Category Archives: Weekly Mass Political Summaries

This Week in Massachusetts

Attorney General Coakley files lawsuit against 5 major banks
On Thursday, Attorney General Martha Coakley filed a lawsuit against five major, national banks alleging they engaged in misleading loan practices and pursued illegal foreclosures on Massachusetts properties. The lawsuit against Bank of America, Wells Fargo, JP Morgan Chase, Citi, and GMAC alleges they used fraudulent documentation, illegally foreclosed on properties that their banks did not hold mortgages on, and also engaged in so-called “robo-signing”. She further alleges that in order to enable mortgage loan sales, the banks sidestepped the state’s land recording system with the intention of avoiding registration and recording requirements which include the payment of fees. In turn, the banks criticized AG Coakley for stopping settlement negotiations. The lawsuit brought on by AG Coakley is the first in the nation legal action against the five major banks regarding foreclosures.

According to Poll, Warren Leads Brown in U.S. Senate Race
According to a new public opinion poll, U.S. Senate hopeful, Elizabeth Warren (D), holds a 4 point lead against incumbent Senator Scott Brown (R) in a hypothetical match up for the 2012 election. The poll, which was conducted from November 9th to 22nd, showed Senator Brown leading Warren by 18 points among independent voters and Warren leading Senator Brown by 15 points among women. Voters trusted Warren over Senator Brown, according to the poll, on several issues including the economy, health care, and taxes, while selecting Senator Brown over Warren on the issue of terrorism. Warren, who is the leading candidate to be the Democratic nominee to face Sen. Brown still must win the state primary election next year.

Congressman Frank will not run for re-election
United States Representative Barney Frank stated on Monday that he will not run for re-election. His stated that his decision was impacted by his newly redrawn district which expanded his district to include 350,000 more people – in cities and towns new to him. He stated on Monday that he would prefer to advocate for his policy priorities outside of the Congress than to introduce himself to new voters.

Governor Patrick wants ’12 Primary Date Changed Again
The 2012 Massachusetts primary, rescheduled once already by the Legislature to avoid a conflict with Rosh Hashanah, now conflicts with the closing night of the Democratic National Convention when President Barack Obama will likely accept his party’s nomination for President. Governor Deval Patrick, who has been active in Obama’s re-election effort, said this week that he wants to change the date of the 2012 state primary election again to avoid this scheduling conflict. Secretary of State, William Galvin responded that he does not support moving the state primary election to an earlier date again. The state primary election is required by state law to be at least seven weeks before the general election.

The Weekly Political Report is prepared by a political consulting group, Rasky/Baerlein, and shared with me by John Nunnari.

=======================================

Last Wednesday night marked the end of formal Legislative sessions in Massachusetts for 2011. For the next 7 weeks, the Legislature will meet in informal sessions, during which only non-controversial issues may be taken up. The Legislative session will resume on January 4, 2012 and run continuously through July 31, 2012. Because Massachusetts operates on a 2 year legislative session schedule, and employs a “carry over” provision, all bills that are not passed into law in 2011 automatically carry over to the 2012 session, while maintaining their status in the legislative process.

Bills enacted by both House and Senate last night were sent to Governor Deval Patrick, who has 10 days to sign the bill or send it back to the Legislature with vetoes or amendments. See below for an overview of the major activity in the last week.

Expanded Gambling Bill Sent to Governor’s Desk
The House and Senate completed enactment votes to the legislation authorizing licenses for three regional, resort-style casinos and one competitively bid slot parlor. A last-minute amendment to the bill reduced funds targeted under the legislation for the racehorse industry and boosted local aid funds. On Wednesday, a Patrick administration official confirmed that Gov. Patrick is likely to sign the gambling proposal less than a week after he receives it.

Congressional Redistricting Bill Sent to Governor’s Desk
The House and Senate enacted legislation that redraws the state’s Congressional districts to reflect the loss of one seat. The bill was sent to the Governor’s desk Wednesday afternoon.  Under the proposed map, the districts of Congressmen William Keating and Stephen Lynch would change dramatically, putting the two into the same district unless Congressman Keating moves to his summer house on Cape Cod, something that he announced earlier this week that he would do. Cape Cod would be part of a new, incumbent free district that would stretch from the Cape and Islands across Plymouth and Bristol County to Fall River. Western Massachusetts communities currently represented by retiring Congressman John Olver would be split among the two districts currently represented by Congressman James McGovern and Congressman Richard.
Pension Reform Sent to Governor’s Desk
The House and Senate enacted legislation that makes several reforms to the state’s pension system. The bill aims to save the state $6 billion over 30 years by raising retirement ages and reducing benefits for future public employees. The bill was laid before the Governor on Tuesday.

Anti-Human Trafficking Legislation Sent to Governor’s Desk

The House and Senate enacted  compromise legislation that establishes the crimes of trafficking persons for sexual servitude and trafficking persons for forced services, each of which would carry a 15-year sentence. If signed into law by Gov. Patrick, Massachusetts will become the 47th state to put a trafficking law on its books.

Transgender Rights Bill Sent to Governor’s Desk
The House and Senate enacted a bill adding transgender persons to the state’s anti-discrimination laws. The bill was laid before the Governor on Wednesday.

Omnibus Crime Reform Passed in the House, Requires Senate Negotiation to Advance

The House passed legislation reforming the state’s parole and sentencing laws, including a ban on parole for three-time violent felons. The Senate passed its own omnibus crime bill last week that includes several additional provisions, including measures to update wiretap laws, to reduce certain mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent drug crimes and to bar certain felons from possessing handguns. The House had made the decision to focus on repeat violent felons in order to tackle the issue before the beginning of the seven-week recess. Senate President Murray indicated that the Senate planned to insist on its expanded version of the crime bill rather than agree to the “stripped down” version passed in the House.

John Nunnari, Assoc AIA
Executive Director, AIA MA
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

The Weekly Political Report is prepared by a political consulting group, Rasky/Baerlein, and shared with me by John Nunnari.

Congressional Maps Approved by Redistricting Committee
On Thursday, the Joint Committee on Redistricting unanimously approved legislation that redraws the state’s Congressional districts to reflect the loss of one seat. The proposal includes the following changes:

• The minority population of the Eighth Congressional district, held by Congressman Michael Capuano, will grow from 52% to 56.6%.
• The districts of Congressmen William Keating and Stephen Lynch would change dramatically, putting the two into the same district unless Congressman Keating moves to his summer house on Cape Cod, something that he announced earlier this week that he would do. Cape Cod would be part of a new, incumbent free district that would stretch from the Cape and Islands across Plymouth and Bristol County to Fall River.
• Congressman Lynch would lose some Boston neighborhoods and would pick up the suburban city of Quincy and parts of the South Shore.
• Western Massachusetts communities currently represented by retiring Congressman John Olver would be split among the two districts currently represented by Congressman James McGovern and Congressman Richard Neal.
• Congressman McGovern’s Third Congressional District would expand westward to absorb Worcester, Hampshire, and Franklin counties as well as Northampton and Amherst.
• Congresswoman Nikki Tsongas’s district would gain the communities Gardner, Pepperell, Clinton, Fitchburg, Lunenburg, and Marlborough while losing Billerica, Tewksbury, and part of Andover.

The proposed Congressional districts are scheduled to be debated and likely approved on Tuesday.

Several Bills Pending as November Recess Approaches

With only three days left before the Legislature breaks for a seven-week recess, several major bills remain in conference committee. Six-member conference committees are negotiating compromise language for the anti-trafficking, pension reform and casino bills and must meet an 8 p.m. Tuesday deadline to recommend consensus bills for consideration on Wednesday, the final day for formal sessions in 2011. Bills that emerge from conference committees are not subject to amendment, and are only subject to up or down votes of acceptance in both branches followed by enactment votes. Both branches are scheduled to hold informal sessions Monday and formal sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday. Governor Patrick has ten days to act on bills approved by the Legislature. The Legislative Session does not end until July 31^st and these bills can stay active until that time. Legislative leaders are pushing for votes on several major bills before the November recess.

Senate Votes Unanimously in Support of Omnibus Crime

On Thursday, the Senate unanimously adopted legislation that reforms the state’s parole and sentencing laws. The bill includes a proposal to deny parole eligibility to three-time violent felons and makes changes in gun and sentencing laws. Mandatory minimum sentences for certain drug crimes would be reduced and applied to current inmates, making them eligible for parole if they’ve served the new reduced sentence. Many of the proposals in the Senate bill are still pending before the House-controlled Judiciary Committee, which has not yet recommended legislation.

Green Communities Oversight Hearing

The Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy held an oversight hearing on Tuesday to hear from stakeholders involved in the implementation of the Green Communities Act of 2008, which reformed the state’s energy policy by making commitments to electric and natural gas energy efficiency programs, renewables, and clean fossil fuels. The committee invited administration officials, utility companies, energy purchasers, energy-related businesses, environmental and advocacy groups, as well as Green Communities and the Massachusetts Municipal Association to testify during the hearing, which began at 10am and adjourned at 6:30pm.

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

Massachusetts Legislature and Gov. Patrick Approve Redistricting Plan
On Tuesday, both the House and Senate voted in favor of the revised legislative maps drawn by the Joint Redistricting Committee, and on Thursday Governor Patrick signed the redistricting bills into law. According to the House and Senate Chairs of the Redistricting Committee,  Representative Michael Moran (D-Brighton) and Senator Stanley Rosenberg (D-Amherst), the committee is still considering how to merge the state’s 10 Congressional districts into 9.

Gambling Bill Negotiators Close Meetings to Public
On Tuesday, the six members of the conference committee tasked with negotiating a consensus gambling bill voted unanimously to close their meetings to the public. The committee members are hoping to complete all negotiations before the seven-week legislative recess that begins on November 16^th. Representative Joseph Wagner (D-Chicopee), Chair of the conference committee, indicated on Tuesday that he will oppose the Senate proposal to prohibit lawmakers from working in the casino industry for up to a year following their departure from public office.

House Passes Pension Reform Legislation

On Wednesday, the House voted unanimously in support of major pension reform legislation. The bill aims to save the state $5 billion over the next 30 years by raising retirement ages and reducing benefits for future public employees. The Senate’s version of the legislation, which passed in mid-September, differs substantially from the House version, and will require a conference committee process to reconcile the two versions. The House appointed Reps. John Scibak (D-South Hadley), Brian Dempsey (D-Haverhill) and Ryan Fattman (R-Sutton) to the six-member conference committee that will try to reach agreement on the legislation.

House and Senate Pass Supplemental Budget

This week the House and Senate passed nearly identical versions of a $52 million supplemental spending bill. The budget bills allocate an additional $39 million to the state’s “housing first” homeless shelter program, $10 million for Tropical Storm Irene assistance and $308,000 for veterans services to prepare for troops returning home from Iraq and Afghanistan. The bill also includes a provision requested by Secretary of State William Galvin that moves up the date of the 2012 state primary election from Sept. 18 to Sept. 6. The bills are based on a $161 million spending bill proposed by Gov. Patrick but do not include many of the spending initiatives sought by the governor.

Massachusetts Business Confidence Slips again
According to an index calculated by the Associated Industries of Massachusetts, business confidence in Massachusetts continued to decrease in October. The index shows weak consumer spending, problems in the housing market and a lack of confidence in national political leadership. The results were compiled before positive economic developments in Europe and the United State were reported. This year, Massachusetts has gained 37,900 jobs dropping the unemployment rate to 7.3% compared to the national rate of 9.1%.

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

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