In what may have been the most interesting part of the House Budget debate, House Republicans on Wednesday filed an amendment to restore Governor Patrick’s original reorganization plan and eliminate a budget provision that would have changed it.
To clarify, Sal “no policy changes in the budget” DiMasi included a budget section that would have altered the Governor’s reorganization, the same reorganization that was passed unanimously by the House not so long ago.
The Republicans picked up on this Speaker slight-of-hand and filed an amendment to reinstate the Governor’s original reorg.
From State House News:
Looking to thwart House Speaker Salvatore DiMasi’s effort to implement organizational aspects of his energy plan through the budget, Republicans are vigorously pushing House Minority Leader Bradley Jones’s amendment mandating the structure of the energy bureaucracy match Gov. Deval Patrick’s plan, which the Legislature passed earlier this year. “It had been my hope that the speaker would consider going through the committee process. Because oftentimes we are expected to practice what we preach,” Jones said, pointing to DiMasi’s gospel of refraining from policy measures in the budget.
And how did this mini-drama play out?
The House rejected the amendment on a 30-127 roll call, generally along party lines. Democrats voting in favor of the Jones amendment, on a roll call whose printout was sought eagerly by members and staff, were Reps. Atkins, Casey, Grant, Marzilli, Patrick, Petersen, Provost, Quinn, Sciortino, Harriett Stanley, and Sullivan.
Let’s hear it for the Dems willing to stand up for the Governor. And let’s hope they don’t all get relegated to obscurity for doing so.
Something tells me this is only the beginning.
…that the corrupt single party House would do such a thing.
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Elect more Democrats to send him a message!
Or should I say “inWtably.” Clearly Bush’s fault this. Thanks for catching it Peter.
Big credit to you PP for coming up with a novel election appeal:
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Republicans, so incompetent you really must give us a chance!
The big deal is other than making it nearly impossible (for me) to defend the notion that one-party rule can still produce effective government, we now have a glimpse of what the veto override numbers may look like in mid-July. When not even the pantingly loyal Festa, Eldrigde, etc., support the guv, this doesn’t bode well for … well for anyone in Mass except the Hackocracy.
This mess and the farce called the House Amendment Budget Process that went on this week should be generating far more outrage among Ds than Rs.
Sad state of affairs in our fair Commonwealth.
the two spunky Reps from Somerville (Denise Provost and Carl Sciortino) on that list — and not surprising in the least.