Massachusetts House leaders say they want to move an energy affordability bill forward before shifting focus to the fiscal 2027 budget later this spring. Now, high utility costs have been compounded by a colder than average winter, and they remain a concern on Beacon Hill as well as for residents. Cutting energy bills is also central to Gov. Maura Healey's reelection agenda, and to challengers who are hoping to unseat her.
State House News Service reporter Ella Adams spoke with NEPM's Carrie Healy on this and other topics taking precedence on Beacon Hill this week.
Carrie Healy, NEPM: Do you get a sense as to what specific proposals legislative leaders are weighing to bring the cost [of energy/utility bills] down and before budget season consumes the conversation? Are there any other priority bills that they hope to advance?
Ella Adams, SHNS: So state reps met with leadership a little while ago to talk about a legislative response to that high energy issue that you were talking about. Among the proposals the House could be considering is the energy affordability proposal the governor filed last year — and whatever they're considering in the near term, it's been confirmed to not include any changes to the state's 2030 emissions reduction mandates.
As for other priority bills, House Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz said recently that he thinks the House wants to tackle immigration-related legislation before the budget, though it's a pretty complex issue. The House met a couple of weeks ago now to discuss a bill that was crafted by the Black and Latino Legislative Caucus, dubbed the Protect Act, which aims to protect the state from some types of immigration law enforcement. We don't have any sort of exact timeline, but on the Senate side, a few senators introduced their own type of immigration related legislation last week, which you could say shows that it's at least on everyone's minds at this point in time.
Also looming are 12 potential ballot questions headed for the November election, covering everything from rent control to tax cuts. Legislative leaders are exploring whether they can be resolved before Election Day.
As Secretary of State Bill Galvin seeks an additional $16 million to handle what could be a record long ballot, what would that funding cover, and is it likely the only added cost, or just the first in a ripple effect of an unusually crowded ballot?
I reported on this in January, when the Secretary first said that the biggest challenge of all those ballot questions will be the logistics of printing the ballot, because his office is required to print a summary to explain what the proposals actually do. He told reporters that because of how many proposals there could be, and that some of them are long, every ballot could have multiple ballot cards. In some communities, it's also required that ballots be printed in 2 or 3 different languages, so that also adds to the volume. He also has to print out copies of his voter information pamphlet, that red book that every voter gets, which has to include everything on the ballot. So, those are some of the things that he has named that are contributing to the higher costs of what could potentially be an extremely long ballot with all of those ballot questions.
That does sound like a really thick red book. Moving on, Governor Healey is proposing a $21 million increase in sheriff funding for fiscal 2027 budget, even as the state inspector general continues probing alleged misuse of funds by county sheriffs. His review includes financial records, communications with top Beacon Hill officials, and non-law enforcement activities. So with the investigation ongoing, will lawmakers challenge that proposed funding boost before the IG's findings are released?
I don't have an answer specifically to that, Carrie, but what I do know is that the IG's preliminary report is due at the end of February. So at least in the near term, that report is coming long before lawmakers iron out their final budget, which is safe to say will come months later.
As it usually does. And finally, as families take a break for school vacation, will the pace on Beacon Hill hit pause as usual this week?
I think we can probably expect it to slow down this week. We could always be surprised, but it's often pretty slow during school vacation week.
