Tuesday, November 17, 2015
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By George Donnelly (@geodonnelly) with Keith Regan
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Today: Solar sees the light of day
The House is expected to take up the net metering bill today in what likely will be the second to last formal session before the Legislature takes a holiday break. The public records reform bill is expected to be considered tomorrow, Speaker Robert DeLeo said.
The cap on the amount of solar power that can be sold back to the grid at retail rate would rise by 2 percent under the House plan, Matt Murphy of the State House News Service reports, an increase that has disappointed some solar advocates. http://bit.ly/1j53vm4
Details of the long-awaited public records law reform should emerge today.
Also today: Kasich in town
* Gov. Baker will be announcing updates to the Department of Children and Families intake process before heading to Worcester to keynote MassINC's third annual Gateway Cities Innovation Institute Awards.
* Hear Senate President Stanley Rosenberg on Boston Herald Radio, 9 a.m.; MBTA General Manager Frank DePaola is the guest at 10 a.m.
* Jobs for the Future, a national non-profit, host members of the state and local media to present a report that highlights 15 examples of opportunities to increase federal funding for Massachusetts through new and existing programs, 10:30, Senate Reading Room.
* Ohio Governor John Kasich speaks to members of Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, Vanderbilt Kitchen & Bar, Boston, 4 pm. Tickets required.
Just say no to (Syrian) refugees?
One of the more powerful moments in recent Massachusetts political history was Gov. Deval Patrick's efforts to make room for 1,000 migrant children from Central America during the border crisis in 2014. His decision was unpopular, but he was unswayed. "Every major faith tradition on the planet charges its followers to treat others as we ourselves wish to be treated. I don't know what good there is in faith if we can't, and won't, turn to it in moments of human need," Patrick said. In the end, the federal government withdrew its request for placement assistance.
Gov. Baker's strong caution, but not outright refusal ("I would say no as of right now") to embrace Syrian refugees comes in a very different context - on the heels of a murderous outrage in Paris, where one of the terrorists was believed to have exploited the refugee crisis to make his way to Paris. Yet Baker's stance ignores the reality that the violence in Paris primarily was from EU-based terrorists with automatic access to France. The actors were fundamentally domestic. It's possible, if not likely, that we could build walls around the entire nation taller than Donald Trump's wildest dreams and face terrorists from within. Baker's remarks were measured, of course, compared to many of the Republican presidential candidates. Expect Baker's immediate "no" to become even more qualified in the ensuing days.
Congressman Seth Moulton, reacting to Baker's comments, told the State House News Service: "I think it's short-sighted and it misses the point. This is a humanitarian crisis in Syria. We have the capability to vet the refugees properly. To turn a blind eye to the suffering of the Syrian people due to the actions of the very people who are making them suffer is not the kind of leadership we need to defeat ISIS and to solve this humanitarian crisis."
The Boston Globe editorial page was quick to react, saying "The reality is that the overwhelming majority of Syrian refugees are innocent children and parents who've fled a homeland that has suffered a conflict far more deadly than the attacks Paris endured Friday night." http://bit.ly/1SysgDb
The Herald said the reaction was overblown, saying after Baker's qualified refusal, "his critics, many of them seeking partisan advantage, went running to the medicine cabinet for the smelling salts." http://bit.ly/1HSeSJN
Paris and the fall of Rome
Harvard historian Niall Ferguson blames complacency in the European Union for the conditions that led to the Paris terrorist attacks, and he sees parallels to the fall of Rome in this provocative Globe op-ed: http://bit.ly/1QrzjA4
Foreign students in Boston surge
One of the most profound trends in higher education has been the growth of foreign students, and it's particularly pronounced in the Athens of America. Foreign students, it should be noted, giveth and taketh. On the plus side, they usually pay 100 percent of the freight, subsidizing American students. On the minus side, they're often taking spots American kids would otherwise have. Northeastern leads the pack with 10,559. There are nearly 48,000 foreign students in the Boston area, the Globe's Laura Krantz reports, about a third of whom come from China. http://bit.ly/1HUFYdY
The unaffordable Affordable Care Act
It's fair to say that for many customers of the Affordable Care Act, the sticker price remains daunting. The Globe's Tracy Jan explores the impact of high-deductible plans, which in one example required $7,000 in payments before insurance kicks in. "Mandated by the law to buy coverage, they most often opt for high-deductible plans as a way to make their monthly premium payments more manageable. And they end up making medical decisions much like they did when they were uninsured, advocates say - by putting off care." http://bit.ly/1PLQDOH
DraftKings, FanDuel lose in NY court
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, fresh from a court victory yesterday that denied fantasy sports companies a temporary restraining order against his legal action, is expected file a lawsuit today aimed at shutting down FanDuel and DraftKings in the state. The Globe has more on the legal maneuvering here: http://bit.ly/1QsejZQ
Plainridge slots revenue down again
Plainridge Park Casino saw slots machine revenue drop fort the third straight month in October, the Globe reports, putting the state's first casino's first-year revenue target of $200 million in jeopardy. The 1 percent drop was the smallest in the last three months-revenue dropped by double-digit amounts in August and September. For October, per-machine daily was s277, compared to $389 during the casino's busy first month in operation in July. http://bit.ly/1HVoaiQ
And it appears the trend may be a regional one: Connecticut's two Indian casinos also saw revenues decline last month. According to an Associated Press report via MassLive, revenues were off 2 percent at Mohegan Sun and 3 percent at Foxwoods, despite increases in the total amounts wagered in both casinos. http://bit.ly/1N8CJHF
Judge clears way for Wynn documents leak search
Elsewhere in casino news, Commonwealth Magazine reports that the judge handling the city of Boston's lawsuit against the state and Wynn resorts will allow Wynn representatives to question a top mayoral aide and outside legal counsel under oath in an effort to determine who leaked documents in the case to the Globe. Bruce Mohl surmises the unnamed aide to be questioned is Corporation Counsel Eugene O'Flaherty and the outside counsel is Thomas Frongillo of Fish & Richardson. http://bit.ly/1PLQYAW
The best kept secret on Beacon Hill?
Few members of the House were aware of Gov. Baker's attempt to gain passage of an exemption for his Revenue Commissioner to continue to hold seats on the boards of private corporations, the Globe's Frank Phillips reports. Speaker Robert DeLeo said he put the proposed statute change into the supplemental budget because he was under the impression Baker had already cleared it with the state's Ethics Commission. But Phillips notes that the Ethics Commission only deals with the state's conflict-of-interest laws, not the state statute that bars commissioners from having private business dealings altogether. The Senate eventually halted the move. http://bit.ly/1H6cuPD
Handful of hats in ring in Fitchburg
Five Fitchburg politicians have declared they intend to seek the House seat soon to be vacated by Mayor-elect Stephen DiNatale, the Telegram reports. Two sitting city councilors are among those who will run, but DiNatale's son, City Councilor Marcus DiNatale, said he has no intention joining the fray. http://bit.ly/1LjyQIj
Boston police exam called discriminatory
The city of Boston discriminated against minority candidates by using a 2008 promotional exam to select 33 police lieutenants over a six-year period, the Globe reports. The judge is asking the city to work out a settlement on behalf of the 10 sergeants who filed the suit, including two who have since been promoted. http://bit.ly/1S13sDT
Personnel: Matt Irish ascends
O'Neill and Associates announced Matt Irish has been promoted to Vice Chairman. "In his new role, Mr. Irish will continue to serve as the managing director of the firm's government relations practice, while also providing advice and counsel related to the strategic growth of the company and large-scale business development initiatives."
TODAY'S DAY: It's National Take a Hike Day.
REMEMBER: To send your tips to me at gdonnelly@massterlist.com. Op-eds and other commentary invited for publication on Massterlist.
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