Well friend, there’s less than two months left of formal legislative session and I wish I were writing to you about how our legislators have taken bold action on the climate crisis and our housing crisis, are raising progressive revenue to adequately fund the MBTA and higher education, or are doing really anything worth celebrating. Alas, it’s June and there’s just not much good happening on Beacon Hill.
We already knew the State House was on track to have the least effective session in recent memory. But a new Globe investigation reports that more than 20% of legislative committees have not held a single hearing or considered a single bill during this two-year session.
Why is that important? Because committee chair positions are where lawmakers make bank; these positions come with hefty stipends that can more than double their annual take home pay. And those positions are doled out by, you guessed it: Mister Speaker and Madame President. These committee leadership positions are a critical tool for leadership’s consolidation of power. Are you a legislator who wants to make yourself useful to chamber leaders? Maybe they’ll reward you by creating a new committee for you to chair and earn some extra pay, all without doing much (if any) work. Don’t do what leadership wants, on the other hand, and you’ll be stripped of your chairmanship and the extra cash that comes with it.
It must be a powerful tool: the Globe found that the number of legislative committees has proliferated over the past few decades, from 38 in the 2007-08 session to 53 in the current session. This means that more lawmakers are getting paid more money to do *checks notes* less work. And House and Senate leadership? They’ve been getting more power.
If this tickles your rage and you want to learn more about these kinds of wonky systems of power and control on Beacon Hill, I have great news for you! Next Thursday, June 13th, from 6-7:30PM, I’ll be leading a Transparency Teach-In with our endorsed candidate Evan MacKay at the Democracy Center in Cambridge. We'll discuss the impacts of consolidating power, democratic dysfunction, and the lack of transparency on issues that matter most to Cambridge residents and Bay Staters at large: housing, public transit, climate change, and more.
In the meantime, let’s get into this past week on Beacon Hill.
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State House Scoop
House nixes real estate transfer fee option from Housing Bond Bill
The House has finally advanced their version of Governor Healey’s Housing Bond Bill, which claims to address the state’s top-priority housing crisis. It went through some major redrafting behind closed doors, though, including nixing the real estate transfer fee proposal. This tool, which would allow municipalities to levy small fees on high-end real estate transactions (over $1 million) to raise funds dedicated for affordable housing, was one that Speaker Mariano initially signaled openness to. But, after what I can only assume was a healthy dose of angry phone calls from real estate lobbyists, the real estate transfer fee was nowhere to be found in the final draft which was approved by the House by a vote of 145-13. This comes the same week as a new UMass poll which shows Bay Staters support the transfer fee by a margin of 3 to 1.
Their excuse for disregarding the will of the public? The transfer fee would be too “scattered” – whatever that means – and it would not provide equitable advantages to all communities. In reality though, we know it was deep-pocket lobbying by groups like the Greater Boston Real Estate Board who publicly pledged to spend whatever it takes to defeat this proposal; they sent out mailers, text campaigns, and websites that falsely framed the proposal as a new tax — and it worked.
Other changes to the bill include about $300 million in additional borrowing, a local option for tenants to have the chance to purchase a building when the landlord wants to sell, and changes to accessory dwelling units (also known as in-law suites). These changes are all being sold by House leadership as a response to the rampant housing crisis, yet are not representative of the demands of people directly affected by the crisis, like rent control, which has the support of 72% of voters. It’s clear that State House leaders are beholden to their wealthy donors and lobbyists rather than the will of the electorate, and the lack of transparency in the legislature only emboldens leaders to act against our interests. But, we already knew that…
Equal Opportunity Employment Office disappearing act
It’s no secret that Beacon Hill is rife with sexual harassment. This past week, red flags were raised by House staffers when a newly distributed employee handbook was missing several references to the Equal Employment Opportunity office. Established five years ago, the EEO was created to address discrimination and harassment complaints from state house employees. The changes to the handbook included removing references to accommodations for people with disabilities and people who are pregnant, and removing contact information for the EEO officer.
The office has been vacant since the original person hired for the position left nearly two years ago. In the absence of an independent office to report claims of abuse or harassment, employees must report complaints to their supervisor or to the Speaker’s office, which acts as the HR for all staff in the House. That’s right — the same guy who holds immense power over House members and their staff in a position known for favoritism and outright retaliation is the House staff’s HR. What could possibly go wrong?
In response to employee claims that failing to fill the EEO position was an unmet promise, Representative Dan Hunt who chairs the HR committee, wrote “nothing is further from the truth,” and simultaneously announced that there would be a new mandatory harassment training. Convinced? Neither are we. But let’s let the staff speak for themselves:
“Without a permanent, confidential, and independent reporting avenue, the training placed the burden of responsibility on potential victims to address their transgressor,” employees wrote in a letter to fellow staff that was obtained by the Boston Globe. The Massachusetts State House Employee Union (MSHEU) has been organizing for years to fill the EEO officer position as one of their key demands. And yet, leadership continues to protect predators and their power rather than the safety of their own staff.
There is an upside here: the bill to recognize the ability of legislative staff to unionize (a key element of our Sunlight Agenda!) has not been sent to study yet, and there’s still time for us to make some noise. The Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight has until July 1st to report on this bill, so call your legislators today to urge them to favorably report S.2014/H.3069 and to support the recognition of the right of legislative staff to unionize!
CHECK OUT OUR SAMPLE TESTIMONY >>
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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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Syd’s Sprinkles: Updates, or the lack thereof, on important bills
Welcome to Syd’s Sprinkles! A new Scoop section where I, Sydney the Act on Mass Policy Fellow for the summer, tell you everything you need to know (or wish you didn’t) about the status of key bills in the Legislature.
The Legislature has very little time to address the many bills still in conference committees — i.e. the bills which have been passed by both chambers but where the versions differ — including gun law reform, revenge porn bans, wage transparency, state interest and funding and one that particularly stings: the joint rules. The joint rules bill outlines permanent guidelines for how the House and the Senate govern, meaning that without an agreement on them the state house has ample opportunity to continue to be unproductive and fail to pass major bills in a timely manner. In the past two sessions, agreeing and passing joint rules for the governing of both the House and the Senate has been a task that our lawmakers have seemingly not been up to accomplishing. Or at least not up to accomplishing by given deadlines. All of these bills seem like no-brainers, don’t they? It’s almost as if the state house wants to continue to be unproductive and fail to address important bills once again.
Another issue where lawmakers are promising movement with no evidence of action is climate. In a recent conference for leaders in global advancements to fight climate change, Healey spoke about ways to combat the issue, referencing bills that she had filed earlier this year. These bills — the “Mass Leads Act” and the FutureTech Act — both aim to stimulate the economy and address climate change through innovation, but the former bill has yet to be debated and the latter was only passed by the Senate this week. Healey, however, has seemed incredibly optimistic, or perhaps a bit naive, in her faith that the Legislature will have ample time in the upcoming weeks to finally come to a consensus on climate-related bills.
Even so, we need far more than what Healey is proposing. Where is the legislation that will create lasting change like a commitment to reducing emissions or to using renewable energy? Why are our lawmakers — who we elected to represent ourselves — wasting time that we don't have and jeopardizing the passage of legislation that could truly make a difference in our lives and futures? Perhaps it has something to do with that whole lack of transparency thing…
Act on Mass is proud to endorse Heather May for State Rep!
We are excited to announce our latest endorsement for State Representative: Heather May who is running again in the 9th Middlesex district. Heather’s background as an educator, union member, and advocate is impressive, but what makes her a perfect Act on Mass candidate is her skillset as a community organizer. From organizing mutual aid during the height of the pandemic to building coalitions of her fellow city residents to win a number of hard-fought municipal battles, Heather’s dedication to the people of Waltham is unmatched. When faced with the carrots and sticks offered by House leaders, we have no doubt Heather will stay grounded in her community, every time.
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Take Action
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Thursday 6/13: Act on Mass Transparency Teach-In in Cambridge!
Join Act on Mass and Evan MacKay, candidate for State Representative, for a teach-in on transparency in the Massachusetts State House. We'll discuss the impacts of consolidating power, democratic dysfunction, and the lack of transparency on issues that matter most to Cambridge residents and Bay Staters at large: housing, public transit, climate change, and more. No prior knowledge is necessary, all levels and backgrounds welcome!
- What: Transparency Teach-In
- When: Thursday 6/13, 6:00PM
- Where: The Democracy Center, 45 Mount Auburn St, Cambridge
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That's all for this week — for all those celebrating Pride this weekend, slay hard! 🌈✨
In solidarity,
Brenna Ransden
Acting Executive Director, Act on Mass