One Massachusetts ballot question for November would cut income taxes. State House Speaker Ron Mariano is urging supporters to negotiate with lawmakers instead, saying the House is open to alternative approaches to affordability and competitiveness.
Reporter Ella Adams with State House News Service explained what Mariano is worried about if voters approve the tax cut in November.
Ella Adams, SHNS: Until his speech on Thursday, Mariano had not indicated that he would be open to compromising with proponents of that initiative petition. During those remarks, he named examples of things that could face reductions should that income tax cut measure pass, including cuts to school budgets, health care funding, infrastructure spending, the MBTA (Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority), state investments and economic development.
But it's important to note that ballot question supporters say they are pushing the question because they're concerned about the state of competitiveness and affordability. And they say reducing the tax rate would make Massachusetts a more competitive state and let workers keep more of their earnings.
Carrie Healy, NEPM: So, is Mariano alone in wanting to settle the tax issue before November?
This is the first indication by at least the House leadership side of things, that there is a willingness to do so.
Amherst is staring at a $49 million backlog for road repairs across its 104 miles of public ways, with less than $5 million planned for resurfacing this year. So, what's the latest on that sweeping transportation bill moving through the legislature, and could it help communities like Amherst?
The Transportation Committee's version of that bill had a hearing last week before a different committee, the Committee on Bonding Capital Expenditures and State Assets. That bill would authorize $1.4 billion in new bond financing, including $300 million for the annual chapter 90 outlay for local road maintenance funds. With regards to that, local road maintenance, $100 million would be allocated based on lane miles, which the Healey administration has said would increase resources for rural and smaller communities. And that bill was last week after it had a hearing sent to House Ways and Means.
Also on Beacon Hill, lawmakers are taking up the Mass Ready Act. It's a more than $3 billion environmental bond bill. Can you walk us through it? How does this bill raise money and where is it set to be spent?
The Senate is set on April 15 to take up a pretty policy heavy $3.64 billion environmental borrowing bill. So, this bond bill would pump state money into things like climate resilience improvements, land conservation efforts and clean water. And the bill would also ban single use plastic carryout bags at all retailers and impose a ten-cent fee for recyclable paper bags.
So how much of this actually matters for people in western Massachusetts, especially the parts about flood disclosures and beach access?
On the bonding side of the bill, the Senate is proposing $500- million for the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program, which provides money for cities and towns to build climate resilience into public works projects. The Senate bill would also create a number of new commissions. One of those would be a Quabbin Host Community Trust Fund to support the services, public safety and development of municipalities within the Quabbin Reservoir watershed. And it also proposes there to be a commission on flood risk mitigation and resilience in the Connecticut River Valley.
Before you go, following a worker's death at a western Massachusetts cannabis facility in Holyoke in 2022, lawmakers have finally advanced to cannabis reform bill. What happens once it reaches the governor, and what changes, if any, should workers and businesses in western Massachusetts expect to see?
Last Thursday, lawmakers sent a conference committee an agreement to Governor Healey. Legislative negotiators attached an emergency preamble to the bill, which means that the bill can take effect the day that it is signed. And the governor has ten days to sign the bill.
A major piece of this compromise is that it dissolves and downsizes the current Cannabis Control Commission (CCC) from five members to three members. That's the body that's in charge of regulating cannabis in Massachusetts. So, the agreement not only downsizes the CCC, but it gives all appointing power to the governor.
Senator Adam Gomez said, as the conferees were signing the agreement, that the agreement makes important improvements to public accountability. It would create a new portal for reporting illegal conduct, requiring updated reporting on public health impacts and tax policy, and studying workplace safety standards.
