, Open Meeting Law, and keeping committee activity secret from the public, the Legislature has become remarkably unaccountable to taxpayers and voters.
Enter: Auditor Diana DiZoglio, who initiated a welcome effort to audit the Legislature earlier this year. As you can imagine, Speaker Mariano and President Spilka have both refused to comply, claiming that the Auditor’s office doesn’t have the authority to audit the Legislature—a claim currently tied up in the Attorney General’s office. In the meantime, the Auditor has moved forward with a plan to remove any doubt: a referendum that would ask voters on the 2024 ballot to change the law to explicitly state that the Auditor can audit the Legislature.
If the Auditor’s office is able to pry open the Legislature’s secretive and hierarchical procedures, it would represent a seismic shift in the movement for accountability on Beacon Hill. We don’t get a lot of chances like this one. We need to put everything we’ve got behind this effort. That’s why Act on Mass is formally endorsing this ballot question, and teaming up with the campaign behind it to collect the signatures needed to put it on the ballot.
And with the signature gathering deadline in early November, there’s no time to waste. Join us, the Auditor herself, and the ballot campaign team for a virtual launch event on Zoom this Thursday:
Audit The Legislature Ballot Campaign Kickoff & Training
When: Thursday 10/12 5:15-6:15
Where: Zoom
What: learn how to get plugged in, meet volunteers in your area, and get trained on the best way to collect signatures to get this question on the ballot
Bill Highlight: Indigenous People’s Day
With Indigenous Peoples Day on Monday, let’s look at the bill that would codify this holiday across the state: An Act Establishing Indigenous Peoples Day (H.3191/S.2027). By celebrating Christopher Columbus with a holiday, we fail to acknowledge the harm he caused Indigenous peoples, including widespread murder and slavery. Massachusetts (named for the Massachusett people!) should have done this a long time ago. Instead, last session the bill was advanced favorably out of the first committee, only to die in the Policy and Scheduling committee.
--
Take Action
Submit written testimony for these priority progressive bills:
Healthy Youth Act: Hearing Wednesday 10/11
READ THE TESTIMONY TOOLKIT >> SUBMIT WRITTEN TESTIMONY >>
Racially Inclusive Curriculum: Hearing Wednesday 10/11
Workplace Psychological Safety: Hearing Tuesday 10/10
READ THE TESTIMONY TOOLKIT >> SUBMIT WRITTEN TESTIMONY >>
You’re invited! Spooktacular Costume Party Fall Fundraiser
Our month-long Fall Fundraiser will culminate in an in-person event to celebrate & ensure we reach our goal! Join us on October 29th in Concord for a festive halloween costume party to show off both your scary side and your support for our movement:
- When: Sunday October 29, 2:30-4:30 pm
- Where: Harvey Wheeler Community Center, Concord, MA
--
That's all for this week! Enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend.
Until next time,
Erin Leahy
Executive Director, Act on Mass