Happy Saturday, friend!
The sun is shining, the birds are chirping, and it looks like spring has finally sprung for good!
(Can you believe I’m a lifelong New Englander and still this naive?)
Speaking of confusing and fickle seasons…
We’re in the throes of Budget Season here in the Bay State. The House kicked off their budget “debate” this week where they waded through over a thousand amendments in a few fell swoops. More on that below, and even more on that next week (yes, it truly is never-ending).
And let me ask you this: what does Aaron Michlewitz (the House Ways & Means chair in charge of the House budget) have in common with Celtics star Jaylen Brown, Emmy award-winning actress Ayo Edebiri and car dealership magnate Ernie Boch Jr?
Any guesses? No?
They all appeared on Boston Magazine’s list of 150 most influential Bostonians, coming in at #62, #23, #35, and #96, respectively. Personally, I think #96 is a little low for a man whose name plays as a jingle in my head on an at least weekly basis. But hey, Boston Mag didn’t ask for my opinion.
Because if they had, I would have told them that Mr. Michlewitz was also far too low; to me, #62 just doesn’t accurately capture the power in this man’s hands, like shaping a $57 billion state budget that will impact public goods and services for over 7 million people, with almost no public scrutiny or debate.
He should have been at least #61.
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State House Scoop
House addresses 829 budget amendments with 5 unanimous votes
The House budget debate is finally here! And considering that it’s by far the most impactful piece of legislation passed every year, it’s been quite the snoozefest. Well, as far as what’s happening in the public eye, anyways. I’m sure all those closed-door meetings are riveting.
While the “debates” are ongoing, we’ll take this week to talk procedure and break down the jargon-filled coverage of the budget. Next week we’ll be back with the nitty-gritty details.
With a meager 1,495 amendments filed for FY25, the House is considering everything from tweaks to existing line items in the budget proposal to “earmarks” for local projects in a representative’s district. While funding for local projects is not necessarily a bad thing, earmarks are one of the ways legislative leaders can punish or reward their members. In fact, a great way to tell where a lawmaker stands in leadership’s eyes is to see how much funding they get for their district in the budget. Getting a lot of funding for your district via earmarks gives leadership-friendly reps something to brag about on the campaign trail, which helps them get reelected, which helps leadership protect the reps who are deferential to them. Wash, rinse, repeat.
This process is especially harmful to legislators in high-needs districts (think high levels of housing insecurity, poverty, etc.), who have to capitulate to the often conservative demands of leadership in order to receive much-needed aid to their districts.
Some amendments are “outside sections,” i.e. policy items which normally would be their own bill. However, because it’s incredibly difficult and unlikely for any individual bill to actually get a vote on the floor, lawmakers know that their best chance to get their priorities passed is by hitching a ride on the budget.
But the House doesn’t actually vote on all 1,495 amendments individually (which, frankly, I can understand). Then again, they swing PRETTY far in the other direction; instead of addressing each amendment individually, House leadership groups them into mega amendments, or “consolidated amendments” that contain hundreds of amendments each. These, then, get a single up or down vote.
As they almost always do, this week’s consolidated amendments passed unanimously: two on Wednesday and three on Thursday, addressing a total of 829 amendments. But just because an amendment is “addressed” in a consolidated amendment does not mean it is actually included in it. When amendments are combined, they can be rewritten or deleted entirely. For example, Consolidated Amendment A might say it “includes” amendments 1, 2, and 3, but if you read the actual PDF, you see it actually only includes the language of amendments 1 and 3. Thus, amendment 2 is totally erased from consideration. This is what we call being “consolidated away.”
This is the fate of most amendments during the budget process; leadership picks and chooses the amendment language they want, and scraps the rest which never receive a vote. Naturally, these decisions all happen in closed-door meetings while the rest of the members wait around for hours until a new consolidated amendment is ready, at which point they are alerted to come to the House chamber to vote (unanimously) on it.
Yes, really.
House and Senate strike a compromise on shelter funding, send the supp budget to Healey’s desk
Not a moment too soon, state legislators have finally approved more funding for the emergency shelter system in Massachusetts amidst reports that funding could dry up any day now. The funding comes in the form of a supplemental budget that was passed by both chambers this week and now sits on Governor Healey’s desk for final approval. While the funding is much-needed, there are several strings attached that do not have the best interests of migrants in mind, namely the 9-month limit for folks staying in shelters. This newly-approved time limit is being put in place despite the fact that is well-below the average 13-14 months that families are currently staying.
What happens to these most vulnerable members of our community after 9 months? The answer is unclear. Think that’s cruel? Well, “this is supposed to be a transitional program, not a permanent program,” said House Ways & Means Chairman Aaron Michlewitz in a recent interview. I’m sure that will be very reassuring to the migrant families as they face homelessness after their 9-month stay.
Luckily, legislators have baked in some exemptions for the 9-month limit. If you are employed or participating in an approved training program, you can apply for up to two 90-day extensions. Furthermore, pregnant people or those who have recently given birth, those with a disability or medical condition, children enrolled in public schooling who would have their education interrupted, or those who are at imminent risk of harm from domestic violence can also apply for the extensions. Beyond that, the supp budget includes the option to file a “hardship waiver” that allows for added extensions at the discretion of the Housing Secretary, Ed Agustus. That may sound well and good, but giving one person with a poor record of supporting the unhoused and low-income communities sole discretion over whether someone is experiencing enough “hardship” to be able to stay in an emergency shelter doesn’t seem like great policy.
In addition to shelter funding, the supp budget codifies two pandemic-era policies that lapsed earlier this spring: streamlined outdoor dining permitting and to-go cocktails are now back in the law books.
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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
(Thank you to City Life/Vida Urbana for this graphic!)
5/15: Raise Our Wage, Cap Our Rent Rally
SAVE THE DATE: Join Act on Mass, 1199 SEIU, BTU, UU Mass Action, City Life/Vida Urbana, and dozens of other progressive groups for a rally on Boston Common to demand the Legislature raise the minimum wage and pass rent stabilization!
- When: Wednesday May 15 at 12:30PM
- Where: Start at Embrace statue on Boston Common, rally at Monument to Black Civil War Heroes (top of the Common) at 1:00
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Volunteer for Act on Mass Endorsed Candidate Evan MacKay in Cambridge!
We could not be prouder to have Evan be our very first endorsed candidate of the election cycle. Evan is a bold progressive who is deeply committed to democracy, transparency, and accountability on Beacon Hill. In fact, that is one of the key differences between them and the incumbent. If Evan wins on Primary Day, not only would we have a strong ally for our movement in the State House, we'd also send shockwaves throughout the establishment. If you live in the Boston area, please sign up to volunteer for Evan at a time that works for you!
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5/18: Massachusetts Education Justice Convening
The Massachusetts Education Justice Alliance (MEJA) will be hosting its annual convening on Saturday, May 18, at Worcester Technical High School. To win for all of the students, families, educators, and public schools and colleges, we must continue to build collective power and sustain the movement!
- When: Saturday May 18, 8:30am - 4:00pm
- Where: Worcester Technical High School
- Theme: Strategize. Organize. Win!
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That's all for this week! With campaign season in full swing, and the legislative session entering its climactic third act, we're in progressive activist busy season. But think of it this way: there's no better time to take one of these actions and support a cause you're passionate about.
AND the weather's nice for rallies and canvasses? It just doesn't get better than that.
I'll see you out there,
Erin Leahy
Executive Director, Act on Mass