Tuesday, September 22, 2015
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By George Donnelly (@geodonnelly) with Keith Regan
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Today: Pot, health care petition rallies; plus many hearings, including on GMOs
The State House will be buzzing today as several groups rally for initiatives. Regulate Marijuana Like Alcohol ballot campaign will gather at 10:00am in front of the State House. Several legislators will sign the petition... At 11:00am, Great Schools Massachusetts -- which last month filed a ballot petition to allow the Board of Elementary and Secondary Education to authorize up to 12 new public charter schools or existing school expansions each year -- will hold a rally on the State House steps.
Among the legislative hearings today:
* The Committee on Health Care Financing holds a hearing on 32 bills related to provider and payer policies. Among them, "An Act Relative to Equitable Health Care Pricing," which would prohibit insurers and providers from contracting for services 20 above the state average for similar services, 11:00am, Room B-2.
* The Committee on Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture holds a hearing on two bills -- H 3242 and H 761 -- related to the labeling of food and seed that is deemed "genetically engineered."
* The Committee on Labor and Workforce Development holds a hearing on 27 bills about employee rights and benefits. One bill mandates that colleges not require students or applicants to supply access to their social media accounts.
Also, the Senate Committee on Post Audit and Oversight holds a hearing on homeowners insurance premiums, exploring the spike in rates after the severe winter. It's 10 a.m., in State House room 428
To access the State House News Service's comprehensive political schedule, SHNS subscribers can go to: http://www.statehousenews.com/mlschedule
An AG's education: The political discovery of fantasy sports
Imagine being an executive at Fox Sports or the Kraft Group, or at one of the other entities that have invested $370 million in DraftKings, the soaring fantasy sports startup in downtown Boston. You think you've gotten in on a good thing. Suddenly you're reading that Attorney General Maura Healey is "reviewing" the company. "We're hearing them out on it and... we're just looking to learn more" she told the State House News Service yesterday. The business already has been operating in Massachusetts for four years, and now, with a value of close to $2 billion, it is suddenly looking for dispensation. DraftKings, it should be noted, sought out the AG, not the other way around, after NJ Congressman Frank Pallone called for a hearing on fantasy sports.
On DraftKings, like its competitor, FanDuel, sports enthusiasts win or lose based on the success of players they pick on their "fantasy" teams. Even though it would appear to be gambling pure and simple, it has been deemed a skill-based activity, and thus legit in the Unlawful Internet Gaming Enforcement Act of 2006. Under the law, poker is a game of chance, but fantasy sports is a game of skill. Still, five states outlaw playing fantasy sports for money. Otherwise, the industry is booming.
Some quick facts on fantasy sports:
- The Fantasy Sports Trade Association says about 57 million people play fantasy sports of some kind.
- FanDuel claims to have 1 million paid active users, and expects to pay out $2 billion in winnings this year. DraftKings says it will pay out $1.2 billion in prizes this year.
- DraftKings spent $60 million on marketing last year. It appears it will easily exceed that total this year.
- DraftKings has not spent any money on a lobbyist on Beacon Hill, at least according to the Secretary of State's lobbying records. It may be a good bet to hire one.
Mashpee Wampanoag push forward with casino
Thursday's Massachusetts Gaming Commission meeting in Springfield promises to be interesting in light of the Bureau of Indian Affairs decision Friday to grant the Mashpee Wampanoags' petition to convert its 320 acres into reservation land, the most relevant piece being in Taunton. The tribe presented details on a $500 million casino proposal yesterday, while the Commission also has a $650 million proposal from Mass. Gaming and Entertainment for a Brockton casino. The decision before the Gaming Commission is complicated, as they risk market saturation on one hand, or possible no casino for many years if the Mashpee Wampanoags get held up in the courts. Here's Shira Schoenberg's story in MassLive previewing the hearing: http://bit.ly/1WeSe1f
Obama snubs Flynn on Pope visit
NewBostonPost reports two former ambassadors to the Vatican have been left off the White House guest list for Pope Francis' visit Wednesday. Former Mayor Ray Flynn and Harvard Law School Professor Mary Ann Glendon did not receive invites and controversy swirls about those who have been invited. NewBostonPost reporter Evan Lips writes that both former ambassadors "are considered by many to be among America's leading lay Catholics and are known for their strong pro-life views." http://bit.ly/1ONztjv
Stonehill's endowment results may augur ugly year for higher ed
Stonehill College was among the first to report endowment investment performance, that those results -- a 1.7 percent gain -- indicate potential trouble ahead for other local colleges, reports the Boston Business Journal's Craig Douglas. "...Investment income has become a key resource to supplement operating revenue and keep institutions in the black," Douglas writes, and thus the weak stock market will impact schools that draw from their endowments for operations. Stonehill, which is fiscally fit, had endowment gains almost 10 times higher the previous fiscal year.http://bit.ly/1L2Jj18
DeLeo wants answers from DCF on Baby Bella case
House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo tells the Herald he wants answers form the Department of Children and Families on why Bella Bond was allowed to live with her mother after twice investigating the family and previously removing older children from her care, the Herald reports. "This is question number one that we have to get," DeLeo tells the tabloid. http://bit.ly/1MGl6Ou
Mass. Transit: The future of transportation -- 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, 7:30-9:30 at the Massachusetts Continuing Legal Education center, 10 Winter Place, Boston. More details and registration here:http://bit.ly/1FiAKNa
Worcester willing to talk stadium with PawSox
With a deal to bring a stadium to downtown Providence declared dead, officials in Worcester say they want to talk with the owners the Pawtucket Red Sox about moving the team there, according to the Telegram. The city has a vacant sight in mind that fits the team's stated desire to build in an urban location and has supported a local independent team in the past. "My administration is always open to big ideas," City Manager Edward M. Augustus Jr. tells the paper.
Few surprises expected in MBTA Control Board report
Don't expect many surprises when the MBTA's Fiscal Control Board presents its first report to the legislature Tuesday, the Globe says. Many of the board's key findings to date have already been aired in public, the paper notes.
BRA to eat $2.7 million in debt on Roxbury project
The Boston Redevelopment Authority plans to eat $2.7 million worth of debt it is owed by the developers of the Crosstown Center project, saying it's necessary ensure the hotel project remains solvent long-term, the Herald reports. In forgiving the debt, the BRA is taking part in a restructuring plan that will see it receive payments of $200,000 annually, or 40 percent of the project's ongoing cash flow.
Drug company to meet with Gloucester mayor
Days after Gloucester police called out major drug companies for their role in the opioid crisis, pharmaceutical giant Pfizer says it will meet with Chief Leonard Campanello, Boston Magazine reports. Campanello has garnered national attention for his creative approach to battling the drug scourge, which has hit his city hard, and last week he used social media to call on the public to pressure drug companies and their highly paid CEOs to be part of the debate.
Former Dartmouth selectman must pay
As he heads to federal prison Wednesday to begin serving a 70-month term, former Dartmouth Selectman John George Jr. found out Monday he's also on the hook to repay the government $1.38 million, the Standard-Times reports. George was convicted in April on embezzlement and conspiracy charges in connection with his operation of services for the regional transit authority. His attorneys have said the forfeiture would force him to sell his farm, which has been family operated for a century but a judge ruled in favor of the government's request for full repayment.
Republican seat to be up for grabs after Cole resigns
North Shore political, as Rep. Leah Cole, a Peabody Republican, announced on Monday that she will resign from her seat in the Massachusetts House on Sept. 28, "citing a desire to focus on her nursing career," Katie Lannan of the State House News Service reports. http://bit.ly/1WfvG0w
Quote of the day: "We have DCF policy that deliberately favors parent rights and deliberately sends kids into dangerous situations." -Harvard Child Advocacy Program Faculty Director Elizabeth Bartholet on WGBH's "Greater Boston" last night
Number of the day: 25.5 percent -- The percentage of women at Harvard University saying that they had experienced "nonconsensual penetration or sexual touching involving physical force or incapacitation," since entering college. http://bit.ly/1NQSn9N
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