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Beacon Hill Roll Call
By Bob Katzen   
Friday, April 03, 2009 12:24 PM
THE HOUSE AND SENATE. Beacon Hill Roll Call records local representatives' votes on one roll call and local senators' votes on four roll calls from the week of March 30-April 3.

AUTO INSURANCE APPEALS BOARD (S 2022)
House 158-0, approved a bill establishing a board that hears appeals from drivers who are found more than 50 percent at-fault in accidents. Drivers who successfully appeal their case do not lose their safe driver points and do not pay an insurance surcharge that lasts for several years. The board already exists under a state regulation but the amendment would establish the board under state law. Gov. Deval Patrick's Insurance Commissioner Nonnie Burnes in January announced plans to eliminate the board on April 1 and replace it with a system under which the insurance companies themselves would hear appeals. Following widespread criticism, Burnes changed her mind and left the board intact. Supporters said that the existence of this important impartial board should not left to the discretion of the insurance commissioner. They noted that an estimated 20,000 out of the 50,000 annual appeals filed are successful and save drivers up to $40 million annually in insurance premiums and surcharges. They noted that a $50 filing fee helps generate up to $2.5 million in annual revenue for the state. The Senate has already approved the proposal. Only final approval in each branch is needed prior to it going to Gov. Patrick. (A "Yes" vote is for establishing the board).
Rep. Thomas Calter    Yes                               Rep. Daniel Webster    Yes                          

PENSION SYSTEM CHANGES (S 2025)
Senate 40-0, approved and sent to the House a bill making changes in the state's pension system. Provisions include prohibiting elected local officials from counting toward their pensions any year in which they were paid less than $5,000; eliminating a current policy that allows elected officials to claim a "termination allowance" that increases their pensions if they are not re-elected; raising from six to ten the number of years that elected officials must serve before being vested in the state's pension system; prohibiting housing, car and travel allowances from being used to boost a pension; eliminating a current policy that allows elected officials to add an entire year of "service" to their pension calculations even if they only worked one day that calendar year; eliminating a current policy that allows MBTA workers to retire and receive pensions after 23 years of service regardless of their age and prohibiting the state pension fund from giving bonuses to any of its employees in a year that the fund loses money. The measure also adds seven specific issues to be studied by the commission established last year to look into the state's entire pension system. Supporters said that these long overdue reforms would begin to put a stop to the abuses of people who have been unfairly gaming the system. They noted that the reforms will also help restore people's faith in government and save million of dollars. (A "Yes" vote is for the bill).
Sen. Robert Hedlund    Yes                          

CAP CURRENT PENSIONS AT $96,000 (S 2025)
Senate 11-27, rejected an amendment capping an individual's pension benefit at four times the average state pension.  Amendment supporters, noting that the average state pension is currently $24,000, said that this would cap all pensions at a very generous $96,000. They argued that this cap would finally rid the state of several outrageously high pensions that are an insult to thousands of taxpayers who have lost their homes and jobs. Some amendment opponents said that they are open to the idea of a cap but argued that they do not yet have sufficient information to determine the amount of a fair cap. They urged senators to allow a special commission to research a cap and report back to the Senate. Others said that a cap would discourage talented and highly qualified people from taking state jobs. (A "Yes" vote is for the amendment capping an individual's pension benefit at $96,000. A "No" vote is against the $96,000 cap).
Sen. Robert Hedlund    Yes                          

MUST WAIT UNTIL AGE 55 TO COLLECT (S 2025)
Senate 15-23, rejected an amendment eliminating a current provision that allows a fired state employee who has worked more than 20 years to collect his or her pension immediately without having to wait until he or she turns 55 - the regular age at which state employees are eligible to collect a pension. Amendment supporters said that 1,110 people have taken advantage of this expensive loophole in the last 17 years and that more than 1,000 of those "coincidentally" were suddenly fired just a few days after they reached the magic 20-year mark. They argued that this dishonest gaming of the system is wrong, immoral and gives millions of dollars more in early pensions to these workers - many of whom get other state jobs while still collecting early pensions. Amendment opponents said that the Public Service Committee will soon be holding hearings on similar proposals and urged the Senate to wait for the hearings that will provide more information on this idea and other related proposals. They noted that they do not necessarily oppose the amendment but want to look at it more carefully. (A "Yes" vote is for the amendment prohibiting a fired employee from collecting a pension immediately. A "No" vote is against the amendment and in favor of allowing the employee to collect the pension immediately).
Sen. Robert Hedlund    Yes                          

SWITCHING GROUPS TO INCREASE PENSION (S 2025)
Senate 6-32, rejected an amendment that would require the amount of a state employee's pension to be pro-rated based on all the retirement groups in which the employee was a member during his or her entire tenure. Current law bases the retirement only on the employee's current group. Workers are placed into groups based on the dangerousness of their job and those in riskier jobs receive better retirement benefits. Amendment supporters said that current law contains a giant loophole that allows employers to switch an employee into a new group that provides better benefits including a full pension at age 55 even if the employee has only been in the new group for a short time. They noted a case in which a lame duck sheriff in Plymouth County moved some employees into a new group just prior to leaving office. Amendment opponents said that the issue is not that simple and noted that the amendment could have unintended consequences by not allowing a full pension at age 55 for employees who were legitimately switched into groups. They urged senators to wait for a report on this problem from a special commission. (A "Yes" vote is for the amendment requiring that the amount of a state employee's pension be pro-rated based on all of his or her groups. A "No" vote is against the amendment).
Sen. Robert Hedlund    Yes                          


ALSO UP ON BEACON HILL

REGISTRY OF MOTOR VEHICLES FEE HIKES ARE IN EFFECT - Fee hikes for some services at the Registry of Motor Vehicles took effect on Friday. The list of fees that are being hiked can be found at http://www.mass.gov/rmv/fees/index.htm

LAWSUIT VS. LOTTERY - The State Lottery Commission voted to provide up to $300,000 to two Boston law firms to defend State Treasurer Tim Cahill and Lottery executive director Mark Cavanaugh against charges that they unfairly favored the politically connected Scientific Games over other companies for a gaming contract with the Lottery. Cahill and Cavanaugh vehemently deny the claims and a Lottery attorney labeled the lawsuit "absurd." The two Boston law firms that will represent the duo are Proskauer Rose and Mintz Levin Cohn, Ferris, Glovsky & Popeo.

WALSH TURNS DOWN JOB AFTER ALL - Sen. Marian Walsh (D-West Roxbury) announced that she has decided not to take the controversial job as assistant executive director of the quasi-public Massachusetts Health and Educational Facilities Authority (MHEFA). Gov. Deval Patrick had recently appointed Walsh to the job. Walsh had said that she would take a $120,000 salary instead of the original $175,000. She had hoped that the reduction would help quell the controversy over her appointment to this position that has been vacant for 12 years. Critics said that it was unnecessary to fill the job and criticized the high salary during this recession when thousands of residents have lost their jobs and homes. They also charged that the position was a reward to Walsh who was one of the governor’s early supporters in the 2006 campaign.

COPS' LANGUAGE (H 2284) - The Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee is considering legislation prohibiting police, correctional officers, court officers and other law enforcement personnel from using racial slurs, profanity or language that "casts a negative reflection toward an individual's race, color ethnic origin, religion, economic status or any other category of negative stereotyping." The bill provides that any violation of this prohibition constitute grounds for dismissal of the officer.

HOW MANY HOURS DID A STATE EMPLOYEE WORK? (H 2587) - The Public Service Committee is looking at a measure that would require the state to include the number of hours that a state employee worked when releasing information about the salary of the employee. 

MODIFY MARIJUANA LAW PASSED BY VOTERS (H 1537) - The Judiciary is considering a proposal that would make the statewide 2008 voter-passed law decriminalizing marijuana effective only in individual cities and towns that opt to adopt it.

QUOTABLE QUOTES

"People who know me have been incredibly supportive. This experience has been both a tsunami and also a little bit of a Jimmy Stewart's 'It's a Wonderful Life.'"

Sen. Marian Walsh (D-Boston) on NECN when asked by host Jim Braude about her experience after being appointed to and then turning down the controversial MHEFA job.


"This absurd process has taught us, once again, that we cannot rely on the Patrick Administration to seek real, meaningful reform on Beacon Hill. Unbelievably, Governor Patrick still contends MHEFA set the proposed salary at $175,000, when e-mails from his own staff clearly show a governor's Office determined to give Senator Walsh a $100,000 pay raise."

Republican State Committee chairwoman Jennifer Nassour commenting on the Walsh appointment and withdrawal.


"I’ve always held my roots as a local legislator. I still go to the post office and do errands in and around my hometown of Winthrop and Revere and I’m always getting a sense as to how we, as a House and as a state government, are doing."

House Speaker Bob DeLeo addressing the Boston Chamber of Commerce.


"I butchered the names."

Speaker DeLeo, off-mike, after introducing some guests during a quick break in the House session.


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 March 30-April 3, the House met for a total of four hours and 43 minutes while the Senate met for a total of seven hours and 22 minutes.

Mon.   March 30   House  11:00 a.m. to 11:23 a.m.
Senate 11:02 a.m. to  1:33 p.m.
.
Tues.  March 31   No House session
Senate  1:00 p.m. to  5:25 p.m.

Wed.   April  1   No House session
No Senate session

Thurs. April  2   House  11:03 a.m. to  3:23 p.m.
Senate 10:59 a.m. to 11:25 a.m.

Fri.   April  3   No House session
No Senate session
 

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