POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: McGOVERN rising — No GUN consensus on Beacon Hill — Great Barrington’s WEED turf war
McGOVERN rising — No GUN consensus on Beacon Hill — Great Barrington’s WEED turf war
04/11/2018 07:08 AM EDT
By Lauren Dezenski (ldezenski@politico.com; @LaurenDezenski) with Brent D. Griffiths (bgriffiths@politico.com; @BrentGriffiths)
GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.
THERE'S ALWAYS A MASSACHUSETTS CONNECTION: HOUSE LEADERSHIP EDITION - Massachusetts continues to build its clout within the congressional Democratic Caucus: Rep. Jim McGovern of Worcester was named the highest-ranking Democrat on the powerful House Rules Committee.
The committee already has a long history with Massachusetts pols - McGovern's mentor Rep. Joe Moakley, of South Boston, previously served as Rules Committee chairman. Moakley himself had been appointed to the committee by another Bostonian, former House Speaker Tip O'Neill.
McGovern, formally appointed yesterday, rose to the position following the death of former ranking member Rep. Louise Slaughter of New York in March.
McGovern isn't the only member of the Bay State delegation poised to become a committee chair if Democrats retake the House this fall - Springfield-based Rep. Richard Neal is the ranking Democrat on the powerful Ways and Means Committee.
Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: ldezenski@politico.com.
TODAY - The House releases its budget proposal for the coming fiscal year - State Sen. Eric Lesser and state Rep. Natalie Higgins will unveil their Student Loan Bill of Rights ahead of the Senate vote on the bill today - The ACLU of Massachusetts holds a press conference to announce the filing of a class action lawsuit challenging the Trump administration's pattern of separating married couples and families pursuing lawful immigration status.
DATELINE BEACON HILL -
- "No consensus on Beacon Hill for taking guns," by Christian M. Wade, Gloucester Times: "State leaders are wrestling with ideas to keep guns out of the hands of people who are deemed dangerous, but their efforts are running into legal and public safety concerns. A task force looking at ideas such as a 'good Samaritan' law - which would give legal protection to friends or family who take firearms from a distressed individual - wrapped up working last week after failing to reach consensus."
- "Wynn Resorts seeks to remove Steve Wynn from its Mass. license," by Jon Chesto, Boston Globe: "On Thursday, the Massachusetts Gaming Commission is scheduled to consider requests from lawyers representing Steve Wynn and Wynn Resorts that the disgraced former CEO no longer be considered an 'individual qualifier' for the Wynn Boston Harbor license. These requests were expected and are essentially a formality following Steve Wynn's decision to step down in February and the subsequent sale of his entire stake in the company."
NOTHING OF SIGNIFICANCE FROM CHARLIE BAKER, NO SOLUTIONS, NO SUGGESTIONS.
CHARLIE BAKER IS INCAPABLE OF LEADERSHIP.
MOUNT IDA'S PROBLEMS WERE KNOWN AND CHARLIE BAKER IGNORED.
- "Baker criticizes Mount Ida leadership after college's sudden closure," by Laura Krantz, Boston Globe: "Governor Charlie Baker on Tuesday afternoon sharply criticized the leaders of Mount Ida College for their abrupt decision to close the school and sell the campus to UMass Amherst, saying Mount Ida's officials had not looked out for the students and staff. Baker, speaking to reporters on Tuesday afternoon at the State House, said what bothered him most was that Mount Ida seemed to have been in decline for a while, so he wondered why the closing needed to be so sudden."
- "Hollywood haves and have-nots," by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "CommonWealth analyzed data gathered by the Massachusetts Film Office and found that the economic impact of movie and TV productions, lured to the Bay State by the state's generous film tax credit, is not distributed evenly across the state. Nearly three-quarters of the state's film shoots over the last decade took place in Greater Boston, with 13 percent in Boston alone."
- "College students rally for tougher policies to prevent campus sexual assaults," by Michael Levenson, Boston Globe: "In Massachusetts, long considered a national leader in higher education, some legislators say the state should not defer to the Trump administration's guidance on campus sexual assault. The speakers at Tuesday's rally [outside the statehouse] called for the passage of two state-level bills which would address some of the concerns that victims' advocates have expressed about [Education Secretary Betsy] DeVos' policies."
DATELINE DC -
- "U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Ed Markey support Massachusetts' net neutrality push," by Shira Schoenberg, MassLive.com: "Massachusetts' two U.S. Senators -- Democrats Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey -- have voiced support for work being done in the Massachusetts Legislature to impose state-level net neutrality. Warren and Markey did not endorse specific proposals, but both submitted letters to a state legislative committee supporting the concept of state action to maintain free and unfettered internet access."
TRUMPACHUSETTS -
- "Former EPA Administrator Says Scott Pruitt Is 'Embarrassing' The Position," by WGBH News: "If former Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Gina McCarthy could rate the first year of her successor, Scott Pruitt, she'd give him a number in the negatives. 'It's not good at all,' she said during an interview Tuesday with Greater Boston. 'As a past EPA administrator, I think I join Republican and Democrat administrators of the past, as well, in saying he's not even paying a bit of attention to the mission of the agency, and he's just - he's embarrassing.'"
WARREN REPORT -
- "Mulvaney Faces Elizabeth Warren Grilling Over New Tone at CFPB," by Elizabeth Dexheimer, Bloomberg News: "A highlight will be Mulvaney's faceoff with Senator Elizabeth Warren, the financial industry's most vocal congressional critic and the CFPB's biggest defender. Since Mulvaney took over in November, Warren has scrutinized everything from his hiring of GOP congressional aides to his decisions to drop enforcement actions. Mulvaney's Thursday appearance before the Senate Banking Committee will be the Massachusetts Democrat's first chance to spar with him publicly."
ON THE STUMP -
- "Suffolk DA hopefuls share views," by Michael Jonas, CommonWealth Magazine: "The first candidate forum in the race for Suffolk County district attorney gave the five Democrats running a chance to lay out their vision for the office and, in one case, clarify a view that the campaign says was misrepresented. All five of the candidates voiced degrees of support for reforms that move away from tough-on-crime policies at the Monday night forum in Jamaica Plain jointly sponsored by JP Progressives and the Boston NAACP."
- "Congressional hopeful Amatul-Wadud says 'status quo is failing people'," by Amanda Drane, the Berkshire Eagle: "Springfield attorney Tahirah Amatul-Wadud decided to run for Congress to combat a creeping sense of hopelessness, she said during an event Monday. 'When you have fresh blood in a seat like that, you are beholden to no one but the people you serve,' she said [of her challenge of Rep. Richard Neal.]"
- "Political Notes: State treasurer candidate questions casino plan," by Geoff Spillane, Cape Cod Times: "A four-term Republican legislator from Southeastern Massachusetts - and critic of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe's efforts to build a resort casino in Taunton - has launched a campaign to unseat incumbent State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg in November. State Rep. Keiko Orrall, R-Lakeville, a fiscal conservative who hopes to be the first Asian-American woman to win statewide office, says she can operate the treasurer's office more efficiently than Goldberg does."
TSONGAS ARENA -
NEW THIS MORNING - "Plumbers and Gasfitters Local 12 endorses Dan Koh for Congress," from the Koh campaign: "Underscoring that Dan Koh will 'stand up for workers' rights,' Plumbers and Gasfitters Local 12 today endorsed Koh in the 3rd District congressional race. Local 12 represents close to 1,800 members and is the twelfth union endorsement that Koh has received."
WOOD WAR - Herald: "GOING STRONG" - Globe: "Conservatives say Mueller must go," "City, family in $5 million settlement in child's death," "ZUCKERBERG IN THE HOT SEAT," "Walsh renews bid for Seaport joint policing," "Baker criticizes Mount Ida leaders," "City high school grads missing goal on degrees."
THE LOCAL ANGLE -
- "Price jumps for anti-overdose drug Narcan through Massachusetts bulk buying program," by Shira Schoenberg, MassLive.com: "Cities and towns buying the anti-overdose drug Narcan from a state bulk purchasing program are paying more after the fund that provided a state subsidy ran out. The cost for Narcan spray, or naloxone, went up from $40 to $71 for a box with two doses. The cost of a syringe to administer the drug increased from $20 to $30."
- "Cape Cod's First Medical Marijuana Dispensary To Open In Mashpee," by Sarah Tan, WCAI: "Cape Cod's first medical marijuana dispensary is scheduled to open in Mashpee in the next few days, five years after voters legalized medical marijuana in Massachusetts. The company behind the dispensary is 'Triple M,' which operates an existing dispensary and cultivation center in Plymouth."
- "State commission expediting pot application reviews for 20 firms," by Colin A. Young, State House News Service: "Twenty unidentified registered marijuana dispensaries were approved Tuesday to have their applications to enter the recreational marijuana business reviewed by the Cannabis Control Commission on an expedited basis. Twenty unidentified registered marijuana dispensaries were approved Tuesday to have their applications to enter the recreational marijuana business reviewed by the Cannabis Control Commission on an expedited basis."
- "Turf war in Great Barrington about regulating recreational weed industry," by Heather Bellow, the Berkshire Eagle: "While the recreational marijuana industry waits at the town's doorstep, a turf war rages between two town boards about which should regulate it. Both the Planning Board and the Select Board are each mostly unified in stance, and so the conversation has veered into a few dust-ups at two meetings."
- "Fishing industry wants New Bedford Port Authority to facilitate offshore wind," by Andy Metzger, State House News Service: "The fishing industry officials who wrote to Baker endorsed making the state's first offshore wind farm 'as modest in size and scope as possible' so that its impacts can be studied, called for a possible delay in the selection of offshore wind partners, and they suggested tapping the New Bedford Port Authority to be the 'central facilitator' for discussions between the wind-farmers and the fish harvesters."
- "'Just Sad': New England Patriots Owner Robert Kraft Visits Meek Mill at Chester Prison," by Brian X. McCrone, NBC10 Philadelphia: "Two billionaires made a surprise visit Tuesday to the state prison in Chester City to see the jailed rapper Meek Mill. [New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft joined one of Mill's good friends, entrepreneur Michael Rubin] with a combined worth of $9 billion (according to Fortune) told reporters outside the State Correctional Institute (SCI)-Chester they came to the prison to give their support in person for the release of the 30-year-old Philadelphia native, whose real name is Robert Rihmeek Williams."
- "Fall River's lightning rod," by Ted Siefer, CommonWealth Magazine: "And yet, for all the reasons he should be riding high, for all his outward enthusiasm, these are trying times for [Falls River Mayor] Jasiel Correia. He's evicted the city's economic development agency from city hall and sued it for not paying rent, and the agency now seems intent on operating as its own sovereign fiefdom. In a roundabout way, the case relates to a much more ominous threat hanging over Correia: a federal indictment."
- "Walsh commits $50 million to Long Island bridge in new budget," by Milton J. Valencia, Boston Globe: "Mayor Martin J. Walsh has committed $92 million to rebuild the Long Island bridge over the next three years, according to a city spending proposal he unveiled Monday, keeping to his plan for providing addiction recovery services on the harbor island in spite of local opposition. The mayor has devoted $50 million in funding under the city's capital plan in the fiscal-year budget that begins July 1, according to city records."
- "Lottery winners not getting full prize value," by Jack Sullivan, CommonWealth Magazine: "The winners of two second-chance drawings offered by the Massachusetts Lottery are getting shortchanged, collecting merchandise worth far less than what they were promised. Second-chance games do what the name implies, give losing instant ticket holders the opportunity to win in a second drawing that offers money prizes as well as 'pick your prize' packages worth 35,000 points that can be exchanged in a virtual store for merchandise that is supposed to be worth $548. But an analysis of the merchandise suggests the real value, based on comparison shopping at online retail outlets, is about $260 ..."
- "Charles Austin, Legendary WBZ-TV Reporter, Dies At 73," by David Wade, WBZ CBS Boston: "Charlie Austin landed a job at WBZ just after serving in the U.S. Army. He worked as a film processor, editor and sports anchor before hitting the streets as a general assignment reporter, one of the first African-Americans on Boston television, along with Sarah Ann Shaw and Walt Sanders. 'I think it was very, very important, for young people in particular, to see someone who looked like them on television,' Shaw told WBZ."
MEDIA TALKER - "Tom Ashbrook asks: Is there room for redemption?," by Tom Ashbrook, Boston Globe: "In December, following allegations against me made by several employees, I was put on leave pending two investigations by WBUR's owner, Boston University. The investigation, which looked into allegations of sexually inappropriate conduct, concluded favorably for me, but the second workplace assessment found that my conduct had created an abusive work environment. After 16 years hosting 'On Point,' I was fired. Is there room for redemption and rebirth, in our time of Google trails and hashtag headlines? I hope so.
CORRECTION - Yesterday's Playbook incorrectly stated that Vice President Mike Pence would appear at a Boston fundraiser for Minnesota Rep. Erik Paulsen. The fundraiser was for Maine Rep. Bruce Poliquin. It was ultimately canceled for personal reasons by Poliquin.
- HAPPY BIRTHDAY - Former Boston City Councilor Tito Jackson, Christian Science Monitor Texas reporter Henry Gass, political analyst Todd Domke, former Commonwealth Dispensary Association executive director Kevin Gilnack, Ethel Kennedy turns 90, and vice president at Merrimack Potomac + Charles and executive director of the College Republican National Committee Ted Dooley.
DID THE HOME TEAM WIN? Yes and No! -- The Red Sox humiliated the Yankees 14-1, but the Celtics fell to the Wizards 101-113.
ICYMI - THE LATEST HORSE RACE PODCAST EPISODE: Former State Senator Ben Downing is back! He reappears this week as the body's mountain of bad press has us testing a State Senate Chaos Theory. Then we look west with Matt Szafranski of Western Massachusetts Politics & Insight, checking in on the unexpected primary challenge to Former Senate President Stan Rosenberg. Plus, it's almost caucus time! Steve and Lauren break down what it means when the largest number of delegates are "uncommitted." Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud
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.
FOR MORE political and policy news from Massachusetts, check out: http://politi.co/1qNSlWx
SUBSCRIBE to the Playbook family: POLITICO Playbook http://politi.co/2lQswbh ... New York Playbook http://politi.co/1ON8bqW ... Florida Playbook http://politi.co/1OypFe9 ... New Jersey Playbook http://politi.co/1HLKltF ... Massachusetts Playbook http://politi.co/1Nhtq5v ... Illinois Playbook http://politi.co/1N7u5sb ... California Playbook http://politi.co/2bLvcPl ... Brussels Playbook http://politi.co/1FZeLcw ... London Playbook http://politi.co/2xfDPuK ... All our political and policy tipsheets http://politi.co/1M75UbX
POLITICO, LLC 1000 Wilson Blvd. Arlington, VA, 22209, USA
Comments
Post a Comment