THE HOUSE AND SENATE. Beacon Hill Roll Call records local representatives and senators' votes on two roll calls from prior legislative sessions. There were no roll call votes in the House or Senate last week.

$3,056,500 FOR WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT GRANTS (H 4900) House 142-14, Senate 34-3, overrode Gov. Deval Patrick's $3,056,500 veto reduction (from $11,038,500 to 7,982,000) in funding for workforce development grants. The governor also vetoed some of the earmarking of the grants for specific programs. These funds come from the Workforce Training Fund that was established in 1998 and is financed by Massachusetts employers. Supporters of keeping the $3,056,500 said that it is important to fund these grants that provide resources to Massachusetts businesses to train employees and improve their skills. In his veto message, Patrick said that he reduced the funding of earmarks for programs not recommended. Some opponents of keeping the $3,056,500 said that the funding is excessive and argued that earmarking is unfair because it favors employers in specific areas across the state. (A "Yes" vote is for overriding Patrick's reduction and for keeping the $3,056,500. A "No" vote is against overriding Patrick's reduction and against keeping the $3,056,500).

Rep. Thomas Calter    Yes                               Rep. Daniel Webster    No                                Sen. Robert Hedlund    No

GREEN JOBS (H 5018)

House 156-0, Senate 38-0, approved and Gov. Patrick signed into law the Green Jobs Act that offers state support to help develop the clean energy technology industry. Supporters say that the measure would create thousands of "green jobs," reduce greenhouse gas emissions, encourage green startup companies to locate and expand in Massachusetts and put Massachusetts in the forefront of the new green economy. (A "Yes" vote is for the bill).

Rep. Thomas Calter    Yes                               Rep. Daniel Webster    Didn't Vote                       Sen. Robert Hedlund    Yes

 

ALSO UP ON BEACON HILL

PROHIBIT SEX OFFENDERS FROM DRIVING SCHOOL BUSES (S 2849) - The House approved a bill prohibiting convicted sex offenders from driving a school bus. The proposal broadens current law that prohibits anyone convicted of committing an unnatural act, rape or sodomy from driving a school bus. The legislation also requires all school bus drivers to complete a basic course in first aid that includes training relative to the administration of an epinephrine auto injector. Epinephrine is an injection that is often used to counteract allergic reactions to food. Supporters said that broadening the prohibition would make children safer from all sex offenders. They argued that the bill is merely an extension of current laws that require criminal background checks and prohibit specific offenders from holding specific jobs. Opponents said that the bill is well-intentioned but argued that it creates a slippery slope which would result in proposals to ban sex offenders from other jobs involving children and eventually all jobs. They noted that the Senate in July rejected, on a 14-21 roll call vote, a previous measure that would have banned all sex offenders from driving a school bus or an ice cream truck. The Senate has already approved the current proposal. Only final approval is needed in each branch prior to it going to Gov. Patrick.

RESTRICT IDLING CARS AND BUSES ON SCHOOL GROUNDS (S 2628) - The House gave initial approval to a Senate-approved  measure requiring the Registry of Motor Vehicles to adopt regulations restricting operators of school buses and personal motor vehicles from idling their vehicles on school grounds. The regulations would include establishing the length of time a driver on school grounds is permitted to idle an engine and the limited circumstances under which the prolonged idling of an engine would be allowed. Other provisions require schools to post "no idling" signs in the school’s passenger loading/unloading zones and impose a $100 fine for a first violation and $500 for subsequent ones. Current law prohibits vehicles from idling more than five minutes and applies to all vehicles in all locations - not just schools. Supporters said that idling an engine for only fifteen seconds uses more fuel than turning the engine off and restarting it. They argued that idling also increases maintenance costs because it leaves fuel residue that clogs fuel injectors. They noted that the proposal would save millions of dollars in fuel costs for individuals and cities and town and would help protect the environment. Opponents said that the bill goes too far. They argued that the current five-minute ban on idling all vehicles at any location is sufficient. Additional House and Senate approval are needed before the bill goes to the governor.

MAMMOGRAM TEST RESULTS (H 2188) - The House approved and sent to the Senate legislation requiring physicians and hospitals to notify patients of mammogram test results within 96 hours. Supporters said that this would ensure that there are no delays or mix-ups and that patients can rest assured that they don't have breast cancer or begin treatment quickly if they do.

MOBY DICK (H 3964) - The House approved and sent to the Senate a bill making Herman Melville's "Moby Dick" the official epic novel of Massachusetts. The measure was filed by fifth grade students of the Egremont Elementary School in Pittsfield as part of an exercise to learn about the legislative process. The original bill made "Moby Dick" the state's official book but a House committee amended it to limit it to the official epic novel.

HOW LONG WAS LAST WEEK'S SESSION? Beacon Hill Roll Call tracks the length of time that the House and Senate were in session each week. Many legislators say that legislative sessions are only one aspect of the Legislature's job and that a lot of important work is done outside of the House and Senate chambers. They note that their jobs also involve committee work, research, constituent work and other matters that are important to their districts. Critics say that the Legislature does not meet regularly or long enough to debate and vote in public view on the thousands of pieces of legislation that have been filed. They note that the infrequency and brief length of sessions are misguided and lead to irresponsible late night sessions and a mad rush to act on dozens of bills in the days immediately preceding the end of an annual session.

During the week of September 29-October 3, the House met for a total of 53 minutes while the Senate met for a total of 41 minutes.

Mon.   Oct. 6         House  11:00 a.m. to 11:12 a.m.

Senate 11:05 a.m. to 11:31 a.m.

Tues.  Oct. 7         No House session

No Senate session

Wed.   Oct. 8         No House session

No Senate session

Thurs. Oct. 9         House  11:01 a.m. to 11:42 a.m.

Senate 11:04 a.m. to 11:19 a.m.

 

Fri.   Oct. 10         No House session

No Senate session

Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com