The House and Senate. Beacon Hill Roll Call records local senators and representatives’ votes on roll calls from the week of May 21-25.
Hike car rental tax by $2 to fund police training (H 4516): The House 149-4, Senate 37-0, approved an amendment imposing a $2 tax on car rentals to fund municipal police training. Amendment supporters said the small fee would raise up to $10 million annually for this fund established by the criminal justice law signed by Gov. Charlie Baker last month.
(A “Yes” vote is for the $2 tax to fund police training; a “No” vote is against it) Rep. Donald Berthiaume Yes; Rep. Kimberly Ferguson Yes; Rep. Stephen Kulik Yes; Rep. Susannah Whipps Yes; Rep. Jonathan Zlotnik Yes; Sen. Anne Gobi Yes.
$1.8 billion housing package (H 4536): The House 151-2, Senate 38-0, approved and sent to Gov. Baker a bill funding various state programs to construct and preserve affordable housing in the Bay State. Provisions include $400 million for the Affordable Housing Trust Fund that funds a myriad of programs including help for first-time homebuyers; $100 million for the creation of rental housing that is affordable for working families whose incomes are too high for subsidized housing but are priced out of market rents; $600 million to rehabilitate and modernize existing public housing; $60 million for disabled persons and seniors to renovate and modify their homes; and $45 million for grants to non-profits for early education and out-of-school time program facilities that serve low income children. Supporters said many people are being priced out of the housing market in the Bay State and the high cost of housing strains already stretched family incomes. They noted the package is a major step toward ensuring Massachusetts develops enough affordable housing. The two opponents of the package did not respond to Beacon Hill Roll Call’s requests to provide their reasons for voting against the measure.
(A “Yes” vote is for the bill; a “No” vote is against it) Rep. Donald Berthiaume Yes; Rep. Kimberly Ferguson Yes; Rep. Stephen Kulik Yes; Rep. Susannah Whipps Yes; Rep. Jonathan Zlotnik Yes; Sen. Anne Gobi Yes.
Red flag on guns (H 4517): The House 139-14, approved and sent to the Senate a bill that would allow family or household members to petition the courts to issue an extreme risk protection order (ERPO) that would suspend a person’s license to carry a firearm and order him or her to surrender his or her firearms and ammunition if he or she is believed to be a danger to themselves or others.
(A “Yes” vote is for the bill; a “No” vote is against it) Rep. Donald Berthiaume No; Rep. Kimberly Ferguson Yes; Rep. Stephen Kulik Yes; Rep. Susannah Whipps No: Rep. Jonathan Zlotnik No.
Mental health (H 4517): The House 42-111, rejected an amendment that would require the court, within 24 hours of the issuance of an ERPO, to assign a mental health counselor to evaluate the individual, assess counseling needs and establish a counseling outline and program. It also requires the Department of Mental Health, if considered necessary, to establish a mental health counseling program for the individual and report back to the court. Amendment supporters said the issue of mental health is not sufficiently addressed in the bill. They argued the amendment provides a system to determine if the person needs mental health counseling. They noted that without this amendment, the bill only requires the person to be given informational resources, including a list of services relating to crisis intervention, mental health, substance abuse and counseling. Amendment opponents said the amendment is well-intentioned but would contribute to the stigmatization of mentally ill people. They said the purpose of the bill is to take weapons away from dangerous people. They argued the mental health components should be addressed in a separate bill.
(A “Yes” vote is for the amendment; a “No” vote is against it) Rep. Donald Berthiaume Yes; Rep. Kimberly Ferguson Yes; Rep. Stephen Kulik No; Rep. Susannah Whipps No; Rep. Jonathan Zlotnik Yes.
Three-day mental health evaluation (H 4517): The House 34-119, rejected an amendment that would require that the court order a 3-day stay in a hospital and a mental health evaluation of anyone who is the subject of an ERPO. Amendment supporters said if someone is considered so dangerous and such an extreme risk to themselves or other people, he or she should not be allowed to immediately roam free. They noted that the person could easily use other means, like homemade bombs and knives to do harm. Amendment opponents said the amendment goes too far and noted that every single incident does not rise to the level that the person needs a 3-day commitment. They said this decision should be left up to then judges handling the case.
(A “Yes” vote is for the amendment; a “No” vote is against it) Rep. Donald Berthiaume Yes; Rep. Kimberly Ferguson Yes; Rep. Stephen Kulik No; Rep. Susannah Whipps No; Rep. Jonathan Zlotnik No.
Benefits and services for veterans (H 4525): The House 150-0, approved a bill that would expand benefits and increase access to a range of services for veterans, active-duty military personnel and their families. Provisions include reducing from five years to two years the residency period required for some veteran’s property tax exemptions; increasing coverage for funeral expenses for indigent veterans from $2,000 to $4,000; allowing cities and towns to designate a reserved parking space for veterans at city and town halls; and waiving certain training requirements for EMT certification for military trained medical professionals. Supporters said the state should provide these additional benefits and opportunities to the thousands of Bay State veterans who have served and are still serving our nation. They noted that one in three homeless people in the nation are veterans. They pointed out that one in five Massachusetts veterans suffer post-traumatic stress disorder and 11 percent suffer traumatic brain injuries. The Senate has approved a different version of the bill and the House version now goes to the Senate for consideration.
(A “Yes” vote is for the bill) Rep. Donald Berthiaume Yes; Rep. Kimberly Ferguson Yes; Rep. Stephen Kulik Yes; Rep. Susannah Whipps Yes; Rep. Jonathan Zlotnik Yes.
$41.49 billion fiscal 2019 budget (S 4): The Senate 38-0, approved a $41.49 billion fiscal 2019 budget. Over a 3-day period, the Senate added an estimated $75.5 million to the original version of the budget and considered and voted on more than 1,000 proposed amendments. There were many controversial amendments that that were decided by voice votes or standing votes – neither of which allows you to see how an individual senator voted. Some of the amendments rejected without a roll call were ones to reduce the sales tax from 6.25 percent to 5 percent; reduce the income tax from 5.1 to 5 percent; and give an up to $1,500 tax credit to family member who are caregivers for a family member over 18. Supporters said the budget is a fiscally responsible and balanced one that makes vital investments in the state while continuing fiscal responsibility. The House has approved a different version of the budget. A House-Senate conference committee will hammer out a compromise version.
(A “Yes” vote is for the budget) Sen. Anne Gobi Yes.
Immigration status (S 4): The Senate 25-13, approved an amendment that would prohibit police and other law enforcement from asking people about their immigration status. Other provisions end the practice that deputizes state and local law enforcement as U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents; bans state resources from being used to create a registry based on ethnicity, religion, country of origin and other criteria; and requires that immigrants be notified of their due-process rights.
(A Yes” vote is for the bill; a “No” vote is against it) Sen. Anne Gobi No.
Increase deeds excise tax from $20 to $50 (S 4): The Senate 38-0, approved an amendment raising the state deeds excise tax from $20 to $50. The deeds excise tax is paid by the seller of the property and funds the state’s Community Preservation Act Trust Fund that “matches” the money raised by local cities and towns which are allowed to impose a surtax on real estate sales to fund projects like affordable housing, preservation of historical resources and open space. Amendment supporters said the new tax revenue would be used to increase the “matching” funds given to communities. They noted that the match was a real 100 percent in 1999 but has sunk to 11 percent.
(A “Yes” vote is for the hike) Sen. Anne Gobi Yes.
Sales tax holiday (S 4): The Senate 14-24, rejected an amendment allowing consumers to buy most products that cost under $2,500 during a two-day weekend sales tax holiday in August without paying the state’s 6.25 percent sales tax. Supporters of the bill said the holiday, which has been in effect for many years, would boost retail sales and noted that consumers would save millions of dollars. They argued that the state’s sales tax revenue loss would be offset by increased revenue from the meals and gas tax revenue generated by shoppers on those two days. Some opponents of the bill said the state cannot afford the up to $30 million estimated revenue loss and argued the holiday actually generates little additional revenue for stores because consumers typically buy the products even without the tax-free days. They said that the Legislature should be looking at broader, deeper tax relief for individuals and businesses and not a tiny tax-free holiday. Others said that legislators should not vote for this tax holiday when they have not yet restored all the local aid, education and other important program cuts made over the past few years.
(A “Yes” vote is for the tax-free holiday; a “No” vote is against it.) Sen. Anne Gobi Yes.
Increase maximum dairy tax credit from $4 million to $8 million (S4): The Senate 17-20, rejected an amendment that would increase the statewide annual maximum amount of tax credit for dairy farmers from a current cap of $4 million to $8 million. Farmers can apply for the tax credit when milk prices, regulated by the federal government, are insufficient to cover the farmers’ cost of producing the product. Amendment supporters said that dairy farmers are in the fourth consecutive year of depressed milk prices and are being paid the same amount as they were 20 years ago. This month, the price for producing one cwt of milk (100 pounds) was $24 but farmers sold it on the market for $14.44. They argued that raising the cap to $8 million will allow more farmers to receive the credit. Amendment opponents said they understand the plight of farmers but argued that the state simply cannot afford the additional $4 million.
(A “Yes” vote is for the hike to $8 million. A “No” vote is against it) Sen. Anne Gobi Yes.
Cybersecurity for elections (S 4): The Senate 10-28, rejected an amendment that would require the secretary of state, in consultation with the U.S. Election Assistance Commission (EAC) to develop and implement new rules and standards to ensure the cyber-security and general security of elections in the Bay State and to combat election fraud and other election security threats. The EAC was established by the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of and is charged with developing guidance to meet HAVA requirements. The rules would be required to be in compliance with rules set by the United States Department of Homeland Security. Amendment supporters said there have been many instances of election hacking across the nation and argued that Massachusetts should be proactive on this issue and act in a preventative way. Amendment opponents said the proposal is premature because the United States Department of Homeland Security has not yet adopted its rules. Some said that this effort is not necessary because the Massachusetts statewide voter database is not connected to the internet and is not vulnerable to hacking.
(A “Yes” vote is for the amendment. A “No” vote is against it) Sen. Anne Gobi No.
Protect school custodians (H 1390): The House and Senate approved and sent to Gov. Baker a bill designed to protect the rights of custodians, cafeteria and other non-teaching employees of school districts by exempting them from the Education Reform Act or 1993. That act gave school principals strong control over the hiring and assignment of teachers and other education professionals as part of the effort to improve test scores and overall student performance.
Mandatory $100,000 death benefit (H 2195): The House gave initial approval to a bill requiring drivers to carry a $100,000 death benefit as part of their auto insurance coverage. The $100,000 would be used to pay the estate of any person killed by the negligence of a driver in cases where a decedent is survived by a minor child, spouse or dependent.
Make court judgments from other states valid here (H 718): The House gave initial approval to legislation that would require the Bay State to agree to the enforcement of foreign judgments – the recognition and enforcement in one state of court judgments rendered in another state. Currently, judgements from other states are not automatically valid in Massachusetts where the plaintiff would be required to file the case all over again.
During the week of May 21 through 25, the House met for a total of 14 hours and 27 minutes, while the Senate met for a total of 30 hours and 29 minutes.
Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com