STATE

Beacon Hill Roll Call

Staff Writer
Telegram & Gazette

Beacon Hill Roll Call

By Bob Katzen

The Massachusetts Legislature, week of June 29 - July 3, 2020

THE HOUSE AND SENATE

Beacon Hill Roll Call records local representatives' and senators’ votes on roll calls from the week of June 29-July 3.

MAKE IT EASIER TO VOTE BY MAIL (H 4820)

House 155-1, Senate 39-0, approved and sent to Gov. Charlie Baker a bill that would direct Secretary of State Bill Galvin to send applications for a mail-in ballot to every registered voter by July 15 for the Sept. 1 primary and by Sept. 14 for the Nov. 3 general election.

The bill also includes expanded in-person early voting options prior to the elections. Voters who wish to vote in person are given seven days (from Aug. 22 to Aug. 28) to vote early in the primary and 14 days (from Oct. 17 to Oct. 30) to vote early in the general election. Voters can also choose to vote on Election Day.

Other provisions provide prepaid return postage for ballots and applications for ballots; set Aug. 26 as the deadline to apply to early vote by mail in the Sept. 1 primary and Oct. 28 as the deadline to apply to early vote by mail in the Nov. 3 general election; provide for absentee voting by any person taking precaution related to COVID-19; require Galvin, in conjunction with the commissioner of the Department of Public Health, to establish emergency regulations requiring public health safeguards for in-person voting, including social distancing of voters and election officers, face coverings and personal protective equipment, frequent use of sanitizers and sanitary use of marking pens.

Rep. Donald Berthiaume (R-Spencer) Yes

Rep. Dan Donahue (D-Worcester) Yes

Rep. Peter Durant (R-Spencer) Yes

Rep. Carolyn Dykema (D-Holliston) Yes

Rep. Kimberly Ferguson (R-Holden) Yes

Rep. Paul Frost (R-Auburn) Yes

Rep. Danielle Gregoire (D-Marlboro) Yes

Rep. Sheila Harrington (R-Groton) Yes

Rep. Stephan Hay (D-Fitchburg) Yes

Rep. Natalie Higgins (D-Leominster) Yes

Rep. Kate Hogan (D-Stow) Yes

Rep. Hannah Kane (R-Shrewsbury) Yes

Rep. Mary Keefe (D-Worcester) Yes

Rep. David LeBoeuf (D-Worcester) DNV

Rep. John Mahoney (D-Worcester) Yes

Rep. Joseph McKenna (R-Webster) Yes

Rep. David Muradian Jr. (R-Grafton) Yes

Rep. Brian Murray (D-Milford) Yes

Rep. Harold Naughton Jr. (D-Clinton) Yes

Rep. James O'Day (D-West Boylston) Yes

Rep. Todd Smola (R-Warren) Yes

Rep. Michael Soter (R-Bellingham) Yes

Rep. Susannah Whipps (I-Athol) Yes

Rep. Jonathan Zlotnik (D-Gardner) Yes

Sen. Harriette Chandler (D-Worcester) Yes

Sen. James Eldridge (D-Acton) Yes

Sen. Ryan Fattman (R-Sutton) Yes

Sen. Anne Gobi (D-Spencer) Yes

Sen. Michael Moore (D-Millbury) Yes

Sen. Dean Tran (R-Fitchburg) Yes

$200M FOR LOCAL ROADS AND BRIDGES (H 4803)

House 159-0, Senate 39-0, reduced from $300 million to $200 million Chapter 90 funding for cities and towns for the maintenance, repair and improvement of local roads and bridges. The House in March and the Senate in early June, approved proposals that included $300 million in Chapter 90 funding for cities and towns' local roads and bridges. That $300 million was a $100 million increase over last year.

Rep. Donald Berthiaume (R-Spencer) Yes

Rep. Dan Donahue (D-Worcester) Yes

Rep. Peter Durant (R-Spencer) Yes

Rep. Carolyn Dykema (D-Holliston) Yes

Rep. Kimberly Ferguson (R-Holden) Yes

Rep. Paul Frost (R-Auburn) Yes

Rep. Danielle Gregoire (D-Marlboro) Yes

Rep. Sheila Harrington (R-Groton) Yes

Rep. Stephan Hay (D-Fitchburg) Yes

Rep. Natalie Higgins (D-Leominster) Yes

Rep. Kate Hogan (D-Stow) Yes

Rep. Hannah Kane (R-Shrewsbury) Yes

Rep. Mary Keefe (D-Worcester) Yes

Rep. David LeBoeuf (D-Worcester) Yes

Rep. John Mahoney (D-Worcester) Yes

Rep. Joseph McKenna (R-Webster) Yes

Rep. David Muradian Jr. (R-Grafton) Yes

Rep. Brian Murray (D-Milford) Yes

Rep. Harold Naughton Jr. (D-Clinton) Yes

Rep. James O'Day (D-West Boylston) Yes

Rep. Todd Smola (R-Warren) Yes

Rep. Michael Soter (R-Bellingham) Yes

Rep. Susannah Whipps (I-Athol) Yes

Rep. Jonathan Zlotnik (D-Gardner) Yes

Sen. Harriette Chandler (D-Worcester) Yes

Sen. James Eldridge (D-Acton) Yes

Sen. Ryan Fattman (R-Sutton) Yes

Sen. Anne Gobi (D-Spencer) Yes

Sen. Michael Moore (D-Millbury) Yes

Sen. Dean Tran (R-Fitchburg) Yes

RACIAL DISPARITIES IN MATERNAL MORTALITY (H 4818)

House 159-0, approved and sent to the Senate a bill that would create a special 23-member commission to examine and make recommendations to reduce or eliminate racial disparities in the death of mothers before, during and after childbirth.

The commission would look for problems and solutions by examining evidence-based practices, including approaches taken by other states or grass-roots organizations to reduce or eliminate racial disparities in maternal mortality or severe maternal morbidity; barriers to accessing prenatal and postpartum care, how that care is delivered and the quality of that care; and how historical and current structural, institutional and individual forms of racism, including implicit bias or discrimination, affect the incidence and prevalence of maternal mortality in communities of color.

Rep. Donald Berthiaume (R-Spencer) Yes

Rep. Dan Donahue (D-Worcester) Yes

Rep. Peter Durant (R-Spencer) Yes

Rep. Carolyn Dykema (D-Holliston) Yes

Rep. Kimberly Ferguson (R-Holden) Yes

Rep. Paul Frost (R-Auburn) Yes

Rep. Danielle Gregoire (D-Marlboro) Yes

Rep. Sheila Harrington (R-Groton) Yes

Rep. Stephan Hay (D-Fitchburg) Yes

Rep. Natalie Higgins (D-Leominster) Yes

Rep. Kate Hogan (D-Stow) Yes

Rep. Hannah Kane (R-Shrewsbury) Yes

Rep. Mary Keefe (D-Worcester) Yes

Rep. David LeBoeuf (D-Worcester) Yes

Rep. John Mahoney (D-Worcester) Yes

Rep. Joseph McKenna (R-Webster) Yes

Rep. David Muradian Jr. (R-Grafton) Yes

Rep. Brian Murray (D-Milford) Yes

Rep. Harold Naughton Jr. (D-Clinton) Yes

Rep. James O'Day (D-West Boylston) Yes

Rep. Todd Smola (R-Warren) Yes

Rep. Michael Soter (R-Bellingham) Yes

Rep. Susannah Whipps (I-Athol) Yes

Rep. Jonathan Zlotnik (D-Gardner) Yes

$1.1B FOR COVID-19 RESPONSE (S 2789)

Senate 39-0, approved a bill that would provide $1.1 billion to cover expenses related to response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Gov. Baker has been urging the Legislature to quickly get a spending bill to his desk because the state cannot be eligible for federal reimbursements for costs related to the respiratory virus until a package is approved by the Legislature and signed by the governor.

The package includes $350 million for personal protective equipment, $139 million for rate add-ons for providers, $82 million for child care needs including emergency child care for essential workers, $15 million for essential behavioral health services including services for children, $15 million for food security support, $10 million for grants to community foundations with direct support like housing assistance, and $10 million for wage and benefit support to workers impacted by the virus.

Sen. Harriette Chandler (D-Worcester) Yes

Sen. James Eldridge (D-Acton) Yes

Sen. Ryan Fattman (R-Sutton) Yes

Sen. Anne Gobi (D-Spencer) Yes

Sen. Michael Moore (D-Millbury) Yes

Sen. Dean Tran (R-Fitchburg) Yes

Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com.