News: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Lawmakers inch forward on ARPA spending

Tuesday, October 5, 2021

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Lawmakers inch forward on ARPA spending

Oct 05, 2021

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: ESSAIBI GEORGE'S EQUITY PLAN — How Boston mayoral hopefuls Annissa Essaibi George and Michelle Wu plan to address racial equity is proving to be a major issue in the general election.

That's why Essaibi George is rolling out her "Equity, Inclusion and Justice Agenda" today.

Essaibi George aims to boost transparency and accountability within the Boston Police Department by reforming the gang database, mandating body camera footage be released within 24 hours of an incident, doubling the allocation for community services within the police budget and fulfilling the recommendations the Boston Police Reform Task Force made during the Walsh administration, according to excerpts from the plan shared first with POLITICO.

She wants to create stronger enforcement mechanisms and penalties for those who violate the Boston Residents Jobs Policy, an ordinance that requires construction crews for most major building projects to be 51 percent Boston residents, 40 percent people of color and 12 percent women.

And she wants to boost diversity in the city's blooming cannabis industry in part by launching a matching-fund loan program similar to one proposed by Boston state Rep. Dan Hunt and state Sen. Nick Collins in the Legislature.

Essaibi George's equity agenda is part of her ongoing "Listen & Learn Tour." She'll announce the full details of the plan at 2:30 p.m. at the Dudley Town Common in Roxbury.

GOOD TUESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS . Legislative leaders want to have an ARPA spending bill on Gov. Charlie Baker's desk by the time they break for Thanksgiving on Nov. 17.

The details are murky beyond that. Negotiations are underway, but House and Senate leaders aren't yet sharing what they'll prioritize in their spending plan — despite questions from reporters after yesterday's leadership meeting and a quip from Baker that he'd "like an answer to that question, too."

Right now, investments in "housing, economic development, education, public health," are all on the table, House Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz, who's involved in the talks, told me.

Legislative leaders also aren't saying how much they'll take from the roughly $4.8 billion in federal aid that remains untapped. Baker wants $2.9 billion to be spent on housing, workforce development and other needs he considers urgent. But lawmakers control the purse-strings.

"We'll be spending a significant amount" now, Michlewitz said, but "we're going to leave a good amount on the table to see what may be needed down the road."

The final calculations could depend in part on the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework currently sputtering in Washington. Senate President Karen Spilka told reporters yesterday that state lawmakers need to be careful not to "duplicate" any new infrastructure funding with money from their existing pot.

Lawmakers' priorities should become clearer soon. The last of the Legislature's hearings on how to spend the ARPA money is today.

State Auditor Suzanne Bump is slated to testify. She's expected to call for a "Rural Rescue Plan" that would create a public infrastructure agency similar to Massachusetts School Building Authority for schools; overhaul the formula and boost funding for the state's Chapter 90 program for fixing roads and bridges; and enhance broadband access.

Bump's testimony comes as her office releases a new report today that paints a dire picture of infrastructure in western Massachusetts, where the auditor says a failure to invest now will exacerbate the state's "east-west divide."

TODAY — Spilka and state Sen. Adam Hinds tour intergenerational care facilities in Swampscott, Cambridge and Auburndale beginning at 9 a.m. Spilka, Hinds and state Sens. Jason Lewis, Sonia Chang-Díaz, Patricia Jehlen, John Keenan, Joan Lovely and Patrick O'Connor host a virtual press briefing at noon to release their first "Reimagining Massachusetts Post-Pandemic Resiliency" report. Wu holds a press conference at 9:45 a.m. on City Hall Plaza. Boston Acting Mayor Kim Janey signs the Building Energy Reporting and Disclosure Ordinance at 12:30 p.m. at City Hall with Council President Pro Tempore Matt O'Malley. MBTA GM Steve Poftak is a guest on WBUR's "Radio Boston" at 3 p.m. Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and HED Sec. Mike Kennealy announce the latest round of Community Investment Tax Credits at noon in Revere, then make a Collaborative Workspace Program Announcement at 2 p.m. in Lawrence.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Massachusetts Playbook will not publish Friday, Oct. 8 and Monday, Oct. 11. I'll be back in your inbox Tuesday, Oct. 12.

Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: lkashinsky@politico.com.

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THE LATEST NUMBERS

– "Massachusetts reports 3,283 coronavirus cases over the weekend, the 3rd straight weekend of fewer cases," by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: "The three-day total of 3,283 cases — a daily average of 1,094 infections — was a lower daily rate than last weekend's daily average of 1,365 cases. The previous weekend's daily average was 1,455 cases, and the weekend before that was 1,584 cases."

– "Massachusetts coronavirus breakthrough deaths: 71% had underlying conditions, median age was 82," by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: "New data from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health continues to show that a significant majority of fully vaccinated people who died after a coronavirus breakthrough infection had underlying conditions that made them more likely to have a severe case."

DATELINE BEACON HILL

– "Auditor: Poor rural towns in Massachusetts aren't getting the help they need to keep up with wealthy ones," by Larry Parnass, Berkshire Eagle: "Rural cities and towns in the state's four western counties often can't afford to fix outdated public buildings, rutted roads and deficient bridges. What's more, they risk falling further behind larger communities in eastern Massachusetts that are able to bring local tax dollars to repairs. It's rescue time for rural Massachusetts, state Auditor Suzanne Bump declared Monday..."

– More from the Boston Globe's Matt Stout: "Bump is expected to release the 92-page report Tuesday, urging the Baker administration and the Legislature to pump at least $100 million more into the state's local roadways fund and carve out more money from the state's pot of federal stimulus money for Western Massachusetts communities, many of which she described as in decline."

– "ARPA spending: Massachusetts lawmakers consider reduced MBTA fares, WiFi investments," by Alison Kuznitz, MassLive: "...[the Senate Committee on Reimagining Massachusetts Post-Pandemic Resiliency] is considering reducing MBTA fares, bolstering broadband infrastructure and supporting first-time homebuyers — among a suite of other proposals to overcome racial disparities exacerbated by the pandemic."

– "Mass. Democrats Push For More Ballot Access For Incarcerated Voters," by Mike Deehan, GBH News: "The three leading Democrats running for governor and local elected officials Monday called for Massachusetts to do a better job in encouraging incarcerated people, as well as those leaving prison, to exercise their right to vote. The event was designed to influence next week's State Senate vote, which is expected to make voting by mail permanent and institute same-day voter registration."

– "On Same-Day Registration, Mariano Says 'We'll See What Happens'," by Chris Lisinski, State House News Service (paywall): "In June, the House approved a supplemental budget amendment that would have permanently authorized mail-in voting and early voting before biennial elections. A year earlier, representatives rejected an amendment to a COVID-era voting bill that would have allowed Election Day registration with a 16-139 vote. … 'Obviously, we'll wait and see what comes over in the form of the bill that we'll get from the Senate. We have taken a vote on the same-day amendment. We'll see what happens when we begin the debate.'"

– "Advocates push for electronics 'right to repair' law," by Christian M. Wade, CNHI/Eagle-Tribune: "Manufacturers of electronic gadgets, from smart phones to vacuum cleaners, are keeping repair plans secret and limiting access to replacement parts, advocates say, which drives up costs for consumers and forces many small repair shops out of business."

– "Mass. Spending Housing Aid and Hoping For More," by Chris Lisinski, State House News Service: "The federal government is revving up to redistribute some unspent rental aid it steered to states during the COVID-19 pandemic, and Massachusetts hopes to be near the top of the list to receive an extra boost. … The Baker administration announced Friday that it had spent or obligated more than 65 percent of the $436.5 million first batch of federal rental assistance, in the process qualifying the Bay State to apply for additional funding rather than return an unspent portion."

FROM THE HUB

– "Boston's teacher diversity has barely budged in 10 years. District leaders hope the next decade will look different," by Naomi Martin, Boston Globe: "Despite a decades-old federal court order and myriad programs, the diversity of Boston's teaching corps has barely budged in 10 years, during a period when the city saw an influx of Hispanic and other students of color. The district has some promising programs devoted to recruiting, developing, and retaining teachers of color, but their small numbers do little to improve overall diversity. From 2014 to 2020, teacher pipeline programs brought in 42 educators of color, a sliver of the 2,191 educators hired externally during that period; among the latter were 868 new teachers of color."

– "Former Boston police officer, union president is 15th officer charged in OT fraud scheme," by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: "A former Boston police officer who was also the head of the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association and was honored at the White House has been charged in connection with an overtime fraud scheme. Thomas Nee, 64, of Quincy, is the 15th Boston police officer to be charged in the federal investigation of OT fraud at the Boston Police Department's evidence warehouse. Nee has agreed to plead guilty to collecting about $16,642 in overtime he did not work, the U.S. Attorney's Office said on Monday."

– From the opinion pages: "'All options need to be on the table,' says AG Maura Healey, including Sheriff Tompkins's controversial proposal for a 'Mass. and Cass' treatment center," by Shirley Leung, Boston Globe: "'What Sheriff Tompkins is putting out there, he is offering an option to help this population and all options need to be on the table,' Attorney General Maura Healey tells me. 'There is no playbook for this. It is not an easy situation. Just because it's not easy doesn't mean you don't act.'"

THE RACE FOR CITY HALL

– FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Former Boston City Councilor Tito Jackson and the AFSCME Council 93 Presidents' Committee have endorsed David Halbert for city councilor at-large, per his campaign. "I know what this job requires, and I know David has the policy knowledge, the determination, and the heart to deliver real change and tangible results for every neighborhood," Jackson said in a statement.

ROLLINS REPORT

– "Rachael Rollins Defends Her Record Against 'Surreal' Republican Attacks: 'I Refuse To Be Silent To Benefit Me'," by Meghan Smith, GBH News: "Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins broke precedent Monday and spoke out on Boston Public Radio about Republican efforts to thwart her confirmation to be U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts. Rollins said it has been 'surreal' to watch Republicans like Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas attack her progressive approach to criminal justice and allege that she 'sides with criminals.' Cotton and Cruz have called her 'radical' and 'dangerous.' Federal nominees usually stay quiet during the confirmation process, but Rollins said she couldn't stay silent as her work as D.A. is thrown into the spotlight. 'Everything about me breaks a pattern,' Rollins told host Jim Braude."

– Rollins also told GBH News' "Boston Public Radio" that she voted for City Councilor Andrea Campbell in Boston's preliminary mayoral election. She's yet to endorse a candidate in the general election. Neither has Campbell.

TODAY'S SPECIAL (ELECTION)

– Boston City Councilor Lydia Edwards said she filed a police report after "signs were torn down" from her state Senate campaign headquarters in Winthrop yesterday. "We are taking additional security precautions to keep our staff safe," she tweeted with photos showing where the signs were ripped off.

"It is unfortunate that we have been forced to take these safety measures," Edwards said, adding that she hopes it's an isolated incident and that her campaign is "not deterred in the slightest." A spokesperson declined further comment.

THE LOCAL ELECTIONS ROUNDUP

– FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: The Massachusetts Chapter of the Sierra Club has endorsed David Todisco for Medford City Council, per his campaign.

– "Amherst council candidate expresses 'disbelief' in endorsement," by Scott Merzbach, Daily Hampshire Gazette: "Ellisha Walker, co-chairwoman of the Community Safety Working Group and candidate for one of three available at-large seats on the 13-member council, issued a statement Monday that Amherst Forward's support for her candidacy was given without her permission. 'Institutions like Amherst Forward have helped to solidify the polarity in Amherst, and I am being tokenized in service to that polarization,' wrote Walker, 28, who identifies as multiracial."

– "This is how much money the two North Adams mayoral candidates have raised so far," by Greta Jochem, Berkshire Eagle: "As of late September, [Jennifer] Macksey raised $28,922 and [Lynette] Bond raised $20,580, according to filings with the state's Office of Campaign and Political Finance."

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

– "Spilka scores victory on I-90 Allston project," by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "[Senate President Karen] Spilka said she was very clear with [Transportation Secretary Jamey] Tesler that she would not allow Turnpike tolls paid by her constituents from west of Boston to go up to pay for whatever repair approach was selected. … [Tesler] said the project will most likely be paid for with money from Harvard University, the city of Boston, potential funds from a massive infrastructure bill pending somewhat precariously in Washington, and existing toll revenue. Tesler said emphatically that tolls would not be increased to help pay for the project."

DAY IN COURT

– "SCOTUS won't hear appeal challenging Charlie Baker's sweeping pandemic powers," by Erin Tiernan, Boston Herald: "The U.S. Supreme Court will not hear an appeal of a state court decision that found Gov. Charlie Baker had the right to impose sweeping pandemic-era orders closing businesses, limiting gatherings and requiring masks in an attempt to limit the spread of coronavirus. 'I take a certain amount of satisfaction in the fact that those decisions have been validated by the court because we believe they were, in fact, legal and appropriate based on the facts,' Baker said, speaking to reporters at the State House on Monday."

MARKEYCHUSETTS

– "Facebook Whistleblower, Who's Set to Testify to Congress, Has Mass. Ties," by Alison King, NBC10 Boston: "Frances Haugen is a graduate of Needham's Olin College of Engineering and Harvard Business School. The data scientist removed a stash of private Facebook research when she left the company earlier this year. … Asked if he thinks anything is going to actually change because of the whistleblowers revelations, [Sen. Ed] Markey said he does. 'I've been waiting for the moment where I had the evidence so that I could provide a policy Bill of Rights for every child in America,' he said."

WARREN REPORT

– "Elizabeth Warren isn't in the White House. But she knows how to use the tools she's got," by Amanda Becker, The 19th: "[Warren] uses her lively and data-laden style to question Biden's nominees, shepherds her allies into sometimes obscure but important bureaucratic jobs and cheers when the administration adopts versions of the progressive policies she championed during her own campaign. Plus, on issues on which Warren and Biden are still at odds – such as taking executive action to cancel $50,000 in federal student loan debt – she can pressure the White House from the outside. Warren, a bankruptcy expert and former law professor, learned to play the outside game after she was blocked from leading the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB), the agency she created for President Barack Obama. In a recent interview, The 19th asked her if she would have ended up running for president – or be in politics at all – if she had been able to remain at her brainchild. 'No, not a chance,' Warren said without hesitation."

FROM THE 413

– "Baystate vaccine mandate in effect with 99% employees in compliance; 91% in Cooley Dickinson system," by Mary Byrne, Daily Hampshire Gazette: "Out of nearly 13,000 employees, 145 were not in compliance with the policy and have been placed on unpaid administrative leave as of Friday, according to a Baystate Health. Those employees will have two weeks to get vaccinated if they want to continue with Baystate Health. … Meanwhile, Cooley Dickinson's health care entities also have a vaccine mandate that goes into effect Oct. 15 for all employees, as part of a mandate for the Mass General Brigham system. As of Monday, 91% of employees at Cooley have gotten the vaccine, with 169 of the approximately 2,100 employees being unvaccinated."

– "Savage Arms not leaving Westfield; state proposal that drove out Smith & Wesson wouldn't significantly impact them," by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican.

THE LOCAL ANGLE

– "Patriots fan 'Schwartzy' goes viral after sharing her thoughts on Tom Brady's return to Foxborough as a Buccaneer," by Emily Sweeney, Boston Globe: "As part of the pregame show, New England Patriots fan Kathy Schwartz appeared on Sunday Night Football to give her thoughts about Brady's return to Gillette Stadium, and she didn't mince her words. … The 51-year-old Ashland resident knows football well: she played for the Boston Militia and New England Intensity, and currently serves as an announcer for the Boston Renegades. A photo of her sitting in her 1977 Dodge Royal Monaco station wagon appeared on TV. 'That is my tailgating vehicle, lovingly called 'The Beast,'' she said in a phone interview. Although she spells her nickname 'Schwartzie,' it was misspelled as 'Schwartzy' on the broadcast, she said."

– "This school lost all but 3 of 23 teachers; See 50 Mass. school districts with the lowest teacher retention," by Melissa Hanson, MassLive.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to Teresa Heinz Kerry.

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