13

THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, May 23, 2025 Page 13 Beacon Hill Roll Call By Bob Katzen GET A FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO MASSTERLIST – Join more than 30,000 people, from movers and shakers to political junkies and interested citizens, who start their weekday morning with MASSterList—the popular newsletter that chronicles news and informed analysis about what’s going on up on Beacon Hill, in Massachusetts politics, policy, media and influence. The stories are drawn from major news organizations as well as specialized publications. MASSterList will be e-mailed to you FREE every Monday through Saturday morning and will give you a leg up on what’s happening in the blood sport of Bay State politics. For more information and to get your free subscription, go to: www.massterlist.com THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call records local representatives' votes on roll calls from recent House sessions debating the $61.47 billion fiscal year 2026 House version of the state budget. There were no roll calls in the House or Senate last week. CONSOLIDATED HOUSING, JUDICIARY AND PUBLIC SAETY AMENDMENT (H 4000) House 154-2, approved a consolidated amendment adding $10.5 million in funding to Housing, Judiciary and Public Safety programs in the $61.47 billion fiscal year 2026 state budget. Much of the funding was for projects and programs proposed by individual representatives for their local districts. “This amendment underscores our values by investing in a wide range of housing line items that will help keep our residents housed, support our public housing authorities and provide tools to help residents during transitional times,” said Rep. Richard Haggerty (D-Woburn), House chair of the Housing Committee. “Housing is a huge component to our state’s longterm economic success and making sure people have a safe, affordable place to live is critically important.” Reps. Marc Lombardo (R-Billerica) and Nick Boldyga (R-Southwick), the only two members to vote against the amendment, did not respond to repeated requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call asking them why they opposed the amendment. (A “Yes” vote is for the amendment. A “No” vote is against it.) Rep. Paul Donato Yes Rep. Steven Ultrino Yes CONSOLIDATED ENERGY, ENVIRONMENTAL AND FOOD ASSISTANCE AMENDMENT (H 4000) House 154-3, approved a consolidated amendment adding $5.8 million in funding to Energy, Environmental and Food Assistance programs in the $61.47 billion fiscal year 2026 state budget. Much of the funding was for projects and programs proposed by individual representatives for their local districts. “[The amendment] makes important investments in the environment, including over $85 million for the Department of Environment Protection and over $160 million for the Department of Conservation and Recreation to support clean water and our parks and natural resources,” said amendment sponsor Rep. Christine Barber (D-Somerville), House chair of the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources. “Funding for the Department of Energy Resources builds in a new line item to directly support the objectives of the Climate Bill without adding to assessments that are passed on to the residents of the commonwealth.” Barber continued, “There are also significant investments in addressing food insecurity in the commonwealth - funding for Emergency Food Assistance is increased by $13 million to bring this line item to $55 million. In a time when the federal government is actively rolling back protections and damaging the environment, these financial investments continue to protect the commonwealth’s invaluable natural resources, coastlines and waterways, open spaces, wildlife and recreation areas and extend our imperative to address the urgency of climate change.” Reps. Marc Lombardo (R-Billerica), Nick Boldyga (R-Southwick) and John Gaskey (R-Carver), the only three members to vote against the amendment, did not respond to repeated requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call asking them why they opposed the amendment. (A “Yes” vote is for the amendment. A “No” vote is against it.) Rep. Paul Donato Yes Rep. Steven Ultrino Yes CONSOLIDATED LABOR AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AMENDMENT (H 4000) House 154-3, approved a consolidated amendment adding $25 million in funding to Labor and Economic Development programs in the $61.47 billion fiscal year 2026 state budget. Much of the funding was for projects and programs proposed by individual representatives for their local districts. "The amendment demonstrates the commitment the House has in investing in local economic development projects and supports the many amazing programs in our communities,” said Rep. Carole Fiola (D-Fall River), House chair of the Economic Development and Emerging Technologies Committee. “Along with the rest of the budget, these investments make a big impact for our constituents." Reps. Marc Lombardo (R-Billerica), Nick Boldyga (R-Southwick and John Gaskey (R-Carver) the only three members to vote against the amendment, did not respond to repeated requests by Beacon Hill Roll Call asking them why they opposed the amendment. (A “Yes” vote is for the amendment. A “No” vote is against it.) Rep. Paul Donato Yes Rep. Steven Ultrino Yes ALSO UP ON BEACON HILL DURING THE RECENT BUDGET DEBATE IN THE HOUSE, WHY WERE THERE NO TRANSPARENT ROLL CALL VOTES ON FIVE PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO REDUCE TAXES IN MASSACHUSETTS? - The ongoing feud between House Republican Minority Leader Brad Jones (R-North Reading) and Rep. Marc Lombardo (R-Billerica) intensified during the House budget debate last week. Back in January, Jones defeated Lombardo for the post of minority leader. Jones garnered 19 votes to Lombardo’s five votes. And since then, things have only gotten worse between the two. Lombardo says that during last week’s budget debate, Jones worked with the Democrats to block roll call votes on several tax cuts proposed by Lombardo. Jones denies that charge. Lombardo requested that the House hold roll call votes on five of his proposed budget amendments – all of which would reduce taxes in the Bay State. The five tax cuts were reducing the sales tax from 6.25 percent to 5 percent; reducing the income tax from 5 percent to 4.5 percent; eliminating the income tax on tips; eliminating the income tax on overtime; and removing the marriage penalty for the Millionaire’s Tax. Lombardo knew that he didn’t have sufficient votes to pass the amendments but wanted to have roll calls on them in order to promote transparency and to put the votes of the Democrats on record as being against tax reductions. House rules require that in order to force a roll call vote, 16 members must request that a roll call be held. It works like this: The speaker announces that “Rep. Lombardo has requested a roll call vote. Those joining him will rise and be counted.” If at least 16 members stand up, a roll call is held. This has been done many times by the Republicans over the years. The GOP tries to force a roll call vote to get Democrats on the record on measures the Republicans believe are popular but are likely to get shot down by the Legislature's Democratic supermajority. Most times they are successful and get 16 or more members to stand up. But not this time. The current 158-member House (two seats are vacant) has 132 Democrats, 25 Republicans and one unenrolled member. Neither the unenrolled member nor any of the Democrats stood to request a roll call vote on Lombardo’s amendments. Lombardo never received the 16 standing votes necessary to require the roll call votes. Instead, the amendments were defeated on unrecorded voice votes which don’t reveal how individual representatives voted. Lombardo says that in addition to himself, only six other representatives, all Republicans, stood to request a roll call vote on all five amendments. They are Reps. Nick Boldyga (R-Southwick); John Gaskey (R-Carver); Joseph McKenna (R-Sutton); Kelly Pease (R-Westfield); Kenneth Sweezey (R-Hanson); and Justin Thurber (R-Somerset). There was some talk that members did not know what day or time Lombardo’s amendments would be considered. However, Beacon Hill Roll Call’s research shows that House rules provide that amendments reducing or increasing taxes must be considered at the beginning of the debate on the budget. The rule was followed, and debate on Lombardo’s amendments began at around 11:35 a.m., on Monday, April 28, the first day of budget debate, shortly after opening remarks about the budget. This timeline means that all members should have been aware Lombardo’s amendments would be considered around that time – thus allowing members to make plans to be in the chamber around that time and to stand up to request roll call votes if they chose to. Lombardo told Beacon Hill Roll Call, “Manager of the Republican Caucus, Brad Jones directed his lieutenants to remove themselves and caucus members from the chamber or refuse to stand in support of roll call votes on critical tax relief measures. Jones conspired with the Democrats, something I personally witnessed, to protect them from having to be recorded on these important roll calls. In exchange for his service to the majority party, Jones received $250,000 in earmarks [in the pending state budget for projects in his district].” Lombardo continued, “For 30 years, Brad Jones has sabotaged the Republican Party, its candidates and, most importantly, the taxpayers of Massachusetts. When the head of the House GOP conspires with Democrats to block roll calls on tax cuts, it is nothing short of a betrayal of the taxpayers. Brad Jones has been institutionalized. His loyalty is to the uni-party on Beacon Hill and not to taxpayers who so desperately need a strong opposition voice in the Statehouse.” Lombardo elaborated to Beacon Hill Roll Call about the $250,000 in earmarks that he said Jones received. He pointed to an amendment which included earmarks for many members’ districts including $250,000 for North Reading, Reading, Middleton and Lynnfield -- all of which are in Jones’ district. Lombardo said that the category in which the $250,000 was listed was Labor and Economic Development but noted that none of Jones’ earmarks fit that category. Lombardo contends that the $250.000 was inappropriately rushed into that category at the last minute to reward Jones for preventing roll calls on the tax reduction amendments. “How could that one-off recategorization happen?” asked Lombardo. “Wouldn’t it require cooperation from Ways and Means to do this unique maneuver? Would it benefit the Republican leader, who was under scrutiny for his collaboration with the Democrats, to not have earmarks awarded along the way and push it to the end in hopes of less attention. It’s not rocket science to figure out what happened.” Jones’ supporters say the charge that Jones received $250,000 in earmarks in exchange for preventing roll calls on Lombardo’s amendments is unfounded. They note that for years, including this year, many representatives have gotten money, earmarked for their districts, in the state budget. Beacon Hill Roll Call set out to find out if any of the other GOP members, besides Reps. Boldyga, Gaskey, McKenna, Pease, Sweezey and Thurber, were in the House chamber during the standing votes on requiring a roll call on Lombardo’s amendments. Beacon Hill Roll Call e-mailed each of these remaining 17 Republicans twice asking them if they were in fact in the chamber during those standing votes; if not, why not; if they were in the chamber, did they stand up to request a roll call vote; and if not, why didn’t they do so? Rep. Dave DeCoste (R-Norwell) was one of only two members who responded. Decoste’s first response to Beacon Hill Roll Call on May 2 was that he didn’t remember if he was in the chamber for those standing votes. Two days later, on May 4th, he revised his response and said that “having read the articles since our last correspondence, I was there for those particular votes.” In both responses he said that he has always stood to request a roll call every time it was requested by any member since he first took office in 2019. The other representative who responded was Rep. Paul Frost (R-Auburn), who serves as part of Jones’ leadership team. He told Beacon Hill Roll Call, “No one directed anyone to not stand or not be in the chamber. Rep. Lombardo has failed to attend caucus meetings to discuss his initiatives, and many members have grown tired of his antics in attacking fellow Republican caucus members on social media and in the media. He has shown he is not interested in helping the GOP House Caucus and needs to look in the mirror when caucus members may not be inclined to back him. I would also point out there were roll call requests we did not get because Rep. Lombardo wasn’t in the chamber himself.” Lombardo denied that he wasn’t in the chamber to request roll call votes on any of Jones’ amendments. He said, “Even after Jones coordinated to ensure no roll calls [on my amendments], I stood for his request for roll calls immediately after.” Lombardo continued in response to Frost’s criticism. “I would note that I e-mailed the entire [Republican] caucus Sunday night telling them of my amendments and request for roll calls,” Lombardo said. “I wasn’t at [the Republican caucus] as I was hosting three Billerica High School State Championship teams. Paul Frost is paid handsomely to blindly defend Republican Manager Jones. Both are truly institutionalized and work for the uni-party. I wish him luck as he goes back to his district and explains his vote in favor of a $5 million legal defense fund for illegal immigrants.” There were 15 GOP members who did not respond to Beacon Hill Roll Call. They are Reps. Donald Berthiaume (R- Spencer); Michael Chaisson (R-Foxboro); Kimberly Ferguson (R-Holden); Steven Howitt (R-Seekonk); Hannah Kane (R-Shrewsbury); John Marsi (R-Dudley); David Muradian (R-Grafton); Norman Orrall (R-Lakeville); Todd Smola (R-Warren); Michael Soter (R-Bellingham); Alyson Sullivan-Almeida (R-Abington); Marcus Vaughn (R-Wrentham); David Vieira (R-Falmouth); Donald Wong (R-Saugus); and Steven Xiarhos (R-Barnstable). Jones himself did not respond to Beacon Hill Roll Call’s request to comment on the entire situation. However, he spoke to reporters following the incident. “I’m not going to go waste my time working with people who just want to kick me,” said Jones. “It’s kind of human nature. It’s not Republican, not Democrat … it’s just human nature. [Rep. Lombardo] is obviously still hurting over the fact that he got smoked [in the election for minority leader].” Jones noted that in January he appointed Lombardo and Lombardo supporter Rep. Nick Boldyga to the Revenue Committee because he knew taxes were an “important issue to them, as evidenced by the amendments that they filed.” “They’ve never shown up to the Revenue Committee, as has been told to me by both my staff as well as others,” Jones said. “I think there’s also an element within the caucus that, I will say includes me, that you’ve seen some of the tweets and X comments both during the leadership fight and since then that, I think, frankly, people are tired of and don’t think it’s particularly productive and constructive.” Lombardo responded, “Jones is upset that he has been exposed as an institutionalized member who serves the Beacon Hill machine and not the taxpayers and he’ll say anything to distract from that truth being understood by the pubBHRC| SEE PAGE 16

14 Publizr Home