Beacon Hill Roll Call records local senators’ and representatives’ votes on roll calls from the week of March 19-23.
REGULATION AND TAXING OF SHORT-TERM RENTALS (H 4314) House 118-30, approved and sent to the Senate. A bill regulating and taxing short-term rentals of less than 28 days that are offered by Airbnb, HomeAway and VRBO. Taxes would range from 4 percent to 8 percent based on how many units a host offers. No excise would be imposed if the total amount of rent is less than $15 per day or if the renter is in the United States military traveling on official military business. Residential hosts renting two or fewer units would be taxed at 4 percent, investor hosts with three to five units would have a 5.7 percent tax, and professionally managed hosts renting six or more units would face an 8 percent tax per rental. All professionally managed hosts would be required to hire a property manager for each residential unit and maintain $1 million or more in liability insurance. Cities and towns would also have the option to impose local excise taxes of up to 5 percent for residential hosts, 6 percent for investors and 10 percent for professionally managed hosts. Cities and towns that impose the local excise tax are required to conduct a safety inspection on the residential unit within 60 days of the unit being listed on a newly-created short-term rental registry. Municipalities are required to distribute 50 percent of the excise tax collected by professionally managed hosts to programs addressing either local infrastructure needs or low- to moderate-income housing programs. Supporters said the bill strikes a balance and levels the playing field of taxes and regulation of these untaxed and unregulated short- term rentals and hotels and motels that are currently regulated and taxed.
(A Yes” vote is for the bill. A “No” vote is against it) Rep. Donald Berthiaume No; Rep. Kimberly Ferguson No; Rep. Stephen Kulik Yes; Rep. Susannah Whipps Yes; Rep. Jonathan Zlotnik Yes
FINANCIAL LITERACY (S 2343) Senate 37-0, approved and sent to the House. A bill requiring the state to develop and allow cities and towns to institute a program to teach financial literacy to students in kindergarten to Grade 12. The topics covered would include understanding banking and financial services, loans, interest, credit cards, online commerce, renting or buying a home, balancing a checkbook, state and federal taxes and charitable giving. Supporters said it is important to start educating children about finances at an early age and to continue through their high school years.
(A “Yes” vote is for the bill) Sen. Anne Gobi Yes; Sen. Stanley Rosenberg Yes
CIVICS EDUCATION (S 2355) Senate 32-4, approved and sent to the House. A bill that updates the requirement that all public schools provide instruction in American history and civics. Provisions include requiring all public-school students to participate in two student-led civics projects; making it mandatory beginning in 2021 for all students to complete one student-led civics project after 8th grade in order to graduate; permitting the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education to establish an annual convention to assess the current state of civic education; and establishing a special commission to study the development of civic education for youth.
(A “Yes” vote is for the bill. A “No” vote is against it) Sen. Anne Gobi Yes; Sen. Stanley Rosenberg Yes
TOLERATE DIFFERING OPINIONS (S 2355) Senate 7-29, rejected an amendment that would add “respectful tolerance of differing opinions” to the list of subjects that would be included in the history and social science curriculum framework that would be taught. The framework already includes American and local history; the function and composition of the branches of local, state and federal government; the roles and responsibilities of a citizen in a democracy; community diversity and the role it plays in the democratic process; and opportunities to identify and debate issues relative to power, economic status and the common good in democracy. Amendment supporters said that especially in today’s political climate and a divided nation, it is important to teach students to respect each other’s opinions. Amendment opponents said respect of each other’s opinions is already covered under other existing requirements including community diversity and the role it plays in the democratic process and the roles and responsibilities of a citizen in a democracy.
(A “Yes” vote is for including respectful tolerance of differing opinions. A “No” vote is against including it) Sen. Anne Gobi No; Sen. Stanley Rosenberg No
UNFUNDED MANDATE (S 2355) Senate 7-29, rejected an amendment requiring the state to conduct a study to determine whether the new civics education law is an unfunded mandate being imposed on cities and towns. Amendment supporters said it will cost money for the schools to implement this new law. Amendment opponents said there are no anticipated costs to cities and towns in implementing the new law.
(A “Yes” vote is for the amendment. A “No” vote is against it) Sen. Anne Gobi Yes; Sen. Stanley Rosenberg No
UNSOLICITED LOANS (S 2357) The Senate approved and sent to the House a bill that makes it illegal to send consumers an unsolicited check that when cashed activates a high-interest loan. Supporters said this unfair practice has fooled consumers and many ending up paying up to a 60 percent interest rate and go bankrupt.
TOWING (S 2354) The Senate approved and sent to the House legislation that would require towing companies that perform “voluntary towing” at the request of the car owner, to hold a certificate from the Massachusetts Department of Public Utilities. Current law only requires companies who do involuntary towing to have a certificate. Involuntary towing is when a car is hauled away by low enforcement or other authorities. Supporters said that as it stands today, anyone can buy a tow truck and say they are a towing company. They said the new regulation is needed to ensure that companies have insurance and proper safeguards.
Quotable Quotes: Special Twitter Edition
Here are the state’s six constitutional officers in order of the number of followers each one has on their Twitter account as of noon on March 23. Some of these officials have more than one Twitter account. The number of followers for each person represents the total number of followers in all the person’s those accounts. 309,854 Gov. Charlie Baker; 111,609 Attorney General Maura Healey; 55,781 Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito; 13,318 Treasurer Deb Goldberg; 5,384 Auditor Suzanne Bump; 3,253 Sec. of State Bill Galvin.
Beacon Hill Roll Call tracks the length of time that the House and Senate were in session each week. During the week of March 19 through 23, the House met for a total of 3 hours and 44 minutes, while the Senate met for a total of 6 hours and 15 minutes.