| | | | |  | | By Kelly Garrity | COVERING THEIR TRACKS — Massachusetts already has some of the strongest reproductive health care protections in the country. Legislation that the House plans to take up Wednesday would fill one of the remaining gaps. Top House Democrats are releasing their version of a bill that would make it illegal for companies and service providers to collect cellphone location data for patients seeking reproductive or gender affirming care. It’s the latest move by Democratic lawmakers to bolster abortion protections here with the possibility of Republican Donald Trump winning the White House in November looming. “While Massachusetts has a proud history of protecting and expanding access to reproductive health care, evolving efforts from extremist Republicans across the country, made possible by the Supreme Court’s conservative supermajority, continue to threaten the safety of women who come to the Commonwealth from other states to seek care, as well as the security of health care providers here in Massachusetts," House Speaker Ron Mariano said in a statement. The bill his chamber will take up this week would ensure the right to receive and provide care "remains ironclad in Massachusetts," he added. Abortion rights groups have been sounding the alarm on the possibility that companies tracking patients’ visits to known service providers could be used to prosecute patients since shortly after Roe v. Wade was overturned in 2022. Earlier this year, a letter from Oregon Sen. Ron Wyden alleged that Near Intelligence, a location data provider, had tracked people’s visits to nearly 600 Planned Parenthood locations across 48 states — including Massachusetts — and used that info for a targeted anti-abortion ad campaign. The proposal that the House Ways and Means Committee is polling later this morning bans that kind of data collection practice with a handful of exemptions, including if a person got a copy of the of the location-sharing policy before the data was collected, if they gave consent or if the data was used for a permissible purpose — to respond to life-threatening emergency, for example. The legislation is a more narrowly tailored version of companion bills backed by state Rep. Kate Lipper-Garabedian and Senate Majority Leader Cindy Creem that abortion rights groups pushed last year, that would’ve also broadly cracked down on how companies collect and share location information. The Legislature is facing a tight timeline to get this across the finish line before formal session wraps up at the end of the month. Compromises have yet to emerge on several bills, including a budget for the current fiscal year. But top House Democrats see it as an urgent issue given the ideological make up of the U.S. Supreme Court and heading into a heated presidential election. “Not knowing the next thing that is going to come in front of the Supreme Court, not knowing what is going to be coming after November, we need to make sure that we're handling this on all fronts,” House Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz told Playbook. GOOD TUESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. California Gov. Gavin Newsom made a quick pit stop in Boston Monday before heading to New Hampshire for the latest stop on his battleground-state campaign swing for Joe Biden. Newsom took part in a lunchtime meet-and-greet at the UMass Club, delivering his pitch for Biden to a room of roughly 30 elected officials, Democratic National Committee members and political strategists. The California governor, a top Biden surrogate, came armed with facts and figures to bolster his message about the president’s accomplishments — hitting on Biden’s job record and highlighting the sharp policy differences between Biden and Trump on reproductive rights. Newsom was a “very effective” surrogate, and kept the focus on Biden’s accomplishments, according to Boston City Councilor Gigi Coletta Zapata, who stopped by the event. But the Boston flyby did generate some buzz about the likely 2028-er’s political future. “He was here to be a surrogate for Biden. But also to drop a dime and say don’t count me out,” Jacquetta Van Zandt , a local political analyst and host of the “Politics and Prosecco” podcast, told Playbook. “I don’t think this will be the last time he’s back. It was a nice pace set for 2028,” she added. The event was organized before the Biden-Trump debate through Newson’s political action committee by local Democratic strategists Joe Caiazzo and Nick Clemons, and longtime Newsom adviser Peter Ragone. TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey has no public events. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll speaks at the Worcester Union Station Center Platform reopening at 9:30 a.m. in Worcester and at the Biogen CoLab ribbon cutting at 2 p.m. in Cambridge. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is on GBH News’ “Boston Public Radio” at 11 a.m. Tips? Scoops? Birthdays? Email me: kgarrity@politico.com.
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Don’t miss out on POLITICO’s Global Playbook, our newsletter taking you inside pivotal discussions at the most influential gatherings in the world. Suzanne Lynch delivers the world's elite and influential moments directly to you. Stay in the global loop. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | |  | DATELINE BEACON HILL | | ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENTS — The Senate is set to take up its economic development bill Thursday, and it's taking another swing at pushing through legislation that would clear the way for a long sought-after soccer stadium along the Mystic River in Everett. The omnibus legislation authorizes more than $2.4 billion in borrowing — slightly less than the $2.8 billion in bond authorizations the House approved late last month. Not included in the Senate’s version of the bill: a live theater tax credit the House and Gov. Maura Healey had in their versions of the bill. More from The Boston Globe. — “Rep Celebrates ‘Unbelievable’ State House Cafe Reopening,” by Sam Doran, State House News Service (paywall): “The capitol building's fast-and-fresh option for breakfast and lunch was back in operation Monday under new management, and the State House Cafe's menu is on track to be fully built out over the next two weeks. New manager Kevin Wilson, who also runs the Chelsea Veterans Home cafeteria, said he wants capitol workers to know the Cafe loves them back -- so he's planning a ‘State House Employee Appreciation Day’ promotional event for sometime after Labor Day. A hot dog steamer will be set up for a day in September, he told the News Service, and employees will be able to show their State House ID to receive a free hot dog and a drink (more details to come).” — “State’s green energy bill doesn’t address local siting worries,” by Scott Merzbach, Greenfield Recorder.
| | FROM THE HUB | | WEDDING BELLS — “Marty Walsh, Biden’s former labor chief and ex-mayor, gets married,” by Gintautas Dumcius, CommonWealth Beacon: “Marty Walsh, President Biden’s former labor chief and a former mayor of Boston, recently wed his longtime partner during a trip to the Caribbean. Walsh and Lorrie Higgins, who have been together for about two decades, quietly married in March, almost a year after he left public service for the private sector, according to their marriage certificate. A local justice of the peace performed the ceremony. Both Walsh and Higgins and further details were not immediately available.” — “Boston City Council discusses congestion pricing, hears expert testimony in hearing,” by Niki Griswold, The Boston Globe: “‘Congestion pricing’ still faces an uncertain future in Boston after a City Council committee hearing Monday in which many councilors expressed interest in charging drivers fees during peak traffic times, while others voiced reservations. … While Mayor Michelle Wu’s administration is not actively pursuing ‘congestion pricing’ in Boston, Vineet Gupta, director of policy and planning at the Boston Streets Cabinet, said leaders intend to explore the idea. The goal is to reduce vehicle traffic on certain roads, improve air quality, and raise money for public transit.” — “Police oversight agency rebukes Boston Police over officer demotion,” by Saraya Wintersmith, GBH News: “The state commission charged with upholding integrity in law enforcement and standardizing police certification, discipline and training, took issue with the Boston Police Department Monday for its demotion of an officer who was recently appointed to serve on its police-oversight body.” — “Converting Boston’s offices to housing is tricky, but it’s starting to happen,” by Simón Rios, WBUR.
| | MIGRANTS IN MASSACHUSETTS | | — “Chelsea overflow shelter is 'La Casita' to migrant families in need,” by Marilyn Schairer, GBH News: "The hallways inside the emergency overflow shelter in Chelsea are bustling with parents and children, many of whom stayed in day shelters and slept at Logan Airport before coming here. This 200-bed shelter opened in April at the former Chelsea Soldiers’ Home, which closed earlier this year. ... In the two months since opening the Chelsea shelter, advocates say ‘La Casita,’ which it’s called informally, has become a successful model for housing migrant families and offering comprehensive services on site."
| | YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS | | — “Elizabeth Warren to blame for Cape bridge funding problems, Republican rival says,” by Matthew Medsgar, Boston Herald: “Former military prosecutor John Deaton, standing alongside state Reps. Steven Xiarhos and Matt Muratore, Republicans representing Barnstable and Plymouth, said Monday that the dilapidated state of the life-line bridges to the Cape isn’t a new problem, and that the people responsible for fixing it — namely Warren — haven’t acted with the sense of urgency the situation requires.” FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The Environmental League of Massachusetts' Action Fund is endorsing Mark Sylvia in his bid to fill the 10th Bristol House seat that state Rep. William Straus is vacating at the end of his term. Sylvia has shown "a strong track record of climate action" ELM Action Fund Executive Director Casey Bowers said in a statement.
| | DAY IN COURT | | — “Four protesters arrested in UMass encampment agree to diversion program,” by Daily Hampshire Gazette staff: “Four people arrested during the pro-Palestinian encampment on the University of Massachusetts campus in May agreed to dispositions Monday in Eastern Hampshire District Court in which they will enter a four-month diversion program, allowing their charges to be dismissed should they stay out of trouble, according to the Northwestern district attorney’s office.”
| | | | Understand 2024’s big impacts with Pro’s extensive Campaign Races Dashboard, exclusive insights, and key coverage of federal- and state-level debates. Focus on policy. Learn more. | | | | | | | DATELINE D.C. | | THE HILL TO DIE ON? — Biden isn’t bleeding support from Democrats on Capitol Hill. Not publicly, at least. “While just six Democrats are publicly calling for the president to end his campaign, dozens more lawmakers — even some who say they’re with Biden — are harboring serious doubts about their nominee in private, according to interviews with more than 30 lawmakers and senior aides. There’s widespread anxiety over which route would be worse: sticking with Biden or trying to toss him out,” my colleagues Sarah Ferris, Nicholas Wu, Daniella Diaz and Ursula Perano reported Monday. But a few more members of the Massachusetts delegation are openly backing Biden — including Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Ayanna Pressley — after being greeted at the Capitol by a flurry of reporters. Rep. Bill Keating, meanwhile, told POLITICO’s Mia McCarthy that Gov. Maura Healey was “very diplomatic and on target” with her statement last week.
| | | FROM THE 413 | | — “Big cities have seen drop in homicides. Not Springfield,” by Dan Glaun, The Boston Globe: “Springfield appears to be an outlier among big cities. Its 2023 homicide rate of 20 per 100,000 residents was the highest of any major city in New England, according to one independent review, at nearly three times the national average. Boston’s rate last year was 5.7 per 100,000 residents.”
| | THE LOCAL ANGLE | | — “As federal pandemic aid dries up, Mass. nonprofits scramble for new revenue,” by John Hilliard, The Boston Globe. — “Lead investigator in Karen Read case Michael Proctor suspended without pay after internal hearing,” by Grace Zokovith, Boston Herald.
| | HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH | | IN MEMORIAM — “Plymouth journalist Charlie Mathewson recalled for ability to tell a heartfelt story,” by Ruth Thompson, Wicked Local. TRANSITIONS — Former Assistant U.S. Attorney Eugenia “Genie” Carris has been named General Counsel for the state Inspector General’s office. SPOTTED — In D.C.: former state representative and former Republican gubernatorial nominee Geoff Diehl. Tweet. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Amy Sennett, Brittany Webb, Rachel Dec, Ryan Boehm, Boston Globe alum Wesley Lowery, George-Alexander Attia and MassGOP alum Madeleine Cammarano. Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com.
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