There were no roll calls in the House or Senate last week. This week, Beacon Hill Roll Call reviews five of the key votes from the 2021-2022 session dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
The House, 157 to 0, and the Senate, 40 to 0, approved a bill that would provide qualified workers with up to five days of paid leave for COVID-19-related emergencies including workers who are sick with the virus, under a quarantine order, recovering from receiving a vaccine or caring for a sick family member.
The measure is also designed to relieve employers from expensive unexpected unemployment system costs. Many businesses were shocked when they saw their first-quarter unemployment contribution bills and found the solvency assessment rate had jumped from 0.58% in 2020 to 9.23% in 2021, raising costs in many cases by hundreds or thousands of dollars. Under the proposal, the state would shift all COVID-19-related unemployment claims from the solvency fund into a new COVID claims fund and the solvency fund would revert to its original function.
“For us to fully recover from the pandemic, all Massachusetts workers need access to emergency paid sick time if they are sick with COVID-19, quarantined or need to care for a sick family member,” said Deb Fastino, executive director of the Coalition for Social Justice. “Many essential frontline workers need paid sick time so they can recover from the side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine.”
“Massachusetts workers and businesses share the same goal of restoring jobs lost during the COVID pandemic and getting back to work,” said Steve Tolman, president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO. “By spreading this year’s solvency assessment over the next two decades using already authorized borrowing, the House took the necessary step at this time to enable that continued economic recovery. Moving forward, it is critical that we take a hard look at the way we fund our unemployment insurance system to ensure that costs are fairly spread out across businesses; that we build substantial reserves during good economic times in order to weather the bad without relying on costly borrowing; and that workers can continue to count on unemployment benefits as an economic lifeline to provide for their families and boost the Massachusetts economy.”
A “Yes” vote is for the bill.
Rep. Natalie Blais — Yes
Rep. Paul Mark — Yes
Rep. Susannah Whipps — Present
Sen. Joanne Comerford — Yes
Sen. Anne Gobi — Yes
The House, 132 to 27, and the Senate, 37 to 3, overrode Gov. Charlie Baker’s veto of a section that authorizes the commissioner of corrections, if it can be done safely, to release, transition to home confinement or furlough prisoners with prioritization given to populations that are most vulnerable to serious medical outcomes from COVID-19. Another provision authorizes the Disability Law Center to monitor the continuity of care for Bridgewater State Hospital patients who are discharged to county correctional facilities or department of mental health facilities.
In his veto message, the governor said that he struck the section because it is not consistent with his original budget proposal.
Override supporters said the veto would eliminate important measures to ensure the state’s correctional facilities remain safe and healthy environments for all prisoners and staff.
A “Yes” vote is for the section authorizing the release and furlough of prisoners and allowing the Disability Law Center to monitor the care of prisoners transferred from Bridgewater State Hospital.
Rep. Natalie Blais — Yes
Rep. Paul Mark — Yes
Rep. Susannah Whipps — Yes
Sen. Joanne Comerford — Yes
Sen. Anne Gobi — Yes
The House, 0 to 158, and the Senate on a voice vote without a roll call, rejected Gov. Baker’s amendment that would exclude municipal employees from the emergency COVID-19 paid leave program.
The Baker-Polito administration has defended the exclusion of municipal workers, arguing that they already have strong leave protections in place and that many municipalities can access federal funds to implement their own leave programs that could align with state and federal leave guarantees.
Rep. Josh Cutler, D-Pembroke, House chair of the Committee on Labor and Workforce Development disagreed with Baker.
“As the speaker has made clear, the House stands firm in supporting COVID emergency paid leave for all Massachusetts workers,” Cutler said. “That includes our municipal employees, the teachers, police officers, firefighters, health agents, janitors, veterans’ agents and many others who have been essential to our state’s COVID-19 response. Further, our actions today to address unemployment solvency account rates will help stem rising costs for employers and small businesses.”
House GOP Minority Leader Brad Jones, R-North Reading, also disagreed with Baker, a fellow Republican.
“Having access to emergency paid sick leave is essential to workers who are recovering from the coronavirus, caring for a family member or trying to schedule their vaccination,” Jones said. “Municipal employees — including essential frontline workers like police and firefighters — have also faced numerous challenges created by the COVID-19 global pandemic, and the House’s vote will ensure that they are also entitled to the same paid sick leave benefits as other non-municipal workers.”
A “No” vote is against the amendment and favors including municipal employees.
Rep. Natalie Blais — No
Rep. Paul Mark — No
Rep. Susannah Whipps — Present
The House, 150 to 10, and the Senate on a voice vote without a roll call, approved legislation that would extend many of the measures instituted in Massachusetts during the COVID-19 state of emergency that expired when the original emergency declaration ended.
Provisions include allowing public bodies subject to the Open Meeting Law to continue to hold remote meetings; allowing cities and towns to approve and extend permits for outdoor dining; allowing restaurants to offer alcoholic beverages, including mixed drinks, for off-site consumption with the purchase of food; and extending several protections that have been granted to tenants who have difficulty paying rent.
Other provisions include reinstating the remote option for representative Town Meetings and meetings of nonprofits and public corporations; notary services; reverse-mortgage loan counseling; and flexibility for assisted living residences.
Supporters said that these provisions have been helpful to businesses, municipalities, health care providers, residents and communities during this extraordinary time.
Opponents said the measure limits homeowners’ rights to eject a nonpaying renter and puts many in a terrible financial bind as they still have to pay taxes, insurance, mortgage and upkeep of the building. They said they do not believe it is fair or constitutional that the government has the ability to seize private property — which is basically what is happening.
A “Yes” vote is for the bill.
Rep. Natalie Blais — Yes
Rep. Paul Mark — Yes
Rep. Susannah Whipps — Yes
The House, 156 to 0, and the Senate on a voice vote without a roll call, approved a $1.6 billion supplemental budget that contains $700 million for COVID-19 related expenses including $432 million for COVID-19 testing, $72 million for treatments, $45 million for expanded vaccination access and $25 million for personal protective equipment.
Other provisions include $140 million for grants to special education schools to address the impacts of COVID-19 and subsequent variants; $100 million for cities and towns for roads; $100 million for rental assistance for families in need; and extending eviction protections for tenants who have active assistance applications.
The package also extends outdoor dining at restaurants from April 1, 2022 to April 1, 2023 and the law allowing restaurants to sell beer, wine and cocktails with takeout orders from May 1, 2022 to April 1, 2023.
Supporters said the package is a fiscally responsible one that will fund important programs, benefit many residents and help Massachusetts prepare for the future.
A “Yes” vote is for the $1.6 billion package.
Rep. Natalie Blais — Yes
Rep. Paul Mark — Yes
Rep. Susannah Whipps — Yes
Secretary of State William Galvin signed the final certification of the new constitutional amendment, approved by voters as Question 1 in November. The amendment would allow a graduated income tax in Massachusetts and impose an additional 4% income tax, in addition to the current flat 5% one, on taxpayers’ earnings of more than $1 million annually. Language in the change requires that “subject to appropriation, the revenue will go to fund quality public education, affordable public colleges and universities, and for the repair and maintenance of roads, bridges and public transportation.”
Galvin also certified Question 2, which voters handily approved on the November ballot. The new law regulates dental insurance rates, requiring companies to spend at least 83% of premiums on member dental expenses and quality improvements, instead of administrative expenses.
The House gave initial approval to a bill that would call for renowned Cape Cod artist and sculptor David Lewis to construct, at no expense to the state, a memorial display in the likeness of Mercy Otis Warren, an important and underrepresented historical woman of the American Revolution from Barnstable. The bust would be displayed in the Massachusetts Statehouse.
“Mercy Otis Warren was a leading writer and patriot in colonial Massachusetts,” said co-sponsor Rep. Kip Diggs, D-Barnstable. “Yet, she remains a little-known figure to the public. I sponsored this legislation because what better way to educate the public about this Cape Cod woman and her remarkable influence on Massachusetts and American history than to place a memorial of her, created pro bono by an artist from her hometown, within the Statehouse for visitors to see and learn about? I am very glad to see the House agree by advancing this legislation to honor the contributions of Mercy Otis Warren.”
“I am very glad to see this legislation advance in the House,” said co-sponsor Sen. Julian Cyr, D-Truro. “Art is powerful, and people across the commonwealth should see art that reflects the impactful contributions that women have made to this state and the nation from its very beginning. Mercy Otis Warren is a notable historical figure hailing from West Barnstable who pushed social norms as a poet and playwright during the American Revolution. Installing a bust of the writer in the Statehouse celebrates the legacy she left us.”
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission voted unanimously to award Everett’s casino, Encore Boston Harbor, the first sports wagering operator license in the state’s history. Next on the agenda is that the Everett casino now must obtain a certificate of operations and meet additional conditions before bets can actually be accepted.
“I think that this is great for the commonwealth,” said Gaming Commissioner Jordan Maynard. The commission deferred its vote on the applications from Plainridge Park Casino in Plainville and Springfield’s MGM.
Gov. Baker had signed the law after a four-year effort by proponents to legalize betting on professional and college sports for Massachusetts residents over 21 years old at the state’s casinos, slots parlors, simulcast centers and through mobile platforms. Betting on Massachusetts colleges and universities would not be allowed unless the school is playing in a tournament like March Madness.