POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: WALKOUT politics — BAKER eyes North-South rail — DONOGHUE seeks Lowell city manager spot
WALKOUT politics — BAKER eyes North-South rail — DONOGHUE seeks Lowell city manager spot
03/14/2018 07:27 AM EDT
By Lauren Dezenski (ldezenski@politico.com; @LaurenDezenski) with Brent D. Griffiths (bgriffiths@politico.com; @BrentGriffiths)
GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Enjoy the extra sleep (or additional shovel time) - Non-emergency state employees have a two-hour delayed start today.
WALKOUT POLITICS - Undeterred by more than a foot of snow in some spots, many students plan to walk out of classes and descend on Beacon Hill today in protest as part of a call for stricter gun laws. Specifically, they're pushing for legislation that would make it harder for extremely dangerous or suicidal individuals from getting a firearm, known as an extreme risk protection order (or ERPO).
The bill from state Rep. Marjorie Decker was actually introduced more than a year ago - long before the Parkland school shooting that has galvanized students. As Decker put it: "I filed this before Parkland with the assumption that it's going to happen ... Massachusetts can do more and we need to do more."
The bill has been stuck in committee since last January, despite a hearing in November, but there are signs of hope, at least on the House side. House Speaker Robert DeLeo told reporters on Monday that "if there is room to change or improve on what we have then of course we will take a look at it, but that bill is still in committee."
Opponents of Decker's and a similar bill from Rep. David Linsky, the Gun Owners Action League, call the bills "very cruel to the individual and his/her civil rights and extremely dangerous to the general public" - and warned allies the legislature would likely fast-track them.
That's not yet the case. DeLeo's office said yesterday the Speaker and staff are in conversations with the administration, Decker, public safety officials and advocates. As part of that process, DeLeo plans to reschedule a meeting with members of gun control group Everytown - postponed due to the storm - "soon."
Charlotte Lowell, the lead student organizer for today's walk out, hopes today's event with more than 50 schools from around the state will amp up the pressure even though Massachusetts already has the toughest gun laws in the country. "I think there's a lot of messy politics going on in terms of passing the ERPO bill," the 17-year-old Andover High School senior told me. "I hope the walkout will say to legislators this has to happen right now. We are demanding right now that we feel safe in our schools and in our streets."
Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: ldezenski@politico.com.
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TODAY - The funeral for Chuck Campion of Dewey Square Group will be held at St Cecilia church in Boston, beginning at 10 a.m. A reception is expected to follow - Gov. Charlie Baker convenes a storm recovery roundtable discussion with Cape electeds including state Sen. Vinny deMacedo, state Sen. Julian Cyr, state Reps. Sarah Peake, Will Crocker, Randy Hunt, and Tim Whelan, and utility representatives and emergency responders from Barnstable County at the Barnstable County Multi-Agency Coordination Center - The MBTA and Commuter Rail plan to operate on regular service schedules.
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DATELINE BEACON HILL -
- "Gov. Charlie Baker optimistic on north-south rail, but not Springfield-to-Boston train service (video)," by Shira Schoenberg, MassLive.com:"Expanding passenger rail service between New Haven and Springfield is looking good. But expanding service from Boston to Springfield is far less certain, Gov. Charlie Baker said in a meeting with editors and reporters from The Republican/MassLive.com on Friday."
- "Judge Tosses Massachusetts Lawsuit Over Birth Control Rules," by Associated Press: "A federal judge has tossed the Massachusetts attorney general's lawsuit against President Trump's administration over rules allowing more employers to opt out of providing no-cost birth control to women. U.S. District Judge Nathaniel Gorton ruled against Democratic Attorney General Maura Healey on Monday."
- "Lawmakers want to expand sex offender registry," by Christian M. Wade, Salem News: " The lowest level of convicted sex offenders would be required to register with local police and face increased scrutiny under plans to expand the state's registry. A proposal by Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr would require Level 1 sex offenders to register with police in person, while their names, addresses and other information would be added to a searchable online database, along with those of more serious Level 2 and 3 offenders."
ON THE STUMP -
- "It's official: Donoghue a candidate for city manager," by Christopher Scott, Lowell Sun: "Sen. Eileen Donoghue could make history later this month by becoming the city's first female city manager. Ending weeks of speculation, Donoghue said Tuesday she's a candidate for the job that another former state legislator, Kevin Murphy, is vacating April 1."
- "GOP candidate Geoff Diehl once voted true blue," by Frank Phillips, Boston Globe: "It all began in 1996, when Diehl first registered to vote as a Democrat. He was diligent in carrying out his civic duties, casting votes in some of the state's most liberal brawls. Two years later, he cast a vote for Joe Biden - over front-runners Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton - in the state's Democratic presidential primary."
TSONGAS ARENA -
- SPOTTED: Foreign Policy for America hosted an event last night in DC for Rufus Gifford, the former Ambassador to Denmark, and his Obama administration colleague Elissa Slotkin. Former Deputy Secretary of State Tony Blinken and former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Michèle Flournoy headlined the event and threw their support behind Gifford in the MA-03 race.
MOULTON MATTERS -
- "Seth Moulton could see boost from special election in Pennsylvania," by Astead W. Herndon, Boston Globe: "When the nation's political class tunes in to Tuesday's hotly contested special congressional election race in Pennsylvania, one Massachusetts man will be particularly invested in the result: Representative Seth Moulton.Moulton has been an early supporter of his fellow Marine's campaign for Congress, and he spent the past weekend holding campaign events with Lamb in his western Pennsylvania district."
THE WARREN REPORT -
- "US Sen. Elizabeth Warren says bank bill could hurt minority borrowers," by Shannon Young, MassLive.com: "U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, continued to rail against high-profile banking legislation Tuesday, particularly language which she argued would remove oversights that help regulators track instances of mortgage discrimination. The Massachusetts Democrat, who has repeatedly spoken out on the bill's proposed rollback of financial industry regulations, again raised concerns about the impact it could have on Americans and urged Congress to reject the legislation during a conference call with AFL-CIO and Urban League leaders."
THE LOCAL ANGLE -
- "Thousands in the dark after another nor'easter roars through," by John R. Ellement, Martin Finucane and Danny McDonald, Boston Globe: "About 170,000 homes and businesses were without power early Wednesday as Tuesday's nor'easter lashed Massachusetts with high winds and swiftly falling snow, whipping up blinding blizzard conditions in some areas, including Boston, and prompting dozens of districts to cancel school on Wednesday. Just over a foot of snow fell on Logan Airport, where hundreds of flights were either delayed or canceled Tuesday."
- "Snow shoveled downtown? An immigrant probably cleared it," by Cristela Guerra, Boston Globe: "In the midst of Tuesday's storm, much of downtown Boston looked deserted - except for armies of seasonal workers shoveling snow, squeegeeing slush, and occasionally ducking into a warm space to escape the biting winds. Not all who do this work are immigrants, but many are."
- "Snow could force cancellation of St. Patrick's Day parade," by Alana Levene, Boston Globe: "The blizzard that brought more than a foot of snow in Boston Tuesday could force the cancellation of the annual St. Patrick's Day parade in South Boston, Mayor Martin J. Walsh said. 'We're gonna make a determination a little later on what to do with Sunday, whether we have the parade or cancel the parade,' Walsh said at an afternoon press conference at City Hall."
- "Terror at 50 Feet," by Jason Pramas, DigBoston.com: "Much ink has been spilled in the Boston press over a plan by luxury developer Millennium Partners and its subsidiary Cargo Ventures to spend $100 million to build an aerial gondola system from South Station up Summer Street across Fort Point Channel to the possible future site of what may one day be either its 2 million-square-foot (Boston Globe) or 2.7 million-square-foot (Boston Business Journal) 'office campus.' My problem with the proposed gondola system, then, is not the idea itself. I don't think it's practical, but I do think that some kind of elevated mass transit system makes a hell of a lot of sense if you want to avoid existing vehicular traffic and prepare for future global warming-induced flooding."
- "Taser use is growing among Mass. police," by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: "Police departments reported owning more than 6,000 Tasers at the end of 2016, nearly a 50 percent jump from 2015 and roughly a doubling from just three years earlier, according to newly released data from the state's Executive Office of Public Safety and Security. The proliferation of the weapons and a correlating jump in the number of incidents have stoked concerns among some civil libertarians and attorneys, who question whether the growing stockpile is ripe for overuse."
- "State study shows challenges faced by rural schools," by Kristin Palpini, the Berkshire Eagle: "A statewide study of rural school district finances - including all school districts in Berkshire County - suggests that Massachusetts needs to reformulate school funding and transportation allotments, and provide incentives for districts to combine services to provide rural districts with a more equitable share of funds.The 'Fiscal Conditions in Rural School Districts,' by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, was produced after Sen. Adam Hinds, D-Pittsfield, successfully sponsored a mandate for the research."
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to Taunton state Rep. Shauna O'Connell and MassDems party chair Gus Bickford
Did THE HOME TEAM WIN YESTERDAY? Yes! The Bruins beat the Hurricanes 6-4.
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