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On Super Tuesday In Massachusetts, A Few Down-Ballot Contests

Outside a Massachusetts polling place.
Robin Lubbock
/
WBUR
Outside a Massachusetts polling place.

As Massachusetts voters weigh in on the presidential race, some will also be voting in special elections for the state legislature. 

There are five of those contests on the ballot Tuesday, including a special primary for a vacancy in western Massachusetts created by Don Humason's transition from state senator to Westfield mayor.

At least ten other lawmakers have announced they are not seeking reelection to the legislature. 

Matt Murphy of the State House News Service joins us to talk about Super Tuesday, and other happenings this week in Massachusetts politics and government.

Carrie Healy, NEPR: Is this more turnover in the legislature than usual?

Matt Murphy, State House News Service: Yeah, I mean, it's been pretty fast, but this is about the time of year where we're accustomed to lawmakers making these decisions when [nomination] papers become available. I think right now we're kind of tracking on par with what we see in most years, but there still could be more to come.

This Tuesday, in addition to the presidential contest, one seat will get finally decided. That's the seat in Melrose. There's a general election on Tuesday to fill that seat. In the four other seats, including Humason's seat in the Senate, primaries are scheduled.

The rest of them, 10, include nine Democrats in the House and one House Republican announcing plans not to seek re-election next year. And these representatives include longtime Rep. Tom Petrolati, who's been a prominent member of leadership. That is a big turnover. So we are seeing some veteran members also decide that retirement is in the cards for them this year.

As the world wrestles with the effects of COVID-19, state lawmakers went ahead and included funds in a supplemental spending bill to help the state deal with the coronavirus. What's been done to this point and what do we still expect?

There's about $100,000 in that supplemental budget to help the state laboratory begin to look at testing and be prepared in case the coronavirus were to come here in any significant way. The governor last week telling reporters and the public that he has been in constant contact, both with local public health officials, as well as the CDC in Washington, as they're trying to monitor this. There are several hundred people in Massachusetts who have been self-quarantined, but we still have just the one confirmed case of coronavirus virus in Massachusetts.

And the governor says he's also working with hospitals and health care providers to be prepared. And that includes checking on supply chains to make sure masks and other equipment are available, if and when the coronavirus were to arrive here in any significant and meaningful way. But the governor stressing that, right now, the threat remains low.

This week kicks off with members of the legislature's Ways and Means Committee visiting Pittsfield. How is this road trip going to influence the budgeting discussions ahead?

This is just one of many hearings that they're having around the state. They've had a few. This one, in particular, they're going to hear from a lot of the open space and environmental agencies who will be testifying on their budget priorities. And this is all just part of the process as lawmakers look to understand what was in Governor Baker's budget, and as the House builds its own with an eye toward April for the release of that spending plan.

And the House has unveiled a long-awaited tax proposal. What are the highlights of that?

Yeah, since last March 2019, the House has been working to build this. Speaker Robert DeLeo saying that revenue for transportation cannot wait. And last week, he rolled out a $600 million tax package that includes: higher gas taxes, a 5-cent increase on the gas tax, 9-cent increase on diesel, new fees on Uber and Lyft, rental cars and $150 million business tax increase — all to pay for transportation.

With some of the money going towards the MBTA, additional money, a new $10 million fund is being set aside for regional transit authorities to help more rural areas.

This will be on the floor for debate on Wednesday. The House is hopeful that this will pass and then they will take up a much bigger $14 billion long-term borrowing bill for transportation on Thursday. It's all part of the House's plan to improve transportation, but it is already encountering some significant opposition from both Governor Charlie Baker and the business community.

Carrie Healy hosts the local broadcast of "Morning Edition" at NEPM. She also hosts the station’s weekly government and politics segment “Beacon Hill In 5” for broadcast radio and podcast syndication.
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