Massachusetts advocates have enough signatures for ballot questions to repeal annual gas tax hike, expand bottle bill, and more
Outside the Statehouse in Boston in early October, Republican Rep. Geoffrey Diehl stood in the foreground, while Holly Robichaud, a Republican consultant, left, and Justin Thompson, a legislative aide, right, held a sign for repealing a law that automatically increases the gas tax to account for inflation. (Dan Ring/The Republican file)
Massachusetts ballot questions for 2014
- Massachusetts advocates have enough signatures for ballot questions to repeal annual gas tax hike, expand bottle bill, and more
- Raise Up Massachusetts says it has enough signatures to move forward ballot questions raising minimum wage, ensuring paid sick time
- New Massachusetts ballot committee, Bay State Repeal, hopes to legalize marijuana in 2016
- Ballot question to repeal Massachusetts casino law cleared to move ahead by Attorney General Martha Coakley
- Low-wage Massachusetts workers rejoice over AG Martha Coakley's legal blessing of proposal to increase minimum wage, a prerequisite for issue to appear on 2014 ballot
BOSTON — Activists apparently have collected enough voter signatures to advance a ballot question that seeks to repeal a new law that would annually increase the gas tax with inflation.
With a few days left to gather voter signatures, advocates also have enough signatures for statewide ballot questions next year to establish new laws to expand the state's bottle deposit law, increase the minimum wage, require earned sick time and to limit the number of patients that could be assigned to a registered nurse in Massachusetts hospitals.
An anti-casino leader also said people have gathered enough signatures to move ahead on a question to repeal a 2011 law that legalized casinos.
A coalition of volunteers collected at least 90,000 signatures for a proposed question to repeal a provision in a new law to increase the gas tax annually for inflation, said Steven Aylward of Watertown, chairman of Tank the Automatic Gas Tax Hikes.
"We're very, very optimistic at this point," Aylward said. "It's going to send a strong message to Beacon Hill."
The ballot question seeks to repeal only the provision that would start yearly increases in the gas tax to account for inflation in January 2015. The provision is contained in a law approved by legislators that increased the state gas tax by three cents to 26.5 cents a gallon as of July 31.
John Ribeiro of Winthrop, chairman of Repeal the Casino Deal, said the group is still collecting signatures for a ballot question to repeal the state's two-year-old casino law. Ribeiro said the group was able to hire and pay signature gatherers in a last-minute boost for the effort.
"We will definitely meet the threshold," Ribeiro said. "I think we are going to have plenty of signatures."
The group will be collecting signatures on Tuesday in Milford when voters in the town cast ballots on a referendum for a proposed $1 billion Foxwoods casino.
Repeal the Casino Deal has filed a court challenge of Attorney General Martha Coakley's decision to bar the planned ballot question to repeal the 2011 law to allow casinos in Massachusetts.
The injunction allows the coalition to collect signatures for the proposed ballot question while the challenge is pending before the state Supreme Judicial Court.
A union representing Massachusetts nurses collected enough signatures for two ballot questions including one that would establish a law to limit the number of patients that can be assigned to a registered nurse at one time at a hospital, according to Stephanie Sanchez, campaign manager for both questions.
The other proposed ballot law by nurses would regulate the annual operating margins of certain health-care facilities, including Massachusetts hospitals, that accept funds from the state.
Sanchez said more than 116,000 signatures were collected for the question to limit how many patients could be assigned to a registered nurse in Massachusetts hospitals and more than 100,000 for the other proposed question.
"I'm exuberant," said Sanchez. "I'm thrilled."
Wednesday is the deadline for submitting voter signatures to election officials in cities and towns for certification.
Petitions for the November 2014 ballot need to have at least 68,911 certified signatures to advance in the process.
The deadline is Dec. 4 for filing certified signatures with Secretary of State William F. Galvin.
If the Legislature fails to act on the petitions next year, then supporters need to collect another 11,485 signatures to qualify for the ballot.
Advocates have also gathered enough signatures for ballot questions to increase the minimum wage and require that employers pay earned sick time.
The Raise Up Massachusetts coalition today said that it has collected more than 100,000 signatures each for two separate ballot questions including one to raise the minimum wage from $8 an hour to $10.50 per hour over two years and tie future increases to inflation. The other question, if approved, would ensure that every worker in Massachusetts could earn up to 40 hours of earned sick time.
Companies with 11 or more employees would have to provide paid sick time, while companies with 10 or fewer employees would need to provide unpaid sick time.
The coalition said its tally is 269,059 signatures and counting for both questions, following this past weekend’s final push.
If the state Legislature fails to act on the petitions, then advocates need to collect another 11,485 voter signatures next year to qualify for the ballot.
The Senate on Tuesday is expected to vote on a bill to increase the state's $8 an hour minimum wage to $11 an hour over three years. If a bill is passed in the Legislature, it might negate the need for a ballot question on the minimum wage.
Lewis Finfer, a member of the Raise Up Massachusetts coalition, said conventional wisdom is that earned sick time will likely need to go to the ballot to possibly become law.
Janet Domenitz, executive director of the Massachusetts Public Interest Group, said that a coalition collected about 129,000 signatures for a proposed question that would expand the state's 30-year-old, 5-cent bottle deposit law to include additional containers including those of water, flavored water, coffee-based drinks, juices and sports drinks.
She said these "new age" drinks did not exist when the bottle deposit law was passed.
She said the ballot question, if approved, would increase recycling, reduce litter and save costs of disposal for cities and towns.
The state's 30-year-old bottle deposit law currently includes carbonated beer, soda and malt beverages.
With a few days left to gather voter signatures, advocates also have enough signatures for statewide ballot questions next year to establish new laws to expand the state's bottle deposit law, increase the minimum wage, require earned sick time and to limit the number of patients that could be assigned to a registered nurse in Massachusetts hospitals.
An anti-casino leader also said people have gathered enough signatures to move ahead on a question to repeal a 2011 law that legalized casinos.
A coalition of volunteers collected at least 90,000 signatures for a proposed question to repeal a provision in a new law to increase the gas tax annually for inflation, said Steven Aylward of Watertown, chairman of Tank the Automatic Gas Tax Hikes.
"We're very, very optimistic at this point," Aylward said. "It's going to send a strong message to Beacon Hill."
The ballot question seeks to repeal only the provision that would start yearly increases in the gas tax to account for inflation in January 2015. The provision is contained in a law approved by legislators that increased the state gas tax by three cents to 26.5 cents a gallon as of July 31.
John Ribeiro of Winthrop, chairman of Repeal the Casino Deal, said the group is still collecting signatures for a ballot question to repeal the state's two-year-old casino law. Ribeiro said the group was able to hire and pay signature gatherers in a last-minute boost for the effort.
"We will definitely meet the threshold," Ribeiro said. "I think we are going to have plenty of signatures."
The group will be collecting signatures on Tuesday in Milford when voters in the town cast ballots on a referendum for a proposed $1 billion Foxwoods casino.
Repeal the Casino Deal has filed a court challenge of Attorney General Martha Coakley's decision to bar the planned ballot question to repeal the 2011 law to allow casinos in Massachusetts.
The injunction allows the coalition to collect signatures for the proposed ballot question while the challenge is pending before the state Supreme Judicial Court.
A union representing Massachusetts nurses collected enough signatures for two ballot questions including one that would establish a law to limit the number of patients that can be assigned to a registered nurse at one time at a hospital, according to Stephanie Sanchez, campaign manager for both questions.
The other proposed ballot law by nurses would regulate the annual operating margins of certain health-care facilities, including Massachusetts hospitals, that accept funds from the state.
Sanchez said more than 116,000 signatures were collected for the question to limit how many patients could be assigned to a registered nurse in Massachusetts hospitals and more than 100,000 for the other proposed question.
"I'm exuberant," said Sanchez. "I'm thrilled."
Wednesday is the deadline for submitting voter signatures to election officials in cities and towns for certification.
Petitions for the November 2014 ballot need to have at least 68,911 certified signatures to advance in the process.
The deadline is Dec. 4 for filing certified signatures with Secretary of State William F. Galvin.
If the Legislature fails to act on the petitions next year, then supporters need to collect another 11,485 signatures to qualify for the ballot.
Advocates have also gathered enough signatures for ballot questions to increase the minimum wage and require that employers pay earned sick time.
The Raise Up Massachusetts coalition today said that it has collected more than 100,000 signatures each for two separate ballot questions including one to raise the minimum wage from $8 an hour to $10.50 per hour over two years and tie future increases to inflation. The other question, if approved, would ensure that every worker in Massachusetts could earn up to 40 hours of earned sick time.
Companies with 11 or more employees would have to provide paid sick time, while companies with 10 or fewer employees would need to provide unpaid sick time.
The coalition said its tally is 269,059 signatures and counting for both questions, following this past weekend’s final push.
If the state Legislature fails to act on the petitions, then advocates need to collect another 11,485 voter signatures next year to qualify for the ballot.
The Senate on Tuesday is expected to vote on a bill to increase the state's $8 an hour minimum wage to $11 an hour over three years. If a bill is passed in the Legislature, it might negate the need for a ballot question on the minimum wage.
Lewis Finfer, a member of the Raise Up Massachusetts coalition, said conventional wisdom is that earned sick time will likely need to go to the ballot to possibly become law.
Janet Domenitz, executive director of the Massachusetts Public Interest Group, said that a coalition collected about 129,000 signatures for a proposed question that would expand the state's 30-year-old, 5-cent bottle deposit law to include additional containers including those of water, flavored water, coffee-based drinks, juices and sports drinks.
She said these "new age" drinks did not exist when the bottle deposit law was passed.
She said the ballot question, if approved, would increase recycling, reduce litter and save costs of disposal for cities and towns.
The state's 30-year-old bottle deposit law currently includes carbonated beer, soda and malt beverages.
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