News: ‘Tis the season for policy wish lists

Tuesday, December 10, 2024

‘Tis the season for policy wish lists

Dec 10, 2024

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MAKING A LIST, CHECKING IT TWICE — This holiday season, Democrats are sending their letters to the White House.

With less than two months before Washington’s changing of the guard, members of Massachusetts’ all-Democratic congressional delegation have a flurry of policy requests for President Joe Biden.

Here’s what they’re hoping the old man with the white beard hair will gift them before the season’s over:

— Rep. Jim McGovern is asking Biden for a “full and unconditional” pardon for Steven Donziger, according to a draft of a letter obtained by Playbook that he and other members of Congress are sending to the president. The human rights lawyer who successfully battled Chevron in court over the company’s pollution in the Amazon rainforest spent more than two years in home confinement before being convicted on contempt charges in a legal case that McGovern has long argued was directly tied to his work against Chevron.

— Rep. Ayanna Pressley has been calling on Biden to grant clemency to those she says have been unfairly incarcerated. Today, she and other members are holding a press conference asking the president to commute sentences for prisoners on federal death row, giving them a prison term instead.

— Sen. Ed Markey also wants the president to flex his pardon power to preemptively protect the political “enemies” Donald Trump has promised to prosecute, and to address mass incarceration. He also sent a letter earlier this month asking Biden to rush to obligate funding from the Inflation Reduction and the bipartisan infrastructure acts, and to do what he can now to protect climate programs from being undone down the road.

— Sen. Elizabeth Warren helped lead a letter to the White House late last month asking for expanded pardons for marjuana-related crimes. And she wants Biden to issue a policy directive that could temporarily stymie Trump if he decided to use the military domestically.

— Rep. Jake Auchincloss is calling on Biden to lift restrictions on how Ukraine can use U.S. weapons, and allow the country to use long range missiles to strike oil refineries in Russia.

Not all the delegation's wishes are directed at Biden. There’s plenty members hope to get done legislatively before the next Congress begins.

— Auchincloss is still hoping to get pharmacy benefit manager reform into an end-of-year package.

— Rep. Bill Keating wants to see the Social Security Fairness Act pass and get Biden’s signature, bringing back full social security benefits for retired public workers.

— Rep. Seth Moulton is hoping for a clean National Defense Authorization Act to make it through Congress, and wants a real budget passed — not just the continuing resolutions Congress has turned to recently to forestall government shutdowns.

— Rep. Lori Trahan has a host of bipartisan health bills that could get delayed if they don’t get done before next year, including legislation expanding access to treatments for children dealing with rare diseases, and proposals that would prevent cuts to community hospitals.

GOOD TUESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Several members of the Massachusetts delegation also want to get federal funding out the door ASAP, amid concerns that Trump could claw back federal funds.

TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey hosts a ceremonial signing for the Mass Leads Act at 10 a.m. in Cambridge. Lt. Gov. Kim Drsicoll chairs a meeting of the Seaport Economic Council at noon at the State House. Rep. Ayanna Pressley holds a press conference to call on President Joe Biden to commute the sentences of prisoners on death row for federal crimes and resentence them to a prison term at 1 p.m. in D.C.

Tips? Scoops? Birthdays? Email me: kgarrity@politico.com

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DATELINE BEACON HILL

SHIFT TALK — Time of death for Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s property tax shift bill: 8:15 p.m.

Senate President Karen Spilka made the final call last night, saying in a lengthy statement that she will not move forward with the bill.

“My job as Senate President is to work toward compromise, always; without it we would accomplish nothing,” Spilka said. “It is also my job to listen to the members of the Senate, and I have heard clearly that there currently is not sufficient support for this proposal. I will therefore not bring it to the floor for further debate.”

Spilka’s statement capped months of debate that culminated in one of her top deputies, state Sen. William Brownsberger (a Belmont Democrat whose district includes a slice of Boston), publicly voicing the opposition he had long been privately harboring about the bill.

Brownsberger was moved to speak out against the bill in light of the recently certified property valuations that showed there would be a lower-than-expected spike in residential property taxes for Boston residents.

With the new numbers, the average family homeowner is looking at an additional $284 dollars on their tax bills in Fiscal Year 25, per the chart included in a letter Wu sent to business groups Sunday.

“The ways [these] numbers came down, this bill should not be before us,” Brownsberger told reporters after backing up state Sen. Nick Collins’ latest motion to block the bill from advancing.

“I personally do consider this bill dead,” he added later.

But Brownsberger’s declaration wasn’t enough to sap City Hall of all hope that the legislation could still see that light of day.

“We continue to wait for clarity on whether Senators will ever take a vote on this,” a spokesperson for the city said in a statement yesterday evening before Spilka appeared to officially kill any chance of passage.

It’s a significant blow to the mayor, who spent serious time and energy hashing out a deal and shepherding the home petition through the process for lawmakers representing the city to shut it down, while lobbing questions about her credibility (Collins skewered the push to get the bill passed as a "campaign of fear and manipulation" and a "farce").

But it also hands her new fodder to hit the campaign trail with. Wu can’t campaign on having kept taxes lower for Boston residents, but she can say she made an effort to, only to be blocked by Beacon Hill and business interests.

In other words: She can hammer home that “every single resident will know that their taxes are going up because the Senate did not vote through that last step.”

DUTY CALLS — State Rep. Patrick Kearney, a lieutenant in the United States Navy Reserve, headed to Maryland Monday for two weeks of specialized military training. He'll continue to serve his district remotely, according to the announcement.

— “Massachusetts issues long-awaited draft regulations for ADUs,” Claire O'Callahan, The Berkshire Eagle: “For months, municipalities across the commonwealth have been asking the state to clarify its new accessory dwelling provision. Some of those questions are now answered — in draft form. The Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities issued draft regulations for accessory dwelling units on Monday and announced a public comment period that will open Dec. 20.”

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.

FROM THE HUB

— “BPS announces largest single-year multilingual education expansion with new programs at 7 schools,” by Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald: “Seven BPS schools will launch new multilingual education programs in the 2025-2026 school year, the district announced Monday, marking the largest single-year surge in BPS’s language offerings. The new bilingual education programs, approved by DESE earlier this month, will be spread across five elementary schools and two secondary schools, serving English language learners. BPS officials said they developed the proposals after a community-engagement process through the last school year.”

— “Boston is slowly sinking. That doesn’t help sea level rise due to climate change,” by Kana Ruhalter and Arun Rath, GBH News.

YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS

ICYMI — “Ex-Fall River mayor mulls run against Auchincloss after joining GOP,” by Raymond Baccari, WRPI: “Former Fall River Mayor William Flanagan has left the Democratic Party to become a Republican — and says a campaign for federal office may be on the horizon. Flanagan — who made the jump after last month’s election — said during this year’s campaign, he could ‘no longer identify with’ the Democratic Party and its platform on issues such as abortion, the Second Amendment and border security. … Flanagan said he is now “seriously considering” a challenge against incumbent Democrat Jake Auchincloss for Massachusetts’ 4th Congressional District in 2026, which includes Fall River.”

TODAY’S SPECIAL — Voters in Methuen head to the polls today to select their next mayor, after former Mayor Neil Perry died earlier this year following health struggles.

Former city councilor and now Acting Mayor DJ Beauregard is running to make the interim gig permanent. He’s up against Jim Sarcione, a local entrepreneur. Polls are open until 7 p.m. tonight. More from The Eagle-Tribune.

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MIGRANTS IN MASSACHUSETTS

— “Natick Select Board chair's car vandalized after immigration policy debate: What we know,” by Norman Miller, MetroWest Daily News: “The Natick Select Board's consideration of a ‘Welcoming Community’ policy in connection to immigration and documentation has involved emotions high from those both for and against the policy. Now, police are involved after those emotions possibly turned criminal actions last week when someone vandalized Select Board Chairwoman Kathryn Coughlin's car by spray-painting ‘Deport Illegals’ on the driver's side of the vehicle.”

— “Recent ICE arrests of Berkshire residents spark debate over immigration detainers and justice for victims,” by Amanda Burke, The Berkshire Eagle.

FROM THE DELEGATION

— “Warren renews push to update bankruptcy rules,” by Christian M. Wade, The Eagle-Tribune: “Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren is renewing a push to tighten federal bankruptcy rules to prevent corporations and their billionaire owners from gaming the system. The proposal, filed with several other Democratic senators, would prohibit so-called non-consensual litigation shields in Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings for people and entities that aren’t actually bankrupt. The legal maneuver — often called a ‘Texas two-step’ — is often used by companies to avoid corporate liability.”

FROM THE 413

— “Mount Holyoke College’s $180M march toward carbon neutrality,” by Emilee Klein, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “Mount Holyoke College hopes to celebrate its bicentennial in 2037 by declaring the campus carbon neutral, and the liberal arts college has already taken significant steps toward that goal as it moves into phase three of a new geothermal heating system.”

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

— “DOJ finds Worcester police engaged in excessive force, sexual misconduct,” by Sam Turken and Lisa Wardle, GBH News: “Worcester police have engaged in excessive use of force and “outrageous” government conduct by allowing officers to have sexual contact with women while working undercover, according to the findings of a U.S. Department of Justice investigation released Monday. The two-year investigation involved extensive interviews with current and former officers, city employees and nearly 150 residents and local organizations, as well as reviewing police records dating back to 2017.”

MORE — “Key takeaways from the Justice Department's investigation of the Worcester police,” by Brad Petrishen, Telegram & Gazette. PLUS — “Lawyer for Worcester slams U.S. Justice Department investigation of police as unfair,” by Brad Petrishen, Telegram & Gazette.

— “Never mind? Teachers uncertain if they'll pursue recall of mayor,” by Paul Leighton, The Salem News: “On Nov. 15, the leaders of the Beverly Teachers Association marched into City Hall to begin the process to recall Mayor Mike Cahill. It was a dramatic scene, with TV cameras following the action and hundreds of teachers and supporters chanting, ‘Mayor Mikey’s got to go.’ Three weeks later, as the dust settles from the end of the contentious teachers strike, it’s uncertain if a recall election will ever take place.”

— “City faces Dec. 31 deadline for final ARPA spending,” by Grace Ferguson, The New Bedford Light: “The city has less than a month to nail down its final plans for spending $82 million from the American Rescue Plan, the federal pandemic-relief law. The city has chosen what it intends to spend the money on. But it hasn’t ‘obligated’ all of the funds yet.”

— “Framingham Schools ready to move to in-house busing. Why the city council won't vote yes,” Tom Benoit, MetroWest Daily News.

— “MIT students rally at Cambridge City Hall to demand city intervene in discipline against pro-Palestinian students,” by Alexa Coultoff, The Boston Globe.

— “Cancellation of kids’ asthma medication continues to cause turmoil for Mass. families,” by Jason Laughlin, The Boston Globe.

HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Newton Mayor Ruthanne Fuller, Jessica Enes, Susan Milligan and Jasper Craven.

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