Reform AND Revenue - in Four Different Conference Committees!!

Submitted by Harmony Blakeway on Tue, 05/26/2009 - 11:15am

This week's Conference Committees Meetings...

After last week’s flurry of activity on Beacon Hill, this week may seem like a period of rest for our legislators – and for those constituents wishing to be heard on the reforms and revenues affecting the health of our state.

It's not too late! This week looks to be filled with conference committee meetings. And while they are all closed to the public, they will all be run by our legislators - men and women that are interested in and impacted by your thoughts and concerns.

Below you can find for each of these bills - Ethics, Transportation, Pension, and Budget - the full bill text, conference committee members, and analysis, when available. 

Meanwhile...

It is clear that the revenue options currently proposed in both the House and Senate Budgets will be inadequate to support the public structures that have been cut over the past year. Legislators are already talking about options for revenue bills in the fall, including a revamped bill to support Casinos and Slots.

Other options that were suggested in this year's budget debate included restoring the Income Tax to its 5.95% rate in 1999 (amendment by Sen. Chang Díaz), and the expansion of the Sales Tax to include professional services (amendment by Rep. Peter Kocot).

ONE Massachusetts is interested in hearing more about what you value in our state, and how you think we should pay for it! 

CONFERENCE COMMITTEES

ETHICS BILL

Ethics, lobbying and campaign finance reform bills (H 3856 / S 2052) are just heading into a conference committee. A brief analysis of the affect of the Senate's changes can be found on the Common Cause website.

Conferees include:

  • Senators:  Frederick Berry, Brian Joyce and Bruce Tarr
  • Representatives:  Peter Kocot, James Vallee and Jeffrey Perry.

TRANSPORTATION REFORM

The House and Senate non-concurred over legislation to modernize transportation in the Commonwealth (S 2024 / H 4051). An analysis of the differences in the Transportation Reform Bill can be found on the Massachusetts Municipal Association website.

Conferees include:

  • Senators:  Steven Baddour, Stephen Brewer, and Robert Hedlund
  • Representatives:  Joseph Wagner, Charles Murphy, and George Peterson

PENSION BILL

The House and Senate named conference committee members to try to meld a single bill out of two pension bills (S 2026 / H 4060). Senate President Therese Murray predicted that the pension conferees would reach agreement shortly, although negotiations already overshot the prediction by the House chair of that committee.

Conferees include:

  • Senators:  Steven Panagiotakos, Thomas McGee and Scott Brown
  • Representatives:  Robert Spellane, Michael Rodrigues and Todd Smola

STATE BUDGET

The FY10 State Budget conference committee to consolidate the House and Senate Budget Bills (H 4101 / S 3) will likely be led by House Ways and Means Chair, Representative Charles Murphy and Senate Ways and Means Chair, Senator Steven Panagiotakos. Here are links to an analysis of the House FY10 Budget and the Senate Ways and Means FY10 Budget, and a preliminary Senate Budget analysis from MassBudget.

Conferees include:

  • Senators: Steven Panagiotakos, Stephen Brewer, Michael Knapik
  • Representatives: Charley Murphy, Barbara L'Italien, Viriato deMacedo
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Comments

The conversation is happening

Submitted by yawu on Wed, 05/27/2009 - 11:30am.
State Senate President Therese Murray said the 25 percent increase in the sales tax would not meet the state's long term transportation funding needs in an interview with the Boston Herald yesterday. “It’s not going to be enough for really anything going forward,” she said in the article. Governor Deval Patrick says the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority will likely have to raise tolls by July 1. Murray's comments have lead to speculation the Legislature may be considering a gas tax. While the Herald story focuses on the state's transportation needs, it's clear that state government will need more substantive revenue reform to weather the current fiscal crisis and restore the fiscal health to the Commonwealth. Cities and towns across the state are struggling to bridge budget gaps left by reductions in local aid and other vital state revenues. In Boston, the school department is preparing to make its first 25 layoffs. In Fitchburg, city councilors are debating whether the town should override Proposition 2 1/2 to raise property taxes to protect the schools, the police and fire departments. Tough choices. A silver lining on this budget storm cloud may be that our Legislators and local officials are now having what the editorial writers at the Brockton Enterprise termed an adult discussion: "The bottom line is that, unlike most years, the question isn’t how much the state budget will grow, but how much it will shrink — and how the pain will be distributed. How much will come from human services? How much should be cut from colleges, prisons, transportation and other state services? How much pain will be passed on to cities, towns and schools through reduced local aid? How much should taxes and fees go up? Our point here isn’t to offer the answers, but to plead for an adult discussion." The contours of the state's budget problem are now in sharp releif. The tax options are now on the table. May the discussion begin.