They’re dropping like flies, friend!
And by “they” I mean legislators, and by “dropping like flies” I of course respectfully mean not running for reelection.
Among the lawmakers who recently announced their retirement or that they plan to seek other office this year are: Sen. Marc Pacheco, Sen. Sue Moran, Rep. Sarah Peake, Rep. Ruth Balser, Rep. Josh Cutler, Rep. Denise Garlick, Rep. Gerry Cassidy, Rep. Angelo D’Emilia, Rep. Paul Schmid III, Rep. Daniel Carey, Rep. Dylan Fernandes, Rep. Mathew Muratore, and last but certainly not least, good ol’ Rep. Smitty Pignatelli (a cosponsor of the Sunlight Act!).
Oof, I’m out of breath just typing all that.
Such a mass exodus means some key leadership positions will be up in the air; Reps Peake and Balser are both in House leadership, and several others listed above are committee chairs and vice chairs.
Some, uh, not key leadership positions will turn over as well; when he retires, Senator Pacheco will be relinquishing the entirely ceremonial title of “Dean of the Senate,” a role reserved for the longest continuously-serving senator. According to Senator Michael Barrett, the title had previously been granted to the earliest-serving senator, and let me tell you he has some feelings about it. Barrett, who began serving before Pacheco but whose long tenure in office wasn’t contiguous, feels he was wrongfully passed over for the deanship in favor of Pacheco years ago, and so claims to be a “victim of nefarious discrimination.”
Gentlemen, gentlemen, come now. There’s no need to fight. How about I break the gavel in half so each of you can preside over the first session, and share all the other non-duties and non-powers that come with the role?
Another outcome of these lawmakers moving on to greener pastures: a whole lot of open seat elections this fall. Challenging incumbents is so difficult in Massachusetts that the vast majority of legislators get elected to open seats. In fact, Massachusetts has had the least competitive elections in the country four cycles in a row – a critical reason why our legislators don’t feel accountable to their constituents (and instead feel accountable to House and Senate leadership).
But right now, it means that this election cycle poses a rare opportunity to elect more new legislators than usual. If the progressive, pro-democracy, pro-transparency movement can elect even just a handful of champions to the state house, it can make all the difference.
If anyone reading this lives in one of the districts where incumbents are not seeking reelection (listed above) and would consider running for office or know someone who should, we very much look forward to hearing from you: admin@actonmass.org.
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State House Scoop
Years after unionization, Senate staff pay structure changes
Senate staff are set to get a pay raise, following the release of a study by the National Conference of State Legislatures last month that once again confirmed that state house staff are paid consistently below market rates. Across all positions, Senate staff compensation lags the market by an average of 25%, and in some positions that soars above 40%. In response, the Senate Human Resources department sent a letter to Senators and their staff detailing plans to roll out new staff positions and titles, increase salary ranges, and implement new benefits like stipends for bilingual staffers and reimbursements for professional development.
This study, the second one the Senate has requested from the NCSL since 2021, reaffirms what their staff have been saying for years: their wages are inadequate and inequitable. The Senate staff successfully formed a union almost two years ago, and have communicated demands for livable pay, clear and comprehensive leave, protections from sexual and racial harassment, and contracts negotiated by the union.
And yet, Senate leadership has refused to recognize the union, instead commissioning studies, and even hiring a “compensation specialist” to examine how to navigate pay issues (it’s worth noting that according to public payroll data, this specialist was paid $100,000 in 2022, which was nearly double the average base pay of a Senate staffer). Call me crazy, but maybe it’s a waste of time and resources to “study” this issue when the solution is quite obvious: recognize the Massachusetts State House Employee Union, and negotiate a fair contract.
Think the staffers should have a right to collectively bargain? So do we. That’s why one of our Sunlight Agenda bills explicitly codifies the right of legislative staff to unionize (S.2014 / H.3069). The bill survived Joint Rule 10 day by way of an extension, which means we have a few more months to fight to get this bill passed. Call or email your lawmakers in support of this bill 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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ICYMI: The latest MBTA funding woes, and our blog post on how we got here
This week, Governor Healey spoke on the new task force established to examine how to bridge the gap in MBTA funding. The group will meet later this month and is supposed to issue a report by the end of the year, but the MBTA estimates its budget gap will grow to over $628 million by July. They’re currently forecasting a paltry 1% in annual revenue growth over the next five years, but expenses are expected to climb by almost 5%. This, of course, is on top of debt interest that accrues faster than the MBTA can pay it off and an ever-growing list of dire maintenance repairs.
Our Political Organizing Intern Sydney took a deep dive into how we got to this dire funding situation, and explores the myriad deliberate policy decisions that led to the T’s troubles today.
A very happy correction
Last week we stated that the bill to establish a 5 year prison moratorium was sent to study. In actuality, while the House version of the bill (H.1795) was sent to study, the Senate version (S.1979 ) is still very much alive! The Senate bill was granted a reporting extension to 7/1. Learn more about the campaign behind this bill and get involved at justiceashealing.org/nonewwomensprison.
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Take Action
Email your senators in support of the Sunlight Act!
Lead sponsored by transparency champion Senator Jamie Eldridge, this comprehensive legislation includes several transparency reforms, including requiring all recorded committee votes to be posted on the Legislature's website, requiring that committee hearings be scheduled at least a week in advance, making written testimony submitted to committees publicly available, and subjecting the Governor's Office to the state's public records law. The bill has received a favorable report from the Rules Committee, and now sits in Senate Ways & Means - the last hurdle before it can be brought to a vote and passed.
Tell your legislators to support a minimum wage increase in Massachusetts!
With the cost of so many things increasing, from food and gas to housing, we need a higher minimum wage for MA workers. This year, our friends at Raise Up Massachusetts (the coalition behind the Fair Share Amendment) are advocating for An Act relative to raise the minimum wage (S.1200 / H.1925), which would raise the minimum wage to $20 by 2027 and index it to inflation in the future.
This bill is critical to ensure that workers in Massachusetts can afford to stay in the state amidst the affordability crisis, and elected officials need to hear about it. Click the link below to show your support for legislation increasing the minimum wage in Massachusetts to $20/hr!
Are you or someone you know a low or minimum wage worker? Share your story!
As part of their #TimeFor20 campaign to raise the minimum wage, Raise Up Massachusetts is collecting the stories of people who would be directly impacted by the wage increase, i.e. people who make the current minimum wage or under $20/hour. These stories will be shared with legislators and the public to uplift the urgent need to pass this legislation.
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That's it for this week! And by Jove, stay warm out there.
Until next time,
Erin Leahy
Executive Director, Act on Mass