11/09/2017 07:00 AM EDT
By Lauren Dezenski (ldezenski@politico.com; @LaurenDezenski) with Rebecca Morin (rmorin@politico.com; @RebeccaMorin_)
TGIT, MASSACHUSETTS. Increasing clouds with a high of 47 in Boston today.
DATELINE TRUMPACHUSETTS - In a direct rebuke to the federal rollback of the Affordable Care Act, Massachusetts could become the first in the country to ensure women have access to no-copay birth control through state legislation - bringing back a measure struck from the ACA by President Donald Trump in early October.
The Legislature is responding quickly, at least by Massachusetts standards. The bill is on the move after the House passed the so-called Access bill yesterday, and the body "did the right thing in the face of shameful decisions on the federal level," House Speaker Robert DeLeo said in a statement after the 138-16 vote.
The Senate will take up the measure on Tuesday, according to the Senate President's office. It's expected to pass easily. It's unclear whether Gov. Charlie Baker will sign the legislation when it reaches his desk.
This is among the first major efforts coming from the legislature to counter the Trump administration or its policies - measures to classify Massachusetts as a sanctuary state have found little traction with House leadership or the governor himself, and bills that would compel Trump's tax returns' release have largely stalled out.
Earlier this year, an internet privacy bill backed by the seven-member House-based Trump Administration Working Group was subsequently tabled after pushback from the state's telecommunications providers over "unintended consequences." The working group also supported a bill that would ban Massachusetts inmates from being compelled to build a border wall. It passed the House in May - and now remains in committee in the Senate.
Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: ldezenski@politico.com.
TODAY - The Senate meets in formal session - Democratic gubernatorial candidate and veteran Setti Warren holds a press conference in Pittsfield to discuss a proposal to elevate the veterans and elder affairs secretaries to full cabinet status - The Election Modernization Coalitionwill call for automatic voter registration in a press event on the State House steps at 11 a.m.
** A message from New England Clean Power Link: Poised to supply Massachusetts with 1,000 MW of clean, renewable power, the New England Clean Power Link is ready to roll. The only project with a Presidential Permit, full site control and full host state support, the innovative buried project will help Massachusetts meet its legislative requirements for lower carbon emissions. More **
DATELINE BEACON HILL -
- "Funding eyed to handle influx of Puerto Rican students," by Matt Murphy, State House News Service: "Gov. Charlie Baker plans to request additional school funding from the Legislature to help cities pay for the education of hundreds of children who have arrived from Puerto Rico since Hurricane Maria battered the Caribbean island in September. The administration sent a memo on Tuesday to municipalities and local emergency management directors outlining various services and points of contact for families arriving in Massachusetts from Puerto Rico as evacuees."
- "Mass. docs fail opioid Rx checks," by Matt Stout, Boston Herald: "One in three Bay State doctors doling out potentially addictive narcotics under the state's revamped prescription monitoring program aren't actively searching the system for pill shoppers, despite a celebrated new law mandating checks with every new prescription. The gap, detailed in data provided by the Department of Public Health, comes as officials have pointed to the Bay State system as a model in pushing for a nationwide requirement for doctors to check prescription tracking systems, a strategy used to weed out doctor-shopping amid the country's opioid epidemic."
TRUMPACHUSETTS -
- "Massachusetts congressmen urge Gov. Charlie Baker to support extending temporary protected status for certain immigrants," by Shannon Young, Springfield Republican: "Following the White House's decision to not extend TPS for Nicaraguans, U.S. Reps. Jim McGovern, D-Worcester; Seth Moulton, D-Salem; and Bill Keating, D-Bourne, penned a letter to Baker asking the Republican to 'publicly state his support for some of the largest immigrant communities in Massachusetts.'"
WARREN REPORT -
- "Warren: A seat of honor for POW/MIAs," by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Boston Herald: "Unlike many things in Washington these days, this project was truly a bipartisan effort. I especially want to thank Sen. Rubio for his strong leadership and support from the moment we introduced our bill in March 2015. Our work together on this memorial shows that Democrats and Republicans in Washington can still get things done."
ON THE STUMP -
- "Attleboro Mayor-elect Heroux says he's not resigning from House," by Andy Metzger, State House News Service: "After hearing about his plans, House Speaker Robert DeLeo on Wednesday said a conversation with Heroux is likely, but the decision would ultimately be up to the three-term lawmaker."
- "Tax policy offers fertile ground in Mass. for US Senate race," by Andy Metzger, State House News Service: "U.S. Senate candidate Geoff Diehl has put his campaign's effort into a bid to lower the state's 6.25 percent sales tax and he thinks Congress should preserve state and local tax deductions in its planned tax overhaul bill. 'I agree that we need to focus more on making sure that Massachusetts, a state where we have high state and local taxes, that those deductions remain in place, and I think that's one of the big reasons that this Senate campaign is so important,' the Whitman Republican told reporters Tuesday."
WOOD WAR - Herald: "'SHAME ON YOU,'" "HELP AT HOME BASE," "VOTERS USHER IN A DIVERSE ERA IN POLITICS." - Globe: "GOP's Va. loss exposes perils of relying on Trump's recipe," "Abuse allegations surface at Berklee," "AUTUMN ANGST," "Women turn 2016 anger into success at the polls," "What would make you slow down?"
THE LOCAL ANGLE -
- "Political dysfunction in Agawam rears its ugly head - again," by Conor Berry, Masslive.com: "If Agawam ever gets its own TV sitcom, the name of the show might be 'Dysfunction Junction.' That's because this community of 28,000 has more than its fair share of dysfunction when it comes to politics. From a former mayor who was involved in a public dustup with her lover's scorned wife, to an outgoing mayor whose self-described 'adopted son' has been arrested multiple times - including for sending 'sexually suggestive' drawings to a child."
- "Berklee let teachers quietly leave after alleged sex abuse, and pushed students for silence," by Kay Lazar, Boston Globe: "A Globe investigation has uncovered a culture of blatant sexual harassment at Berklee with at least three male professors, including Galindo, allowed to quietly leave since 2008, after students reported being assaulted, groped, or pressured into sex with their teachers, according to court documents and interviews with more than a dozen people. Administrators at the renowned music school tolerated lecherous behavior, former Berklee students and employees said, and often silenced the accusers through financial settlements with gag orders attached."
- "How one Massachusetts town is facing the opioid crisis head-on," by J.D. Capelouto, Worcester Telegram: "Robert Hollis III's obituary didn't hide much. After being sober for two years after an opioid overdose, the 30-year-old Quincy man who grew up in Plymouth 'sadly succumbed to a single relapse,' the death notice said. He died at the hands of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid deemed more dangerous than heroin. His family also took out a full-page advertisement in the Old Colony Memorial newspaper, said the man's father, Bob Hollis, to educate readers on the dangers of opioids."
- "Berkshire Museum art sale opponents pin hopes on AG," by Larry Parnass, Berkshire Eagle: "The most recent plaintiff to challenge the Berkshire Museum's planned art sale is now the last one with standing. Legal standing, that is. The office of Attorney General Maura Healey is being urged to seek a higher court's review after failing to persuade a Berkshire Superior Court judge to stop a series of auctions set to begin Monday."
- "Daddy's Home 2,' partially filmed in Great Barrington, injected $19M into Mass. economy," by Heather Bellow, Berkshire Eagle: "Film crews from Paramount Pictures came to 16 state communities, including Great Barrington in March, to make 'Daddy's Home 2,' a holiday comedy sequel that opens Friday. And the total tally for the state economy was more than $19 million, along with 2,800 local workers who made $10 million in wages, according to recent data from Paramount Pictures."
- "iHeart agrees to recognize 'BZ union, offer jobs to all of AM station's employees," by Joe Battenfeld, Boston Herald: "The radio conglomerate set to buy local news powerhouse WBZ-AM has agreed to recognize the station's union and offer jobs to all of its employees, averting a nasty fight that threatened to derail the sale, the Herald has learned."
- "Boston radio station fans up in arms over WBZ takeover," by Colin A. Young and Michael P. Norton, State House News Service: "As the new owners acknowledge the anxiety they've stirred, faithful listeners of WBZ-AM are taking their concerns directly to the station's advertisers as part of a campaign aimed at ensuring the quality of local news radio is not diminished under iHeartMedia. The Save WBZ Newsradio 1030 campaign comes on the heels of reports that iHeartMedia plans not to honor collective bargaining contracts at 'BZ. CBS Radio and Entercom are merging so 'BZ is becoming an iHeart station under a divestment deal announced last week in conjunction with a U.S. Justice Department settlement."
- "Tips on how not to be That Guy," by Yvonne Abraham, Boston Globe: "I know it can be confusing. But I'm here to help. With a little forethought, it's possible to both work with women and avoid sexually harassing them. Clip and save this handy guide on how not to be That Guy. It's based on actual events described by women the Globe has been talking to lately."
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - Joyce Linehan, policy chief for Boston Mayor Marty Walsh; Shannon Felton Spence with the UK Embassy in Boston, WGBH associate producer Tori Bedford, and Pittsfield's native son Mike Bloomberg.
DID THE HOME TEAMS WIN? Yes and no! - The Celtics topped the Lakers 107-96 but the Bruins fell to the New York Rangers 4-2.
FRESH OUT OF THE GATE: AN EMERGENCY RESULTS EDITION OF THE HORSE RACE - Election Day has come and gone and we're here to parse who landed in the winner's circle across the state. Also, a surprise appearance by Sam Hammar, chair of the Melrose Democratic City Committee, to discuss why a partisan city committee got involved in a non-partisan municipal election. Subscribe and listen now on iTunes andSound Cloud.
- And save the date for a live Horse Race event at Ned Devine's in Boston on Nov. 28. No actual horses, just a lot of jockeying for #mapoli insights. Plus, there will be swag! More details coming soon.
DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS - Lynn Mayor-elect and state Sen. Tom McGee is the former chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Party, not MassGOP.
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** A message from New England Clean Power Link : Poised to supply Massachusetts with 1,000 MW of clean, sustainable power, the New England Clean Power Link is ready to roll. The only project with a Presidential Permit, full site control and full host state support, the innovative buried project will help Massachusetts meet its legislative requirements for lower carbon emissions. The entire line will travel underground and underwater, and is expected to deliver low-cost electricity to the Commonwealth over the next 40 years. Massachusetts can expect to reap $19.9 billion in benefits over the next 20 years alone, while ratepayers can expect to save $655 million a year in energy costs. Most importantly, the project is 100% privately financed and comes with a fixed-price bid, protecting taxpayers and ratepayers alike from any cost overruns. The project's developers have also established a $20 million fund to assist low-income ratepayers in western Massachusetts. More **
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