State House update for February

Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry departs

The Massachusetts Senate saw the departure of one of its most prominent members when Senator Linda Dorcena Forry, a Democrat from Dorchester, resigned her seat to accept a position with Suffolk Construction.  She will serve as vice president of Northeast region, diversity, inclusion and community relations.

Former Sen. Linda Dorcena Forry (photo: Don West)

A special election has been set to fill her seat representing the first Suffolk district. The primary is scheduled for April 3, and the general election will be held on May 1.  Two Boston state representatives, Evandro Carvalho and Nick Collins, are campaigning to move over to the Senate.

The Annual South Boston St. Patrick's Day Breakfast traditionally hosted by the Senator representing the district will this year be led by Congressman Stephen Lynch and City Councillor Michael Flaherty, both of South Boston.

We mourn the passing...

Representative Peter Kocot, Democrat of Northampton and Chairman of the House Committee on Health Care Financing, passed away after an illness.  He was known by colleagues and staff as a "gentle giant" who treated everyone with respect and kindness and worked hard to serve his district.  We at Neponset Strategies extend our deepest sympathies to his family, his friends, and his colleagues and staff.

Rep. Peter Kocot (photo: MassLive)

Policy update

The deadline for committees to report out bills came earlier than usual this year on February 10.  Some of the major pieces yet to be decided include the criminal justice omnibus that is still being reconciled by a conference committee.

The new adult-use marijuana regulations are under review by the Cannabis Control Commission now that the public comment period has concluded.  They have until March 15 to finalize those regulations.  Differences remain among stakeholders as to the appropriate categories of licensure, with elected leaders advocating a go-slow approach and pot proponents saying that a wider variety of licenses is the best way to ensure market participation by members of disproportionately impacted communities.

Consumer protection legislation designed to assist consumers affected by data breaches such as the recent Equifax crisis has passed the House, and the Senate is working on its version of a bill.

The Senate Committee on Global Warming and Climate Change released a broad energy bill that would ban fracking, raise solar energy savings ceilings, encourage the use of renewable energy such as wind, and other initiatives.

And another mass shooting

The students who survived the latest mass shooting at a school are leading the way.  They are forcing conversations about solutions that go beyond "thoughts and prayers".  We are encouraged by their efforts to turn their pain and anger into power and action.  The students of Parkland may yet be the changemakers who help their peers and future generations create safer learning environments.

Under the Dome...

Criminal Justice Reform not quite done...

The House passed its version of criminal justice reform legislation last week, after the Senate passed a much broader bill.  Both bills seek to update mandatory minimum sentences, reduce recidivism, and better protect victims.  The bill now goes to conference committee, where six legislators will work out the differences and report out a single bill. That bill will be taken up by the full Legislature in a straight up-or-down vote before it heads to the Governor’s desk for signature.

Medical Marijuana regulations updated...

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) updated its regulations for the medical use of cannabis as it prepares to move oversight of that industry to the newly-formed Cannabis Control Commission.  Passage of the law that made adult use of cannabis legal also made changes to certain aspects of medical marijuana operations.

Under the new law, medical marijuana dispensaries can operate as for-profit organizations and the regulations needed updating to reflect that they no longer had to organize as non-profits as a condition of licensure.  Another important change is that nurse practitioners, who are able to prescribe medications in Massachusetts, can now also provide medical marijuana recommendations to patients so they can register with DPH.

Health Care changes on the horizon (?)...

The Senate passed a broad health care bill that would hold hospitals accountable for health care spending benchmarks and project whether a single-payer system would be less expensive than the current model, and potentially lay out a plan for implementation.  The House may take up the issue after formal sessions resume in January.  Of course, all of this is occurring amidst uncertainty about the federal approach to health care and the impact of those decisions on Massachusetts. Do stay tuned.

17 days to last formal session of 2017 and 57 shopping days to Christmas(!)

Meanwhile, under the Golden Dome...

The Senate just passed a massive criminal justice reform package.

Deliberating until nearly 1:30am on Thursday evening, the State Senate capped off a 14-hour day by delivering to the House a large and complex bill that aims to eliminate some fees that have a disparate impact on low-income defendants, raise the age of juvenile jurisdiction to 18 (from 17), and eliminate mandatory minimum sentences for various nonviolent drug offenses and allow certain current inmates to be eligible to earn "good time" where that was previously not permitted.  

It is, to be sure, sweeping legislation that saw over 160 amendments offered.  Successful changes include protection for LGBTQ prisoners and an update to the victim compensation statute eliminating the contributory clause for family members of homicide victims seeking reimbursement for funeral and burial costs.

The House has been working on its own legislation and has indicated that achieving meaningful criminal justice reform this session is a prority.

The Governor is holding on earmark spending for now.

Following a request from House leadership to release funding for manufacturing partnerships between UMass and industry, the Governor said he was holding off on releasing any budgetary earmarks until the state's fiscal picture clears up.  The federal government's position on cost sharing reduction payments is giving states agita as they try to predict health care costs in the coming year.

And in cannabis news - 

There is an FAA rule that may or may not permit marijuana to be transported by air to the Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard.  This is important because marijuana remains a federally illegal substance and therefore transporting them by boat or air is prohibited.  That means that the islands have to grow their own marijuana, which is doable but expensive (water, real estate, and electricity tend to cost more), but prevents them from transporting marijuana for required testing, as those operations will be on the mainland.  Experts currently disagree as to whether the rule provides a solution, so stay tuned.