Happening Today
8:30 a.m. | Congressman Seth Moulton addresses business leaders at a New England Council "Capitol Hill Report" breakfast event at the Hampshire House.
9:45 a.m. | Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce hosts the newest members of the Boston City Council - Tania Fernandes Anderson, Gabriela Coletta, Kendra Lara, Ruthzee Louijeune, Erin Murphy and Brian Worrell - for a discussion moderated by CEO Jim Rooney at the Revere Hotel.
10 a.m. | MBTA Advisory Board hosts a virtual forum on the future of the MBTA.
10 a.m. | Assistant U.S. House Speaker Katherine Clark tours the new Head Start Center in Medford where she will meet with parents and staff to discuss ongoing challenges in the early education system.
1 p.m. | Western Massachusetts law enforcement officials gather outside Northampton City Hall to urge a yes vote on Question 4 to preserve the law making qualified drivers, regardless of immigration status, eligible to obtain driver's licenses.
1 p.m. | Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy attends a groundbreaking for the first "smart growth" public housing development in Revere.
3:45 p.m. | Sen. Michael Rodrigues of Westport and Rep. Jeff Roy of Franklin join Rhode Island Sen. Dawn Euer of Providence and Rep. Joseph Solomon Jr. of Warwick for a discussion at the Rhode Island Convention Center about how they "catalyzed" the offshore wind industry in the Northeast.
Two weeks ago House Speaker Ron Mariano breathed life into the idea that lawmakers could still try to go back and tinker with the 1986 ballot law that is on track to result in close to $3 billion getting returned to taxpayers next month.
“What do you mean it’s been settled?” Mariano said. “It’s been settled in the mind of the governor. It hasn’t been settled in our minds.”
In the days that followed, progressives in the House and Senate floated legislation to cap refunds and see more money returned to lower-income households, while former lawmakers and New England Legal Foundation President Dan Winslow threatened legal action if attempts were made to retroactively alter the law.
It appears the matter is now settled. Gov. Charlie Baker, Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka sat down face-to-face Monday for the first time in months. Afterward, Mariano said consideration of reforms to the tax cap law known as 62F would best be left to the next Legislature starting in January.
“If there will be changes, I would think that would be the logical place to do it,” Mariano said, according to State House News Services’ Colin A. Young.
While that was always the most likely course of action, hearing the speaker say the words matters. Besides, Democratic leaders still have tough decisions to make.
The Globe’s Matt Stout and Samantha J. Gross report how the House and Senate are still struggling to work through the details of an economic development bill that was upended by uncertainty over 62F. Leaders have not ruled pushing additional tax reforms in the spending bill off until next year as well, despite the Democratic nominee for governor Maura Healey and others urging them to act now.
At this point, it most likely won’t be until after the election that the Legislature attempts to do anything on economic development or the must-pass budget bill to allocate the state’s surplus and close the books on fiscal 2022.
Gov. Charlie Baker has filed a $1.6 billion budget bill that would still leave room for tax relief if lawmakers want to go there thanks to a surplus of roughly $2.39 billion.
According to the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, last year’s budget surplus was the continuation of a trend that actually started before the COVID-19 pandemic when the state ended the year with about $1.023 billion in unappropriated money.
In fact, the past five years have never seen a surplus south of $347 million, which is markedly different from the previous five years that swung from deficiencies in fiscal years 2013 and 2014 to a surplus of $253 million in fiscal 2015.
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— Question 1 impact on retirees small, report finds
With debate over the millionaires tax swirling around questions about who would ultimately be impacted, a new report from the left-leaning Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center estimates that less than 1 percent of retirees would get hit with a new surtax on income over $1 million. The BBJ’s Benjamin Kail has more on the report’s findings.
— Woburn cop resigns amidst probe into “Unite the Right” activities
The Woburn police officer on leave and under investigation for his potential role in planning the violent 2017 “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville, VA and other activities has resigned. The Globe’s Nick Stoico reports that John Donnelly’s resignation was “promptly accepted.”
— Hayden drops charges in MBTA police corruption case
New evidence prompted Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden to drop charges against an MBTA police officer accused of covering up the beating of a homeless man, reopening some of the old wounds from the Democratic primary for district attorney. The Globe’s John R. Ellement has the details.
— Wellesley driving progress to diversify construction trades
Diversity contracting and hiring goals for public construction often go unmet, undercutting efforts by state and local officials to make the construction industry more inclusive. Enter Wellesley College. GBH’s Paul Singer reports how the institution has taken a lead role in bringing leaders from the construction industry together to figure out how to open pathways for women and minorities to get into the field.
— Wu vetoes controversial pay raises for mayor and councilors
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu gave the City Council something new to fight with her about when she vetoed a plan that would have bumped the mayor’s pay 20 percent after the next election and given councilors a $21,500 raise to $125,000 a year. Of course, it was Wu who first proposed raising the salaries of the city’s leaders, but she’s now urging the council to adopt her more modest pay adjustments of closer to 11 percent. That, Wu says, will be more in line with what city workers under new contracts are getting. The Herald’s Sean Philip Cotter has more on the situation.
— Redistricting in Boston putting councilors on edge
The Boston city council didn’t need to see the mayor veto their pay raises to get their blood flowing. The Bay State Banner’s Yawu Miller reports that temperatures were already hot over proposed maps that would redraw the political boundaries of the city council districts. Councilor Ed Flynn and Frank Baker were particularly worked up, Miller writes, as the two are sensitive to seeing the districts they now represent carved up because of population shifts.
— Healey pitches community college tuition aid to close skills gap
With persistent workforce shortages plaguing many industries in Massachusetts, Attorney General Maura Healey put out a new plan Monday that would help train workers 25 and older without a college for new careers by paying a portion of their community college tuition. The program, which Healey’s campaign rolled out days before the second gubernatorial debate, would cover the “last dollar” cost of a community college degree or certificate program after financial aid and other grants were applied. Healey’s campaign did not have a cost estimate for the workforce training proposal, saying it would depend on how many took advantage of the offer.
— Amore divorce details surfaced in race for auditor
Democrats are going on offense in the race for auditor with Democratic Party Chairman Gus Bickford insisting that Republican Anthony Amore owes voters an explanation for why he didn’t disclose details of his divorce before now. NBC10’s Glenn Jones reports Monday that court records show Amore’s ex-wife filed for a restraining order in 2009 a month after filing for divorces because she said Amore pushed her and threatened “revenge.” She was concerned he owned a gun, which he temporarily forfeited. “Not only do these serious allegations call into question his temperament, the fact that he did not proactively disclose this information to voters presents serious doubts about his commitment to transparency, a cornerstone value of the Auditor’s office,” Bickford said in a statement after the story published. Amore gave a statement to NBC10 called divorce a “painful” process, without addressing any of the specific allegations. “It is deeply disappointing that my opponent would stoop to attacking my family simply to win political office,” Amore said.
— New Bedford airport lands funding for new terminal, tower
It’s a start. The Mass Department of Transportation has agreed to fund design and construction of a new terminal and control tower at New Bedford Regional Airport, the Standard-Times’ Frank Mulligan reports. The city’s legislative designation announced the funding on Monday, saying it was time to replace the 1950s-era terminal, which is the oldest commercial facility of its kind in New England still in use.
— Republicans look for entree back into Governor’s Council
Since Gov. Charlie Baker made Governor’s Councilor Jennie Cassie a clerk magistrate in Dudley District Court, the panel that vets the governor’s judicial nominees has been without a Republican. Mass. Lawyers Weekly’s Chris Olen looks in this piece at the five Republicans looking to crash the Democratic party.
— Palmer superintendent resigns in wake of teachers’ no-confidence
The Palmer school district is looking for a new leader after Superintendent Patricia Gardner submitted her resignation over the weekend. Gardner’s decision to leave comes not long after the local teachers’ union endorsed a letter of no confidence in her leadership. MassLive’s Luis Fieldman reports anonymous claims about Gardner creating a hostile environment for teachers and staff have surfaced in recent weeks.
— Cambridge council approves higher affordable-housing fees
Developers of large-scale projects in Cambridge will have to dig a little deeper into their pockets after the city council approved a plan to increase the fees levied to pay for affordable housing by 66 percent. Marc Levy of Cambridge Day reports the change was in the works for nearly a year and after a list-minute tweak now includes an exemption for smaller projects.
— Developer withdraws apartment plan in Hamilton at town’s request
A plan to develop dormitories on the campus of Gordon Cromwell seminary in Hamilton into affordable apartments is being put on pause so the town and the school can come up with a plan for the redevelopment of the entire 102-acre campus, Paul Leighton of the Salem News reports. The non-profit developer, Harborlights, withdrew a plan to build as many as 210 apartments in a half-dozen dorm buildings.
MORE HEADLINES:
Metro
NAACP, Mattapan group offer redistricting map as deadline nears – Dorchester Reporter
Is Boston experiencing a boom of bookstores? Yes, it is. – Boston.com
Massachusetts
State moves ahead with loan repayment plan – The Eagle-Tribune
Gas prices up for second straight week in Bay State – The Sun Chronicle
Assumption names interim president Greg Weiner as its 17th president – Worcester Business Journal
Democrats attack Diehl over election denial – The Salem News
National
Utah candidates spar over Trump in a close and unusual Senate race – Politico
Trump charged Secret Service ‘exorbitant’ rates at his hotels, records show – The Washington Post