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THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JULY 10, 2026 Page 15 By Bob Katzen If you have any questions about this week’s report, e-mail us at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com or call us at (617) 720-1562 THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call reports local representatives’ and senators’ votes on roll calls from the week of June 29-July 3. $63.4 BILLION FISCAL 2027 STATE BUDGET (H 5555) House 142-6, Senate 39-1, approved and sent to Gov. Maura Healey a $63.4 billion fi scal 2027 conference committee version of a state budget for the fi scal year that began July 1, 2026. The House and Senate had approved different versions of the budget and a conference committee hammered out this compromise version. The price tag is 4 percent higher than last year’s package. “Our budget is a chance each year to make life more aff ordable for residents while strengthening the public services we all rely on, including our schools and transit systems—and the Senate delivered for fi scal year 2027,” said Senate President Karen Spilka (D-Ashland). “As a longtime advocate for expanded public education from cradle to career, I am especially proud of our commitment to reexamining how we address K-12 costs at the very moment we fulfi ll the promise of the Student Opportunity Act. Overall, this fi nal budget protects our residents, grows opportunities, supports our municipalities and cuts costs for individuals and families.” “As a result of the Trump Administration’s sweeping federal funding cuts, reckless trade policies and war with Iran, this budget has come during a period of significant economic uncertainty.” Said House Speaker Ron Mariano (D-Quincy). “That’s why I’m incredibly proud of the investments that this budget makes despite those challenges, from funding for free school meals and for the fi nal year of the Student Opportunity Act, to robust support for the MBTA, to nearly $10 billion for cities and towns across the commonwealth — all without raising taxes.” “Grounded in fi scal responsibility, the fi scal year 2027 budget leads with a steady hand and delivers a spending plan that does not raise any taxes or fees on residents and businesses of the commonwealth, while making major investments in education and local aid, emphasizing our continuing commitment to supporting all 351 cities and towns,” said Sen. Mike Rodrigues (D-Westport), Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. Not everyone agreed. “At a time when Massachusetts families and small businesses are pleading for aff ordability and meaningful tax relief, this budget delivers virtually neither,” said Sen. Ryan Fattman (R-Sutton). “Instead, it continues the commonwealth’s perpetuated pattern of unsustainable spending growth while failing to prioritize the core services that residents rely on every day. Our focus should be on strengthening local communities, supporting municipal services, improving public safety and providing relief to hardworking taxpayers—not funding special interest initiatives such as legal defense funds for individuals who are unlawfully present in our state. Massachusetts can and must do better. We should be delivering a budget that refl ects fi scal responsibility, aff ordability and the priorities of the people we were elected to serve. For those reasons, I was compelled to vote No.” “Legislative leaders will point to a smaller rate of spending growth as evidence of fi scal restraint, but the underlying budget tells a diff erent story,” said Paul Craney, executive director of the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance. “Rather than confronting structural spending problems, this budget depends on one-time funding sources and accounting shifts while continuing to expand programs that will place increasing pressure on taxpayers in the years ahead. Massachusetts has benefi ted for years from generous federal funding while failing to improve oversight and accountability. As those federal dollars become less certain, taxpayers could be left paying the price for years of poor fi scal management.” “The State Legislature did it again—they passed a budget that prioritizes illegals over middle-class taxpayers, failed to do anything about the cost of living and neglected to provide any tax relief,” said Rep. John Gaskey (R-Carver). ”That’s why I unapologetically voted No on this boondoggle. Billions of dollars continue to fl ow to those who broke the law to come here. If you come to Massachusetts illegally, you can get legal counsel, shelter—even college tuition paid for on the taxpayers’ dime. That money is coming at the expense of local aid to our town governments. At a time when municipalities across the state are strapped and facing property tax overrides, the State Legislature preferred to shift aid from local government and instead give it to illegals.” (A “Yes” vote is for the budget. A “No” vote is against it.) Rep. Jessica Giannino Yes Rep. Jeff Turco Yes Sen. Lydia Edwards Yes TOXIC MEDICAL DEVICES (H 5550) House 139-0, approved a bill that would ban the use of DEHP, a toxic chemical which is commonly added to plastic intravenous bags and tubing and linked to breast, liver, lung and testicular cancer. Many IV bags currently contain DEHP, which is added to improve the plastic’s fl exibility but can pose serious health dangers to patients. The measure also prevents manufacturers from replacing DEHP with similar ortho-phthalates and encourages the transition to safer alternatives while preserving limited exemptions for specialized blood collection and cell therapy products. The Senate has approved its own version of the measure, and the House version now goes to the Senate for consideration. “An Act relative to toxic-free medical devices is a straightforward bill that aims to protect patients — especially infants, children, pregnant women and those with cancer from being unnecessarily exposed to harmful chemicals,” said House sponsor Rep. Jim O’Day (D-West Boylston). “Long-term exposure to DEHP in medical instruments like IV bags and tubing has long raised concerns in the medical community, particularly when safer alternatives are available … Our state has never waited for others to set the standard on patient safety.” (A “Yes” vote us for the bill.) Rep. Jessica Giannino Yes Rep. Jeff Turco Yes REQUIRE MORE PUBLIC DISCLOSURES OF FUNDRAISING AND SPENDING BY BALLOT QUESTION GROUPS (H 5549) House 149-0, approved a bill requiring more frequent public reporting of fundraising and spending by groups supporting or opposing ballot questions. Under the bill, ballot question committees would be required to provide monthly reports on their fi nances. After September of that year, campaigns would have to fi le biweekly reports until Election Day. The bill would hold ballot question campaigns to the same standard of disclosure already followed by candidates for offi ce. Currently, ballot committees don’t have to report on their fi nances between Jan. 20 and September. The bill also establishes a thirteen-member special legislative commission to conduct a comprehensive review of the statewide initiative petition process and to submit recommendations, including proposed constitutional amendments where appropriate, by December 31, 2027. The Senate has approved its own version of the measure, and the House version now goes to the Senate for consideration. “This Act will bring ballot question committees and their campaign reporting requirements in line with the reporting schedule that we, as duly elected representatives of the people, adhere to,” said Rep. Dan Ryan (D-Boston), primary House sponsor of the bill. “These requirements allow voters to see who is infl uencing the messages they are hearing leading up to Election Day.” “Massachusetts voters deserve to know who is behind the campaigns asking for their vote,” said Rep. Daniel Hunt (D-Boston), House Chair of the Committee on Election Laws. “This legislation ensures voters have access to timely, meaningful information before they head to the polls, helping cut through the confusion that can surround statewide ballot question campaigns. By modernizing reporting requirements, increasing transparency, strengthening accountability and making campaign fi nance information easier to access, we are giving voters the tools they need to make informed decisions and greater confi dence in the integrity of our elections.” (A Yes” vote is for the bill.) Rep. Jessica Giannino Yes Rep. Jeff Turco Yes ILLUMINATING PUBLIC SPACES (S 3145) Senate 39-0, approved and sent to the House a bill that supporters say would improve how public spaces are illuminated and would help protect public health and safety; reduce energy consumption; safeguard wildlife and ecosystems; and lower long-term costs for municipalities. Provisions include requiring all new and replacement publicly funded outdoor lighting fi xtures to meet industry standards and best practices for reducing light pollution and minimizing glare; directing the Department of Energy Resources to establish regulations governing the brightness, shielding and design of public outdoor lighting; establishing a cheaper electric rate for low-wattage street lamps which would help cities and towns trim their electric costs if they use the low-wattage lights; cutting down on extra light poles to ensure the number of streetlamps along a roadway matches the level needed for traffi c and pedestrian safety; and exempting light fi xtures related to safety or security needs, including lights related to aviation and nautical safety, and temporary emergency, repair and construction lighting. “Light pollution poses real challenges for public health, public safety and environmental protection,” said sponsor Senate Majority Leader Cindy Creem (D-Newton). “It can disrupt sleep, create dangerous glare for drivers and pedestrians, waste energy and interfere with wildlife and natBHRC | SEE Page 16

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