| | | | |  | | By Kelly Garrity | | Presented by |  | | | LEGAL BATTLE LOADING — With the battle between state Auditor Diana DiZoglio and legislative leaders on Beacon Hill seemingly barreling toward the courts, Attorney General Andrea Campbell could soon find herself caught right in the thick of the drawn-out clash. DiZoglio said she’s ready to sue the Legislature, should officials fail to comply with her audit, at a press conference yesterday. What happens next could depend on how legislative leaders respond today. DiZoglio argues that the ballot question she shepherded to victory that gives her office the power to audit the legislature kicks in today, 30 days after the election. Other state officials say otherwise. DiZoglio pointed to a letter from Campbell’s office that referenced a provision in the state’s constitution that says a ballot initiative “shall take effect in 30 days after such state election,” and to similar guidance she received from Secretary of State Bill Galvin’s office. But Galvin’s office, and lawyers for the House and Senate, have said the question isn’t law until 30 days after the votes are certified — which only happened yesterday. And Campbell’s office maintains the attorney general wasn’t taking a position on whether the law should be effective tomorrow or in a month — she was just citing the relevant section of the constitution. Campbell may soon have to pick a side, however. DiZoglio indicated she’s punting the request back to the attorney general if legislative leaders don’t respond to the letter she’s sending them today. The AG shot down an earlier effort from DiZoglio to bring the issue to court, saying in a letter to the auditor’s office last week that a case was not yet “ripe.” “If and when a timely request to initiate litigation is made, as the Commonwealth’s chief law officer, I will consider the appropriate next steps,” Campbell wrote in the Nov. 27 letter. “In doing so, I will consider all pertinent principles of law and every fact available to me, including the law approved by the voters through Question 1.” Even after the debate of the question’s effective date gets settled, Campbell could still wind up in the hot seat. DiZoglio, asked about the potential that the AG declines to represent her, said yesterday she hopes Campbell’s office does “choose to represent this in court” — if (or more likely when) it gets to that point. GOOD THURSDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. DiZoglio does still have unlikely allies across the aisle. At a Republican State Committee meeting last night, party activists briefly batted around the idea of pitching her on joining the party, after WBZ’s Jon Keller broached the idea with MassGOP Chair Amy Carnevale in a recent interview — and more recently with Will Flanagan, a former Democratic mayor of Fall River who was ousted in a recall election in 2014, announcing he was switching parties earlier this week. “My thought when former Mayor Flanagan announced he's a Republican, is maybe we start this as a wave and use that to now reach out to the auditor,” Carnevale said during the meeting. TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey and First Lady Joanna Lydgate welcome King Abdullah II bin Al Hussein of Jordan and members of the Jordanian delegation to the State House at 1:15 p.m. and Healey hosts a roundtable with King Abdullah, Jordanian officials and business leaders at 1:30 p.m. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll participates in a panel on economic development at the National Lieutenant Governors Association conference at 9:40 a.m. in D.C. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu attends the Boston Common tree lighting at 7:30 p.m. downtown and attends the Commonwealth Avenue Mall tree lighting at 8:15 p.m. in Back Bay. State Auditor Diana DiZoglio attends the AFL-CIO holiday luncheon at 1 p.m. in Boston and keynotes the Somerville Chamber of Commerce Annual Dinner at 5:30 p.m. in Somerville. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Drop me a line: kgarrity@politico.com.
| | | | A message from Johnson & Johnson: We’re restoring the true meaning of healthcare—Innovating more precise, less invasive surgery and improving recovery. See how we’re connecting the best of Health&Care for every patient and provider. Learn more. | | | |  | DATELINE BEACON HILL | | — “Massachusetts prison and jail calls doubled in first year of free calls,” by Sarah Betancourt, GBH News: “It’s been a year since a law that made prison and jail phone calls free went into effect, which made Massachusetts the fifth state in the country to lift a financial burden on prisoners and their loved ones. Legislators and advocates say that the results have been overwhelmingly positive, although there were some logistical hiccups in the launch. Correctional leaders speak similarly of the positive impact, but continue to press concerns that costs will exceed a pool of funds set aside for the law’s implementation.” — “November Revenues Get State Closer To Benchmarks,” by Chris Lisinski, State House News Service: “Massachusetts brought in more tax revenue than expected in November, narrowing the year-to-date gap between projections and actual collections, officials said Wednesday. The Department of Revenue announced it hauled in $2.438 billion last month, which is $190 million or 8.4 percent more than in November 2023 and $56 million or 2.4 percent more than the monthly benchmark. ”
| | FROM THE HUB | | — “‘I’m not ... stepping down.’ Boston Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson pledges to continue her work amid federal probe,” by Niki Griswold, The Boston Globe: “At Boston City Hall on Wednesday, City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson said she does not intend to resign from her position representing District 7, and thanked her supporters, after the Globe reported this week she is the subject of a federal investigation.” — “Boston City Council reaffirms line between local police and federal immigration officials,” by Amy Gorel, WBUR: “The Boston City Council reaffirmed how local law enforcement does — or doesn't — work with federal immigration officials. The council adopted the resolution to reaffirm The Trust Act on Wednesday, which was originally enacted in 2014 and updated in 2019.” — “Boston expands free museum program to include all city school-aged children,” by Emily Piper-Vallillo, WBUR. GUESS WHAT’S BACK, BACK AGAIN — The Senate is again expected to take up Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s property tax shift home rule petition again today, after state Sen. Nick Collins delayed action on the bill earlier in the week, saying he wanted to see the city’s updated property valuations that he expected to emerge during a Tuesday City Council hearing. After the city’s accessing commissioner declined to share the numbers publicly Tuesday (since they hadn’t been certified by the state), Collins hinted he may still delay the bill if he couldn’t get the numbers before the Senate meets today. Now he’s got ‘em. A city spokesperson said last night that state’s Department of Revenue had certified the property valuations, and that the "finalized data shows that the impact on residential taxpayers will be significant, and this legislation is necessary to stabilize tax bills across both sectors and prevent potential worst case scenarios over the next three years." "Without the proposed home rule petition, the average single-family homeowner receiving a residential exemption will see a 21% increase in their tax bill in January. We urge the State Senate to take action to advance this needed legislation," the spokesperson said. That marks a 10.5% increase in Boston property owners’ tax bills total for the year (because of the way the city loads its tax bills, residents would see the full increase in their January bills). WORTH NOTING — “Mass. senator who blocked Boston property tax bill saw flood of real estate donations,” by Walter Wuthmann, WBUR: “The lone state senator to block a vote this week on a compromise bill that would raise taxes on Boston commercial property owners received a rush of campaign donations from real estate interests over the past two months, public records show. South Boston state Sen. Nick Collins’ campaign committee collected $17,200 in contributions from real estate executives, developers and related industry groups in November, state campaign finance records show, representing more than three-quarters of the total donations he received.”
| | | | REGISTER NOW: As the 118th Congress ends, major decisions loom, including healthcare appropriations. Key focus: site neutrality. Can aligning hospital and clinic costs cut federal spending, reflect physician costs, and lower patient expenses? Join policymakers and providers to discuss. | | | | | | | BALLOT BATTLES | | — “A question challenging Massachusetts’ new gun law will appear on the 2026 ballot,” Anjali Huynh, The Boston Globe: “A challenge to the expansive firearms law signed this summer will officially appear on the ballot in 2026, after opponents of the legislation gathered more than double the number of signatures required to put it to voters.” — “Thousands of Massachusetts Uber, Lyft drivers move to form a union,” by Tori Bedford, GBH News: “Around 100 Uber and Lyft drivers chanted union songs and held up signs indicating their support for a future coalition known as the App Drivers Union at Wednesday’s rally ... Once the question becomes law in January, they will need 25% of the approximately 80,000 drivers across the state to indicate their approval in order to conduct a formal card check, the first step in moving toward union recognition."
| | DAY IN COURT | | — “SJC tosses warrantless secret video recording,” by Jennifer Smith, CommonWealth Beacon: “The state’s highest court threw cold water on police use of a popular covert recording technology, ruling unanimously over Thanksgiving week that cell phone video taken of a suspect during a drug investigation without a warrant violates Massachusetts’ 1968 wiretap law.”
| | | | A message from Johnson & Johnson:   | | | | | IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN | | — “Blades removed from at least one Vineyard Wind turbine,” by Anastasia E. Lennon, The New Bedford Light: “At least one set of blades installed at the Vineyard Wind farm was taken down in recent weeks, according to maps and satellite images reviewed by The Light. Vineyard Wind and GE Vernova in October announced an unknown number of blades at the site would be removed while others are repaired. A GE spokesperson previously said the repair work will occur ‘in the water/at the turbine, in other cases at the [marshaling] harbor and our factory in Cherbourg, France,’ and that the company will not specify how many blades are being removed or repaired."
| | FROM THE 413 | | — “Chicopee hires consultant to look at troubled HR department, seeking to hire new chief,” by Namu Sampath, The Springfield Republican. — “Bus transit gets a boost to expand, connect routes throughout WMass,” by Alexa Lewis, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “Transit services are set to expand throughout the region next year, with more than $3 million in state grants awarded to transit authorities in the Pioneer Valley and surrounding areas to improve connections across routes. These expansions come as part of a $10 million grant package announced this week by the Healey-Driscoll administration, which will fund 10 projects that increase connections between transit routes and service areas.” — “After a citizens petition, Dalton will hold a special election to replace Select Board member Joseph Diver,” by Matt Martinez, The Berkshire Eagle.
| | | | Billions in spending. Critical foreign aid. Immigration reform. The final weeks of 2024 could bring major policy changes. Inside Congress provides daily insights into how Congressional leaders are navigating these high-stakes issues. Subscribe today. | | | | | | | THE LOCAL ANGLE | | — “Ethics panel cites ex-Lawrence inspector over permit change,” by Jill Harmacinski, The Eagle-Tribune: “A now-retired Lawrence building inspector was rapped by the State Ethics Commission for changing the status of a building permit to ‘approved’ after a stop-work order was issued. The State Ethics Commission issued a ‘Public Education Letter’ Wednesday to former Lawrence Building Inspector Julian Perez after finding reasonable cause to believe he violated the state's conflict of interest law.” — “Petition knocks city out of 3A compliance,” by Ethan Forman, Gloucester Daily Times: “Come New Year’s Day, Gloucester will be out of compliance with MBTA Communities Act guidelines, making it ineligible for millions in state grants, some of which the city was set to receive, until a vote can be held on its new multifamily overlay zoning rules. A grassroots petition drive led by former Ward 2 Councilor Tracy O’Neil demanding a referendum on the zoning successfully gathered enough signatures per the requirements of the City Charter (10% of voters) to suspend the zoning rules until residents can vote on them. If residents vote down the zoning ordinance changes, the city would remain out of compliance.” — “'I did not batter my husband': Taunton mayor claims self-defense in new legal filing,” by Emma Rindlisbacher, Taunton Daily Gazette.
| | HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Merrilee Rogers of Rep. Jake Auchincloss’ office, Ellen Parker, Simon Jerome and Greg Timilty.
| | | | A message from Johnson & Johnson: At Johnson & Johnson, we believe health is everything. Our strength in healthcare innovation empowers us to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured; treatments are smarter and less invasive; and solutions are personal. We are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum, of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow. We combine our science and technology with our determination to create a powerful force for care… and profoundly impact health for humanity. Learn more. | | | 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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