The House and Senate continued to hold remote sessions with just a handful of members in the chambers to avoid spreading COVID-19. Most members watched and listened to the debates from their homes or business offices through their computers, and voted via phone.
Beacon Hill Roll Call records local representatives’ and senators’ votes on roll calls from the week of June 22 to June 26.
House, 158 to 0, approved and sent to the Senate a bill that would provide $1.1 billion to cover expenses related to responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Gov. Charlie Baker has urged the Legislature to get a spending bill to his desk because the state cannot be eligible for federal reimbursements for costs related to the virus until a package is approved by the Legislature and signed by the governor.
The package includes $350 million for personal protective equipment; $139 million in increased rates and add-ons for human service providers; $93 million for human service provider incentive pay; $85 million for field hospitals and shelters; $44 million for contact tracing efforts; and more funding for child care providers, food security programs, emergency housing and “a dedicated fund to address statewide efforts on racial disparities in COVID health care access.”
“Collectively, these pieces represent a broad range of items that will help a wide variety of people and organizations that have been disproportionately affected by the COVID-19 outbreak,” said House Ways and Means Chair Rep. Aaron Michlewitz, D-Boston. “As the federal government is inundated with reimbursement requests, it is vital that we maximize our options and take advantage of the FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) funds while we can. That is why it is so critical that we pass this today and get it closer to the governor’s desk, so that we do not fall far behind other states in the race for federal reimbursement.”
A “Yes” vote is for the bill.
Rep. Natalie Blais — Yes
Rep. Paul Mark — Yes
Rep. Susannah Whipps — Yes
House, 156 to 2, approved a “consolidated amendment” to the $1.1 billion COVID-19 bill. Members filed 130 amendments to the bill, but only one was voted on individually. Three amendments were withdrawn by their sponsors and the other 126 were rolled into this one large consolidated amendment. Most of the items in the consolidated amendment were earmarks for individual local cities and towns to cover expenses related to their response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“The funding allocated in the amendment will support schools, address food insecurity and emergency housing assistance, and provide essential public health resources, like personal protective equipment, to districts across the commonwealth — which are especially critical now during the COVID-19 crisis,” said Rep. Christine Barber, D-Somerville. “I am also happy to see needed funds dedicated to early education and care, which is a major cornerstone of our state’s reopening process.”
Reps. Marc Lombardo, R-Billerica, and Nicholas Boldyga, R-Southwick, were the only two members to vote against the amendment. Despite repeated attempts by Beacon Hill Roll Call, Lombardo and Boldyga did not respond when asked for the reasons they voted against the amendment.
A “Yes” vote is for the consolidated amendment.
Rep. Natalie Blais — Yes
Rep. Paul Mark — Yes
Rep. Susannah Whipps — Yes
House, 158 to 0, approved an amendment that would make Juneteenth Independence Day an official state holiday. Juneteenth, derived from the date June 19, marks the day — June 19, 1865 — that enslaved African-Americans in Texas finally received word from Union Army General Gordon Granger that they were free, more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation freeing all slaves. News of, and enforcement of, Lincoln’s proclamation relied on the advancement of union troops, which were slow to reach Texas, and enforcement had been slow and inconsistent prior to Granger’s announcement in Galveston, Texas.
“This a real important day,” said Rep. Bud Williams, D-Springfield, sponsor of the amendment. “We filed this in solidarity with (the) Black Lives Matter (movement). In terms of making this a state holiday, it will go a long way in bridging the racial gap between individuals. Certainly, we’ve tried this many, many times. And this is part of Black history. And you can’t talk about the American history without talking about Black history. And most individuals in the commonwealth have no idea what Black history is.”
“Juneteenth celebrates the breaking of the chains of enslavement of Black Americans,” said Rep. Nika Elugardo, D-Jamaica Plain. “It is fitting that this year as the House of Representatives takes on dismantling structural racism in the commonwealth’s institutions, we should vote to declare Juneteenth a state holiday. … Together, we are still breaking chains.”
“Juneteenth Independence Day … also serves as a reminder that we still have a long way to go to address slavery’s enduring legacy of racism and discrimination,” said House Republican Minority Leader Rep. Brad Jones, R-North Reading. “Although Juneteenth has been officially observed in Massachusetts since 2007 with the annual issuance of a proclamation by the governor, making it a full legal holiday is a way to further acknowledge the work that still needs to be done to ensure true equality for all Americans.”
A “Yes” vote is for the amendment.
Rep. Natalie Blais — Yes
Rep. Paul Mark — Yes
Rep. Susannah Whipps — Yes
Senate, 38 to 0, approved and sent to the House a bill that sponsors say will increase access to health care, protect patients and enhance quality care. The measure requires insurance carriers, including MassHealth, to cover telehealth services in any case where the same in-person service would be covered and requires reimbursement rates to match in-person services over the next two years. It also eliminates “surprise billing,” the much-criticized practice of charging unsuspecting patients who received health care services outside of their insurance plan’s network for costs that insurers refuse to pay.
Other provisions would allow registered nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists and psychiatric nurse mental health specialists who meet specific education and training standards to practice independently; recognize pharmacists as health care providers, enabling them to integrate more fully into coordinated care teams; and create a new professional license for “dental therapists,” who will be authorized to provide dental hygiene and other oral health services. Supporters note this will help expand access to dental care in underserved communities.
“The (bill) ensures that our health care system can continue to deliver quality, affordable and accessible care long after the COVID-19 state of emergency has ended,” said Sen. Cindy Friedman, D-Arlington, Senate chair of the Committee on Health Care Financing. “By increasing access to telehealth services, eliminating the unfair practice of surprise billing and expanding our health care workforce, we are taking important steps to protect patients and increase access to quality care for all.”
“It is vital that we deliver accessible and equitable health care to people across the commonwealth,” said Sen. Eric Lesser, D-Longmeadow. “The coronavirus pandemic has revealed inequities and inadequacies in our current health care system, and it is important that we continue to legislate comprehensive health care reforms to protect patients and providers in the face of these unprecedented challenges.”
Although no senators voted against the bill, some small businesses and health insurance companies have expressed some concerns that it goes too far.
“We believe requiring plans to pay telehealth at an in-person rate for two years is too long, and we recommend a shorter time frame for the sunset of payment parity such as 90 days after rescission of the governor’s executive order mandating telehealth,” said the leaders of Retailers Association of Massachusetts, Massachusetts Association of Health Plans and the state chapter of the National Federal of Independent Business.
They suggested that a transition period tied to the end of the COVID-19 pandemic would allow for payers and providers to negotiate appropriate reimbursement for certain health care services that may not represent a comprehensive in-person consultation between a member and a provider. They also argued that currently contracted rates between providers and insurers for telehealth services cannot be circumvented by statute.
A “Yes” vote is for the bill.
Sen. Joanne Comerford — Yes
Sen. Adam Hinds — Yes
Senate, 38 to 0, approved an amendment that would require the Health Policy Commission to report on the adverse effects suffered after the closure of any essential services at a hospital. The amendment would also require an examination of the efficacy of existing standards and requirements intended to maintain essential services.
“Unfortunately, my community and many others have had to face the realities of essential services being cut despite the Department of Public Health’s best efforts,” said the amendment’s sponsor Sen. Susan Moran, D-Falmouth. “This amendment will not only allow us to quantify the effect essential care closures have on the quality and availability of care to our constituents, but will also help determine how we can support Department of Public Health enforcement when these issues arise.”
A “Yes” vote is for the amendment.
Sen. Joanne Comerford — Yes
Sen. Adam Hinds — Yes
Gov. Baker announced that the annual sales tax-free weekend will take place the weekend of Aug. 29 to Aug. 30. In 2018, the Legislature approved, and Baker signed into law, legislation that made the tax-free weekend an annual event. Prior to that, the decision on whether to have the tax-free weekend was voted upon annually by the Legislature. The annual holiday allows consumers to buy most products that cost under $2,500 on those two days without paying the state’s 6.25 percent sales tax.
“The annual sales tax holiday is an opportunity for us to support small businesses and consumers, and this year, it’s a great way to support our economy that’s been impacted by COVID-19,” Baker said. “This pandemic has created enormous challenges for the commonwealth’s small businesses, and the sales tax-free weekend is one way that we can encourage more economic activity to help Main Street businesses and local economies.”
“Retailers have been hit especially hard by this pandemic,” said Paul Craney, executive director of the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance. “With any luck, the sales tax holiday will begin the healing process for them and start bringing back customers who have grown accustomed to traveling out of state to make their purchases. If we’re really serious about jumpstarting this sector of our economy, serious consideration should be given to expanding the sales tax holiday and extending it to meals as a boost for our struggling restaurants. Other states are serious about getting these sectors of their economies moving again; it’s time for Massachusetts to join them.”
Not everyone has favored the holiday over the years. Some opponents say the state cannot afford the up to $30 million estimated revenue loss and argue the holiday actually generates little additional revenue for stores because consumers typically buy the products even without the tax-free days. They say the Legislature should be looking at broader, deeper tax relief for individuals and businesses and not a tiny tax-free holiday. Others say that this tax holiday is unfair when the Legislature has never restored all the local aid, education and other important program cuts made over the past few years.
Gov. Baker released a 174-page report chronicling all the mistakes leading up to the recent deaths of at least 76 veterans with COVID-19 at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home. The independent investigation was conducted by attorney Mark Pearlstein.
Baker also filed legislation he said will address many of the problems that caused the disaster. Provisions include additional inspections; changes in the home’s oversight and leadership structure; $6 million to refresh the units and furnishings of the building to address priority infection control, resident safety needs and care; plans to hire a permanent occupational health nurse; and implementation of an electronic medical records system.
Pearlstein’s report faulted leadership at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home and within the Department of Veterans’ Services that oversees it. Francisco Urena, Baker’s veterans’ affairs secretary since 2015, resigned the night before the report was released. The State House News Service reports that Baker is also moving to fire Bennett Walsh, the home’s suspended superintendent who has balked at the administration’s portrayal of events. Walsh’s lawyer said he is reviewing legal options and that the report “contains many baseless accusations that are immaterial to the issues under consideration.”
“I called for an independent and thorough investigation into the tragic events that occurred at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home to get to the bottom of what happened and take immediate action,” Baker said. “This report lays out in heartbreaking detail the terrible failures that unfolded at the facility, and the tragic outcomes that followed. Our emergency response to the COVID-19 outbreak stabilized conditions for residents and staff, and we now have an accurate picture of what went wrong and will take immediate action to deliver the level of care that our veterans deserve.”
The House in March and the Senate in early June approved proposals that included $300 million in Chapter 90 funding for cities and towns for the maintenance, repair and improvement of local roads and bridges. The $300 million was $100 million more than the $200 million the state allocated last year.
The Senate version of the legislation also established a new seven-member MBTA board of directors to succeed the current Fiscal and Management Control Board. The MBTA board of directors would be responsible for governing and exercising the corporate powers of the MBTA. The Senate version differed from the House version, which does not create a new MBTA board but instead extends and expands the existing Fiscal and Management Control Board.
Last week, the House and Senate changed their minds and reached an agreement to reduce the road and bridge funding to $200 million and to keep the MBTA’s Fiscal and Management Control Board in place for another year.
“While I commit to my colleagues in this chamber to continue to work to ensure we’re spending appropriate amounts of money — and amounts of money we can spend without raising revenue — as I stated before, I think we can’t delay any longer,” said Senate Transportation Committee Chair Sen. Joe Boncore, D-Winthrop. “We’ve asked municipalities to put off contracts for too long. This is far later than we’ve ever done a Chapter 90 bond authorization since I’ve been the chairman.”