Acting Senate President Harriette Chandler laid out a series of priorities for herself and the Senate on Wednesday, warning that Massachusetts is at risk of losing its reputation as a national leader unless it addresses its longstanding housing affordability problem.
Speaking from prepared remarks after presiding over the first Senate session of 2018, Chandler urged senators to “maintain belief in the greatness of Massachusetts and each other” as they set out to give serious attention to a far-reaching paid family and medical leave proposal, plans to raise the minimum wage, and the effects of federal policies on Massachusetts in the seven months of formal sessions that remain before election season ramps up again.
“We live in a state that has led the way on issues of health and wealth for all — yet as long as one family remains unable to afford adequate housing, or one innovative business leaves our state, we all suffer, together,” Chandler said.
Chandler, who has advocated for affordable housing policies in her nearly 25 years on Beacon Hill, elevated that issue towards the top of the Senate’s priorities. She said Massachusetts must address the affordability of housing, for everyone from families to recent college graduates, in order to facilitate the future growth of the state and its economy.
“We are in danger of losing the next generation of business innovators and leaders — and our reputation as a nationwide leader in the innovation economy — if those innovators cannot afford to live in our state,” she said.
“I’m excited that President Chandler’s there because she’s been a housing champion for so long,” Housing Committee Co-chairman Sen. Joseph Boncore told the News Service. Calling more housing production an “answer to sustaining our economy,” along with transportation, Boncore (D-Winthrop) said, “Hopefully we can work towards getting a piece to the governor’s desk” this year that will spur more housing development.
Gov. Charlie Baker recently put housing affordability legislation before the Legislature. With housing rules largely dictated by locally managed zoning bylaws in cities and towns, Beacon Hill over the years has struggled to pass affordable housing policies that also honor so-called home rule doctrines. A housing bond bill, authorizing borrowing to support housing efforts, is also expected to pass the Legislature this year.
Chandler, a Worcester Democrat tapped to lead the Senate while an Ethics Committee investigation unfolds into Sen. Stanley Rosenberg and whether his husband accused of sexual misconduct had any influence on the Senate, made reference in her speech to “the coming months” and “the awesome challenges ahead of us,” though it is not clear for how long she will helm the Senate.
She did not make direct reference to the quandary surrounding Rosenberg, though she did make an allusion to “challenges both internal and external” at the outset of her speech. Rosenberg was not present for Wednesday’s formal session.
Wednesday’s session marked the first time the full Senate has met since it gathered Dec. 4 to officially remove Rosenberg from the Senate presidency and install Chandler as a temporary leader. The last Senate session to feature meaningful legislative work was Nov. 15.
Despite having seven weeks off and despite Chandler’s recitation of priorities, the Senate did not return Wednesday with a packed legislative agenda. The branch met to hold a ceremonial swearing-in for Sen. Dean Tran, who was officially sworn into the Senate two weeks ago on Dec. 20. The only other business Wednesday was to pass routine local bills that are typically dispatched in lightly-attended informal sessions.