State House News Service Weekly Roundup: Three’s Company
Like pieces of a puzzle that don’t quite fit together yet, the Big Three may have been separated at birth, but with each incremental step their destinies seem to grow more intertwined. No, we’re not talking about those Big Three – Gov. Deval Patrick, Senate President Therese Murray and Speaker Robert DeLeo – though they play major character roles in this thickening plot. Instead, three bills have come to define the early months of the 2013 legislative agenda and resolutions on tax hikes, local road funding and the annual state budget continue to be elusive and dependent on one another. Patrick spent the early part of his week welcoming British Prime Minister David Cameron to Boston for a few quick meetings and a visit to the Copley memorial for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings before hopping a plane to Ireland for a rendezvous with Murray, already several days into her cross-Atlantic trade mission. If legislative leaders detect a slight accent creeping in when Patrick returns to work at the State House next week they shouldn’t be alarmed or confused. Then again, they haven’t exactly been speaking the same language lately anyway. Click here to subscribe to MASSterlist, a free morning newsletter by State House News Service that highlights political news from a wide array of newspapers and journals in Massachusetts and New England The Senate Ways and Means Committee this week released its version of the fiscal 2014 state budget, a $ 33.9 billion spending plan that bore a striking resemblance to the House blueprint that roundly rebuffed Patrick’s calls for massive new investments in transportation and early education. Unlike the House, the Senate leadership’s budget provides $ 15 million to expand access to pre-school, a step toward the governor’s preferences. The budget proposal, however, backtracked from the House and governor’s commitment to boost higher education funding to avoid tuition hikes next year at UMass and other public universities. All of that is to say, Senate leaders created ample room to maneuver for eventual conference committee negotiations with the House. Of course, the divergence from Patrick was not unexpected given how House and Senate leaders already recycled the governor’s expansive tax package that he proposed to finance the new investments, instead moving forward with a more limited, but still quite large $ 500 million tax increase on gas, tobacco and business. “I find it interesting to put it mildly that the budget includes tax revenue apparently from a bill that hasn’t passed yet. And not only hasn’t it passed, my understanding is there’s only been one conference committee meeting,” Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr lamented. Democratic leaders don’t seem to care much that $ […]
State House News Service Weekly Roundup: Three’s Company
Like pieces of a puzzle that don’t quite fit together yet, the Big Three may have been separated at birth, but with each incremental step their destinies seem to grow more intertwined. No, we’re not talking about those Big Three – Gov. Deval Patrick, Senate President Therese Murray and Speaker Robert DeLeo – though they play major character roles in this thickening plot. Instead, three bills have come to define the early months of the 2013 legislative agenda and resolutions on tax hikes, local road funding and the annual state budget continue to be elusive and dependent on one another. Patrick spent the early part of his week welcoming British Prime Minister David Cameron to Boston for a few quick meetings and a visit to the Copley memorial for the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings before hopping a plane to Ireland for a rendezvous with Murray, already several days into her cross-Atlantic trade mission. If legislative leaders detect a slight accent creeping in when Patrick returns to work at the State House next week they shouldn’t be alarmed or confused. Then again, they haven’t exactly been speaking the same language lately anyway. Click here to subscribe to MASSterlist, a free morning newsletter by State House News Service that highlights political news from a wide array of newspapers and journals in Massachusetts and New England The Senate Ways and Means Committee this week released its version of the fiscal 2014 state budget, a $ 33.9 billion spending plan that bore a striking resemblance to the House blueprint that roundly rebuffed Patrick’s calls for massive new investments in transportation and early education. Unlike the House, the Senate leadership’s budget provides $ 15 million to expand access to pre-school, a step toward the governor’s preferences. The budget proposal, however, backtracked from the House and governor’s commitment to boost higher education funding to avoid tuition hikes next year at UMass and other public universities. All of that is to say, Senate leaders created ample room to maneuver for eventual conference committee negotiations with the House. Of course, the divergence from Patrick was not unexpected given how House and Senate leaders already recycled the governor’s expansive tax package that he proposed to finance the new investments, instead moving forward with a more limited, but still quite large $ 500 million tax increase on gas, tobacco and business. “I find it interesting to put it mildly that the budget includes tax revenue apparently from a bill that hasn’t passed yet. And not only hasn’t it passed, my understanding is there’s only been one conference committee meeting,” Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr lamented. Democratic leaders don’t seem to care much that $ […]
State House News Service Weekly Roundup: A Hoop-De-Doo
Massachusetts’ problem is now Virginia’s. After a macabre, around-the-clock stakeout of a Worcester funeral home this week by frenzied reporters and furious protestors, the remains of alleged Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev were secreted out of central Massachusetts and buried in a small Muslim cemetery in rural Virginia. No cemetery in Massachusetts, or public official for that matter, wanted Tsarnaev’s body. And Gov. Deval Patrick just seemed relieved the tense standoff was over. “No. I have enough to do,” Patrick said, when asked if he wished he had gotten involved to end the theatrics sooner. The April 15 attacks on the finish line of the Boston Marathon threw Beacon Hill policymakers off stride, quieting the raging debate over transportation financing and overshadowing annual budget talks. Still, the people’s business continues, and picked up in intensity this week as committees heard testimony on a raft of legislation, the Department of Public Health finalized medical marijuana regulations, and Rep. Joseph Wagner finally scheduled a hearing on the Mashpee Wampanoag gaming casino agreement with the Patrick administration. Click here to subscribe to MASSterlist, a free morning newsletter by State House News Service that highlights political news from a wide array of newspapers and journals in Massachusetts and New England Boston Mayor Thomas Menino made the short trek from City Hall to the State House to ask the Education Committee to green light legislation that would increase the number of “in-district” charter schools and give the mayor and school superintendents more control to intervene in mediocre schools on the cusp of failing. Knowing full-well his time in office is short, Menino wants the ed reform bill as a parting gift from the Legislature, but said he’d be back to make his case next year as a private citizen if need be: “It’s my thing,” the mayor said, referring to education. Depending on what poll you read, Congressman Ed Markey is either in the fight of his life against upstart Republican Gabriel Gomez or comfortably on his way into the U.S. Senate. Suffolk University pollster David Paleologos had Markey up 17 points, while a WBUR poll put the race more in line with previous surveys showing a six- to eight-point spread. Markey, at least publicly, seemed to prefer the latter narrative, latching on to the idea that Gomez is nipping at his heels with fundraising appeals claiming he needs support – and money – now more than ever. As for Gomez, he had his most difficult week yet since he left the safe protective nest of his private equity firm to enter the public spotlight and run for public office. A front-page Globe story detailing how Gomez had taken advantage of tax loophole […]
State House News Service Weekly Roundup: Enter Gomez
In case voters weren’t paying attention, and turnout suggested many weren’t, his name is Gabriel Gomez. And now only Ed Markey stands between him and the United States Senate. “My name is Gabriel Gomez, and I’m a proud Republican,” Gomez said, reciting his full name for the second time during a five-minute chat with reporters outside the new go-to, post-election Broadway T stop in South Boston Wednesday morning. The reporters already knew who he was, but part of Gomez’s strategy now is to make sure everybody else does too. The newly minted face of the Republican Party captured the Republican nomination for U.S. Senate on Tuesday by defeating two better known names in Massachusetts Republican politics. Former U.S. Attorney Michael Sullivan was supposed to be the favorite, and Rep. Daniel Winslow has been active since his days with the Romney administration. But it was Gomez who easily prevailed by a margin of more than 28,000 votes over runner-up Sullivan. He also considerably outspent both his primary opponents, tapping into his own bank account for $ 600,000 to get to the general election. Now, with a seat up for grabs in the U.S. Senate, the national money should start to flow. Click here to subscribe to MASSterlist, a free morning newsletter by State House News Service that highlights political news from a wide array of newspapers and journals in Massachusetts and New England On the Democratic side, Markey rolled fairly easily to the nomination over delegation-mate U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch. After 36 years in the House and a few flirtations with trying move up, Markey stands on the cusp of filling John Kerry’s (and Mo Cowan’s) shoes. If Markey is something old and blue, Gomez is new and borrowing some pages from the Scott Brown playbook, with a twist. Both are young and photogenic with military backgrounds – Brown’s a colonel in the JAG Corps of the Army National Guard, Gomez was a Navy SEAL. Brown had political experience from his days in the state Legislature when he ran against Attorney General Martha Coakley in 2010. Gomez lost a bid for selectman in Cohasset, but has more business experience and personal wealth than Brown. And just as Brown tapped into the national Tea Party angst at the time to open a spigot of financial resources, Gomez is positioned well to take advantage of his Colombian heritage and the GOP’s post-2012 realization that the growing Hispanic voting bloc, concerned about middle class issues as well as immigration, can no longer be ignored. Massachusetts Democrats say they cleaned up last election cycle among ethnic minorities and will likely have a rebuttal to Gomez’s appeal to Hispanic voters. Public Policy Polling released […]
Worcester/Boston Express Train In Service
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation alongside other agencies launched a new express commuter train between Worcester and Boston Monday morning. The train runs along the Worcester/Framingham line twice daily: once toward Boston during the morning commuter and once toward Worcester in the afternoon, according to MBTA.com. During weekday mornings, the train will depart from Worcester’s Union Station at 6:20 a.m., make a stop in Framingham at 7 a.m., make another stop at Back Bay Station at 7:37 a.m. and finish the run at South Station at 7:43 a.m. In the afternoon, the train will depart from South Station at 5:35 p.m., stop at Back Bay Station at 5:41 p.m., make a stop in Framingham at 6:13 p.m. and finish in Worcester at 6:43 p.m. The express service made its debut in Worcester Monday, April 29 with Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray and Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty aboard. South End Patch
Categories: Arrests Tags: Express, Service, Train, Worcester/Boston
New Commuter Rail Cars Finally In Service
Passengers aboard three brand new commuter rail cars, which left from North Station Wednesday morning, took a ride that was five years in the making. The MBTA announced Wednesday that three of the 75 new double-decker commuter rail coaches built by Korean company Hyundai-Rotem were in service. The cars left from North Station toward Haverhill at 10:30 a.m. on April 24. “We are constantly working to bring our customers a better experience,” MBTA General Manager Beverly Scott said in a statement. “These new coaches will do just that, with a cleaner, more informed and more comfortable trip for all on board.” The coaches will service the north side of the commuter rail system before operating throughout the system in the coming weeks, according to the statement. The MBTA bought the coaches for $ 190 million in 2008, but a series of production delays held the cars up until now. Aspects of the new coaches, according to the MBTA: 55 percent more seating than single-level coaches Onboard LED displays for station announcements Larger bathrooms Improved air conditioning and air flow systems South End Patch
State House News Service Weekly Roundup: Lounging
Emotionally drained by last week’s marathon bombings, House lawmakers raced through budget week, shortening it to a three-day affair that averaged out to about a billion dollars in spending for every hour in session. The only thing left to do by Friday was figure out where that money was going. It was an impressive display of efficiency and trust or acquiescence, depending on your vantage point. House lawmakers sprinted through deliberations over how to best allocate $ 33.8 billion, agreeing to bump up the bottom line closer to $ 34 billion between Monday and Wednesday night. After 37 hours in session – many spent in idle chatter awaiting a thumb’s up or down on legislators’ preferred earmarks, policy goals and spending priorities from lawmakers debating in an adjoining lounge – Democrats uniformly supported the budget put before them by Ways and Means Chairman Brian Dempsey. The Haverhill Democrat defended the bill as “fiscally responsible,” making investments in local aid and higher education to avoid UMass tuition and fee hikes, while holding the line on other spending for programs such as pre-kindergarten until proper oversight can be demonstrated. Click here to subscribe to MASSterlist, a free morning newsletter by State House News Service that highlights political news from a wide array of newspapers and journals in Massachusetts and New England House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Dempsey have turned budgeting efficiency into an art in recent years, transforming what used to be a four- or five-day process into a three-day exercise at best. Even a late start Wednesday so that members could attend a memorial for slain M.I.T. police office Sean Collier in Cambridge couldn’t slow down the feverish pace of decision-making in the lounge. So intent on finishing by Wednesday night, DeLeo even appealed to an authority higher than any lawmaker’s professed devotion to education, social justice or public safety. “I am not providing dinner tomorrow night,” DeLeo said around 8 p.m. on Wednesday, a light-hearted caution against stalling delivered, incidentally, not long after lawmakers put the kibosh on Munchy Ways and Buddafingers. Lawmakers had almost nothing to say about the issue in the years leading up to last November’s voter approval of a medical marijuana law, but the House this week slammed the door on edible, candy-like med marijuana products. That’s not to say lawmakers weren’t included in the process, following the now traditional pilgrimage to Room 348 – the lounge – to pitch their amendments out of listening range for the general public. Large, bundled revisions arrived on the floor for approval, some adding tens of millions in spending to the final document. Republicans voted in a bloc against […]
New Commuter Rail Cars Finally In Service
Passengers aboard three brand new commuter rail cars, which left from North Station Wednesday morning, took a ride that was five years in the making. The MBTA announced Wednesday that three of the 75 new double-decker commuter rail coaches built by Korean company Hyundai-Rotem were in service. The cars left from North Station toward Haverhill at 10:30 a.m. on April 24. “We are constantly working to bring our customers a better experience,” MBTA General Manager Beverly Scott said in a statement. “These new coaches will do just that, with a cleaner, more informed and more comfortable trip for all on board.” The coaches will service the north side of the commuter rail system before operating throughout the system in the coming weeks, according to the statement. The MBTA bought the coaches for $ 190 million in 2008, but a series of production delays held the cars up until now. Aspects of the new coaches, according to the MBTA: 55 percent more seating than single-level coaches Onboard LED displays for station announcements Larger bathrooms Improved air conditioning and air flow systems South End Patch
Live Blog: Memorial Service for Sean Collier Begins at Noon
Sean Collier will be remembered at an MIT memorial service at noon on Wednesday. Collier, who was killed Thursday, was laid to rest on Tuesday morning. Police believe the Boston Marathon bombing suspects shot Collier as he responded to an unrelated robbery. Patch will provide updates throughout the memorial service. We welcome you to add your condolences and memories of Sean in the chat above once the live chat begins. South End Patch
Road Closures, Details For Collier Service
Massachusetts State Police and Cambridge Police announced several road closures around Cambridge as a result of the Wednesday memorial service for MIT Police Officer Sean Collier on the MIT campus. Vassar Street: Closed beginning at 6 a.m. on Wednesday between Audrey Street and Massachusetts Avenue. Massachusetts Avenue: Closed from Albany Streeet toward Boston beginning at 7 a.m. on Wednesday. Memorial Drive: Closed beginning at 12 a.m. on Wednesday between Massachusetts Avenue and the B.U. Bridge. Massachusetts Avenue Bridge into Cambridge closed beginning at 7 a.m. on Wednesday. “These road closures are going to have a major impact on traffic in the city,” police said in a statement Tuesday. “Police are asking residents to plan ahead, seek alternate routes, and use public transportation whenever possible.” Further information on traffic will be posted on Cambridge Police’s website and updates can found on Twitter by following @CambridgePolice and @MassStatePolice. In addition, Massachusetts State Police tweeted the Wednesday service will not be open to the public. According to police, the service will be for “public safety personnel, MIT family, dignitaries only.” The service starts at 12 p.m. at Briggs Field. Vice President Joe Biden will be in attendance. More details for attendees are available from Cambridge Police here. South End Patch