|
|
| |
 |
|
|
GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.
BAKER FILING 'DANGEROUSNESS' BILL — Gov. Charlie Baker is re-filing a bill today that his office says will give courts and law enforcement "additional tools" to make sure dangerous criminals are held in custody before their trials.
The bill, "An Act to Protect the Commonwealth from Dangerous Persons," would expand the list of offenses that merit a 'dangerousness' hearing. The legislation would also close loopholes at the start and end of the criminal process that limit ways to address safety concerns, according to Baker's office. Police could detain people they see violate court-ordered release conditions, like an order to stay away from a victim or a public playground, under the proposed law.
"Too often, dangerous career criminals are arrested only to be released as soon as they appear in court. This sort of revolving door serves to undermine people's faith in law enforcement and the courts and threatens public safety," Baker wrote in a filing letter addressed to the Legislature, which was viewed by POLITICO. "This legislation redrafts the statutes that govern pretrial release in Massachusetts with a focus on empowering the judicial system to make better decisions regarding the release of potentially dangerous individuals."
Baker will announce the bill later this morning at the Massachusetts Major City Chiefs of Police Association meeting in Everett. In his inaugural address earlier this month, the governor emphasized the need for a "common sense approach" to scheduling dangerousness hearings for people with a history of violence. Baker previously filed the bill last session on Sept. 6, after several of the state's police officers were killed by people with past criminal histories.
"Yarmouth Police Sergeant Sean Gannon, Weymouth Police Sergeant Michael Chesna, Auburn Police Officer Ron Tarentino and State Trooper Thomas Clardy all gave their lives carrying out their sworn duty, protecting the people of this Commonwealth," Baker said on Inauguration Day.
The governor's legislation being filed today contains additional provisions , including a requirement that courts develop a texting service to remind defendants of upcoming court dates, a new felony offense for cutting off a court-ordered GPS device, and improvements to the system for notifying victims of abuse crimes when a defendant is going to be released. The legislation also requires probation and bail officials notify authorities when a person on pre-trial release commits a new offense in the state, calls on police to take fingerprints of all people arrested, not just those charged with a felony, and would allow a dangerousness hearing at any point in a criminal proceeding.
Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com.
TODAY - Gov. Charlie Baker attends a Massachusetts Major City Chiefs of Police Association meeting in Everett. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh delivers his State of the City address. Lt. Gov. Karyn Politoand state Rep. Jim O'Day announce $2.5 million in grants in Worcester. Boston City Council President Andrea Campbell appears on "Boston Public Radio." Rep. Katherine Clark is a guest on "Radio Boston."
|
 | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
|
- "Massachusetts will ask Medicaid patients about quality of care," by Liz Kowalczyk, Boston Globe: "Privately insured patients have been asked to rate their medical providers for years. Now, for the first time, Massachusetts is seeking the opinions of thousands of Medicaid recipients about their experiences in the doctor's office. Beginning this month, nearly 250,000 low-income and disabled patients will be asked questions such as whether they or their children were able to get appointments when they needed them, whether doctors and office staff communicated respectfully, and whether their mental health treatment actually improved their ability to work or attend school."
- "Massachusetts weighing offering benefits to federal workers," by Steve LeBlanc, Associated Press: "Republican Gov. Charlie Baker says his administration is exploring ways to offer state unemployment benefits to federal workers and contractors who are not being paid because of the partial federal government shutdown. Baker said there are about 47,000 federal employees in Massachusetts, many of whom have been furloughed and are going without pay. Thousands of contractors are in the same position."
- "APPALLED BAKER SAYS SHUTDOWN SHOULDN'T BE HARD TO SOLVE," by Matt Murphy, State House News Service: "With President Trump and Republicans bearing the brunt of the blame for the federal government shutdown, Gov. Charlie Baker, a Republican, said Monday that neither his party nor Congressional Democrats should be proud of what's happening. 'My pox is on all the houses down there,' the governor told reporters."
CHARLIE BAKER FAIL!
- "GAS PROJECT MET REQUIREMENTS, LEFT BAKER WITH "NO CHOICE," GUV SAYS," by Katie Lannan and Michael P. Norton, State House News Service: "Gov. Charlie Baker said Monday he 'basically had no choice' but to approve air quality permits for a natural gas compressor station in Weymouth given the federal rules governing the project and results of a state-authorized review. The Baker administration on Friday approved the permits for the Enbridge Energy project, a move that was quickly and fiercely condemned by South Shore lawmakers who, with local municipal officials, had urged Baker to deny the permits because of potential health and safety impacts."
- "DiZoglio wants state to pay Coast Guard members," Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: "Tens of thousands of members of the U.S. Coast Guard are working without pay as a partial federal government shutdown enters its fourth week, and lawmakers on Beacon Hill are considering the unusual step of writing checks to those living in Massachusetts. 'It's a public safety issue,' said state Sen. Diana DiZoglio, D-Methuen, primary sponsor of the bill that would have the state pay federal government employees."
- "State employee bilked state for $42,500 in overtime pay, Attorney General Maura Healey says," by Shira Schoenberg, Springfield Republican: "A former Massachusetts state employee has been indicted for billing the state for $42,500 in overtime pay for hours she did not work. Attorney General Maura Healey announced Monday that Katelynn Sullivan, 33, of Lowell, an employee of the Massachusetts Department of Developmental Services, was paid for 1,428 hours of overtime that she did not work between July 2015 and March 2017."
- "Politicians punt on bullying crisis," by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: "The state's top politicians, faced with alarming school bullying numbers that indicate a growing crisis, punted with platitudes yesterday as victim advocates said the 2010 law is weak and just gives cover to unaccountable school administrators. The Herald reported Monday — on the anniversary of Phoebe Prince's suicide that spurred the law — that as many as 14,000 of the state's nearly 1 million K-12 students claimed in a 2017 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study that they had been bullied, while schools reported only 2,031 incidents in the 2017-18 school year."
|
| FROM THE HUB |
|
- ANNIVERSARY: "The Great Molasses Flood of 1919 was Boston's strangest disaster," by Mark Shanahan, Boston Globe Magazine: "One hundred years later, it's a calamity that still seems as darkly comical as it is unimaginable: A 15-foot wave of molasses raced — yes, raced — through Boston's North End. But what sounds like a B movie directed by Roger Corman is no joke: Twenty-one people died and dozens more were badly injured. Unsuspecting men, women, and children were smothered — asphyxiated, really — by a tsunami of viscous brown syrup."
- RELATED: "5 questions you may have about Boston's deadly Great Molasses Flood, answered," by Nik DeCosta-Klipa,Boston.com.
- "'I truly want to make Boston better,' Walsh says ahead of annual speech," by Milton J. Valencia, Boston Globe: "He won't claim the 'urban mechanic' label once bestowed on the late mayor Thomas M. Menino, known as the Mr. Fix-it of government services. Nor is he seeking to emulate Raymond L. Flynn's 'mayor of the neighborhoods' approach to the job. As he heads into his sixth year in office, Mayor Martin J. Walsh says that residents can decide how to characterize his legacy. But rather than settling on any one theme or agenda, Walsh says he's laying out his efforts to fine-tune municipal government, such as maintaining Boston's bond rating and streamlining the city's permitting process and constituent services ."
- "Councilor wants hearing on letting older students stay in school," by James Vaznis, Boston Globe: "Dozens of Boston students who face the prospect of being kicked out of school this year as soon as they turn 22 received a political boost Monday. City Councilor Annissa Essaibi George said she will be introducing a hearing order at the Council's weekly meeting on Wednesday that advocates allowing students who reach their 22nd birthday during the school year to stay in classes for the remainder of the year."
- "Newbury Street parking, apt to fetch millions, offers rare development opportunity," by Tim Logan, Boston Globe: "The longtime owners of the only surface parking lot in the heart of the Back Bay have put the property up for sale, a rare opportunity for new construction at a key spot on one of the city's swankiest streets. The parcel covers about one-third of an acre at the corner of Newbury and Dartmouth streets, a block from Copley Square and smack in the middle of the high-end shopping strip. The lot is probably worth tens of millions of dollars, real estate industry officials say, although it's difficult to find a comparable site."
|
| DAY IN COURT |
|
- "SJC upholds right of police to arrest suspect for drugged driving based on observations," by Travis Andersen, Boston Globe: "If you're acting loopy during a traffic stop and your car smells like pot, police can arrest you for driving under the influence of marijuana. That was a finding contained in a ruling Monday from the state Supreme Judicial Court, amid the backdrop of a booming retail marijuana industry that launched in Massachusetts in November."
|
| WARREN REPORT |
|
- "Five questions about Elizabeth Warren's campaign, answered by Globe political reporters," Boston Globe: "It's been two weeks since Senator Elizabeth Warren announced she was exploring a bid for president, and she has since made campaign swings through Iowa and New Hampshire. We gathered several of our political reporters — Jess Bidgood, Liz Goodwin, Victoria McGrane, and James Pindell — to answer questions via Slack Monday about her nascent campaign."
|
| FROM THE DELEGATION |
|
- "Redefining Representation: The Women of the 116th Congress," by Elizabeth D. Herman and Celeste Sloman, New York Times: "Just over a century ago, Jeannette Rankin of Montana won a seat in the House of Representatives, becoming the first woman ever elected to federal office. In 1917, 128 years after the first United States Congress convened, she was sworn into its 65th session. One hundred and two years later, one has become 131 — the number of women serving in both chambers of the 116th Congress as of this month."
- "Ayanna Pressley condemns anti-Semitism after quoting Alice Walker," by Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com: "Rep. Ayanna Pressley is making amends for quoting Alice Walker in a tweet last week, after the newly sworn-in Massachusetts congresswoman was made aware of the acclaimed author's alleged history of anti-Semitism. 'I fully condemn and denounce anti-Semitism, prejudice and bigotry in all their forms - and the hateful actions they embolden,' Pressley tweeted Monday afternoon."
|
| THE CLARK CAUCUS |
|
- "Rep. Clark moves to protect federal workers during shutdown," Wicked Local Waltham: "Democratic Caucus Vice Chair Rep. Katherine Clark, Massachusetts District 5, joined with 21 other lawmakers in introducing the Federal Employee Civil Relief Act. The new legislation would protect federal workers and their families from foreclosures, evictions and loan defaults during a government shutdown."
|
| EYE ON 2020 |
|
- "Has the Democratic Party moved beyond Bernie Sanders?" by Michael Levenson, Boston Globe: "Has the fire Berned out? Yes, supporters of Senator Bernie Sanders are hosting house parties and signing petitions this month to show the Vermont independent that his loyal followers are still feeling the Bern and want him to run for president again in 2020. But as Sanders weighs another campaign, some say that even as he has moved the Democratic Party ideologically — pushing issues such as Medicare for all, free college tuition, and a $15 minimum wage into the mainstream — the party has moved past him personally."
|
| ABOVE THE FOLD |
|
— Herald: "TOP POLS PUNT ON BULLYING," "TUESDAYS WITH BILL," — Globe: "Some ex-backers to Sanders: back off," "Medicaid will survey patients about care," "FROZEN CAPITOL." |
| ALL ABOARD |
|
- "First new Orange Line train bumped to 'early spring,' MBTA says," by Adam Vaccaro, Boston Globe: "It's going to be a few weeks more still before riders can finally board a new Orange Line train. MBTA officials announced Monday that the debut of the first new train in what will ultimately be a full fleet replacement on the Orange Line has been delayed, and won't enter service until 'early spring.' That marks yet another hold-up for the debut of one of the transit system's most highly anticipated projects. Officials previously pushed the train's entrance to passenger service from late 2018 into 2019."
|
| THE LOWELL CONNECTOR |
|
- "Lowell leaders vow to act on bullying," by Rick Sobey and Elizabeth Dobbins, Boston Herald: " Lowell elected officials vowed to take local and state action to curtail bullying in schools and help get victims help — including a 'victim bill of rights.' A day after the Boston Herald and the Lowell Sun detailed the story of 16-year-old Lowell High School student Anna Aslanian who took her own life after relentless bullying, the officials emphasized they want to ensure such a tragedy doesn't happen to one more student, devastating yet another family."
|
| FROM THE 413 |
|
- "Pittsfield marijuana retailer greets politicians ahead of Tuesday rollout," by Amanda Drane, Berkshire Eagle: "Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz was the honorary first recreational marijuana customer at his city's first shop, but Pittsfield Mayor Linda Tyer said she won't be doing the same. 'He was very brave,' she said Monday, as she stood in front of the retail counter at 10 Callahan Drive. Still, Tyer joined legislators for a Monday afternoon tour of Temescal Wellness, where the city's first recreational cannabis sales are scheduled to commence at 11 a.m. Tuesday. Tyer tagged along with state Reps. Tricia Farley-Bouvier and Paul Mark."
- "Take My Council, Please: So Comes Great Responsibility," by Matt Szafranski, Western Mass Politics & Insight: "After nearly two months of kulturkampf seizing the city and local body politic, Springfield councilors took final action to enact the Welcoming Communities Trust ordinance (WCT). Mayor Domenic Sarno had vetoed the measure hours after the Council passed it last month, but Monday the City Council overrode him 10-1."
|
| THE LOCAL ANGLE |
|
- "Riley proposes novel solution to charter school battle," by Michael Jonas, CommonWealth Magazine: "WHEN JEFF RILEY was named state education commissioner a year ago this month, he vowed to try to heal the divisions that have plagued the education world — between charter school advocates and foes, between those in favor of high-stakes testing and those looking to end the state's testing regime. In his first big stab at peacemaking, Riley unveiled a novel proposal Monday night as a solution to an acrimonious battle that had been unfolding between a New Bedford charter school and city leaders there who strongly opposed the school's expansion application to the state."
TRANSITIONS - Warren Fields was appointed by Gov. Charlie Baker to the Massport Board of Directors. Fields is CIO and founding partner of the Pyramid Hotel Group.
- Edward M. Lambert, Jr. was appointed executive director of the Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education.
DID THE HOME TEAM WIN? No! The Canadiens beat the Bruins 3-2.
LAST DAY TO APPLY: POLITICO is now accepting applications for its 2019 session of PJI, a 10-day intensive in journalism training with opportunities to publish on the POLITICO site. More than a dozen students are selected each year for this all expense-paid program, which is offered in partnership with American University and the Maynard Institute. At the conclusion of the program, two students are invited back for a full-time paid internship in the POLITICO newsroom. Apply online now!
Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you're promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com.
|
|
|
| |
Follow us on Twitter
|
| |
Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family
|
| |
| |
No comments:
Post a Comment