Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

Best and Worst Legislative Ideas of 2013

By

It’s nearly the end of another crazy year on Beacon Hill. At Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, we’re soliciting your thoughts about the best and worst legislative ideas to come from the Commonwealth’s state representatives and senators in 2013. (We’re sure there will be a lot more of the latter!) Feel free to send along your suggestions to info@massfiscal.org, and if we get enough submissions, we’ll compile our favorites into a list circulated the last week of December. We look forward to reading your ideas!

 

Paul D. Craney

Executive Director

Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance

www.MassFiscal.org  I  www.MassFiscalScorecard.org

 

Please share widely!
fb-share-icon
Tweet
0

Comments

    • Mass. Fiscal Alliance is the direct descendant of Empower Massachusetts, a PAC established by the Greater Boston Tea Party that is best known for its advocacy of Voter ID laws. That and more details from one of my blog posts, here.

    • House 3593 was my effort to advance the public policy discussion by allowing the State Secretary to compile data on how many voters in fact don’t have I.D. on their person when they vote, to determine if there is any racially disparate impact if I.D.’s were to be required, and to help voters to become accustomed to being asked for their I.D. on election day. Otherwise, we’re left with the worry (which I would share if I thought it were true) that people might be effectively disenfranchised by a requirement for I.D. to vote. There is no penalty for not having an I.D. under this proposed law, the voter is allowed to vote despite lack of I.D., but candidate poll watchers at least would be on notice to pay attention if a voter lacked I.D. and that is a self-policing process that already exists under MA election law. In short, House 3593 would have suggested a compromise in the current growling match and hence the effort. I’ll explain in more detail during my next campaign for statewide office…

      • I’m wrong, but you’ve previously co-sponsored Voter ID legislation. With the rest of the GOP delegation, if I’m not mistaken. I think it was
        S.B. 316        .

        Do you now repudiate that previous legislation and Voter ID legislation?

        • You are correct, I have co-sponsored such bills in the past based on my belief that they will not in fact disenfranchise voters (which would be an unacceptable outcome). Given the debate, a proposal to ASK ID to vote and then to collect data about the effort would be far more productive use of the Legislature’s time.

          • skeptical. A far more productive use of the Legislature’s time would be fixing the registration problems that underlie our system.

            But Merry Christmas just the same.

  4. is a conservative, anti-tax organization. Your words may be used against you or your causes in the future. Here’s a bit of their legislative agenda:

    -Repeal the perpetual gas tax increase that doesn’t require lawmakers to vote on future rate increases.
    -Reduce job killing regulations.
    -Reform unemployment and disability insurance to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse.
    -Restore the $500 million in local aid to relieve pressure on local property taxes.
    -Roll back the sales tax from 6.25% to 5%.
    -Roll back the state income tax level to 5%, as supported by the Massachusetts voters.
    -Roll back the meals tax to 5%.
    -Support expansion of public charter schools to give options to parents and students.
    -Reduce the state’s spending and debt per capita to levels that are sustainable.
    -Reform welfare laws to protect taxpayers and those in need of services.
    -Eliminate the inheritance tax.
    -Eliminate the inventory tax.
    -Make it easier to take advantage of private-sector efficiencies by repealing the Pacheco Law.
    -Oppose the Paid Sick Leave mandate.

  5. -Adequately funding education in the Commonwealth (killed)
    -Actually studying how much it costs to educate a student in Massachusetts (killed)
    -Actually studying how much it would to cost to elevate our public college system to meet the demands on it (treading water)
    -Asking the wealthy to pay some fraction of their fair share (killed)
    Worst ideas
    -Raising the regressive gas tax (succeeded)

Archives