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Page 18 THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2023 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 selected by widely acclaimed and highly experienced writers Keith Regan and Matt Murphy who introduce each article in their own clever and inimitable way. 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://lp.constantcontactpages. com/su/aPTLucK THE HOUSE AND SENATE: Beacon Hill Roll Call records local representatives’ and senators’ votes from the week of September 25-29. LEGISLATURE APPROVES TAX RELIEF PACKAGE (H 4104) House 155-1, Senate 38-1, approved and sent to Gov. Maura Healey the conference committee version of a tax relief package. It was drafted as a compromise to the diff erent versions approved by the House and Senate. Supporters say this will provide $561.3 million in tax relief in fi scal year 2024 and $1.02 billion per year in subsequent years. Provisions include increasing the rental deduction cap from $3,000 to $4,000; reducing the estate tax for all taxpayers and eliminating the tax for all estates under $2 million by allowing a uniform credit of $99,600; increasing the refundable tax credit for a dependent child, disabled adult or senior from $180 to $310 per dependent in taxable year 2023, and then to $440 in subsequent years while eliminating the child/ dependent cap; doubling the refundable senior circuit breaker tax credit from $1,200 to $2,400; increasing the refundable Earned Income Tax Credit from 30 percent to 40 percent of the federal credit; and reducing the shortterm capital gains tax rate from 12 percent to 8.5 percent. Other provisions double the lead paint tax credit to $3,000 for full abatement and $1,000 for partial abatement; ensure that employer student loan payments are not treated as taxable compensation; make public transit fares, as well as ferry and regional transit passes and bike commuter expenses, eligible for the commuter expense tax deduction; increase from $1,500 to $2,000 the maximum that municipalities may pay seniors to do volunteer work to reduce their property taxes; raise the annual authorization for the low income housing tax credit from $40 million to $60 million; and allow cities and towns to adopt a local property tax exemption for aff ordable real estate that is rente “This is the most significant tax relief package in a generation,” said Senate President Karen Spilka (D-Ashland). “This legislation is going to put real dollars into the pockets of the people who need it most, including parents, seniors, young people and middle class families who are struggling to keep up with rising costs. This bill includes a historic expansion of housing programs that will ignite aff ordable housing development and ease the housing crunch, as well as signifi cant relief for families with young children. It will also make Massachusetts a more competitive place to live and work and encourages businesses to continue investing in our region.” “This tax relief package strikes the critically important balance of providing permanent fi nancial relief to residents and businesses across Massachusetts, without compromising the long-term fi - nancial security of the commonwealth,” said House Speaker Ron Mariano (D-Quincy). “I’m confi - dent that this tax reform legislation will help to make Massachusetts more aff ordable for all residents, while also helping to make the commonwealth more competitive with other states.” “Back in April, I stood at the rostrum for about 13 minutes and expressed a mix of support for the many elements of this bill that will help working families and people experiencing poverty — while at the same time criticizing the elements of this bill that will benefit large corporations and the super-rich,” said Rep. Mike Connolly (D-Cambridge), the only House member to vote against the package. “From my vantage point, this bill was signifi cantly improved through the conference committee process, and there are several elements of the bill I enthusiastically support,” continued Connolly. “And yet, as I stand here today, I still cannot bring myself to support the total price tag of $1.1 billion once fully implemented. Not after we just spent a decade working to pass the Fair Share Amendment to gain desperately needed new revenue … A lot more needs to be done, including bigger public investments in programs, services and infrastructure — investments that could be signifi cantly constrained by the overall cost of today’s tax cut bill.” The measure also includes two provisions which the Mass Fiscal Alliance says will result in tax hikes. One would require Massachusetts married couples who fi le income tax returns jointly at the federal level to do the same at the state level. The other changes the system under Chapter 62F that requires that annual tax revenue above a certain amount collected by the state go back to the taxpayers. Under current law, the money is returned to taxpayers based on what he or she earned and paid in taxes. The new tax package changed that and provides that each taxpayer will receive a fl at rate refund, unrelated to what they earned or paid in taxes. “Never before have so many waited so long for so little,” said Paul Craney, a spokesman for the Mass Fiscal Alliance. “Leave it up to two career politicians to not only deliver a two-year late tax relief package while almost every other state saw immediate relief but include tax hikes in their relief package. The speaker and Senate president’s proposal includes a marriage penalty, applying the new income surtax to married couples who have a combined income of over a million dollars.” Craney further explained that changing how Chapter 62F surplus money is distributed to taxpayers actually hijacks the system and turns it into a socialist wealth redistribution scheme. (A “Yes” vote is for the tax relief package. A “No” vote is against it.) Rep. Jessica Giannino Yes Rep. Jeff Turco Sen. Lydia Edwards Yes Yes $1 MILLION FOR HEADSTART PROGRAMS (H 4040) House 156-0, overrode Gov. Healey’s veto of $1 million (reducing funding from $17.5 million to $16.5 million) in funding for grants to Head Start programs. “I am reducing this item to the amount projected to be necessary,” said Healey in her veto message. “The adjusted funding level proposed here is consistent with the fi scal year 2023 General Appropriations Act and sustains signifi cant expansion to this lineitem in recent fi scal years.” (A “Yes” vote is for the $1 million. A “No” vote is against it.) Rep. Jessica Giannino Yes Rep. Jeff Turco Yes $1.4 MILLION FOR SUICIDE PREVENTION SERVICES (H 4040) House 154-0, overrode Gov. Healey’s veto of $1.4 million (reducing funding from $1.8 million to $400,000) in funding for suicide prevention programs. “I am reducing this item to an amount consistent with my House [budget]... recommendation,” said Healey in her veto message. “The program goals are suffi ciently funded through an expansion in the Suicide Prevention and Intervention … line item. (A “Yes” vote is for the $1.4 million. A “No” vote is against it.) Rep. Jessica Giannino Yes Rep. Jeff Turco Yes $250,000 FOR PROSTATE CANCER RESEARCH (H 4040) House 154-0, overrode Gov. Healy’s veto of $250,000 (reducing funding from $1.25 million to $1 million) in funding for prostate cancer research. “I am reducing this item to the amount projected to be necessary,” said Healey in her veto message. “This will allow the program to continue its current level of services.” (A “Yes” vote is for $250,000. A “No” vote is against it.) Rep. Jessica Giannino Yes Rep. Jeff Turco Yes $250,000 FOR PARENT-CHILD PLUS PROGRAM (H 4040) House 131-24, overrode Gov. Healey’s veto of $250,000 (reducing funding from $4,250,000 to $4,000,000) in funding for the Parent-Child Plus Program. According to its website, “The goals of this intensive, evidence-based home visiting model are to promote school readiness and academic success by strengthening parent-child verbal interaction and reading and play activities in the home.” “I am reducing this item to the amount projected to be necessary,” said Healey in her veto message. “The adjusted funding level proposed here is consistent with the fi scal year 2023 General Appropriations Act and sustains signifi cant expansion to this lineitem in recent fi scal years.” (A “Yes” vote is for the $250,000. A “No” vote is against it.) Rep. Jessica Giannino Yes Rep. Jeff Turco Yes $880,000 FOR MASSACHUSETTS SERVICE ALLIANCE (H 4040) House 130-24, overrode Gov. Healey’s veto of $880,000 (reducing funding from $2,280,000 to $1,400,000) in funding for the Massachusetts Service Alliance. According to its website, the Massachusetts Service Alliance is a “private, nonprofi t … organization, established in 1991, that expands volunteerism and service in Massachusetts. It provides funding, training and support to individuals and organizations, enabling them to tackle pressing issues, strengthen communities, and make our commonwealth a better place to live.” “I am vetoing this item because it is not consistent with my House [budget] … recommendation,” said Healey in her veto message. “This is a passthrough and will not impact core Executive Offi ce of Labor and Workforce Development programming.” (A “Yes” vote is for the $880,000 million. A “No” vote is against it.) Rep. Jessica Giannino Yes Rep. Jeff Turco Yes SUSPEND RULES TO ALLOW AMENDMENTS TO TAX PACKAGE (H 4104) Senate 3-33, voting along party lines, rejected a motion to suspend the Senate rule that prohibits amendments from being proposed to the conference committee version of the tax package. Republicans supported rule suspension while Democrats opposed it. Supporters of rule suspension said Senate rules allow only a Yes or No vote on the tax package. They argued there are some fl aws in the bill and that rule suspension is the only way to allow amendments to be proposed. Opponents of rule suspension said that suspending the rule would result in hundreds of amendments being proposed to the package and lead to starting tax relief debate all over again. They noted that both Republican members of the conference committee signed off on the bill. (A “Yes” vote is for rule suspension to allow amendments. A “No” vote is against rule suspension.) Sen. Lydia Edwards No ALSO UP ON BEACON HILL EQUITY IN EDUCATION - What can our business, political and education leaders do diff erently to connect Black and Latino students to pathways to careers that our thriving life sciences, health, clean tech and other sectors so urgently need to fi ll? Join MASSterList, the State House News Service, and the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education on Tuesday, October 24th, for a policy event from 8:15 – 10:30 am at the MCLE New England – 10 Winter Place, Boston (Downtown Crossing), (inperson only). Register for this FREE event: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ equity-in-education-tickets723011084617?aff =BHRC INCREASE MINIMUM WAGE (H 1925, S 1200) – The Labor and Workforce Development Committee held a hearing on legislation that would raise the current $15 minimum hourly wage for workers, including municipal workers, by $1.25 per year until it reaches $20 per hour in 2027. Other provisions index the minimum wage to infl ation beginning in January 2028; increase the BEACON | SEE Page 22

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