Beacon Hill Roll Call records local senators and representatives’ votes on roll calls from the week of July 23-27.
CREDIT REPORTS (H 4806) — House 152-0, Senate 38-0, approved and sent to Gov. Charlie Baker legislation that would prohibit consumer reporting agencies, like Equifax, Experian and TransUnion, from charging fees for freezing and unfreezing a person’s credit information. Under current law, companies can and have charged up to $5 per freeze or unfreeze.
A freeze makes the report inaccessible until the consumer unfreezes it. Since banks and other lenders require access to the borrower’s credit report before giving a loan, this greatly reduces identity thieves from getting a loan or credit in another individual’s name.
The proposal gained momentum following the 2017 crisis when, from May to July, the personal information including names, social security numbers, addresses, driver’s licenses and credit card numbers of 145 million Americans was stolen from Equifax’s systems. Equifax didn’t reveal the breach until September and consumers lost valuable time to act.
Other provisions of the bill prohibit businesses from obtaining a consumer’s credit report without obtaining written, verbal or electronic consent from the consumer; require credit monitoring services to be available for 3½ years for some consumers affected by a breach; and improve notices and consumer information the companies are required to give.
“This bill will offer all Massachusetts residents much needed, long-overdue, common sense consumer protection against identity theft and the sloppy dangerous practices by the big three credit reporting agencies,” said Deirdre Cummings, MASSPIRG’s legislative director.
(A “Yes” vote is for the bill.)
Rep. Stephen Kulik, Yes
Rep. Paul Mark, Yes
Rep. Susannah Whipps, Yes
Sen. Adam Hinds, Yes
SEXUAL MISCONDUCT SURVEY (H 4810) — House 150-0, approved and sent to the Senate a bill requiring all colleges and universities in the Bay State to biennially conduct a sexual misconduct climate survey of all students.
The survey would be anonymous and would include the number of reported incidents of sexual misconduct at the school; students’ awareness of institutional policies and procedures related to campus sexual assault; if a victim reported the sexual misconduct; and if a victim was informed or referred to local, state, on campus or other resources and victims’ access to support services including appropriate medical care, legal support and protection from retaliation.
Sexual misconduct is defined in the bill as incidents of sexual violence, dating violence, domestic violence, gender-based violence, violence based on sexual orientation or gender identity, sexual harassment and stalking.
“I am proud to have filed and championed this bill,” said Rep. Lori Ehrlich, D-Marblehead. “Every campus is different in regard to the prevalence and nature of sexual violence. But what is true of all of them is that all students deserve a safe place to learn, study and grow, as well as transparency from school administrations about sexual violence.”
(A “Yes” vote is for the bill.)
Rep. Stephen Kulik, Yes
Rep. Paul Mark, Yes
Rep. Susannah Whipps, Yes
SALES TAX HOLIDAY (H 4732) — Senate 31-6, approved an amendment allowing consumers to buy most products that cost under $2,500 on Saturday, Aug. 11, and Sunday, Aug. 12, without paying the state’s 6.25 percent sales tax.
Supporters of the bill said the holiday, which has been in effect for many years, would boost retail sales and noted that consumers would save millions of dollars. They argued that the state’s sales tax revenue loss would be offset by increased revenue from the meals and gas tax revenue generated by shoppers on those two days.
Some opponents of the bill said the state cannot afford the up to $30 million estimated revenue loss and argued the holiday actually generates little additional revenue for stores because consumers typically buy the products even without the tax-free days. They said that the Legislature should be looking at broader, deeper tax relief for individuals and businesses and not a tiny tax-free holiday. Others said that legislators should not vote for this tax holiday when they have not yet restored all the local aid, education and other important program cuts made over the past few years.
(A “Yes” vote is for the tax-free holiday.)
Sen. Adam Hinds, Yes
ALLOW NEIGHBORHOODS TO BAND TOGETHER AND FORM A DISTRICT (H 4546) — Senate 27-10, approved a local option amendment allowing a city or town to authorize the creation of community benefit districts which would allow owners of contiguous property in a city or town to form a district and require property owners in that district to pay for additional services, improvements, events and other projects and activities within the district. The districts would be operated by a nonprofit board.
Supporters say the required payment is an assessment fee. Opponents say it is a tax.
Andre Leroux, executive director of the MA Smart Growth Alliance, which supports the bill, said that assessment fees are not a tax. “They are established by local initiative through the development of a management plan, a petition signed by participants, after a public hearing, approval by the city council or board of selectmen, and under the control of a nonprofit management entity that allows broad community input and control. The fees are paid by property owners for services (benefits) that they receive and manage. Is a condo fee a tax? It’s the same principle on a district scale.”
“Condo fees are a voluntary imposition, part of a contract entered into only if one chooses,” said Citizens for Limited Taxation Executive Director Chip Ford who opposes the measure. “They are avoidable. Community Benefit District taxes will be imposed ex-post facto on an unwilling entity by a hungry majority of beneficiaries.”
“Activist organizations from left, right and middle have united in strong opposition to this power grab,” continued Ford. “It takes a political cataclysm to unite such diverse grassroots factions on anything, especially in today’s political climate. This is one of those rare moments in history. It’s clear this ‘Community Benefits District’ sham should be rejected by those who allege to represent their constituents.”
“Municipalities across the state do their best to create environments that spur economic growth, but they are often dealing with limited resources and capacities,” said the bill’s sponsor Sen. Brendan Crighton, D-Lynn. “Community Benefit Districts can help by offering a tool that brings all of the stakeholders together with the goal of making neighborhood improvements, creating jobs, and growing our local economies. These benefits could include improved walkability, lighting, cultural programs, branding, landscaping and support for local businesses.”
(A “Yes” vote is for the amendment.)
Sen. Adam Hinds, Yes
ADOPTION OF ANIMALS USED IN RESEARCH (S 2387) — Senate 38-0, approved and sent to the House a proposal that would require that animals used in research labs be allowed to be put up for adoption through animal rescue organizations, rather than being automatically euthanized.
“This is a commonsense bill that would simply ensure that dogs and cats no longer needed for research have the best chance for adoption,” said Kara Holmquist, director of advocacy for the MSPCA-Angell.
“Many animals provide life-saving treatments. It is only right that they should be given the opportunity to live out their lives in a loving home,” said Rep. Anne Gobi, D-Spencer, who as chair of the Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture drafted this version of the proposal.
(A “Yes” vote is for the bill.)
Sen. Adam Hinds, Yes
BREAKFAST AFTER THE BELL (S 2626) — Senate 37-0, approved and sent to the House a bill designed to boost participation rates in school breakfast programs in high-poverty schools.
The measure would require that the breakfast be offered only after the school day begins, through a variety of ways including breakfast in the classroom, grab-and-go and second-chance breakfast.
Supporters said that in most schools breakfast is currently offered in the cafeteria before the bell and the participation rate is less than 40 percent of eligible students because of the stigma attached to it. Many students assume that everyone who arrives to school early for the breakfast is from a poor family. The participation rate rises to up to 90 percent of eligible students participating in the lunch program later in the day. They said that moving breakfast from before the bell to after the bell is a proven way to increase breakfast participation.
“No child who shows up to school hungry can possibly be ready to learn,” said Sen. Sal DiDomenico, D-Everett, a sponsor of the original measure. “I have seen the success of breakfast after the bell in my own district, and I am confident that this legislation will help to ensure that every child in the commonwealth has access to a stigma-free and nutritious breakfast.”
“We have spent the last two years building a strong coalition of support, which includes school stakeholders, hunger advocates and legislators,” said Catherine Drennan, senior manager of public affairs at the Greater Boston Food Bank. “This is the moment we have been waiting for and we are looking forward to passing a bill that will assist with increasing access to school breakfast to over 150,000 low-income students across Massachusetts.”
“By providing breakfast in the classroom and after the bell, we have seen dramatic increases in breakfast served and eaten by children,” said Rep. Aaron Vega, D-Holyoke. “Additionally, we have seen (in Holyoke) decreased numbers in school nurse visits, confrontations in the classroom and an increase in ontime attendance.”
(A “Yes” vote is for the bill.)
Sen. Adam Hinds, Yes