Beacon Hill Roll Call: Dec. 9 to Dec. 13, 2024

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that Massachusetts will receive more than $55 million to buy more than 200 zero-emission vehicles through its first-ever Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program. The program will replace existing internal combustion engine heavy-duty vehicles with zero-emission vehicles, while also supporting the build-out of clean vehicle infrastructure and the training of workers to deploy these new zero-emission technologies. STAFF FILE PHOTO/DAN LITTLE
Published: 12-20-2024 11:49 AM |
There were no roll calls in the House or Senate last week.
Beacon Hill Roll Call’s research shows there are several bills from the 2023-2024 session that were approved unanimously by the Senate in 2023 but are languishing in the House Ways and Means Committee as of Dec. 13, with only a few days left in the session. Bills not acted upon by the end of the session on Jan. 1, 2025 die. With no opposition in the Senate, observers question why the bills have not yet been acted upon by the House Ways and Means Committee and brought to the House floor for a vote.
Under House rules, any individual representative can move to discharge any and all of these bills from the Ways and Means Committee. There is a seven-day waiting period prior to the House considering the motion to discharge. The discharge motion must receive a majority vote of the members present. If the measure is discharged from the committee, the committee has four days within which to report out the measure for placement on the House’s agenda for action.
A bill may also be discharged from the Ways and Means Committee by any representative by filing a petition signed by a majority of the House. The bill would then be discharged seven days later and go onto the House agenda for the next session.
A state representative who spoke on the condition of anonymity told Beacon Hill Roll Call that some bills are sometimes held up in committee because someone in a high position of power either inside or outside the State House is opposed to it. “Rank and file members have little control over the bill if a powerful person wants the measure buried,” the legislator said.
An ex-state representative who wished to remain anonymous said, “Although under House rules, every representative has the power to attempt to discharge a bill, hardly any attempt is made to do this out of fear of alienating the powerful speaker, his leadership team and committee chairs.”
Beacon Hill Roll Call’s archives show that motions to discharge a bill from a committee and bring it to the full House for debate and a vote was a common practice back in the 1970s and 1980s.
Beacon Hill Roll Call contacted the office of House Speaker Ron Mariano, D-Quincy, several times to ask why these bills are still in committee. No response has been received.
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Beacon Hill Roll Call had also asked the speaker’s office the same question back in February 2024 when these bills had been tied up in the Ways and Means Committee. At that time, Max Ratner, a spokesperson for Mariano, responded, “Each of those bills are currently being reviewed by the House, with a continued focus on fiscal responsibility.”
Here are three of the major bills that were approved unanimously by the Senate and are lingering in the House Ways and Means Committee:
On July 27, 2023, the Senate, 38-0, approved and sent to the House legislation that would make it easier for homeless youths and adults to secure free state ID cards.
Supporters said a person experiencing homelessness faces prohibitive fees and documentation requirements when trying to obtain an ID card. They noted that this legislation removes barriers by eliminating fees and only requiring that applicants present documentation showing that they are receiving services provided by the state, a homeless service provider or another service provider. They argued that ID cards are necessary for applying for jobs, enrolling in school, interacting with law enforcement, accessing government buildings, opening financial accounts and many other basic services that many take for granted.
“Fees and documentation are not just barriers to identification,” said Senate President Karen Spilka, D-Ashland. “By extension, they are barriers to getting a job, accessing health care and applying for services — the most basic of necessities. These barriers harm the most vulnerable people in our commonwealth and eliminating them is a compassionate step that makes the path to stability a little bit easier.”
A “Yes” vote is for the bill.
Sen. Joanne Comerford — Yes
Sen. Paul Mark — Yes
On Oct. 26, 2023, the Senate, 38-0, approved and sent to the House a bill that would require all prisons, homeless shelters and K-12 schools to maintain free menstrual products, including sanitary napkins, tampons and underwear liners, in private and public restrooms and to make them available in a “convenient manner that does not stigmatize any persons seeking the products.”
Supporters said that, according to the Massachusetts Menstrual Equity Coalition, approximately one in every seven children in Massachusetts is living in poverty and struggles to pay for menstrual products. They argued that research shows the inability to access menstrual products affects students’ class attendance.
They also noted that women facing homelessness or who are incarcerated face high barriers to access, with Massachusetts shelters reporting that menstrual products are among the least donated items. They argued that restricted access in shelters and correctional facilities means that products can be used as bargaining chips and tools of control for people in vulnerable circumstances.
“I learned about this issue from young people in Medford High School, Somerville High School and Cambridge Rindge and Latin who took leadership at the local level to make menstrual hygiene products available in their own communities,” said sponsor Sen. Pat Jehlen, D-Somerville. “This is a true grassroots movement starting with girls talking about their experiences of missing valuable class time or feeling embarrassed to access products during the school day. These conversations have already started to change the culture and have motivated us to expand this across the state.”
“Period products are not luxuries, but necessities required for people’s basic needs, health and hygiene,” said Sen. Julian Cyr, D-Truro, Senate chair of the Committee on Public Health. “Today’s passage of the … bill affirms that women and all menstruating people deserve access to menstrual products. An inaccessibility of period products speaks to the longstanding and persistent misogyny in our society, a bias that intersects with inequalities in housing, education, socioeconomics and beyond. By ensuring better access to these products, we support further access to essential health needs regardless of our situation in life.”
During floor debate, Cyr sarcastically commented, “I think it’s pretty obvious that if most men could menstruate, these products would be as ubiquitous and free as toilet paper.”
A “Yes” vote is for the bill.
Sen. Joanne Comerford — Yes
Sen. Paul Mark — Yes
On Oct. 26, 2023, the Senate, 38-0, approved and sent to the House a bill that would allow pharmacists to prescribe, dispense and administer a short-term supply (60 days once in a two-year period) of HIV prevention drugs, known as pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP), to a patient without a prescription.
The bill requires pharmacists to provide counseling to the patient regarding the use of PrEP, to inform the patient’s primary care doctor that the pharmacist has prescribed the drug, to connect patients without a primary care provider with a health care provider for ongoing care and to obtain a prescription for PrEP.
Under the bill, pharmacists could only prescribe PrEP to patients who have tested negative for HIV within the past seven days, do not have HIV symptoms and are not taking medications that are not safe to use with PrEP.
Supporters say that PrEP is a life-saving medication that is nearly 100% effective in stopping the transmission of HIV. They note that under current law, individuals who take PrEP must make an appointment and go through their doctor, a barrier that can stand in the way for people who need the medication on short notice, cannot make an appointment or cannot access medical care.
“PrEP is a game changer in HIV prevention. Yet, while this life-saving medication reduces the risk of transmission by 99%, it remains inaccessible for too many,” said sponsor Sen. Julian Cyr, Senate chair of the Committee on Public Health. “Allowing pharmacists to prescribe and dispense PrEP on a short-term basis, similar to what’s already allowed for contraceptives, would significantly increase the accessibility of this essential HIV prevention tool. With greater access to PrEP we can narrow the gap in PrEP utilization among LGBTQ+ people of color. I am someone who uses PrEP and most of my gay, bisexual and queer friends rely on it, too. With this legislation, we are once again putting people at the center of our public health policy.”
A “Yes” vote is for the bill.
Sen. Joanne Comerford — Yes
Sen. Paul Mark — Yes
Twenty-two newly elected state legislators, including 19 representatives-elect and three senators-elect, attended the biennial New Legislator Academy at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, which Senate President Karen Spilka’s office has described as “an opportunity for newly elected legislators to become familiar with experiences that they will encounter in the Legislature.”
According to State House News Service, the agenda included nearly a dozen panels, speeches and sessions, covering topics such as the budgeting process, ethics and the cadence of legislative sessions.
According to Politico, a session on the media included “the recommendation that if a reporter calls, let it go to voicemail or wait for them to send a text; find out what they’re calling about before you answer; and let leadership know what’s up — their office may be fielding the same questions.”
The House approved and sent to the Senate a new version of legislation, originally sponsored by Gov. Maura Healey, that would prevent commercial drivers from losing their licenses due to passenger vehicle offenses they committed prior to Sept. 30, 2005.
The Registry of Motor Vehicles recently notified hundreds of bus and truck drivers that they were ineligible for commercial licenses due to at least two past major offenses, blindsiding many motorists who for years thought their infractions were behind them.
“Over time, the relevance and predictive value of these older offenses has diminished, particularly for those drivers who have remained offense-free since,” Healey said.
The Healey Administration announced the awarding of $3.2 million in grants for projects that proponents say will support the economic vitality, tourism and ecosystem health of the Bay State’s waterfront and harbors, while helping the state reach its ambitious climate resiliency goals.
“Coastal communities play a critical role in our economy,” Healey said. “The … grants help cities and towns make infrastructure improvements to prepare for extreme weather caused by climate change while also investing in important blue economy businesses, commercial fishing operations, and tourist and recreational enterprises.”
“These investments will support a range of critical initiatives, from coastal resilience and dredging projects to pier infrastructure enhancements that protect our shorelines,” said Secretary of Economic Development Yvonne Hao. “By funding these efforts, we’re ensuring a safer and more enduring future for our coasts from the North Shore to the Cape and Islands.”
“Maritime communities are important centers of economic activity, drawing many visitors each year and supporting the coastal industries that have been integral to our state’s economy,” said Undersecretary of Economic Foundations Ashley Stolba. “We are proud to fund these projects and look forward to their lasting impact on the future generations of these towns.”
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced that Massachusetts will receive more than $55 million to buy more than 200 zero-emission vehicles through its first-ever Clean Heavy-Duty Vehicles Grant Program.
The program will replace existing internal combustion engine heavy-duty vehicles with zero-emission vehicles, while also supporting the build-out of clean vehicle infrastructure and the training of workers to deploy these new zero-emission technologies.
Recipients of the funds to replace current school buses with zero-emission vehicles include four school districts: $35 million for Boston, $6.6 million for Springfield, $2.9 million for Hingham and $4.9 million for the Hamilton-Wenham Regional School District.
In addition, the state Department of Energy Resources will receive $5.8 million to replace some vehicles with battery electric vehicles, as well as install 16 Level 2 charging stations and eight direct-current fast charging stations at eight sites.
“Everyone deserves clean air and a healthy environment, and the … program is another step toward making that a reality,” said EPA Regional Administrator David Cash. “By replacing older, polluting vehicles, like school buses and box trucks, with zero-emission alternatives, this program is driving innovation in clean transportation, reducing harmful air pollution in Massachusetts communities and creating good-paying jobs. These grants are an investment in healthier communities, cutting-edge technology and a cleaner, more sustainable future for our children.”