New England Public Radio

Mass. Legislature Passes Budget

Massachusetts lawmakers have approved a compromise $36.5 billion state budget. The house and senate signed off on the spending plan Monday. The budget includes increased spending for the embattled Department of Children and Families, drug abuse prevention and higher education. Stephen Brewer, who chairs the Senate’s Ways and Means Committee says he’s proud of the fact the plan relies less on grants, settlements and other funds that don’t replenish.

“We utilize in this entire budget $250-million in one time solutions. That’s the lowest level of one-time solutions in more than a decade in this budget,” Brewer says.

Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr says that isn’t good enough.

“(I hope) that we would continue to look forward to try to avoid the use of one-time revenues at all, and that we would continue to look for ways to avoid using withdrawals from the stabilization fund when revenues are increasing at between four and five percent,” Tarr says.

The budget also includes about $73 million in casino licensing and slot parlor revenues despite a separate ballot question that could repeal the 2011 casino law. The bill is now on the desk of Governor Deval Patrick, who has ten days to act upon it.

Senate Leaders Unveil Anti-Addiction Proposal

Massachusetts Senate leaders are calling for new, sweeping anti-addiction measures.

The legislation would hit the opiate addiction crisis at multiple stages — from prescription to treatment.

“This is a bold move, we know that,” says Senate President Therese Murray. “We have to break the cycle of addiction before it breaks us.”

Among the proposed rules, all doctors would get training in prescription monitoring before they could renew their license. Pharmacists would have to substitute safer painkillers for opiates that can be easily abused. The public health commissioner could order pharmacy products off the shelves if they start showing up in synthetic drug recipes.

“However, I want to assure the people of Massachusetts that we are not here to stop people with chronic pain or who need end of life care to get the drugs and treatment they need to lead comfortable and productive lives,” Murray adds.

Another part of the plan targets insurers — they could no longer demand prior authorization before an addict gets into detox or clinical treatment. Murray says the full Senate is expected to take up the bill on Tuesday.

The State House News Service contributed to this story.

Senate Leaders Target Massachusetts Water, Sewers

Leaders in the Massachusetts Senate are proposing a bill designed to shore-up the state’s water and sewer infrastructure. It would significantly increase the amount local communities can borrow at low interest rates to improve and protect water supplies.

“Because of the power of our local resources, we are not facing the same tough choices as other states. We will not need to compromise our environmental standards,” says Therese Murray, president of the Senate. “In Massachusetts, we can have our water and drink it, too.”

The bill’s sponsors say it would create a “leak classification system” to make sure high-hazard leaks are fixed quickly.

The push comes three years after a major water main break forced a “boil water order” for 2 million eastern Massachusetts residents.

A 2012 report found the state faces a $21 billion shortfall over the next two decades to keep drinking and wastewater systems in a state of adequate repair.

The Associated Press and the State House News Service contributed to this report.

Knapik Departs Senate for Westfield State Friday

Massachusetts state Senator Michael Knapik’s final day in office is Friday. This week, he resigned his seat to take an executive position at his hometown Westfield State University. The move will provide Knapik with a substantial pay raise.

Knapik says he will be making $110,000 in his new job at Westfield State, a sizeable bump in salary from the more than $83,000 he made as a lawmaker. As the Executive Director for University Advancement, he will oversee the school’s non-profit fundraising arm and use connections he made while on Beacon Hill.  

“There will be obviously opportunities to interact with state legislators in the valley and throughout Massachusetts on behalf of the state university and the others and also just because I have a familiarity with the business community and the business community and other players,” Knapik says.

Knapik’s exit from the Senate means for now, there will be 3 Republicans in the 40-member chamber. He says party lines were often drawn around issues such as spending and taxes. 

“Partisanship sometimes get played up alot, but the fact of the matter is Massachusetts is a pretty blue state and I’d like to think the approach that I had benefited my district because you figure out how to best navigate that without really jeopardizing your own convictions and I don’t think I ever did that,” he says.

Knapik will start his new job on Monday.

 

Rosenberg Claims Enough Support to Win Massachusetts Senate Presidency

Amherst Democrat Stanley Rosenberg said Wednesday he has enough support to become the next president of the Massachusetts Senate. 

Rosenberg has served in the chamber for more than 21 years and is the current majority leader, the number-two Democratic post under Senate President Therese Murray.

“[A]s of last night, I now have an overwhelming majority of the Democratic caucus has pledged support to have me replace the Senate president when [Murray] retires from the post,” he told New England Public Radio on Wednesday morning.

Because of an 8-year term limit, Murray must leave the Senate presidency in early 2015. Despite statehouse rumors that Murray’s exit may be more imminent, Rosenberg said Murray “indicates she intends to fill-out the full term.” 

“She is pleased that this was amicably resolved,” Rosenberg said. “It was spirited but totally respectful. It did not distract the body from its business, and she’s happy that there is a succession plan.”

The official leadership vote, Rosenberg said, won’t take place until Murray’s term ends. But he is not worried his support will fade over those 17 months because he said he has “written confirmation” from his backers. He would not say exactly how many supporters he has or who they are.

If elected Senate president, Rosenberg would be the first Western Massachusetts senator in the post since Maurice Donahue, who held it from 1964 to 1971.

Rosenberg’s top competitor in the leadership race was another Western Massachusetts senator, Steven Brewer of Barre, the chair of the Senate Ways and Means Committee. 

“I have known Stan Rosenberg for over 35 years,” Brewer said in a statement. “I know Stan will do a fine job as Senate President when that time comes. I admire Senate President Murray as a colleague and a friend and look forward to her continued leadership. Our caucus should remain united. The Senate is an institution that is larger than any one person.”

Asked what it means for the region to have one of its senators presiding over the Senate, Rosenberg offered a diplomatic reply.

“Our job is to build a statewide agenda and help each member help their districts develop and grow – in terms of the economy, in terms of social progress,” he said. “And we do it from the bottom up and much of the work that we do will apply to the whole commonwealth. Other parts of it will be germane to our specific area.”

Rosenberg gave even fewer specifics in describing how his leadership of the Senate would differ from Murray’s.

“That will be determined over time as I work with the members of the Senate – both on process and agenda,” he said.

New England Public Radio’s Sarah Birnbaum contributed to this report.

Massachusetts Senate Passes Compromise Bill to Evaluate Teacher Performance

The Massachusetts Senate passed a bill Thursday giving teacher performance evaluations greater weight in public school hiring decisions. The bill is intended to avert a state ballot question on the issue in this fall’s election.

The legislation is a compromise between teachers unions and advocacy groups. The organization Stand For Children, who also sponsored the ballot question, supports the measure. Director Jason Williams, says the existing evaluation system in the state doesn’t go far enough.  

“It did not create the linkage though, between the evaluations and key staffing decisions especially in our low-income urban school districts, Springfield being one of them, where those decisions are still driven primarily, or in many cases solely, by seniority and length of service.”
 
Williams says the new legislation will guarantee that teacher evaluations are linked to hiring decisions. Timothy Collins, president of the Springfield Education Association, says even though the bill has union support, he remains disappointed by it. Collins says both the recently passed senate version of the bill and the proposed ballot question are unnecessary because the state Board of Education is already set to implement new evaluation systems.
 
“I mean, it just doesn’t make any sense. No business would operate that way. They usually have a five year plan, or a three year plan, if they’re going to do a massive change, and they assess, and they adjust on the way. We haven’t even implemented this thing yet, and they’re already going about changing it.”
 
But for that change to happen the measure must also pass in the house. If it does pass and is signed by Governor Deval Patrick by July 3rd,  Stand For Children says the organization will not pursue putting the more far-reaching referendum question on the state’s November ballot.