Beacon Hill Roundup

May 3, 2022

 

Overview

• On Thursday, April 28th, the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy filed an extension order through June 2nd for S.2226 - An Act providing for building justice with jobs, filed by Senator Pacheco (D - First Plymouth and Bristol), which contains a PLA provision. The Legislature tends to provide extension orders to give itself more time past the original deadline for joint legislative committees to report whether to advance or spike bills under their purview.

 

• On Wednesday, April 27th, the House passed their $49.7 billion FY’23 budget proposal after three days of deliberations and added nearly $130 million in spending through seven mega-amendments. The 1,522 House amendments were categorized under certain topic headings (i.e., Labor and Economic Development, Housing, Transportation etc.), and the amendment categorization was part of the consolidation process that then led to the adoption of the mega-amendments, incorporating the amendments from a given topic heading. The Senate will soon propose and pass its own budget, prompting a series of negotiations between the chambers until they reach a compromise measure, and then the bill will head to the governor’s desk, where he can sign it into law or veto all or part of it, among other options. Notwithstanding, our office will continue to monitor the budget proceedings for items of interest for ABC.

 

• On Monday, April 25th, North Andover Representative Christina Minicucci (D - 14th Essex) announced she will not seek reelection this year. She underscored part of her reasoning being the redrawn 14th Essex district, which changed by over 50% because of the decennial redistricting law that passed the Legislature last year. Representative Minicucci was first elected to the State House in 2018 and is serving her second term. North Andover will remain in the 14th Essex, but the district is losing Lawrence, Methuen, and Haverhill, while adding Boxford, Groveland, West Newbury, and Amesbury.

 

• On Wednesday, April 27th, Representative Thomas Golden prepared for his departure from the legislature to become city manager in his hometown of Lowell, offering a farewell address from the House floor. Notwithstanding, Golden had not submitted a letter of resignation to the House clerk's office as of Wednesday evening. Golden, a 14-term veteran Democrat, served as one of four division leaders for House Speaker Ronald Mariano.