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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.
THE ICE FIGHT — Issues around immigration have come front and center on Beacon Hill, as officials very publicly grapple with whether Immigration and Customs Enforcement belongs near state courts.
Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling ignited a firestorm last week when he charged Judge Shelley Joseph with obstruction of justice for allegedly helping an undocumented immigrant escape ICE officials at a courthouse. Attorney General Maura Healey slammed the legal move as "politically motivated," while Lelling countered that he can't pick and choose which laws to follow.
Gov. Charlie Baker Baker pushed back on the suggestion that Lelling's legal move was "politically motivated," and said he thinks the state needs a detainer policy, pointing to legislation his administration filed.
"I think there's a big debate and a big discussion here about the role of state government and the role of local government and the role of the federal government and how we handle these issues associated with detainers," Baker told reporters yesterday. "We should be pursuing something like the law that we proposed because that would clear this up and establish a framework for dealing with this stuff at the state level."
But Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins and Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan want to answer that big-picture question in a different way. The attorneys teamed up to file a separate lawsuit aimed at blocking ICE from Massachusetts courthouses, a first-of-its-kind move Ryan said has been a year in the making. Rollins went so far as to say she'd be "honored" to face arrest for her actions barring ICE from state courts.
Healey praised the lawsuit, saying her office will support "efforts to ensure public safety and the fair administration of justice." "Recent actions by immigration agents in our courthouses deter victims and witnesses from coming forward and prevent our justice system from working properly," Healey spokesperson Emalie Gainey said.
Meanwhile, the MassGOP is on the offensive, criticizing Healey in a digital ad that says "judges are not above the law." The party is also targeting state lawmakers with a series of immigration-focused Facebook ads in their districts. At least one House Democrat is fundraising off those ads.
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 votes in the Swampscott local election, then makes an energy efficiency partnership announcement in the lobby of the Charles/MGH station. Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito promotes the administration's housing legislation in Williamstown. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh launches Boston's Safest Driver competition.
Senate President Karen Spilka and House Speaker Robert DeLeospeak at Prostate Cancer Awareness Day at the State House. Pete Buttigieg holds a fundraiser in Somerville and is a guest on WGBH's "Boston Public Radio." Boston City Councilor Annissa Essaibi-George is a guest on WGBH's "Morning Edition." The Joint Committee on Higher Education, the Joint Committee on Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities and the Joint Committee on Housing hold hearings
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 | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
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- "Environmental Secretary Leaving Cabinet Post In Baker Administration," by Matt Murphy, State House News Service:"Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Matthew Beaton is stepping down after more than four years in the position, having helped the Baker administration implement a major expansion of clean energy, including a contract for what could become the country's largest offshore wind farm. A Shrewsbury Republican and former House member, Beaton left the Legislature to join the Baker administration in 2015. He was one of Gov. Charlie Baker's earliest cabinet selections after he won the 2014 election for governor. As a member of the Legislature, Beaton was one of the go-to Republicans in the House on energy issues, including the development of the solar industry in Massachusetts."
- "State Police, other public safety agencies failed to pay $7 million in taxes on employee perks," by Matt Rocheleau, Boston Globe: "More than a dozen Massachusetts public safety agencies failed to pay a combined $7 million in taxes to the IRS on public employee perks — money for travel, commuting, buying work-related clothing, and cleaning it — over a recent three-year stretch, officials said. To pay back the federal tax agency, the state this month emptied an account set aside for legal expenses, but that only covered about half of what's owed. Coming up with the rest of the money will require special approval from lawmakers."
- "Speaker DeLeo defends back-door budget process," by Mary Markos, Boston Herald: "Speaker Robert DeLeo defended the covert nature of the House budget process amid criticism that the back-door deliberations lack transparency. "People have the ability to debate whatever they want," DeLeo said yesterday. 'When I had the ability to talk to the members during the whole week, everyone that I spoke to was pleased with the process and felt it was one of the best budgets they were involved with.'"
- "Mass. Congestion Fueled By Strong Economy, Baker Says," by Michael P. Norton, State House News Service: "Again attempting to tap the brakes on attempts to raise taxes to fund transportation improvements, Gov. Charlie Baker over the weekend called on Beacon Hill to address his housing production bill, saying housing costs are causing frustrated commuters to weigh moving out of Massachusetts. Saying he appreciates the concerns about congestion in Massachusetts, Baker said he's seen his own commute from Swampscott to Boston change over the past four years. "Part of the issue we face is driven by the success we've had economically," the governor told " On the Record" hosts Ed Harding and Janet Wu of WCVB in an interview that aired Sunday morning."
- "Support grows for bill that would curb patent trolls," by Jon Chesto, Boston Globe: "As Senator Eric Lesser wages his war on patent trolls, reinforcements have arrived on Beacon Hill. Lesser came close to victory before. He had tucked a measure to discourage bad-faith patent claims into a broad economic development bill, one that sailed through the House and Senate last summer. But Governor Charlie Baker vetoed the patent-troll language in August, stopping it in its tracks for the year. (Time had run out for any override.) The issue has become a serious crusade for Lesser, who worries about the toll these trolls are taking on the state's innovation economy."
- "Massachusetts lawmakers ponder removing 'God' from oath of office," by Christian M. Wade, CNHI News: "Nearly every elected official in Massachusetts, from the governor to members of town boards, recite the phase "so help me, God" when taking the oath of office. But a proposal to amend the Massachusetts Constitution and eliminate the phrase has gained favor with a key committee in the Democrat-controlled Legislature. Approved last week by the influential Joint Committee on the Judiciary, the bill calls for substituting a secular version, known as the Quaker oath, which states, "This I do under the pains and penalties of perjury." The measure was filed by 14 mostly first-term Democratic lawmakers, who also back a proposal to amend the constitution to make it gender neutral, changing the pronoun "he" to "they" within the document."
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| FROM THE HUB |
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- "Rent control gets a second look in Cambridge," by Tim Logan, Boston Globe: "A growing debate over rent control in Massachusetts has people in Cambridge harkening back to an era when apartment-living in this city was quite different: the 1990s. Specifically, they're revisiting 1994, the year Massachusetts voters narrowly outlawed restrictions on what landlords could charge tenants. Today, amid a housing crunch that grips much of Greater Boston, some lawmakers are saying it may be time to reconsider that decision."
- "'It would be my honor' to be arrested for challenging ICE courthouse arrests, Suffolk County DA Rachael Rollins says after filing lawsuit," by Steph Solis, MassLive.com: "Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins made a clear distinction on Monday between her employees notifying her of federal immigration enforcement in their courthouses and a district judge allegedly helping a man evade immigration agents. But she's not afraid to go to jail for challenging the arrests at courthouses, either. She argues that Immigration and Customs Enforcement's practices of arresting people of civil immigration violations is illegal, disrupts criminal prosecutions and scares off witnesses, victims and defendants."
- "Fierce competition for votes, money in 2019 council race," by Yawu Miller, Bay State Banner: "St. Guillen's themes of fighting gentrification and supporting strong protections for immigrants may well resonate with Boston residents who are being slammed by high rents and hemmed in by luxury developments beyond the reach of most current city residents. But in a crowded field of candidates vying for voters' attention, St. Guillen will likely need more than a good message to stand out. She'll need money."
- "Unions are on frontlines of fight against inequality," by Katie Johnston, Boston Globe: "Stop & Shop's stores were ghost towns during the recent strike. With workers standing outside in picket lines, customers stayed away , leading to one of the most effective strikes in recent memory. The grocery clerks and bakers and meat cutters holding signs were protesting proposed cuts to their benefits, but their plight also resonated with the public because they represented something bigger: working Americans across the country whose wages are barely budging while the cost of living skyrockets in such places as Boston and corporations rake in record profits."
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| DAY IN COURT |
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- "Judge orders State Police to accept recruit who was rejected, discriminated against," by Joshua Miller, Boston Globe: "A federal judge has ordered the Massachusetts State Police to admit a black recruit to the training academy after a jury found the agency had denied him entrance because of his race. Orlando Riley, a New Bedford police officer, had asked the judge to force the department's hand after the jury in December returned a $130,000 discrimination award. On Friday, US District Judge Denise J. Casper agreed, ordering the State Police to put Riley in the next training class, which could begin as soon as later this year. Riley would still have to complete the 23-week training program before becoming a trooper ."
- "Lawsuit against Juul demands funding of statewide treatment and research programs," by Ysabelle Kempe, Boston Globe:"Public health advocates based at Northeastern University on Monday initiated a class action lawsuit against e-cigarette titan Juul Labs, demanding that the company fund a statewide treatment program for teenagers who begin using the company's e-cigarettes before age 18 and want to quit. This is one of the first lawsuits in the country asking for this type of action from Juul, the company facing criticism — and a rash of lawsuits — for marketing to young people."
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| WARREN REPORT |
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- "Some 2020 Democrats work with GOP more than you think," by Elana Schor, Associated Press: "Elizabeth Warren has a habit that she doesn't talk about a lot on the campaign trail: working with the GOP. The Massachusetts Democrat is running for the White House on an unapologetically liberal platform that includes a tax on the ultra-wealthy and universal child care. But in Washington, she's partnered with at least one Republican on 39% of the bills she's introduced as chief sponsor since becoming a senator in 2013. That's according to an Associated Press analysis of legislation using GovTrack, an independent clearinghouse for congressional data."
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| IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN |
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- "Baker admin taking the lead on carbon pricing effort," by Andy Metzger, CommonWealth Magazine: "WHILE GOV. CHARLIE BAKER has resisted entreaties from his own appointees to come up with new revenues for transit, his administration has taken the lead on a multi-state effort to do pretty much that, or something similar. The Transportation Climate Initiative, which will hold an all-day workshop at the Boston Public Library on Tuesday, is designing a mechanism to put a price on vehicle carbon emissions. The so-called cap and invest approach would increase the price of motor fuels by requiring industry to buy emission allowances at market rates, with states then investing the proceeds into greener mobility options. A similar regional cap-and-trade system for the electricity market has both reduced carbon emissions and been found to benefit participants economically."
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| EYE ON 2020 |
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- "Can Bill Weld unseat Trump? Let's look at the history of challenges to incumbent presidents." by Adam Hilton, Washington Post: "Unseating a president from his own party isn't easy. Weld plans to target the first-in-the-nation New Hampshire primary as the most promising venue for starting a political upset, and to go on to primaries with less restrictive rules about who can participate and where the GOP has suffered setbacks, such as Wisconsin. Can he succeed? Past primary insurgencies may offer clues."
- "Biden, followed by Sanders and Buttigieg, leads among Democrats in N.H. survey," by James Pindell, Boston Globe: "In the unwieldy field of more than two dozen Democrats, Joe Biden leads in the New Hampshire primary with support from 20 percent of likely voters, according to the first poll of the state since the former vice president officially entered the 2020 contest last week. A Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll released Tuesday showed Biden followed by Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, who pulled support from 12 percent of those likely to cast Democratic ballots in the first-in-the-nation primary, which is expected to be in February."
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| MOULTON MATTERS |
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- "Rep. Seth Moulton says US would be 'no better friend, no worse enemy' if he's elected president," by Jeff Schogol, Task & Purpose: "Iraq war veteran Rep. Seth Moulton is distinguishing himself from the other 20 Democrats running for president right now by arguing that he would make a better commander in chief than President Donald Trump. "I think our motto as a country should be the same motto we had in the 1st Marine Division: No better friend, no worse enemy," Moulton (D-Mass.), a former Marine captain, told Task & Purpose. 'That means standing with our allies and confronting our enemies, not cozying up to them.'"
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| ABOVE THE FOLD |
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— Herald: "'IT WOULD BE MY HONOR' TO BE INDICTED," —Globe: "Unions rebuild clout as income gap grows," "Two DAs join in suit targeting ICE arrests," "Enough bleeping bleeps."
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| FROM THE 413 |
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- "Legislators work to boost 'successful' preservation program," by Anita Fritz, Greenfield Recorder: "Dwindling state funds for the Community Preservation Act have some officials in the seven Franklin County towns that adopted it concerned about what that will mean for future projects. "This money is a reinvestment in our towns," said Lara Dubin, chairwoman of the Community Preservation Committee in Northfield. "We use the money we raise and the money we receive from the state, and we put it back into our town." Dubin said she and the committee are concerned about dwindling funds but hope that state legislators are able to give the program the boost it needs."
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| THE LOCAL ANGLE |
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- "Trahan seeking federal funds for Merrimack River," by Elizabeth Dobbins, The Lowell Sun: "Last year over 800 million gallons of untreated sewer and stormwater runoff flowed into the Merrimack River, a symptom, local leaders say, of infrastructure unable to keep up with current demands even after years of improvement projects and spending. At a meeting with leaders from communities along the river Monday morning, U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan announced several efforts to secure federal funding for these improvements."
- "AG Healey: 5 nursing homes placed in receivership," by Jennette Barnes, Standard-Times: "Five area nursing homes have been placed in receivership after bounced paychecks and unpaid bills put residents in danger, The Standard-Times has learned. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey's office successfully petitioned a Suffolk Superior Court judge for receivership on Monday, saying more than 200 residents could be at risk of injury or death. The facilities lack critical supplies, and they could soon reach dangerously low staffing levels, Healey's office told the court."
REMEMBERING TOM ELLIS, from Boston.com: "Tom Ellis, the Boston television news anchor whose career spanned four decades across the city's networks, has died at the age of 86, WBZ-TV reports. Ellis was the only person to have anchored number-one newscasts on each of Boston's primary network affiliates." Link.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to comms consultant Matt Wilder, Martin Kessler of WBUR, Assistant Secretary of Business Development and International Trade at EOHED Nam Pham, Nikko Mendoza, Matt Segneri and James Barron of Barron Associates Worldwide.
DID THE HOME TEAM WIN? Yes! The Red Sox beat the Athletics 9-4.
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