Beacon Hill Roll Call / Volume
35-Report No. 34 / August 18 to August 22, 2008

Copyright © 2008 Beacon Hill
Roll Call. All Rights Reserved. By Bob Katzen

THE HOUSE AND SENATE. Beacon
Hill Roll Call records local representatives and senators’ votes on four roll
calls from prior legislative sessions. There were no roll call votes in the
House or Senate last week.

$400,000 TO REDUCE CLASS SIZES
(H 4900)

House 131-18, Senate 31-5,
overrode Gov. Deval Patrick’s veto of the entire $400,000 for a grant program to
lower the size of classrooms in kindergarten through Grade 12. The grants would
first go to kindergartens with a goal of establishing class sizes of 15-17
pupils. Supporters of keeping the $400,000 said that smaller class sizes help
provide a better education for children. They noted that students become more
engaged and have a more personal and beneficial connection with their teachers
and other students. In his veto message, Patrick said that he vetoed the
funding because it was not included in his original budget recommendation. (A
"Yes" vote is for overriding Patrick’s reduction and for keeping the
$400,000. A "No" vote is against overriding Patrick’s reduction and
against keeping the $400,000).

 Rep. Denise Provost Yes

 Rep. Carl Sciortino Yes

 Rep. Timothy Toomey Yes

 Sen. Anthony Galluccio Yes

 Sen. Patricia Jehlen Yes

$75,000 FOR CITIZEN SCHOOLS (H
4900)

House 134-18, Senate 32-5,
overrode Gov. Patrick’s $75,000 reduction (from $550,000 to $475,000) in
funding for matching grants of $1,000 per enrolled child to Citizen Schools.
According to their website, Citizen Schools operates a network of high-impact
middle-school-based after-school programs in which "volunteers from
throughout the community share what they know and love with young people in real-world
projects." The programs would receive $1 for each $1 that they receive
from private donations or local or federal funding. Supporters of keeping the
$75,000 said that these after-school programs have worked very well and have
helped thousands of children across the state improve their education and life.
In his veto message, Patrick said that he reduced the funding to an amount
consistent with his original budget recommendation. (A "Yes" vote is
for overriding Patrick’s reduction and for keeping the $75,000. A
"No" vote is against overriding Patrick’s reduction and against
keeping the $75,000).

 Rep. Denise Provost Yes

 Rep. Carl Sciortino Yes

 Rep. Timothy Toomey Yes

 Sen. Anthony Galluccio Yes

 Sen. Patricia Jehlen Yes

$200,000 FOR TUFTS VETERINARY
SCHOOL (H 4900)

House 138-18, Senate 33-5,
overrode Gov. Patrick’s $200,000 veto reduction (from $5,525,000 to $5,325,000)
in funding for Tufts Veterinary School in North Grafton. Supporters of keeping
the $200,000 said that the funding is important to this college that welcomes
300 new students annually to its four-year academic programs which offer a
degree in veterinary medicine. They noted that the school also has three
hospitals that treat an estimated 28,000 animals annually and conducts groundbreaking
research that benefits animals and people. In his veto message, Patrick said
that he reduced the funding to an amount consistent with his original budget
recommendation. (A "Yes" vote is for overriding Patrick’s reduction
and for keeping the $200,000. A "No" vote is against overriding
Patrick’s reduction and against keeping the $200,000).

 Rep. Denise Provost No

 Rep. Carl Sciortino Yes

 Rep. Timothy Toomey Yes

 Sen. Anthony Galluccio Yes

 Sen. Patricia Jehlen Yes

ENHANCE 911 EMERGENCY SYSTEM
AND INCREASE MONTHLY TAX ON CELL PHONES (H 5051)

House 158-0, Senate 36-0,
approved and Gov. Patrick signed into law a measure improving the state’s 911
emergency system and increasing the monthly "911 Tax" on cell phones
from 30 cents to 75 cents. This tax is charged to all cell phone owners to help
fund the state’s emergency 911-response system. The hike would make the tax on
cell phones equal to the one currently imposed on landline phones. Another
provision would impose the 75-cent tax on prepaid cell phones that are exempt
from the tax under current law. Supporters said that cell phone users get the
same benefits from the 911 service as landline users and should pay the same
tax. They argued that the increase would generate an estimated $25 million that
would enhance the system and save lives. Although no legislators voted against
the bill, critics say that this alleged "fee" is simply another tax
increase that would hurt overburdened taxpayers who are already struggling with
increased costs of filling up their gas tanks and heating their home. The
Senate vote was on an earlier version of the legislation. (A "Yes"
vote is for the bill improving the state’s 911 emergency system and increasing
the monthly tax on cell phones from 30 cents to 75 cents).

 Rep. Denise Provost Yes

 Rep. Carl Sciortino Yes

 Rep. Timothy Toomey Yes

 Sen. Anthony Galluccio Yes

 Sen. Patricia Jehlen Yes

ALSO UP ON BEACON HILL

TWINS IN SCHOOL (H 469) – The
Senate approved a proposal allowing parents of twins, triplets, quadruplets or
quintuplets to request that their children be placed either in the same
classroom or in separate classrooms. The school administration would be allowed
to advise the parents but would be required to abide by their request. The
House has already approved the bill. Only final approval is needed in both
branches prior to the measure going to the governor.

PROTECT ANIMALS (H 1527) – The
Senate approved a bill increasing the penalty for anyone arrested for being
present at an animal fight from a fine of up to $250 and/or 30 days in jail to
a fine of up to $1,000 and/or five years in jail. The measure also makes it a
crime to possess or distribute videos or audio recordings that depict the
torture of or cruelty to animals and imposes up to a two-year jail sentence
and/or $1,000 fine on violators. The House has already approved the bill. Only
final approval is needed in both branches prior to the measure going to the
governor.

SUDDEN INFANT DEATH SYNDROME
ADVISORY COUNCIL (H 1678) – The House and Senate approved and sent to Gov.
Patrick a new version of legislation creating the Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
(SIDS) Advisory Council. The council would be the focal point for many of the
issues surrounding SIDS.

SOCIAL WORKERS (H 1873) – The
House and Senate approved and sent to the governor a bill prohibiting employers
from restricting the right of a social worker to practice in any geographic
area for any period of time after termination of employment. Current law allows
agreements in which both parties consent to this type of restriction.
Supporters said that the restriction unfairly prohibits social workers that
leave their current job from seeing patients with whom they are currently
working. They argued that this is not good for the patient who has formed a
relationship with the social worker and could be prohibited from seeing him or
her again for years.

LOCAL EMPLOYEES MUST GO ON
MEDICARE (H 4516) – The Senate approved a local option bill allowing cities and
towns to require their retired employees to sign up for Medicare when they are
eligible. The municipality would then drop the employee’s primary health
insurance and be required to purchase less expensive secondary insurance for
him or her. The law would not apply to local retirees who have spouses that are
currently included on the retiree’s health plan until the spouse is also
eligible for Medicare. Supporters said this would give struggling, cash-starved
communities the option to save money while still protecting their local
retirees. They noted that the city or town would no longer have to buy
expensive primary coverage insurance but instead would buy less expensive
secondary insurance to complement Medicare. The House has already approved the
bill. Only final approval is needed in both branches prior to the measure going
to the governor.

BLOOD DONATIONS (H 4547) – The
House approved and sent to the Senate a measure allowing 16-year-olds to donate
blood with their parents’ permission. The measure leaves intact a current law
that allows minors over 17 to donate blood without parental permission.
Supporters said that there is a blood shortage in Massachusetts and noted that
the state imports an estimated 30 percent of its blood supply from neighboring
states. They argued that lowering the age would increase the blood supply and
noted that unlike older adults with illnesses, the overwhelmingly majority of
16 year olds are in perfect health and would not be disqualified from donating
blood.

SUICIDE PREVENTION (H 2165) –
The House approved a bill creating a 15-member special commission to study the
problem of suicide and implement a state plan to reduce the incidences of
suicide. The measure was approved by the Public Health Committee more than a
year ago and ahs been languishing in the House rules committee since March.

QUOTABLE QUOTES

"It’s a lot like being at
the Statehouse. There’s a cast of characters, there’s a lot of noise, and you
can’t really tell what’s going on." РHouse Republican Minority Leader
Bradley Jones (R-North Reading) during an interview with the State House News
Service. Jones was with his family at Canobie Lake Park in New Hampshire.

"Representative Peter
Koutoujian called on the Patrick Administration to establish regulations which
would phase out the use of trans fat in Massachusetts restaurants over the next
12-18 months." – From a press release issued by Rep. Peter Koutoujian
(D-Newton) asking the State Department of Public Health to do through executive
regulations what the Legislature has failed to do legislatively. A bill phasing
out the use of trans fat was approved by the House in June but has been tied up
in the Senate.

"Visitors should enter at
the General Hooker entrance which is just to the right of the main gate if you
are facing the State House." – From Massachusetts Secretary of State
William Galvin’s website promoting tours of the Statehouse. There is a sign in
front of the Statehouse that reads, "General Hooker Entrance."
General Hooker, of course, was a famous civil war general and is honored with a
statue in front of the building.

HOW LONG WAS LAST WEEK’S
SESSION? Beacon Hill Roll Call tracks the length of time that the House and
Senate were in session each week. Many legislators say that legislative
sessions are only one aspect of the Legislature’s job and that a lot of
important work is done outside of the House and Senate chambers. They note that
their jobs also involve committee work, research, constituent work and other
matters that are important to their districts. Critics say that the Legislature
does not meet regularly or long enough to debate and vote in public view on the
thousands of pieces of legislation that have been filed. They note that the
infrequency and brief length of sessions are misguided and lead to
irresponsible late night sessions and a mad rush to act on dozens of bills in
the days immediately preceding the end of an annual session.

During the week of August
18-22, the House met for a total of 35 minutes while the Senate met for a total
of 22 minutes.

Mon. Aug. 18 House 11:00 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.

 Senate 11:00 a.m. to 11:09 a.m.

Tues. Aug. 19 No House
session

 No Senate session

Wed. Aug. 20 No House
session

 No Senate session

Thurs. Aug. 21 House 11:09 a.m. to 11:29 a.m.

 Senate 11:03 a.m. to 11:16 a.m.

Fri. Aug. 22 No House
session

 No Senate session

Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at
bob@beaconhillrollcall.com