Thursday, September 17, 2015
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By George Donnelly (@geodonnelly) with Keith Regan
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The action today: Radio talk; lobbying for transgender rights; public health hearing
Gov. Baker will chat on WGBH radio's "Ask the Governor" segment today at noon.
Massachusetts Special Commission on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Aging releases its report of recommendations to improve access to benefits and services for older LGBT adults. The commission is co-chaired by Sen. Patricia Jehlen and Rep. James O'Day, who will speak at the briefing, which will be held at 10:00am in room 428... At 11:30am, Freedom Massachusettsholds a lobbying day in support of anti-discrimination protections for people who are transgender. Transgender Massachusetts residents, with friends, families and allies, will gather at the State House to make their case to lawmakers in support of legislation (S 735 / H 1577) proponents say would prevent transgender discrimination in public spaces like restaurants and hotels, Grand Staircase, State House... The Committee on Public Health holds a hearing on 38 bills, primarily on the topics of food and nutrition. Also before the committee are bills dealing with testing for infectious diseases in sexual assault cases, labeling requirements for fish sold in Massachusetts, and requiring changing tables in family restaurants, 1:00pm, Room A-2.
Republican debate: Carly like Kryptonite to Trump?
Maybe you couldn't possibly tolerate three hours of 11 Republicans jockeying for mic time, especially the bickering in the early going. But one clear winner was Carly Fiorina, who made it to the stage and showed why she belonged there. I think she stole the show.
Maybe, just maybe, Carly is the Trump Kryptonite that everyone's looking for. The Globe's Joanna Weiss praises the former HP executive's performance, saying "she was uniformly cool, controlled, uncannily composed. And on a stage with 10 male presidential candidates, it was that demeanor -- far more than gender -- that set her apart." http://bit.ly/1UWIs1s
Mass. Transit: The future of transportation on Oct. 13 -- a MASSterList/State House News Service event
Join us for a panel discussion featuring Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack, Charlie Chieppo, principal of Chieppo Strategies, and Rick Dimino, CEO of A Better City, on the vision for transportation in Massachusetts. It will be held Oct. 13, 7:30-9:30am at the Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education center, 10 Winter Place, Boston. More details and registration here:http://bit.ly/1FiAKNa
Electricity rates: The political pressure keeps building
Massachusetts electricity rates for National Grid customers are expected to shoot up by 20 percent this fall, following a yo-yo pattern that had them rise sharply last winter only to fall in the spring. In yesterday's Globe, National Grid officials spun this as happy news, saying the rates would be lower than last winter. Good news only if you forget Massachusetts residential customers pay the highest rates in the continental U.S. And the story provided yet more context for a full-fledged energy fight that's just around the corner. Attempts to bring in new energy supply, whether it's more natural gas pipeline capacity or hydropower from Canada, face organized and sophisticated opposition, and not only from environmental groups. Gov. Baker's hydropower plan is destined to raise electricity prices, says a report written on behalf of the region's power plant operators. CommonWealth Magazine's Bruce Mohl's story outlines doubts the report raises about Baker's hydropower plan, which Mohl says vaguely reminiscent of the now defunct deal with Cape Wind, where National Grid and Eversource committed to an above-market-rate clean energy source. http://bit.ly/1KrgyJl
Judiciary hearing must expand to accommodate demand
Dealing with often life-changing matters of law, the Judiciary Committee receives some of the most emotional testimony and is widely recognized as one of if not the most busy committee in the Legislature. Wednesday's agenda included matters related to law enforcement, police use-of-force, and immigration matters -- 93 bills in total. Unsurprising then that the limited space in the hearing room was doubled ahead of the start by folding up the wall separating room A-1 from A-2, a pretty neat piece of engineering. The other tactic sometimes employed by a committee chair is leading an exodus to the spacious Gardner Auditorium, a less impressive engineering specimen. More curious was House Chairman John Fernandes professing that he didn't expect so many people. "Honestly we did not anticipate quite the turnout that we have today. We'll work with that as best we can," Fernandes said before the meeting got underway. -Andy Metzger, SHNS
Breaking: House Chair: Ride Service bill could also reshape taxis laws
This story just breaking from the State House News Service on riding sharing: "A modernization of the taxi cab industry could be integrated into legislative efforts to regulate ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft, according to a House lawmaker who will play a significant role in shaping the future of a bill that aims to 'level the playing field' for cabs and alternative ride-for-hire services."http://statehousenews.com/
Uber competitors form alliance
Never a dull day in the world of ride-sharing. Uber rivals Lyft and Chinese startup Didi Kuadi "have formed an alliance to allow users of each app to hail rides from drivers of the other app while they are traveling to the other country. Didi also said it has invested $100 million in Lyft," the Wall Street Journal reports. They also are in talks with ride services companies in India and Singapore. http://on.wsj.com/1FgJpzL
BRA seeks to extend Urban Renewal powers
A push by the Boston Redevelopment Agency to extend for another 10 years the designation of some city neighborhoods as blighted is facing growing opposition, the Globe reports. Groups in both the North End and South End have formally opposed the BRA's request for a 10-year extension of urban renewal powers that date back to the 1960s. The BRA says the tool is an important one, even in neighborhoods that are thriving now compared to how they looked more than 50 years ago. http://bit.ly/1Jd8VB0
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