Beacon Hill Roll Call records the votes of local senators from a recent Senate debate on the Student Opportunity Act that invests $1.5 billion, mostly in the form of Chapter 70 aid for local school districts, in the state’s public kindergarten through 12th-grade education system over the next seven years. There were no roll calls in the House or Senate last week.
Senate 38 to 0, approved an amendment raising from $602 million to $800 million the annual funding cap that the Massachusetts School Building Authority (MSBA) is allowed to spend on school building and renovation projects. The quasi-independent government authority’s job is to fund capital improvement projects in public schools across the state. According to its website, “The MSBA strives to work with local communities to create affordable, sustainable and energy-efficient schools across Massachusetts.”
“We can’t expect our students to succeed in the 21st century when they’re attending schools built to serve students in the 1950s, which is why it’s crucial that we give the hardworking staff at the MSBA the resources they need to evaluate and finance more projects,” said the amendment sponsor Sen. Barry Finegold, D-Andover. “The increase to the cap will allow the MSBA to spread more dollars across the commonwealth and address the demand for potential projects. With a potential downturn in the economy on the horizon, we need to authorize these projects now so that we create jobs and get these projects off the ground while we are able to do so.”
A “Yes” vote is for the amendment.
Sen. Joanne Comerford — Yes
Sen. Adam Hinds — Yes
Senate 38 to 0, approved an amendment to study reimbursements to school districts for regional school transportation, homeless children and special education costs.
Amendment supporters said this is a step in the right direction to correct some of the inequities in the Chapter 70 formula, which is used to distribute school funds to each city and town.
“School funding under Chapter 70 has been underfunded for two years,” said amendment co-sponsor Sen. Dean Tran, R-Fitchburg. “I am very happy to see that many of the districts across the commonwealth are now adequately funded. We should continue to work toward growing our economy in order to support the revenue that is necessary to fund our schools, and in support of this bill going forward.”
A “Yes” vote is for the amendment.
Sen. Joanne Comerford — Yes
Sen. Adam Hinds — Yes
Senate 38 to 0, approved an amendment creating a special commission to study and make recommendations concerning the long-term fiscal health of rural school districts that are facing or may face declining student enrollment.
According to the bill, the commission will study long-term economic, demographic and student enrollment trends and projections in communities that are rural or experiencing population decline; long-term fiscal trends in school districts experiencing declining student enrollment; an analysis of the fiscal health of regional school districts; the impact of regionalization on each contributing municipality, especially in low-income and middle-income areas; and the best policies and practices in other states.
Amendment supporters said many rural districts are losing enrollment and they face additional challenges in the coming years.
“This commission will be a robust effort to look at real challenges the school districts in my region are facing, due to low or declining student enrollment and other rural challenges,” said the amendment’s sponsor Sen. Adam Hinds, D-Pittsfield. “This will not be a report that sits on a shelf and collects dust. I know I intend to use it to continue my advocacy for rural schools and the students, families and communities they serve.”
A “Yes” vote is for the amendment.
Sen. Joanne Comerford — Yes
Sen. Adam Hinds — Yes
The Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee held a hearing on several consumer bills including:
No robocalls to cellphones (H 352) — Prohibits robocalls to cellphones and other mobile electronic devices. The measure exempts messages from school districts to students, parents or employees; from companies advising employees of work schedules; from correctional facilities advising victims of the release of an offender; from municipal and state government; from public utilities; and from persons concerning the care, services or supplies related to the health of an individual.
The proposal would fine companies up to $10,000 if they make an illegal robocall and allow an individual who is called more than once in a year to sue a company for damages. The House gave initial approval to the bill in the 2017 to 2018 session, but it died when the session ended.
Stop ‘junk mail’ (H 333) — Gives consumers the right to opt-out of receiving unsolicited ads and promotions sent via the post office, including letters, catalogs, postcards, newsletters and brochures. The measure requires all direct mail companies to include a valid return mailing address, email address or phone number clearly and consciously displayed so that the recipient can contact the company and request that it cease sending junk mail. Companies that violate the proposed law would be fined up to $1,500.
Allow businesses to opt into ‘do not call’ list (H 221) — Restricts telemarketing companies doing business in the state by allowing businesses to sign up for a “Do Not Call” list and fining companies up to $5,000 if they call a business on the list. Current law only allows individual consumers to sign up for the list.
Under the bill, all current laws that now apply to individuals would also apply to businesses including allowing an individual on the list to sue a company for up to $5,000 if the company violates the law and calls the individual more than once a year; preventing companies from blocking their number from appearing on any business’ Caller ID; prohibiting companies from using recorded message devices to make these calls; and restricting these calls to between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
Cap salary of nonprofit CEOs (H 3708) — Caps the compensation of CEOs and other executives of nonprofit social service agencies that receive at least 30 percent of their annual budget from state funding. The measure would cap the compensation of CEOs on a sliding scale ranging from a limit of $49,719 for any agency with a budget less than $250,000 to $213,165 for one with a budget exceeding $25 million. Compensation includes salary, bonus and incentive pay, deferred compensation and nontaxable level benefits.
Annual pay hikes would be limited to an amount equal to the annual percent change in the consumer price index for all urban consumers for the Boston metropolitan area as determined by the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the United States Department of Labor.
A nonprofit corporation or public charity that violates this section would lose its status as a nonprofit or charity.
Cellphone warning
(S 130) — Requires all mobile telephones sold or leased in Massachusetts to clearly and conspicuously disclose the following on the product’s packaging: “To assure safety, the federal government requires that cellphones meet radiofrequency (RF) exposure guidelines. If you carry or use your phone in a pocket or the phone is otherwise in contact with your body when the phone is on and connected to a wireless network, you may exceed the federal guidelines for exposure to RF radiation. Refer to the instructions in your phone or user manual for information about how to use your phone safely.”