There Oughta Be A Law (or several hundred of them)
Joint Rule 10 Day (the deadline for bills to be reported out of committee) has come and gone, but bills are still being filed on various topics. Some bills are time-sensitive special legislation that cannot abide by the calendar; others are on topics such as license plates, schools and roads. Ours is an active State House and a busy Legislature.
More Thought Leaders Oppose Recreational Marijuana Industry Creation
You may have read that Sen. Jason Lewis, who chaired the Special Senate Committee on Marijuana, recently took a position in opposition to legalization of recreational marijuana. He joins Governor Baker, Mayor Walsh, Sheriffs, DAs, and a host of others who have expressed serious concerns about the impacts of full legalization. Sen. Lewis had remained publicly neutral on the issue while the committee completed its work in anticipation of a potential ballot initiative this November. "I am opposed to the likely ballot question because this is the wrong time for Massachusetts to go down this road, and a commercial, profit-driven market is the wrong approach to take," he said. The Boston Globe has the story. If you want to see the full report of the Special Committee, you can find it here.
The pace is quickening on Beacon Hill these days. Governor Baker signed sweeping legislation aimed at helping the fight against opioid addiction in Massachusetts. The bill is a compromise hammered out between the House and the Senate and enjoys broad support. Some notable allies are Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, Attorney General Maura Healey, Speaker Robert DeLeo, and Senate President Stan Rosenberg.
March 16th was the deadline (known as Joint Rule 10 Day) for most legislative committees (Health Care Financing is the exception) to report out their bills, making this a busy week at the State House.
