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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. The Red Sox are back!
KENNEDY TAKES ON TRUMP BAN — The House is set to vote on a Rep. Joe Kennedy III resolution today that denounces President Donald Trump's transgender military ban and urges the Department of Defense not to "reinstate a discriminatory policy."
"The resolution is a very simple resolution that reiterates a fundamental truth in our country," Kennedy told me yesterday. "That everybody counts. And this is something we shouldn't have to do, but is a response to a policy that was initially put forth by the president of the United States, our commander-in-chief, by tweet."
The Trump administration policy would bar transgender people in the military from transitioning to another sex. The proposal had been held up in court, but is slated to go into effect next month.
Kennedy, who is the chair of the Equality Caucus's Transgender Equality Task Force, said Trump's policy is "wrong, misguided and against science." Kennedy and House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer plan on holding a press conference after tomorrow's vote.
WARREN WANTS FEEDBACK — You've likely received a text or two — or 10 — from a candidate running for office asking you to donate, sign a petition or tune into a televised event over the last several cycles. But Sen. Elizabeth Warren's presidential campaign is doing something different.
Along with more traditional text updates, the Warren campaign is seeking feedback in the form of text messages and emails. Supporters can either respond directly to a fundraising email, or text the word "FEEDBACK" to the Warren campaign text line.
Whether it's a reminder from Cory Booker's team to watch his town hall, a Beto O'Rourke volunteer offering to help find a watch party for his launch, or a volunteer asking whether you are "in for Bernie," an active texting operation has become ubiquitous with political campaigns. The difference here is that Warren's actively asking supporters for their feedback.
"We can't promise to get back to everyone, but we promise to read every message," campaign manager Roger Lau wrote in a fundraising email yesterday. Warren also asks for feedback on her campaign website — something the Massachusetts Democrat has done since she launched her exploratory committee. On the website, visitors are prompted to click if they are "all in" for Warren, or answer a survey about why they do not support her.
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 and First Lady Lauren Baker attend the American Red Cross of Northeast Massachusetts 2019 Heroes Breakfast, then visit the Professional Center for Child Development in Andover. State Sen. Eric Lesser speaks on a panel titled "Why on This Night? Race, Faith and the Obama Seders," with Bishop John M. Borders III of Morning Star Baptist Church in Roxbury and Danika Manso-Brown of ADL New England. The Senate meets in formal session.
State Senate President Karen Spilka testifies before the Joint Committee on Transportation. State Sen. Brendan Crighton, state Sen. John Keenan, state Rep. Jennifer Benson, state Rep. Danielle Gregoire and state Rep. Marjorie Decker speak at the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network's lobby day.
Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, Easthampton Mayor Nicole LaChapelle, and state Rep. Dan Carey visit Easthampton to highlight the administration's housing choice legislation. Former Gov. Bill Weldvisits Barrington, N.H. Polito, Chicopee Mayor Richard Kos and MassDevelopment Deputy Director & COO Bob Ruzzo announce grants in Chicopee.
The Massachusetts Rivers Alliance holds a lobby day with stateRep. Carolyn Dykema and state Sen. Eldridge. State Sen. Patricia Jehlen, state Rep. Linda Dean Campbell and state Rep. Denise Provost hold a press conference for a sewage notification bill.
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 | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
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- "Democrats are asking regulators to investigate MassFiscal and its nonprofit funding," by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: "The Massachusetts Democratic Party is asking both federal and state regulators to investigate the conservative group Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, amid revelations that it took most of its funding from a nonprofit that it created. The state party — which has long feuded with MassFiscal over its mailers targeting Democratic state lawmakers — filed complaints with the Internal Revenue Service, the state Department of Revenue, and the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance on Tuesday, charging that MassFiscal is running a "scheme" that could potentially run afoul of the law ."
- "Massachusetts House approves $8 million for family planning clinics at risk of losing federal money," by Shira Schoenberg, Springfield Republican: "The Massachusetts House voted Wednesday to authorize up to $8 million in state spending over a little more than a year to reimburse family planning clinics for any money they lose under a new federal rule. "We want to be prepared to make sure that these facilities are operating and that they can provide health services for women," said House Speaker Robert DeLeo, D-Winthrop. The vote was 140-14 on the bill, with six representatives not voting."
- "HOUSE, SENATE DIFFER ON APPROACH TO TAX POLICY," by Matt Murphy, State House News Service: "With the Senate slowly gearing up for a long-term exploration of the state tax system, House Speaker Robert DeLeo on Wednesday said the House was unlikely to participate in the exercise, and Gov. Charlie Baker said he remains opposed to "broad-based" tax increases. Senate Democrats are close to rolling out detailed plans for a working group to be led Sen. Adam Hinds of Pittsfield that will look at the state's tax code. Senate President Karen Spilka has been talking about an examination of the tax code since she was sworn in as president in January, and the Boston Globe reported on Tuesday that the effort could take as long as two years."
- "Conversion therapy bill picking up steam," by Sarah Betancourt, CommonWealth Magazine: "MASSACHUSETTS LAWMAKERS ARE on the verge of passing a conversion therapy bill that attempts to shield youths from therapists trying to tamper with their sexual or gender orientation, but it's unclear how the legislation would be implemented. The bill would prohibit licensed therapists from attempting to change the sexual orientation or gender identity of anyone under the age of 18 during treatment. Supporters say the bill is needed to protect minors who may be struggling with their sexual identity. Any provider that violates the law could lose their license and face prosecution for consumer fraud ."
- "Will Charlie Baker's roadshow get his housing bill over the finish line?" by Jon Chesto, Boston Globe: "Coming soon, to a city near you: the 2019 Baker Housing Production Tour. Governor Charlie Baker and his team are hitting the road to promote his housing bill, to avoid a repeat of last year, when it died in legislative limbo. Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito headlines the tour's first stop: Millside Park, Easthampton, on Thursday. The Western Massachusetts city of 16,000 might seem like a funny place to kick this off. After all, the median home price there last year was a relatively modest $260,000. But Baker wants to show that the problems with getting housing built in Massachusetts aren't limited to the super-hot communities within Route 128."
- "Hearing set to determine if Wynn's Encore Boston Harbor will open in June," by Catherine Carlock, Boston Business Journal:"The Massachusetts Gaming Commission has scheduled a three-day adjudicatory hearing next week to determine whether Wynn Resorts Ltd. is suitable to hold a gaming license in Massachusetts. The hearing, to be held at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center on April 2-4, will determine whether Wynn Resorts (Nasdaq: WYNN) is able to open its $2.6 billion, 3 million-square-foot, 5,000-employee casino in Everett. The casino and accompanying luxury hotel, to be called Encore Boston Harbor, are scheduled to open in June."
- "Sinatra left Wynn with $9m in cash, stock," by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "KIM SINATRA, a top Wynn Resorts official caught up in the scandal over Steve Wynn's sexual misconduct, walked out the door of the company last summer with more than $9 million in cash and stock, according to a company proxy statement released on Wednesday. Sinatra received a cash severance payment of $1.8 million and stock worth $7.3 million when she left the company on August 3, 2018, according to the proxy statement."
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| FROM THE HUB |
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- "Rollins rolls out policy changes," by Trea Lavery, Bay State Banner: "Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins officially released a policy memo Monday that includes action on her campaign promise to decline to prosecute 15 minor crimes. "I made a promise to the residents of Suffolk County that for low-level, nonviolent offenses, I would emphasize declination or diversion whenever possible," Rollins said in the memo, which was distributed to her staff Monday and released to the public Monday night."
- "Boston closer to approving e-scooters and electric bikes, but there's still 'a ways to go' before you'll see fleets of them," by Jacqueline Tempera, MassLive.com: "The Boston City Council is closer to allowing small vehicles - like electric scooters and bikes - into the city after its meeting Wednesday afternoon. The Boston City Council passed an ordinance that would allow for a "flexible licensing structure" for companies hoping to bring in small vehicles - like the infamous Bird scooters and Lime bikes - that have popped up across the country. As the city grapples with the future of urban transportation and the challenges facing the MBTA, "micro-mobility" companies have become increasingly appealing to city leaders who were originally skeptical."
- "NJ doc disciplined for prescription scam," by Colman M. Herman, CommonWealth Magazine: "THE STATE BOARD OF REGISTRATION in Medicine has disciplined a New Jersey-based physician for prescribing prescription drugs over the internet without ever having examined his patients. The physician, 64-year-old Robi Rosenfeld, was part of a network set up to market pain creams, according to a consent order signed by Rosenfeld. A company called 24 Hour Physicians somehow lined up the patients experiencing pain, for which the doctor would prescribe a cream developed by pharmacies working with the firm."
- "Teachers, parents calling for more student supports," by Yawu Miller, Bay State Banner: "While Boston Teachers Union leadership is in the midst of negotiations over pay raises and other matters with Boston Public Schools officials, outside the Bruce Bolling Municipal Building teachers and school staff rallied last Wednesday for more resources for the schools in which they teach. "I came out because we need a full-time nurse in every single school," said Anthony Mathieu, a history teacher at Boston Latin Academy. Teacher Francis Pina wants to see more inclusion specialists in Boston Public Schools classrooms so that students with disabilities can keep up with the regular education classes in which they learn, including his Charlestown High School math class."
- "Defiant sober home operator plans to proceed on Percival Street," by Jennifer Smith, Dorchester Reporter: "Residents and local officials excoriated the owner of several "sober" group homes during an emotional meeting at the Mather School on Tuesday night in which the property owners— Joseph Pizziferri Jr. and his son, Joseph Pizziferri III— pledged to move forward with their controversial plans to operate a group home at 29 Percival St. Neighbors along Potosi and Percival streets and Mount Ida Road have been on edge since last year, when 29 Percival sold and then quickly traded hands to the Pizziferris, who operate seven sober homes in the Dorchester and Roxbury area, including 16 Potosi St., just two houses over."
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| DAY IN COURT |
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- "Media outlets oppose request by Robert Kraft, others to keep evidence sealed," by Travis Andersen, Boston Globe: " Several media outlets pushed back Wednesday against a request by New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft and other defendants charged with soliciting prostitution in Florida to keep evidence sealed in the case, including video footage of the alleged sex acts. The outlets, including the New York Times, ESPN, Associated Press, and ABC, filed a motion this week in a Palm Beach County courthouse opposing the request by lawyers for Kraft, 77, and the other defendants to keep the evidence hidden from public view."
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| WARREN REPORT |
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- "Elizabeth Warren lays out plan to target corporate agriculture, support family farms," by Brianne Pfannenstiel and Kim Norvell, Des Moines Register: "Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren is taking aim at some of the nation's largest agribusiness companies, such as Tyson and Bayer-Monsanto, continuing her campaign's assault on corporate consolidation. The Democratic presidential candidate's plan, released exclusively to the Des Moines Register before it was unveiled Wednesday, would address consolidation in the agribusiness industry, "un-rig" the rules she says favor its largest players, and elevate the interests of family farmers."
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| KENNEDY COMPOUND |
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| IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN |
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- "US Sen. Ed Markey named to Special Committee on Climate Crisis," by Shannon Young, Springfield Republican: "Senate Democratic leaders announced Wednesday that U.S Sen. Ed Markey, of Massachusetts, will serve on a new special committee charged with examining steps the United States can take to stop climate change and reverse its effects. Markey, a sponsor of the "Green New Deal" environmental agenda, is among 10 chamber lawmakers named to the Senate Democrats' Special Committee on the Climate Crisis."
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| MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS |
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- "Massachusetts marijuana regulators investigating whether companies violated license limits," by Todd Wallack and Dan Adams, Boston Globe: "State regulators acknowledged Wednesday they have been investigating whether large marijuana companies are flouting state rules on the number of licenses that can be controlled or owned by a single entity, potentially making it harder for smaller, independent entrepreneurs to compete. The revelation by the Cannabis Control Commission comes a week after the Globe Spotlight Team reported that two major companies, Sea Hunter Therapeutics and Acreage Holdings, have publicly bragged to investors about amassing large numbers of licenses in Massachusetts — despite rules barring any one entity from owning or controlling more than three licenses to operate medical marijuana stores or three licenses for recreational stores."
- McGOVERN SEES "OVERWHELMING" U.S. HOUSE VOTE ON MARIJUANA BANKING BILL," by Colin A. Young, State House News Service: "The U.S. House of Representatives "in the next few weeks" will vote on a bill that would protect banks working with state-legal marijuana companies from federal regulatory penalties, Rep. Jim McGovern said Wednesday. Though it would not solve all of the issues marijuana businesses face due to conflicting federal and state laws, Congressional action that could encourage more banks to serve the growing and newly-legal industry would eliminate one headache and could improve public safety around marijuana businesses."
- "How close can pot shops be to each other in Boston? There's some debate," by Felicia Gans, Boston Globe: "When it adopted rules last year to permit new marijuana businesses in Boston, the Walsh administration imposed a buffer zone to keep neighborhoods from being overrun by pot shops. The provision seemed pretty straightforward: A marijuana business had to be at least a half-mile away from "another existing cannabis establishment." Now that word "existing" is causing confusion among city officials, who are scrambling to figure out how strictly to interpret the regulation as two applicants are competing to open a retail marijuana shop in the same neighborhood in East Boston."
- P.S. If you use medical marijuana or CBD (or if you're a health professional who has worked with it), we want to hear from you. Tell us your story and a reporter might reach out.
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| ABOVE THE FOLD |
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— Herald: "THAT'S WHAT WE DO," — Globe: "Mueller's non-decision befuddles D.C.," "Mass. says large pot firms being reviewed." |
| FROM THE 413 |
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- "Fourteen Springfield police officers indicted in alleged off-duty beating of civilians after 2015 barroom argument," by Dan Glaun, Springfield Republican: "Twelve Springfield police officers, one retired officer and a former officer who now works for the Massachusetts State Police have been indicted on allegations of participating in or lying about the 2015 off-duty beating of a group of men after an argument at a Springfield bar. The two co-owners of Nathan Bill's Bar and Restaurant, John and Joseph Sullivan, are also facing indictments for misleading investigators."
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| THE LOCAL ANGLE |
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- "Search on for burial site of America's 1st published poet," by Mark Pratt, Associated Press: "Anne Bradstreet was the North American continent's first published poet, yet her legacy has largely been lost to time. Now, professors and students at Merrimack College in Massachusetts are trying to pinpoint her burial site while at the same time restoring her legacy and what they say is her rightful place in the pantheon of Western literature. "Even though we don't know much about her, she was a household name in the 17th century, both here and in England," said Christy Pottroff, an assistant professor of English at Merrimack."
- "Worcester City Councilor Matt Wally calls for a rental property registry," by Nick Kotsopoulos, Telegram & Gazette: "With almost two-thirds of the city's housing stock occupied by renters, District 5 City Councilor Matthew E. Wally is calling for development of a rental registry for nonowner occupied residential properties. He said while increasing the rate of home ownership is always a priority, it is important to recognize that a majority of its residents live in rental housing. A majority of Worcester's classic three-deckers, for instance, were once mostly owner-occupied, but now are predominately owned by investors."
TRANSITIONS - Stuart Stevens is taking a leave of absence from Strategic Partners & Media to work on the Bill Weld campaign and a book project. The firm will not work on Weld's campaign.
MAZEL! - to UMass Amherst's Gabriela C. Weaver, who was named an American Council on Education Fellow.
HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY - to Matt Siegel, who turned 69 yesterday.
DID THE HOME TEAM WIN? Yes! The Bruins beat the Rangers 6-3.
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