Beacon Hill Roll

THE HOUSE AND SENATE. There were no roll call votes in the House or Senate last week.

The Legislature convened the 2012 session on Wednesday and most of the activity was ceremonial.

Beacon Hill Roll Call has obtained the official list from the state treasurer’s office of the “per diem” travel, meals and lodging reimbursements collected by the Legislature’s 39 state senators from Jan. 1, 2011 to Dec. 31, 2011. The list reveals that senators have collected a total of $63,918.

Under state law, per diems are paid by the state to senators “for each day for travel from his place of residence to the Statehouse and return therefrom, while in the performance of his official duties, upon certification to the state treasurer that he was present at the Statehouse.” These reimbursements are given to senators above and beyond their regular salaries.

The amount of the per diem varies and is based on the city or town in which a senator resides and its distance from the Statehouse. The Legislature in 2000 approved a law doubling these per diems to the current amounts. The payments range from $10 per day for senators who reside in the Greater Boston area to $90 per day for some western Massachusetts lawmakers and $100 per day for those in Nantucket. Senators who are from areas that are a long distance from Boston’s State House often collect the highest total of annual per diems.

Supporters of the per diems say the system is fair and note the rising costs of travel, food and lodging. They note many legislators spend a lot of money on traveling to Boston and some spend the night in Boston following late sessions.

Some opponents argue most other private sector and state workers are not paid additional money for commuting. Others say the very idea of paying any per diem is outrageous when thousands of workers have lost their jobs and homes, the state is in the midst of a recession, and funding for important programs has been cut.

The 2011 statistics indicate that 19 senators, a little less than half of the 39 members, have received reimbursements ranging from $558 to $9,360, while 20 senators have so far chosen not to apply for any money. State law does not establish a deadline that senators must meet in order to collect the per diems.

The senator who has received the most per diem money in 2011 is Sen. Benjamin Downing (D-Pittsfield) with $9,360. The other senators rounding out the top five with the highest amounts in order of the amount of money received include Sens. Stanley Rosenberg, D-Amherst, $7,380; Michael Rodrigues,  D-Westport, $6,930; Michael Knapik, R-Westfield, $6,732; and Daniel Wolf, D-Harwich, $6,240.

LOCAL SENATORS’ PER DIEMS FOR 2011 The dollar figure next to the senator’s name represents the total amount of per diem money the state has paid him or her for 2011. The number in parentheses represents the number of days the senator certified that he or she was at the Statehouse during that same period.

A total of 20 of the state’s senators did not list any days and did not request any per diems. This should not be construed to mean these senators were never at the State House in 2011. It simply means they chose not to list the number of days and not to request their per diems.

Sen. Steven Baddour $1,950 (75 days)               

Sen. Frederick Berry $558  (31 days)                     

Sen. Katherine Clark $0   (0 days)                            

Sen. Sal DiDomenico $0   (0 days)                 

Sen. Patricia Jehlen $1,210 (121 days)                     

Sen. Thomas McGee $1,130 (113 days)             

Sen. Bruce Tarr $2,288 (88 days)            

 

Also up on Beacon Hill

RESTORE $41 MILLION FOR QUINN BILL (H 3633) The Public Service Committee will hold a hearing at 1 p.m. on Jan. 17 on a proposal to restore $41 million in funding for the Quinn Bill, which provides police officers with increased salaries for furthering their education. In 2009, the Legislature cut the funding for the program from an estimated $51 million to $10 million. The cost of the program is usually split 50-50 between the state and the participating city or town.

Supporters say it was unfair to cut this funding when many police unions gave up increased health benefits and pay raises based on the assumption that the Quinn Bill would remain in effect.

Opponents say the state just cannot afford the money anymore.

NO ROBOCALLS TO CELL PHONES (H 3858) A late-filed bill before the Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee would prohibit robocalls to cell phones and other mobile electronic devices. The measure exempts messages from school districts to students, parents or employees; from companies advising employees of work schedules; from correctional facilities advising victims; and from municipalities and state government. It also would fine companies up to $10,000 if they make a robocall except as defined by the law and allow an individual who is called to sue a company for $10,000 in damages.

FOUR POSSIBLE BALLOT QUESTIONS GO TO HOUSE Four initiative petitions for laws have been officially transmitted to the House for possible action. Groups promoting each law gathered more than the minimum 68,911 signatures needed to bring the proposal to the Legislature. The four questions would allow medical use of marijuana; allow terminally ill patients with fewer than six months to live to obtain medication they can self-administer to commit suicide; require auto manufacturers to sell to non-dealer repair shops complete repair information and diagnostic tools; and require that teachers’ effectiveness rather than seniority, be the prime consideration in the hiring and firing process. If the Legislature does not approve a proposal by May 2012, proponents must gather another 11,485 signatures by July 2012 in order for the question to appear on the November 2012 ballot.

BALLOT POSITION OF GOP PRESIDENTIAL HOPEFULS The order in which the Republican candidates for president will appear on the ballot in the March 6 Massachusetts primary was determined by a random drawing held by Secretary of State William Galvin. The order is as follows: Congressman Ron Paul, former Gov. Mitt Romney, Gov. Rick Perry, former Sen. Rick Santorum, former Gov. Jon Huntsman, Congresswoman Michele Bachmann (even though she has dropped out of the race) and former Congressman Newt Gingrich.

The random drawing eliminates any order benefit some candidates would get from a listing in alphabetical order. Political experts are split on whether ballot position actually has any effect on the outcome of an election.

AUGUST SALES TAX HOLIDAY SAVED CONSUMERS $20.98 MILLION The Department of Revenue (DOR) announced that consumers saved $20.98 million during the two-day August sales tax holiday last summer. The holiday allowed the purchase of most products that cost under $2,500 on Saturday, Aug. 14 and Sunday, Aug. 15, without paying the state’s 6.25 percent sales tax.  The DOR estimated the state also gained $2 million in increased revenue from the meals and gas tax revenue generated by shoppers on those two days.

COURT RULES ON LEGAL IMMIGRANTS’ HEALTH CARE A 2009 vote by the Legislature to save money by prohibiting thousands of legal immigrants from signing up for Commonwealth Care, the state’s subsidized health care program, was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Judicial Court. The Patrick Administration estimates reinstating these benefits will cost the state some $150 million per year.

HOW LONG WAS LAST WEEK’S SESSION? During the week of Jan. 2-6, the House met for a total of one hour and 33 minutes while the Senate met for a total of one hour and 52 minutes.

Beacon Hill Roll Call is provided by Bob Katzen, who has covered the Legislature for 36 years. Copyright © 2012 Beacon Hill Roll Call. All Rights Reserved. Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com

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