Expanded Gambling Bill Advances in House
On Thursday, the House gave initial approval to legislation that would authorize three casinos and one slot parlor in Massachusetts. The bill received a favorable report from the House Ways and Means Committee on Tuesday, clearing the way for floor debate to begin next Wednesday. The House Ways and Means Committee made a few technical changes to the bill produced by the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies but did not add any substantive amendments.
With debate on the bill scheduled for next Wednesday and Thursday, the deadline for filing amendments was 3 p.m. Friday.
WBUR Poll Shows Brown with Lead over Democratic Contenders
According to a poll released by WBUR this week, Sen. Scott Brown holds a 9 point lead over rumored candidate Elizabeth Warren. The poll, which found that support for Brown and Warren is split by 44-35 margin, surveyed 500 likely 2012 general election voters. The poll also showed Brown leading Bob Massie 45-29, Setti Warren 46-28 and Alan Khazei 45-30. Almost a quarter of those surveyed did not express a preference for any of the candidates. The poll carries a margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percent.
Attorney General Certifies 23 of 31 Proposed Ballot Questions
Attorney General Martha Coakley announced on Wednesday that 23 of the 31 filed petitions had received certification—the first major hurdle in qualifying as a ballot question for the statewide election. To obtain a letter of certification from the Attorney General, a petition must pertain to an acceptable subject matter. Initiative petitions relating to religion, judges, the courts, particular localities of the Commonwealth, specific appropriations, and certain provisions of the state constitution’s Declaration of Rights are prohibited from certification. Petitions may not be substantially similar to any ballot measure that appeared on the ballot in either of the preceding two elections
To advance further, petition proponents must gather 68,911 signatures by late November. If proponents are successful, the petition is reviewed by the Legislature, which must take action by May 4, 2012. If the Legislature chooses not to act, proponents must gather an additional 11,485 signatures to secure a spot on the 2012 ballot.
Coakley certified 23 of 31 ballot questions, covering 17 different topics. Questions that will proceed to the signature-gathering phase include:
- Sanctioning and regulating medical marijuana
- Empowering terminally ill patients to take life-ending drugs
- Expanding the state’s bottle recycling law
- Forcing auto manufacturers to share additional diagnostic information with repair shops
- Repealing the individual mandate for Massachusetts residents to obtain health insurance
- Permitting more food stores to sell beer and wine
- Prohibiting auto insurers from adjusting premiums based on socioeconomic factors
- Establishing consequences for teacher evaluations
The Attorney General rejected several initiative proposals, including a proposal to authorize three Massachusetts casinos and a petition that aims to force competitive bidding for energy contracts.
John Nunnari, Assoc AIA
Executive Director, AIA MA
jnunnari@architects.org
617-951-1433 x263
617-951-0845 (fax)
MA Chapter of American Institute of Architects
The Architects Building
52 Broad Street, Boston MA 02109-4301
www.architects.org
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