| | | | |  | | By Kelly Garrity | BOTTOM LINE — Eighteen days into the fiscal year, lawmakers are on the cusp of passing a budget. Both chambers’ budget chiefs announced they had reached “an agreement in principle” Wednesday afternoon, though they were still “ironing out the details” as of 4 p.m. Leaders were mum on details of the deal last night, but more will likely emerge in the coming The versions of the bill that were sent into closed door negotiations had approximately the same bottom line (The Senate’s came in slightly lower than the House’s.), but the way lawmakers divvied up the roughly $58 billion pie varied. A quick refresher: The House wanted more money for the MBTA, including $40 million for a MBTA Academy that didn’t make it into the Senate’s plan. The Senate wanted to cover the costs to make Regional Transit Authorities, and earmarked $117 to make free community college free for all residents while extending existing programs for nursing students and residents over 25 years old. The House and Gov. Maura Healey called for authorizing online lottery sales, a piece the Senate ditched (they proposed allowing people to pay for lottery tickets with debit or credit cards instead). Another distinction between the two spending plans — how to divide the $1.3 billion they expect to collect from the so-called millionaires tax. The Senate proposal called for around $735 million for education initiatives, and $565 million for transportation, while the House favored a more even split — $695 million for education, $605 million for transportation. Other policies to keep an eye out for in the final bill: a House-backed measure targeting the U.S. of AI “deep fakes” in political campaigns; a Senate supported policy that would task the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education with creating a curriculum to teach students about antisemitism; and another the chamber added during debate that would revive a commission to change the state seal, flag and motto (after a similar panel ended its work last year without any recommendations). What almost definitely won’t be in the bill Healey signs: enough money to fund the MBTA or cover the cost of the state’s emergency shelter program. Lawmakers in both chambers are back in formal sessions today, and could soon ship the spending bill to Healey’s desk. If they do before the end of the weekend, they’ll have enough time to override any items Healey may try to veto before the end of the month. GOOD THURSDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. A compromise on long-awaited legislation to overhaul the state’s gun laws also emerged Wednesday. The bill, which calls for new regulations on “ghost guns,” a ban on firearms in more public spaces (including schools and polling places) and updates to the state’s so-called red flag law, could hit Healey’s desk by the end of the day. More from the Boston Herald. TODAY — Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll swear in members of the Labor Advisory Council at 10:30 a.m. at the State House. Driscoll speaks at the Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators and MassBio’s Women’s Health Symposium at noon and chairs the first meeting of the Special Commission on Emergency Housing Assistance Programs at 1:30 p.m. Healey speaks at Northeastern University's Robotics and Intelligent Vehicles Research Laboratory and attends an AI taskforce meeting at 1:30 p.m. in Boston; and swears in Amanda Ward as an associate justice to the District Court at 3 p.m. and Carla Salvucci as an associate justice to the Probate and Family Court at 4 p.m. at the State House. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu hosts a press conference on public funding for an art program at 10:30 a.m. in Mission Hill and joins Healey for the AI event at Northeastern at 1:30 p.m. Sen. Elizabeth Warren tours Volunteers in Medicine’s facility at 1 p.m., joins the Berkshire Black Economic Council for a roundtable at 2:20 p.m., and tours a veterans’ services facility at 3:45 p.m. in Pittsfield. Sen. Ed Markey celebrates a brownfields cleanup grant at 10 a.m. in Montague, joins Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson for a walk through downtown Garnder at noon and visits sites impacted by the 2023 floods at 2 p.m. in Leominster.
| | | | CHECK OUT WHAT YOU MISSED IN MILWAUKEE! Watch the full event from the CNN-POLITICO Grill at the RNC HERE.
The program featured Bayer’s Jessica Christiansen, senior vice president and head of crop science and sustainability communications, as well as a conversation with Sen. John Boozman (R-Ark.), Rep. G.T. Thompson (R-Pa.) and POLITICO’s Meredith Lee Hill for discussions about agriculture, food policy and how these issues will impact the November election. | | | | | |  | CONVENTION ZONE | | | READ — “J.D. Vance: Allow me to reintroduce myself,” by POLITICO staff: “In his first speech as the vice presidential nominee, the former Trump critic stakes his claim as the MAGA heir apparent.” WATCH — “Highlights: J.D. Vance headlines Day 3 of the RNC,” by POLITICO staff — “Former Massachusetts U.S. Senator Scott Brown hints at potential political comeback,” by Sharman Sacchetti, WCVB: “Former US ambassador and senator, Scott Brown, has hinted at a potential return to politics, sparking speculation about his future role. … When asked about the nature of the role he might take on, Brown hinted at a new role he'd be intrigued by. ‘I'd be lying if I said I didn't think I could do a good job on the border. Homeland security. I was in the military for 39 years,’ Brown said.” SPOTTED — on the convention floor: former MassGOP Chair Jim Lyons.
| | DATELINE BEACON HILL | | — “Healey puts up five judicial nominations after Western Mass. Governor’s Council rep sounds alarm about vacancies,” by Josh Landes, WAMC Northeast Public Radio. — “Steward hospitals losing patients as state awaits word on bankruptcy sales,” by Robert Weisman, The Boston Globe.
| | PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES | | DRIVING HOME THE POINT — Call it a multi-million dollar victory lap. Uber is launching a $3 million ad campaign celebrating the deal the ride-share company struck with Attorney General Andrea Campbell settling a years-old lawsuit then-Attorney General Maura Healey brought against the company. The ad, titled “Greenlight for Massachusetts Drivers,” stitches together clips of drivers on some highly-recognizable Boston streets (Storrow Drive, Massachusetts Avenue) as a narrator ticks through the driver benefits that emerged from the $175 million settlement: a $32.50 hourly wage, paid sick leave, healthcare stipends and accident insurance.
| | FROM THE HUB | | PAYING HER RESPECTS — First lady Jill Biden was in Boston Wednesday to attend the funeral of former U.S. Secret Service Officer Thomas McCarthy. A Boston-native, McCarthy was a member of President Joe Biden’s detail when Biden was vice president, before he retired from the USSS in 2013. — “Boston launches new battle in war on rodents: ‘Rats love big cities, but the feeling is not mutual’,” by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: “Boston’s latest battle plan in its long-standing war on rats centers around creating a widespread famine to slowly starve and eventually kill off its rodent population. The strategy, which differs from the city’s prior approach of killing rats by lethality, is one of the key recommendations of a long-awaited city-commissioned report released Wednesday by renowned urban rodentologist, Dr. Bobby Corrigan.” — “Is crime down in Boston? Charts show detailed trends and breakdowns,” by Scooty Nickerson, The Boston Globe. — “The biggest new lease in downtown Boston this year comes courtesy of the state of Massachusetts,” by Jon Chesto: “The Healey administration is betting on the future of Downtown Boston by signing a 106,000-square-foot lease to bring the state’s consumer affairs and business regulation agencies to One Federal St. The administration will lease two floors in the One Federal tower from landlord Tishman Speyer and relocate about 415 workers from 1000 Washington St. in the South End and 501 Boylston St. in the Back Bay. The 10-year lease will put the employees in the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation under one roof, according to the Division of Capital Asset Management & Maintenance, which manages real estate for the state. The moves will take place over four months, starting in December.”
| | BALLOT BATTLES | | OFF THE MENU — The Massachusetts Restaurant Association dropped its challenge to a ballot question that would require restaurants to pay employees a full minimum wage in addition to tips they make, citing the deadlines to gather the info they’d need to present to the Ballot Law Commission.
| | MIGRANTS IN MASSACHUSETTS | | — “State could spend ‘upwards’ of $800K to renovate Norfolk prison turned shelter,” by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: “Gov. Maura Healey’s administration could spend ‘upwards’ of $800,000 to renovate and improve a former prison in Norfolk that was tapped earlier this year to house migrant families, many of whom were sleeping at Logan Airport, according to local and state officials briefed on the matter. The plan to use taxpayer dollars to spruce up the state-owned Bay State Correctional Center comes as elected officials from the Norfolk area question what the state plans to do with the facility once it is no longer needed as an overflow site for migrants waiting to enter the state-run shelter system.” — “Bay State issued more than twice as many licenses after allowing migrant drivers, MassDOT learns,” by Matthew Medsgar, Boston Herald.
| | BIDEN WATCH 2024 | | DEMS IN DISARRAY — The intraparty battle over Joe Biden’s political future isn’t over yet. A group of House Democrats led by California Rep. Jared Huffman scrapped their plan to make public a letter repudiating the Democratic National Committee for trying to fast-track a vote to nominate Biden after Biden’s chosen leaders at the DNC agreed not to hold the vote until at least Aug. 1. But shortly after, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), a key ally of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, publicly called on Biden to end his campaign, citing “serious concerns” about the president’s ability to defeat former President Donald Trump in November — thrusting the conversation around Biden’s viability back into the spotlight. Biden’s Massachusetts delegates are sticking by their man — er, some of them at least, per a new survey from CommonWealth Beacon. The survey, conducted by the MassINC Polling Group from July 12-15 collected complete responses from 42 of the 116 delegates heading to Chicago next month. Of those, 62 percent said Biden should stay in the race, while 15 percent said he should drop out. Another 15 percent weren't sure. One struck a note of confidence in the de-facto nominee: Biden “has a record of achievement” during his three and a half years in the White House that shows “he has been a great president and can and can be a great president going forward as well,” House Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz, a Biden superdelegate, told reporters Wednesday at the State House. And Secretary of State Bill Galvin, another Biden superdelegate, affirmed his commitment to vote for the president at the DNC in an interview with State House News Service. — “Vice President Kamala Harris will speak at Pittsfield fundraiser for Biden-Harris campaign,” by Clarence Fanto, The Berkshire Eagle: “A major Democratic campaign fundraiser is planned for Pittsfield on July 27 to support the Biden-Harris ticket. And, much to the pleasant surprise of its local organizers, Vice President Kamala Harris has agreed to be the guest speaker. Harris will be joined by noted historian and author Heather Cox Richardson. The event features performances an array of superstars — James Taylor, Yo-Yo Ma and pianist Emanuel Ax. In a recent Eagle interview, Taylor said he had cleared most of his concert schedule in the months ahead to perform in support the Democratic ticket, wherever he’s asked.”
| | | | 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. | | | | | | | YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS | | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — A handful of municipal leaders from outside Boston are jumping in the Suffolk County SJC clerk race. Chelsea City Councilors Leo Robinson and Manuel Teshe and Winthrop Town Councilors John DaRos and Joseph Aiello are endorsing Allison Cartwright for the role. — Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden, Boston City Councilor John FitzGerald and AFSCME Council 93 are endorsing John Powers in his campaign for Suffolk County clerk of civil courts.
| | FROM THE 413 | | — “Charged UMass protesters marshal defense: Question crackdown, cite ‘bad-faith’ chancellor negotiations,” by Alexa Lewis, Daily Hampshire Gazette.
| | THE LOCAL ANGLE | | — “More debris enters water at Vineyard Wind farm as damaged turbine blade deteriorates,” by Jason Graziadei and JohnCarl McGrady, Nantucket Current: “As Vineyard Wind CEO Klaus Skoust Møller apologized to the Nantucket community Wednesday night for his company's damaged offshore turbine blade that has scattered debris across the island's south shore beaches, more trouble was brewing at the wind farm 15 miles southwest of Nantucket."
| | HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to state Rep. Paul Schmid, former state Rep. Jeffrey Sanchez, Nate Everett, Sarah Iselin, Michael Bakshi, Emerson College lecturer Keri Thompson, Amy Sweeney, and Playbook fans Eddie Flannery and Sarah Kashinsky. 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. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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