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Page 18 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, JULY 26, 2024 gets eventually go belly up.” “Once again, the Massachusetts 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 GET A FREE SUBSCRIPTION TO MASSTERLIST — Join more than 22,000 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 infl uence. The stories are drawn from major news organizations as well as specialized publications. MASSterlist will be e-mailed to you FREE every Monday through Friday 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: https://massterlist.com/subscribe/ THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call records local representatives’ and senators’ votes on roll calls from the week of July 15-19.. APPROVE $58 BILLION FISCAL 2025 STATE BUDGET (H 4800) House 154-3, Senate 40-0, approved and sent to Gov. Maura Healey a $58 billion fi scal 2025 state budget for the fiscal year that began July 1, 2024. The price tag represents a 1.97 billion or 3.5 percent increase over last year’s fi scal 2024 budget. The package uses more than $1 billion in one-time revenues to support the spending bill. Aside from the spending, the package makes policy changes including authorizing free community college, free rides on regional transit agencies, allowing the Massachusetts Lottery to sell its products online. A portion of the new revenue collected from online Lottery sales, estimated to be $100 million in in fi scal year 2025, would fund a permanent Commonwealth Cares for Children grant program which provides long-term stability for high-quality and aff ordable care for families. Senate President Karen Spilka (D-Ashland) said, “This budget is a vote of confi dence in every Massachusetts resident going to school, raising a family and working to make ends meet—as well as a strong blueprint for bringing equity and opportunity to every region and resident of our state.” “This budget takes a fi scally responsible approach to making meaningful investments in areas of signifi cant need,” said House Speaker Ron Mariano (D-Quincy). “I’m proud of the fact that the … budget allocates key funding to better support Massachusetts students and families, to increase access to aff ordable health care and to provide for a safer and more reliable public transportation system.” “This year’s budget includes a $2 billion spending hike with $208 million less in tax revenues,” said Rep. Nick Boldyga (R-Southwick) one of only three members to vote against the budget. “So Democrats dug into reserve funds to balance this budget boondoggle. Even the Massachusetts Municipal Association said this year’s budget wasn’t based in reality. The budget ‘freebies’ include free school meals, free tuition at community colleges and no-charge rides on the state’s 15 regional transit authorities. The people stuck footing the bill are the working-class and from what I’ve seen they’re struggling to pay their bills and buy groceries. I’m not sure they can withstand more tax increases when these bloated budLegislature is the last state in the country to pass its annual budget, and once again it is the largest budget in state history,” said Paul Craney, spokesman for the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance. “Legislators are already putting their thumb on the scale when determining the spending ratio for the income surtax funds, in which education spending is 17 percent greater than transportation, a ratio that was included in neither chamber’s original budget. House and Senate leaders also included multiple new and costly programs at a time when state revenue collections have been underperforming and a new billion dollar migrant crisis is growing. Long term, this will be very diffi cult to fi x unless these same big government spenders decide to cut the spending priorities they are passing in this budget.” (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 APPROVE FIREARMS CHANGES (H 4885) House 123-33, Senate 35-5, approved and sent to Gov. Healey a bill that would change some of the state’s gun laws. Provisions include cracking down on untraceable “ghost guns;” banning fi rearms in additional public spaces like schools, polling places and government buildings; expanding the 2018 “red fl ag” law that allows school administrators and licensed health care providers to petition a court to temporarily take firearms away from someone deemed a threat to themselves or others; closing loopholes that allow the modifi cation of legal fi rearms into illegal automatic weapons; and providing a legacy clause so all fi rearms legally owned and registered in Massachusetts as of the eff ective date of the bill will continue to be legal and may be bought and sold within the state. “Today, as we consistently do in the area of fi rearm safety, we take the lead in making the commonwealth a safer place to live by giving law enforcement the tools they need to go after ghost guns, keeping battlefi eld weapons out of our neighborhoods and keep our schools, homes, town halls and polling locations safe,” said Rep. Mike Day (D-Stoneham), House Chair of the Committee on the Judiciary. “While Washington is paralyzed by dysfunction that endangers Americans across the country, we in Massachusetts address our challenges directly and take the steps necessary to modernize our fi rearm laws to keep us safe.” “In the decade since we last updated Massachusetts’ gun statues, our nation and our commonwealth have continued to be rocked by mass shootings and gun tragedies at an alarming rate,” said Majority Leader Sen. Cindy Creem (D-Newton). “This legislation proactively addresses the root causes of gun crime to curb the epidemic of violence and prevent tragedy before it strikes. It does so by ensuring that ghost guns, Glock switches and assault-style fi rearms are kept off our streets and out of the wrong hands.” “While we all share the same fundamental goal: to ensure the safety and well-being of our families, our neighbors and our communities, it is critical that we approach it with a balanced perspective that respects Constitutional rights while striving for effective solutions that target violent crime,” said Rep. Joe McKenna (R-Sutton). “Unfortunately, the legislation passed, while well-intentioned, did not achieve that goal. The reality is that the commonwealth already has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation. As a result, those who choose to exercise their Second Amendment Constitutional rights have jumped through hoops for decades to remain law-abiding citizens. Meanwhile, those intent on committing violence — and doing so with a fi rearm — will continue to have no regard for these proposed laws or for those already on the books.” “We were given less than 24-hours to read a 116-page bill with potentially serious legal repercussions for lawful firearm owners in a state that already has some of the most stringent gun laws in the country,” said Sen. Ryan Fattman (R-Sutton). “An overwhelming number of my constituents reached out to my offi ce expressing their opposition to this legislation and their concerns about the lack of transparency regarding this bill throughout the entire legislative process. This bill unfairly punishes law-abiding gun owners and doesn’t do enough to address the root cause of gun violence in our communities.” (A “Yes” vote is for the bill. A “No” vote is against it.) Rep. Jessica Giannino Yes Rep. Jeff Turco No Sen. Lydia Edwards Yes CLEAN ENERGY (H 4884) House 131-25, approved a bill that supporters said would increase the state’s supply of clean energy by setting new renewable energy generation storage procurement targets, and by streamlining the state and local permitting process. The Senate has already approved a diff erent version of the measure and a House-Senate conference committee will hammer out a compromise version. Provisions include streamlining the permitting process for small clean energy projects under 25 megawatts and small energy storage systems under 100 megawatt-hours by allowing project developers to submit a permit application seeking a single permit that consolidates all necessary local permits and approvals. Municipalities would retain permitting authority over these projects and would be required to issue a single, fi nal decision within 12 months of the receipt of a complete permit application. “The legislation passed by the House today is a historic and necessary step forward for the commonwealth at this juncture in our energy transition,” said Rep. Jeff Roy (D-Franklin), House Chair of the Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy. “Reforming the siting and permitting process will allow for the swift development of the clean energy generation we need to reach our climate goals, and the rapid buildout of the transmission infrastructure that will power our electrifi ed clean energy future. Setting procurement targets for clean energy and energy storage and incentivizing the adoption of innovative climate technologies will ensure that the buildout of our clean energy infrastructure is accomplished effi ciently and equitably and is supportive of consumers and ratepayers.” “This legislation represents the House’s fervent, continued commitment to meeting Massachusetts’ long-term emission reduction targets, as it builds on the work that the Legislature has already done to modernize the commonwealth’s energy grid, increase clean energy generation, and to combat the climate crisis,” said House Speaker Ron Mariano (D-Quincy). “The bill makes significant changes to the local siting and permitting processes for clean energy infrastructure projects, some of which undermines local control,” said Rep. Kelly Pease (R-Westfi eld) who voted against the bill. “This expedited process is great for energy suppliers, but not necessarily for local communities.” “[The bill] was intended to streamline and accelerate permitting for renewable energy projects, but it did not add important

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