Beacon Hill Roll Call records local representatives’ and senators’ votes on roll calls from the week of July 15 to July 19.

Approve $58B fiscal year 2025 budget (H 4800)

The House, 154-3, and the Senate, 40-0, approved and sent to Gov. Maura Healey a $58 billion fiscal year 2025 budget for the fiscal year that began July 1, 2024. The price tag represents a $1.97 billion, or 3.5%, increase over the FY24 budget.

The package uses more than $1 billion in one-time revenues. Aside from the spending, the package makes policy changes including authorizing free community college, free rides on regional transit agencies and 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 FY25, would fund a permanent Commonwealth Cares for Children grant program that provides long-term stability for high-quality and affordable care for families.

Senate President Karen Spilka, D-Ashland, said, “This budget is a vote of confidence 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 fiscally responsible approach to making meaningful investments in areas of significant 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 affordable 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 budgets eventually go belly up.”

“Once again, the Massachusetts Legislature 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, spokesperson 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% 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 difficult to fix 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.

Rep. Natalie Blais — Yes

Rep. Aaron Saunders — Yes

Rep. Susannah Whipps — Yes

Sen. Joanne Comerford — Yes

Sen. Paul Mark — Yes

Approve firearms changes (H 4885)

The House, 123-33, and the 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 firearms in additional public spaces like schools, polling places and government buildings; expanding the 2018 “red flag” 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 modification of legal firearms into illegal automatic weapons; and providing a legacy clause so all firearms legally owned and registered in Massachusetts as of the effective 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 firearm 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 battlefield 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 firearm 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 firearms 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 firearm — 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 office 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. Natalie Blais — Yes

Rep. Aaron Saunders — Yes

Rep. Susannah Whipps — No

Sen. Joanne Comerford — Yes

Sen. Paul Mark — Yes

Clean energy (H 4884)

The 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 different 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, final decision within 12 months of the receipt of a complete permit application.

“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-Westfield, who voted against the bill. “This expedited process is great for energy suppliers, but not necessarily for local communities.”

A “Yes” vote is for the bill.

Rep. Natalie Blais — Yes

Rep. Aaron Saunders — Yes

Rep. Susannah Whipps — Yes

Health care changes (S 2871)

The Senate, 38-2, approved a bill that supporters said includes urgent reforms to the state’s health care system to boost oversight and transparency in the market, improve patient access to prescribed medication and treatment, and plug holes in oversight of hospitals, especially for-profit systems. The House has already approved a different version of the measure and a House-Senate conference committee will hammer out a compromise version.

Provisions in the Senate version include expanding oversight of private equity firms, real estate investment trusts and management services organizations involved with Massachusetts health care providers; requiring a new insurance carrier to honor any prior authorizations approved by a previous carrier for at least 90 days following a patient’s enrollment in the new health plan; establishing a health insurance bureau within the Division of Insurance to conduct rate reviews of premium rates for health benefit plans and disseminate information to consumers about health insurance coverage; and establishing licensing structures for certain health care providers currently not licensed, and not subject to Department of Public Health oversight, including office-based surgical centers, urgent care centers and health care practices.

A “Yes” vote is for the bill.

Sen. Joanne Comerford — Yes

Sen. Paul Mark — Yes

Dually eligible individuals (S 2871)

The Senate, 7-32, rejected an amendment that would allow dually eligible individuals, also known as duals, who qualify for Medicare and MassHealth to access care from any specialist or hospital enrolled in Medicare or MassHealth.

“The adoption of this amendment would ensure that dually eligible individuals can receive necessary health care services without being restricted by provider network limitations,” said amendment sponsor Sen. Mark Pacheco, D-Taunton. “This provision maintains continuity of care, prevents sudden disruptions in services and ensures that duals, who often have long-standing relationships with providers managing their complex health and functional needs, are not forced to lose access due to network disruptions.”

Amendment opponents said a separate bill, similar to this amendment, was shipped off to a study committee because there are not yet sufficient estimates of the cost of the bill and other problem relating to it.

A “No” vote is against the amendment.

Sen. Joanne Comerford — No

Sen. Paul Mark — No

Financial insolvency (S 2871)

The Senate, 10-30, rejected an amendment that would allow the executive branch to take immediate control of a health care provider’s assets in cases of the provider’s financial insolvency. The Executive Office of Health and Human Services would also play a part in developing a pathway, through regulations, to stabilize health care providers.

“We must safeguard the health care services our communities rely on, even in the face of financial challenges faced by providers,” said amendment sponsor Sen. Mark Pacheco.

Amendment opponents said the amendment should be rejected because no one has any idea of the cost of the amendment, which they said would be very expensive.

A “No” vote is against the amendment.

Sen. Joanne Comerford — No

Sen. Paul Mark — No

Drug coupons (S 2871)

The Senate, 6-33, rejected an amendment extending until 2030 the current law, due to expire in 2026, that allows consumers to use coupons to get discounts and rebates when buying prescription drugs. In 2012, Massachusetts was the last state to lift a ban on the use of prescription coupons.

Amendment supporters said this program helps some consumers save up to 80% of the costs of prescriptions. They said the program has worked well and should be extended to 2030 or be made permanent.

Amendment opponents said the program does not expire until 2026 and it is unnecessary to extend the program right now. Some argued that the use of coupons drives up health care costs by luring consumers and encouraging them to request high-priced brand name medication.

A “No” vote is against the amendment extending the use of coupons.

Sen. Joanne Comerford — No

Sen. Paul Mark — No

Also up on Beacon Hill Vote by mail applications

Secretary of State Bill Galvin told voters this week to check their mail for an official 2024 vote by mail application. His office is sending applications to all registered voters who have not already applied for a state primary ballot. Voters who already applied earlier this year will not receive another application.

Any voter who wants to vote by mail in their party’s Sept. 3 primary can use this pre-addressed, postage pre-paid application to request their ballot. Unenrolled voters, also known as “independents,” can vote in either party primary but they must indicate their party ballot selection on the application.

Applications being mailed to voters this week allow a voter to apply for a September primary ballot, a November general election ballot or both. Voters who prefer to apply online may do so at www.VoteInMA.com.

Pet cemeteries (H 4206)

The House has shipped off to a study committee a measure that would require the owner of any property used or set to be used for a pet cemetery to file in the Registry of Deeds a dedication restricting the property to be used only for the operation of a pet cemetery. Bills that are sent to a study committee bills are rarely actually studied and are essentially defeated. It is a way to kill a proposal without holding a vote on the bill itself.

Supporters say the bill would preserve existing pet cemeteries by preventing the construction and development on the property that is or holds out to be a pet cemetery.

Bills stuck in committee

These three bills were all given initial approval by the House in April but have not moved since. They are stuck in the Bills in Third Reading Committee.

Expand property tax abatements for police and firefighters (H 2890): Would expand the current law that provides a property tax abatement to the surviving spouses and minor children of police officers and firefighters “killed in the line of duty.” The bill provides that the abatement also go to the families of officers who “died in the line of duty.”

“Killed in the line of duty” has a limited definition usually meaning the individual lost their life in an incident, accident or due to violence that was directly related to their service. “Died in the line of duty” is broader and can account for a number of medical emergencies like stroke or heart attack.

Tax incentive for urban agriculture (H 2852): Would promote urban agriculture and horticulture by allowing Gateway Cities, as well as cities and towns with populations of more than 50,000, to exempt from property taxes any land of 2 acres or less that is used for commercial urban agriculture and horticulture. Additionally, the parcel must have had at least $500 in gross sales of agricultural or horticultural products in the prior year to be eligible for the tax exemption.

Increase parking fines (H 3326): Would allow cities and towns to double the maximum fine for some parking violations. Current law sets a maximum fine for many violations at $50 if paid within 21 days, $55 if paid after 21 days, and $75 if paid after the parking clerk reports the parking offense and fine to the Registry of Motor Vehicles.

The bill increases the fines to $100 if paid within 21 days, $110 if paid after 21 days, and $150 if paid after the parking clerk reports the parking offense and fine to the Registry of Motor Vehicles.

Rep. Susan Gifford, R-Wareham, the bill’s sponsor, said the current maximum fines have not changed since 2004, nearly 20 years ago.