Beacon Hill Roll Call records local representatives’ votes on roll calls from recent sessions.
$3.65 billion to modernize public colleges and universities (H 4750)
The House, 146-5, approved and sent to the Senate a bill that funds the modernization of Bay State public colleges and universities by using the revenue from the 2022 voter-approved law, known as the Millionaire’s Tax, that imposes an additional 4 percent income tax, in addition to the current flat 5 percent one, on taxpayers’ earnings of more than $1 million annually.
Provisions include $1.25 billion for the UMass system; $1.25 billion for nine state university campuses and 15 community college campuses; $275 million for upgrades to MassArt; $100 million for the transition of campus facilities and property into housing and mixed-use developments; $80 million for costs associated with decarbonization and energy efficiency; $120 million for lab modernization, projects at community colleges to support collaboration with vocational technical schools and projects related to student health and well-being; $50 million for a grant program for general improvements and climate-related upgrade; $20 million for enhancing remote or hybrid learning; and $100 million for a grant program for improvements to upgrade and expand career technical education and training programs.
“The [bill] will ensure that students across the state learn and train in modern, high-quality campus facilities, while strengthening Massachusetts’ competitiveness in research and innovation,” said House Speaker Ron Mariano (D-Quincy). “Building on the commonwealth’s increases in student financial aid, and on our commitment to making higher education more accessible and affordable, especially for low-income students, Massachusetts is undertaking a generational reinvestment in educating our residents and strengthening our higher education system.”
“The [bill] will help usher in a new era for public higher education in Massachusetts,” said Rep. Dave Rogers (D-Cambridge), House Chair of the Committee on Higher Education. “The House has created free community college, exponentially increased financial aid and now [this bill] invests nearly $3.65 billion in public higher education campuses statewide. This new investment will: address essential campus infrastructure needs, develop modern learning spaces and decrease reliance on fossil fuels.”
“The [bill] will modernize every public higher education campus in Massachusetts,” said Rep. Mike Finn (D-West Springfield), House Chair of the Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets. “This investment will spur economic development creating good-paying jobs, and deliver cleaner, state-of-the-art facilities that will prepare our students to lead in a competitive, sustainable future.”
None of the five representatives who voted against the bill responded to repeated requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call asking them why they voted against it. Those five representatives are Reps. Nicholas Boldyga (R-Southwick), John Gaskey (R-Carver), Marc Lombardo (R-Billerica), Alyson Sullivan-Almeida (R-Abington) and Kenneth Sweezey (R-Hanson).
“While it’s very important to have high quality public colleges, not everyone goes to college,” said Paul Craney, executive director of the Mass Fiscal Alliance. “These funds could have been used for expenditures that impact more people, like repairing and maintaining our roads and bridges or as local aide to offset costs in local municipal public education.”
A Yes” vote is for the $3.65 billion bill.
- Rep. Natalie Blais — Yes
- Rep. Aaron Saunders — Yes
- Rep. Susannah Whipps — Yes
Workplace violence in health care facilities (H 4767)
The House, 153-0, approved and sent to the Senate a bill that supporters said would strengthen protections for health care workers, establish preventive and protective standards to reduce the risk of violence, improve health care facility incident reporting, enhance interagency coordination to safeguard privacy and create legal protections for certain employees harmed in the line of duty.
Another key section would establish that employees, directly employed by a health care employer, who suffer workplace violence resulting in bodily injury or serious bodily injury are entitled to paid leave without using any vacation, sick or personal time.
Supporters said that every 38 minutes in Massachusetts health care facilities, someone, most often a clinician or an employee, is physically assaulted, endures verbal abuse or is threatened — most often in emergency rooms, inpatient units and psychiatric units, according to the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association.
“Every day, health care workers face an imminent risk of workplace violence,” said Rep. John Lawn (D-Watertown), lead sponsor of the bill and House Chair of the Committee on Health Care Financing. “This bill takes decisive action to ensure our laws reflect our values and deliver real protections for those who protect us.”
“Every day frontline health care workers are asked to do their jobs under the threat of violence,” said Rep. Dan Cahill (D-Lynn), House Chair of the Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security. “This bill makes it clear that protecting our health care workers is a matter of public safety and an urgent responsibility. By requiring health care employers to assess risks, train staff, report incidents and respond to violence with real accountability, we are taking long overdue steps to ensure that no worker stands alone in harm’s way.”
A “Yes” vote is for the bill.
- Rep. Natalie Blais — Yes
- Rep. Aaron Saunders — Yes
- Rep. Susannah Whipps — Yes
Also up on Beacon Hill
$2.3 billion supplemental budget (H 4761)
Gov. Maura Healey signed into law a $2.3 billion fiscal year 2025 budget to close out the books on fiscal year 2025.
Provisions include $1.67 billion for MassHealth, with a $303 million net cost to the state after federal reimbursements; $374 million for Steward hospital payments, with a $236 million net cost to the state; $10 million for Health Care For All to conduct a public awareness campaign to inform vulnerable populations about new Medicaid work requirements put in place by the recent federal spending bill; $5 million in for reproductive health care; $2.5 million for the Committee for Public Counsel Services for indigent persons; $60.7 million for snow and ice removal; and $50 million for the Housing Preservation and Stabilization Trust Fund.
Other provisions require an investigation into sheriffs’ fiscal year 2025 spending deficits; create a new Sports and Entertainment Fund initially provided with $10 million to support transportation, public safety and other costs related to Massachusetts’ seven 2026 FIFA World Cup matches; criminalize the impersonation of a federal officer and increase penalties for impersonating a public official, including a federal officer; protect unpaid federal employees from residential eviction or foreclosure during and immediately after any federal shutdown; and remove the automatic requirement of a public notice for name-change petitions filed in court.
“This budget represents our commitment to delivering for people on what matters in their lives,” said Gov. Healey. “It will make things more affordable, promote vaccine and health care access for our kids and families in the face of attacks from the federal government and protect public safety in our communities. While President Trump is increasing costs and cutting funding from states, this budget is balanced and protects taxpayer dollars.”
“With the next fiscal year well underway, it is critical that we close the books on fiscal year 2025 with a balanced budget that delivers for Massachusetts communities,” said Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll. “This bill reflects our commitment to responsibly managing state spending and stretching every dollar in service of Massachusetts residents.”
“The governor and Legislature put the finishing touches on a supplemental budget that was full of gravy for their pet projects, and not prioritizing the taxpayers of the commonwealth,” said Paul Craney, executive director of the Mass Fiscal Alliance which opposed the budget. “If you can imagine a Thanksgiving feast, the taxpayers were on the table and not at the table. Our hard-earned money was being carved up for misguided priorities. Spending billions of dollars on items that do not grow jobs, reduce energy costs or make our state more economically competitive is utterly foolish but that’s what this supplemental budget represents.”
None of the nine representatives who voted against the budget when it was approved by the Legislature responded to repeated requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call asking them why they voted against it. Those nine representatives are Reps. Donald Berthiaume (R-Spencer), Nicholas Boldyga (R-Southwick), Colleen Garry (D-Dracut), John Gaskey (R-Carver), Marc Lombardo (R-Billerica), Joseph McKenna (R-Sutton), Alyson Sullivan-Almeida (R-Abington), Kenneth Sweezey (R-Hanson) and Justin Thurber (R-Somerset).
Protect public transit workers from assault and battery (S 2697)
The House and Senate approved and sent to Gov. Healey legislation that would expand the current law which punishes anyone who commits assault and battery against a public employee including police officers, firefighters and emergency medical personnel. The bill ensures that all transit workers are covered, including those who are not directly employed by the state, such as workers employed by Keolis, the state’s contracted commuter rail operator. The bill would also add “assault and battery by means of a bodily substance including saliva, blood or urine” to the current law.
“Transit workers are among the most essential employees of our commonwealth, carrying out the steady and often unseen work that allows tens of thousands of people to travel safely and reliably each day,” said Senate sponsor Sen. Nick Collins (D-South Boston). “Their commitment keeps our cities moving, even under challenging and unpredictable circumstances. When the rights and safety of these workers are impinged upon, it is an affront to the invaluable service they provide and the trust the public places in them.”
Collins continued, “We must remain vigilant in safeguarding their wellbeing as they encounter nearly every facet of public life in this line of work. With the passage of this legislation, strengthening protections and expanding the definition of what constitutes an assault against a transit worker, we are sending a clear message that we do not take their hard work for granted and that we stand firmly behind those who keep our commonwealth connected.”
“Our transit workers provide critical services all over the commonwealth, yet are many times assaulted by the very customers they serve,” said House sponsor Rep. Joe McGonagle (D-Everett). “I am so thrilled that both the House and Senate prioritized this important issue. The right to feel safe and supported on the job is just that, a right. I’m also extremely grateful to the brave men and women who came forward to share their stories. I look forward to Gov. Healey signing this bill swiftly.”
Okur-Chung Neurodevelopmental Syndrome Awareness Day (H 3366)
The House gave initial approval to legislation designating April 5 as Okur-Chung Neurodevelopmental Syndrome Awareness Day.
According to the National Library of Medicine, “Individuals with OCNDS frequently have nonspecific clinical features, delayed language development, motor delay, intellectual disability (typically in the mild-to-moderate range), generalized hypotonia starting in infancy, difficulty feeding and nonspecific dysmorphic facial features.
Lead sponsor Rep. Kristin Kassner (D-Hamilton) said that she filed this bill on behalf of her constituent Jillian Kavanagh, who brought OCNDS to her attention. Kassner said, “OCNDS is rare and difficult to diagnose, but if caught early, there are treatments that can lead to better outcomes. Our goal in filing this bill was to raise awareness of the syndrome, which can lead to earlier diagnoses that truly improve the quality of life for patients and their families.”
Prohibit discrimination based on a person’s height (H 1820)
The Judiciary Committee held a hearing on legislation that would provide increased protection from harassment and discrimination on the basis of height, by adding height as a protected characteristic across Massachusetts civil rights and hate-crime laws.
The measure also creates a new law that prohibits photographing or videotaping a person with a disability without the person’s consent. Anyone who conveys such a photograph or video by electronic communication or publishes the photograph in print for the sole purpose of harassing or annoying the person or the person’s family, would be subject to up to a 3-month prison sentence and/or a fine of up to $500.
Supporters said the bill would strengthen anti-discrimination statutes, enhance protections for students, update hate-crime definition and direct the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination to enforce these new safeguards. They argued that the proposal would ensure that individuals cannot be denied opportunities, treated unfairly or subjected to bias-motivated harassment simply because of their height.
“Everyone deserves to live, work and learn in an environment free from discrimination,” said co-sponsor Rep. Angelo Puppolo (D-Springfield). “[The bill] takes a meaningful step toward ensuring that no one is targeted, bullied or denied opportunity because of their height. This bill is about fairness, dignity and strengthening Massachusetts’ commitment to equal treatment for all.”
Rep. Michael Kushmerek (D-Fitchburg), the co-sponsor of the bill, did not respond to repeated requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call asking him to comment on his bill.
Combat street takeovers (H 4736)
The Judiciary Committee’s hearing also included a measure that supporters say will protect the public from street takeovers by giving cities and towns the necessary tools to combat the Street Takeover Public Safety Crisis.
The bill would prohibit the reckless or negligent operation of a group of two or more vehicles in a public place or at a business or commercial property in a way that hinders the movement of other vehicles. Violators would be subject to up to a 2.5-year prison sentence and a fine of up to $2,000. The measure also imposes up to a 1-year prison sentence and/or up to a $500 fine on anyone who is convicted of disorderly conduct or disturbing the peace while wearing a mask.
Another provision would sharply distinguish street takeovers from traditional reckless operation of a vehicle; allow for the forfeiture of vehicles utilized in street takeovers; and provides municipalities with the funds received from the sale of the forfeited vehicles.
Supporters said they filed the bill in response to the rash of dangerous street takeover events across the state, resulting in several arrests, injuries and damaged property including a Boston Police vehicle which was burned while officers were responding to a recent street takeover incident.
Sponsor Rep. Christopher Markey (D-Dartmouth) said he is deeply concerned by the danger that recent street takeover incidents represent to public safety. “We have already seen multiple instances where property was damaged, law enforcement was assaulted and bystanders were injured,” said Markey. “This legislation takes an important step by giving law enforcement and municipalities the necessary tools to combat the crisis.”
State sedimentary structure (H 3438)
The House gave initial approval to a bill that would designate the Jurassic Armored Mud Ball (JAMB) as the official sedimentary structure of the state.
Supporters said that these mud balls are one of the rarest sedimentary structures in the world, representing a unique geologic environment and are only easily seen in Massachusetts. They noted that they can be found in Greenfield, Turners Falls, Gill and Deerfield.
Richard Little, Professor Emeritus of Greenfield Community College is leading the fight to preserve and publicize the JAMB.
“The intriguing and amusingly named armored mud balls formed as mud rolled down flooding streams and became coated with pebbles – the armor,” said Little. “These sedimentary structures are so rare that, in the whole world, they are only easily seen in the red sedimentary rocks of the Connecticut River Valley of Massachusetts. Officially celebrating them as one of Massachusetts’ symbols, will preserve them for future generations. After all, they are in the same Jurassic rock layers as our State Dinosaur (Podokesaurus) and State Fossil (Dino Footprints). That is why I am leading a working group of scientists and citizens to preserve these rare features.”
Advocates also note that famous Greenfield native and magician, Penn Jillette of Penn and Teller once said, “I may live in Las Vegas and travel the world, but my armored mud balls will always be in Greenfield. Let’s protect them.”