THE EVERETT ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, MARCH 20, 2020 Page 17 FROM A REPORT FROM THE ICONIC STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE: The coronavirus pandemic and the dramatic changes it is forcing on society have abruptly forced the state to reevaluate operations, which for decades have been largely based on faceto-face discussions, in-person meetings and hearings and public rallies and protests. Especially in a crisis, the business of running the government and delivering public services must go on, and the week ahead will begin to show how government functions — or fails to perform — in this unprecedented environment and state of emergency. In a matter of days, the public debate has shifted from solving transportation, housing and health care problems to topics like social distancing, quarantines, presumptive positive COVID-19 cases and community spread. For now, coronavirus is the new agenda. «It’s hard to believe and it’s certainly disappointing and upsetting, I think, for everybody,» Gov. Charlie Baker said Friday, announcing a ban on most gatherings of more than 250 people. «And this does represent a signifi cant change in daily life for the vast majority of people here in the commonwealth.» The quiet halls of government buildings and offices, empty campuses and the quiet skies and open roads belie the tumult the virus is actually causing. Impacts on the jobs, state revenues and family budgets, the tourism and higher education sectors, and high-stakes campaigns like the presidential race and the Joe Kennedy-Ed Markey U.S. Senate primary are only just beginning to come into focus.» WHAT IS MASSTERLIST? More than 21,500 people, from movers and shakers to political junkies and interested citizens, start their morning with a FREE COPY of MASSterList! MASSterList is a daily ensemble of news and commentary about the Legislature, Politics, Media and Judiciary of Massachusetts drawn from major news organizations as well as specialized publications selected by widely acclaimed and highly experienced editor Jay Fitzgerald. Jay introduces each article in his own clever and never-boring inimitable way. MASSterlist will be emailed to you FREE every Monday through Friday morning and will give you a leg up on what’s happening on Beacon Hill, in the blood sport of Bay State politics, in newsrooms across the state and the nation, and in the state’s court system. For more information and to get your free subscription go to: www.massterlist.com/subscribe THE HOUSE AND SENATE. Beacon Hill Roll Call records votes of local representatives from recent debate on transportation funding. There were no roll calls in the House Senate last week. TAX ON ROLLING STOCK (H 4508) House 13-141, rejected an amendment that would strike a section of the bill that would exempt from the current sales and use tax “rolling stock” which includes trucks, tractors and trailers used by common carriers to transport goods in interstate commerce. These vehicles were exempt from these taxes until 1996 when the Legislature removed the exemption and started taxing them again. Rep. Tami Gouveia (D-Acton), the sponsor of the amendment, did not respond to repeated attempts by Beacon Hill Roll Call asking her to explain why she proposed keeping the tax on rolling stock. “The repeal of the rolling stock exemption in 1996 created negative repercussions for the interstate trucking industry that are still being felt today,” said Rep. Brad Jones (R-North Reading) who favors the tax exemption. “Changing these tax policies will allow Massachusetts to attract and retain a signifi cant number of good-paying jobs in this industry while encouraging more interstate trade by local companies. An exemption would also provide important environmental benefi ts by encouraging companies to invest in cleaner vehicles with more fuel effi ciency and higher emissions standards, resulting in improved air quality throughout the commonwealth.” (The roll call is on “striking the tax exemption.” Therefore a “Yes” vote is for the sales and use tax on rolling stock. A “No” vote is against the tax.) Rep. Joseph McGonagle No STUDY RAISED PLATFORMS ON THE T (H 4506) House 148-5 approved an amendment directing the MBTA to conduct a fi nancial impact study by December 31, 2020 on the feasibility of all platforms on commuter rail stops converting to fully raised platforms with handicap access at every train door. Amendment supporters said this no-cost study is important to show that the T should provide handicapped accessibility on all doors for all passengers. They noted that with a raised platform, people do not stop and wait to climb stairs and argued that according to the T, it will save roughly 1.5 minutes to two minutes per stop. They said that millions of riders who would save this time would instead use the time for working and helping earn more for the economy or be at home having a higher quality of life. Some opponents of the amendment said they support the full platforms. “I didn’t think we needed to study the idea, I think we should have moved forward with changes,” said Rep. Marc Lombardo (R-Billerica) one of only five members to vote against the study. (A “Yes” vote is for the study. A “No” vote is against it.) Rep. Joseph McGonagle Yes MEET BEYOND 9 P.M. House 125-26, approved, at 8:59 p.m. a motion to suspend rules to allow the House session to continue beyond 9 p.m. Under House rules, the House cannot meet after 9 p.m. unless the rule is suspended. The session lasted another two hours and was adjourned at 11 p.m. Supporters of rule suspension said that the House has important business to fi nish and should stay in session to work on it. Opponents of rule suspension said it is irresponsible for the House to debate and vote late at night when taxpayers are asleep. (A “Yes” vote is for meeting beyond 9 p.m. A “No” vote is against it.) Rep. Joseph McGonagle Yes HOW LONG WAS LAST WEEK’S SESSION? Beacon Hill Roll Call tracks the length of time that the House and Senate were in session each week. Many legislators say that legislative sessions are only one aspect of the Legislature’s job and that a lot of important work is done outside of the House and Senate chambers. They note that their jobs also involve committee work, research, constituent work and other matters that are important to their districts. Critics say that the Legislature does not meet regularly or long enough to debate and vote in public view on the thousands of pieces of legislation that have been fi led. They note that the infrequency and brief length of sessions are misguided and lead to irresponsible late-night sessions and a mad rush to act on dozens of bills in the days immediately preceding the end of an annual session. During the week of March 9-13, the House met for a total of fi ve hours and 31 minutes while the Senate met for a total of fi ve hours and eight minutes. Mon. March 9 House 11:05 a.m. to 11:27 a.m. Senate 11:14 a.m. to 11:28 a.m. Tues. March 10 No House session No Senate session Wed. March 11 No House session No Senate session Thurs. March 12 House 11:00 a.m. to 4:09 p.m. Senate 11:11 a.m. to 4:05 p.m. Fri. March 13 No House session No Senate session Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com
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