PHRMA on BEACON HILL — UMASS goes digital with ONLINE COLLEGE — How the HOUSING CRISIS hurts seniors — Will the MBTA raise fares?

Mar 05, 2019

GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.

PHRMA ON BEACON HILL — A group of more than 50 researchers are coming to the State House today for one-on-one meetings with lawmakers hosted by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. Researchers plan to meet with around 35 lawmakers, according to PhRMA Director of Public Affairs Tiffany Haverly.

"There will be over 40 meetings with different lawmakers to talk about the industry's impact and put a story behind the work that goes on outside of the policies that you hear about," Haverly said. Researchers are working on a range of issues like cancer treatments and neonatal research.

The focus for researchers is meeting with first-year legislators and members of the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing, Haverly said. That committee is chaired by state Sen. Cindy Friedman and state Rep. Jennifer Benson.

The meetings come at a time when getting a handle on pharmaceutical companies and the cost of prescription medication has been a theme on Beacon Hill — and in national politics — in recent years.

Also at the State House tomorrow, state Sen. Jason Lewis and state Rep. Christine Barber will call for prescription drug pricing reform during a press conference with MASSPIRG. The advocacy group plans to release a survey of prescription drug prices that it says found companies "sell the same medicines for widely-varying costs."

And though the PhRMA meet-up tomorrow isn't focused on Gov. Charlie Baker, the governor has also been a leading voice in the push to lower the cost of some prescription drugs.

Earlier this year, Baker rolled out a plan to give the state more power to curb some drug costs. His proposal would let the state negotiate some prices with drug companies for MassHealth, the state's Medicaid program.

Depending on where you stand, Baker is either taking on Big Pharma or playing a " dangerous game" with his MassHealth proposal. Last year, a Baker proposal to remove 30 expensive drugs from MassHealth was rejected by federal officials at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. President Donald Trump, too, has said lowering drug prices is on his to-do list. Boston is a hub for the health industry — the city is home to some 1,000 biotech companies.

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TODAY — Gov. Charlie Baker receives an Excellence in Leadership award at the Jewish Community Relations Council legislative reception. Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito attends the Building Women in Construction Inspire awards ceremony and the Science from Scientists gala. The Joint Committee on Ways and Means hears testimony on the fiscal 2020 budget. The Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities holds a hearing.

The Joint Committee on Transportation hears testimony. State Sen. Harriette Chandler, state Rep. Linda Dean Campbell and state Rep. Andy Vargas host a Massachusetts Civic Learning Coalition event to support funding for the Civics Project Trust Fund.

DATELINE BEACON HILL

- "Citing 'existential threat,' UMass plans new online college to target adult learners," by Gintautas Dumcius, Boston Business Journal: "UMass President Marty Meehan is pitching a new online college geared towards adult learners as the five-campus system readies for a drastic decline in New England's student-age demographic. The number of college-age students in New England is expected to fall starting in 2026 due to lower birth rates during the Great Recession. Between 32,000 and 54,000 fewer students are expected to attend college in New England in the ensuing years."

- "Mass. Progressives Renew Push For Safe Communities Act On Immigrants' Day," by Mike Deehan, WGBH News: "The Safe Communities Act, a so-called "sanctuary cities" bill, failed to get a vote in the Massachusetts House last year. Now, progressives hope to gather enough support to convince Democratic leaders to bring it to the floor. The bill would limit how the state and municipalities interact with federal immigration enforcement. It's part of the selection of bills the Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy (MIRA) Coalition wants Massachusetts to put into law as a bulwark against President Donald Trump's agenda of immigration enforcement."

- "SENATE LIFTS FAMILY CAP IN $144 MIL BUDGET BILL," by Colin A. Young, State House News Service: "The Senate is proposing to eliminate a state limit on family welfare benefits as part of a $144 million mid-year spending bill that is poised to become the first significant piece of legislation passed this session by the Senate later this week. New Senate Ways and Means Committee Chairman Michael Rodrigues proposed a new version (S 2181) of the supplemental budget bill passed last week in the House (H 3506) and the Senate teed it up for consideration at a full formal session this Thursday."

- "EXCITEMENT, UNCERTAINTY MARK TRANSPORTATION DEBATE, SPILKA SAYS," by Katie Lannan, State House News Service: "Upgrading the state's transportation infrastructure while keeping the economy moving is like performing surgery on a patient who's simultaneously running a marathon, according to Senate President Karen Spilka. Spilka made the analogy in a recent speech in which she discussed her plans to take a "30,000-foot view on transportation" and outlined a series of priorities for the Senate as it pursues policy options ."

- "T board wary of go-it-alone fare hike," by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "FACING PUSHBACK FROM THE PUBLIC and transportation advocates on a proposed 6.3 percent average MBTA fare increase, some members of the transit agency's oversight board signaled on Monday that they may not rubber-stamp the increase. Brian Lang, a director of the Fiscal and Management Control Board, said the T shouldn't be raising its fares in isolation from the rest of the transportation system. He called on political leaders to "grow a little courage" and assess higher fees on ride-sharing apps such as Uber and Lyft, boost the gas tax, and increase tolls at peak travel periods and lower them at off-peak times."

- "State Police probing State House, private home graffiti," by Alejandro Serrano, Boston Globe: "State Police are investigating after a suspect believed to have vandalized the State House earlier in the winter painted graffiti again Saturday night on the State House, a nearby home, and a Department of Conservation and Recreation building. DCR rangers found graffiti on the exterior of the State House in Boston at about 2 a.m. Sunday and notified State Police, authorities said in a statement."

FROM THE HUB

- "Search for Boston school superintendent moves slowly," by James Vaznis, Boston Globe: "Nine months after Tommy Chang resigned as Boston Public Schools superintendent, a permanent leader has yet to emerge, raising doubts that the city can get a successor on the job by the next school year. Little is known about the candidate pool. The most recent information, released in January, put the number of applications at zero, and the search committee is not releasing updated numbers — for now. School officials insist the search is going well and expect to reveal finalists by the week of April 22. Yet the search committee is still soliciting applications and has not picked semifinalists to interview — a process that would require bringing those candidates to Boston for closed-door meetings and thoroughly vetting them before selecting finalists."

- "Homeless on the MBTA: Panhandler cites his frustrations," by Lisa Kashinsky and Meghan Ottolini, Boston Herald: "In the depths of the Downtown Crossing T station on a biting mid-February afternoon, a man in a sage jacket and cuffed blue jeans sat against a wall, knees drawn up, a paper coffee cup at his feet filled not with warm liquid but with cold change collected from passerby. "Happy Valentine's Day," he said, softly, to the commuters who hurried past. "Have a blessed day." The man, who told the Boston Herald his name is Donald and declined to have his face photographed, said he's homeless. He came to Boston by way of New York City. He said he had an apartment here but lost it, and has been 'trying to get it back.'"

- "The Geography of Partisan Prejudice," by Amanda Ripley, Rekha Tenjarla and Angela Y. He, The Atlantic: "The Atlantic asked PredictWise, a polling and analytics firm, to create a ranking of counties in the U.S. based on partisan prejudice (or what researchers call "affective polarization"). The result was surprising in several ways. First, while virtually all Americans have been exposed to hyper-partisan politicians, social-media echo chambers, and clickbait headlines, we found significant variations in Americans' political ill will from place to place, regardless of party."

- "Jail Suicides Drop In Massachusetts After Years Of Increases," by Chris Burrell and Hannah Schoenbaum, WGBH News: "The number of inmate suicides in Massachusetts' county jails dropped to three last year — the lowest tally since 2011 and a sharp decrease from 10 suicides the year before in jails run by county sheriffs, according to data compiled by the New England Center for Investigative Reporting. One factor could be fewer county inmates: Population in the state's 13 county jails fell by more than 9 percent last year to about 9,500 sentenced prisoners and men and women awaiting trial."

DAY IN COURT

- "Judge tosses charge against Senate president's husband, but keeps another," by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: "A Superior Court judge has tossed out one of the 10 sexual assault and misconduct charges prosecutors brought against Bryon Hefner, the husband of former Senate president Stanley C. Rosenberg. But the judge denied Hefner's request to dismiss a more serious count alleging Hefner forcibly kissed another man."

- "Purdue Pharma Seeks Dismissal Of Mass. Lawsuit Alleging Greed, Deception By Opioid Maker," by Deborah Becker and Bob Salsberg, WBUR and the Associated Press: "OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma is asking a court to throw out a lawsuit filed by Massachusetts' attorney general that accuses the company, its owners and top executives of deceiving patients and doctors about the risks of opioids. In its motion seeking dismissal, Purdue argues the lawsuit distorts facts, mischaracterizes internal company documents and makes oversimplified claims while attempting to cast the Connecticut-based firm as a scapegoat for the deadly opioid addiction crisis."

WARREN REPORT

- "Elizabeth Warren Becomes the First Candidate to Go on the Offensive," by Alex Thomas, Playboy: "In a presidential primary campaign, the decision to "go negative" is one of the most consequential moves a candidate can make. In 2016, Hillary Clinton's team wrestled constantly with the decision to "go negative" on Bernie Sanders as the Vermont senator criss-crossed the early primary states and built his revolution. And the Clinton team managed to hold out until the primary race was threatening to become an upset. It's a decision that once made, cannot be unmade. And the unspoken message of Elizabeth Warren's early presidential campaign is one of an attack on the field."

DATELINE D.C.

- "Neal: New NAFTA will have 'very hard' path through Congress," by Sabrina Rodriguez, POLITICO: "House Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal will play a decisive role in getting Congress to approve President Donald Trump's new North American trade pact. As of now, he predicts it won't be an easy sell for the Trump administration. "Look, it's going to be very hard to do this," Neal said in an interview with POLITICO. Several Democratic and GOP lawmakers alike have already said they are unhappy with parts of how the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement is written, making it increasingly clear that a tough road lies ahead for getting the deal through both chambers of Congress."

EYE ON 2020

- "What you need to know about the 2020 Massachusetts presidential primary," by Nikolas DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com:"Super Tuesday is now less than one year away. Massachusetts will hold its next presidential primary on March 3, 2020, and state officials are already gearing up for the expected influx of Democratic voters. "There is every indication that we will see a high turnout next March,"Secretary of State Bill Galvin said in a statement Sunday, marking the 366-day countdown (2020 is a leap year)."

ABOVE THE FOLD

— Herald: "SHELTER," — Globe: "Democrats open wide corruption inquiry," "ANGELS AND AGONIES."

THE LOCAL ANGLE

- "Housing crisis leaves seniors feeling stuck in Massachusetts," by Eli Sherman, Brockton Enterprise: "With Social Security and the money she made selling her home three years ago, 75-year-old Cynthia Johnson calculated she could afford to live the rest of life at an independent senior-housing facility. But that all changed this year when the establishment -- which she asked not to be named for fear of retribution -- implemented a $60 monthly rent increase, telling Johnson the cost likely would continue to climb each year moving forward. Johnson, who moved to Hopkinton from Natick, is one of a growing number of seniors in Massachusetts struggling to keep stable housing over their heads in the twilight of their lives, which is an issue experts say will only worsen over the next couple decades."

- "Westport mom who fought drunken driving recalls her son's legacy," by Jeffrey D. Wagner, Standard-Times: "William "Billy" Almeida couldn't speak for most of his life but he could smile with his eyes, according to his mother Linda Pacheco. Those shining eyes and the life behind them were cut short not once, but twice, according to Pacheco, who reflected recently on her late son's life. Almeida died on Dec. 31 at Sarah Brayton Nursing home. Almeida and Pacheco raised awareness of the issue of drunken driving after a crash that nearly killed Almeida in 1985 — and the legacy of their work lives on."

- "Worcester election season kicks off, with school board stealing spotlight from City Council," by Nick Kotsopoulos, Telegram & Gazette: "The municipal election season officially kicks off Tuesday when nomination papers become available for candidates interested in running for City Council and School Committee. The nomination papers can be obtained beginning at 9 a.m. at the Election Commission Office in City Hall, according to Assistant City Clerk Niko Vangjeli. Unlike most previous municipal elections when City Council races have seemed to garner most of the local political interest, Mr. Vangjeli said interest in this year's School Committee election so far has seemed to overshadow that of the council."

- MEANWHILE IN VERMONT: "Southern Vermont College, facing financial questions, closing after this semester," by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican: "Southern Vermont College announced Monday that it will close following the conclusion of this spring semester due to its precarious financial position. The decision to shut down follows a show-cause hearing Feb. 28 where the New England Commission of Higher Education demanded to see proof that the college was on firm financial footing to move forward."

TRANSITIONS - Beth Daley, who spent two decades at the Boston Globe and served as director of strategic development at InsideClimate News, was named editor and general manager of The Conversation US. Link.

- Middlesex Sheriff Peter J. Koutoujian was appointed to a task force to study inmate health care and recidivism by the National Association of Counties and the National Sheriffs' Association.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to Sharon Block, Lowell state Rep. Thomas Golden , Campaign Manager for Charlie Baker for Governor 2018 Brian Wynne, Bentley University's Chris Joyce, South Shore Chamber of Commerce Director of Development and Tedeschi alum Chris Lane, NYC Department of Transportation Director of State Legislative Affairs Justin Backal Balik, Neighborhood Network News' Adam Boyajy , and Tamsin True-Alcalá.

HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY - to Jonathan Kraft, president of the New England Patriots, who turned 55 yesterday, and to State House News Service alum Chris Triunfo, who celebrated Sunday.

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