Charlemont and the county are getting a valuable civics lesson as the town’s proposed 3 percent tax on recreational activities wends its way through the Massachusetts legislature.
It all began with Charlemont voters who, in May 2016, voted to support a 3 percent tax on recreation activities that would be used to help pay for town services, such as the ambulance and police. These services are used by both residents and visitors who come to Charlemont by the thousands to ski, kayak, go rafting or ride zip lines offered by commercial recreational businesses, all of which support the tax.
Since Jan. 23, 2017, Bill H.2623 has undergone 15 separate actions as it bounces from reading to reading and from House to Senate.
Through it all, State Rep. Paul Mark (D-Peru), who represents Charlemont and is the bill’s sponsor, and, since last summer, state Sen. Adam Hinds (D-Pittsfield) have been working with the Department of Revenue and the Selectboard to enact this first-of-its-kind local recreation tax. Most recently, Hinds submitted an amendment prescribing how the tax would be collected and processed. This addressed previous qualms raised by the DOR regarding how the money would be collected.
Recorder headlines over the months tell the story: “Proposed Charlemont recreation tax gets House OK,” “Recreation tax dies in Senate,” “Proposed recreation tax gets House OK (again),” “Charlemont leaders have fingers crossed for Senate approval,” and on March 21, “Senate OKs Charlemont recreation tax.”
“We’re very excited about this,” said Charlemont Selectwoman Beth Bandy. “This is a great turn of events.”
However, as Babe Ruth put it, it’s not over until it’s over.
The action on March 21 by the Senate was “passed to be engrossed.”
According to the Massachusetts Bar Association, after a bill has been “passed to be engrossed” in each branch, it is sent to the Engrossing Division for engrossment. Engrossment is the printing of a bill on special parchment. Following engrossment, a bill is sent to the House of Representatives and the Senate for enactment, the last step in the legislative process before a bill is sent to the governor for signing. Usually, enactment is a formality, but sometimes a controversial bill will be debated and even rejected at this point.
“Today, we are one step closer to creating a new opportunity for a reliable revenue stream that will flow directly back to the people of Charlemont to help fund the services they rely on every day,” Mark said following the Senate’s OK.
It’s not time to break out the champagne, yet. Stay tuned for the final chapter in this textbook-worthy case study in Civics 101.