Statement on Melissa's Bill Amendment

I released the following statement today, following Governor Patrick’s decision to send the crime bill, also known as Melissa’s Bill, back to the legislature with an amendment:

“Governor Patrick has had a busy week defending the interests of those who break the law. He rejected a measure to require proof of legal residence to register a car, has said he will refuse to enforce restrictions on purchases with EBT cards, and now he is trying to provide violent repeat criminals with a ‘safety valve’.

His actions to jeopardize the passage of the crime bill are both ill-timed and ill-advised by trying to amend a good and balanced bill with an extraordinary measure to protect repeat violent criminals, with precious little time remaining in the legislative session.

The governor's proposal was never seriously considered by the House or the Senate, and was expressly rejected by the conference committee, and yet he has chosen to risk the passage of the entire bill, which he has publicly characterized as ‘good’, for such a measure, in a repeat of his performance when the legislature first placed a gaming bill on his desk.

Fortunately, the legislature has made a firm commitment to public safety by passing this comprehensive bill with overwhelming and consistent support. My hope is that the House and Senate will once again take a strong stand to protect public safety, and that the governor will act quickly in response to our actions to prevent the clock or the calendar from becoming the deciding factor in protecting the citizens of the Commonwealth from those who repeatedly make them victims.”

Statement on Melissa's Bill

Last night I released the following statement regarding Melissa’s Bill, which is currently under review by Governor Patrick:

“Melissa’s Bill contains many important provisions that respond to the threat to public safety posed by violent repeat offenders, and the signing of these provisions into law should not be jeopardized by those provisions that did not make it into the final bill. It is more important to act upon the things we agree on than to impede progress based on things that have not yet come to fruition. Governor Patrick should act on these important provisions by signing Melissa’s Bill and allowing the Legislature to begin the next session focused on issues that it has not yet addressed, rather than revisiting those issues that have already been acted upon this session.

Melissa’s Bill provides a solid foundation on which we can build. The Commonwealth’s district attorneys and other law enforcement officials can be assured that I will not yield in the fight for public safety, and to that end, I will be filing one or more bills in the next legislative session to:

• expand wiretapping authority for law enforcement;

• require DNA collection at arraignment for felony arrests;

• create in statute the crime of strangulation; and

• codify the crime of solicitation to commit murder.”

Votes to Note

Lately, here at Tarr Talk I’ve been posting a lot of Votes to Note regarding the latest actions taken by the Massachusetts State Senate. As many may know, this is one of the busiest times in a legislative session, due to the fact that the Senate rules prohibit the Senate from continuing full formal sessions after July 31st (except in the case of an emergency session).

Votes to Note are meant to offer a window into some of the most noteworthy bills and amendments that affect important issues facing our Commonwealth and its citizens. These issues range from the reduction of taxes, to efforts to increase government transparency, or safeguards meant to protect precious public dollars. Whatever the case may be, Votes to Note will provide you with the results of a certain roll call vote listing the way every single member of the Senate voted and a brief description of a certain issue.

Please continue checking Tarr Talk for the latest Votes to Note!

Rockport’s New Fire Truck

This past Saturday I had the pleasure to participate in the Rockport Fire Department’s wetdown party for the department’s new ladder truck. The celebration in honor of the new truck is a christening of sorts, with the ladder truck being anointed with water before its first call into duty.

The wetdown party featured members of the fire department, local officials, and special guests. It was a joyful occasion, but importantly it signifies the arrival of an excellent public safety tool for the residents of Rockport. This new ladder truck will pay dividends and in time will save both lives and property.

Posted below are a few photos of the ladder truck featuring Larry Libert at the wheel, and Kevin Beaulieu in the cab explaining the truck’s features.

Votes to Note: Senate Debates Jobs Bill, Rejects Tip Pooling Amendment

Yesterday the Senate debated an economic jobs package that aims to promote economic development, decrease the unemployment rate of 6%, and provide sustainability for struggling businesses and employees. In total, Senators filed 126 amendments to modify Senate Bill 2350, An Act relative to infrastructure investment, enhanced competitiveness and economic growth in the Commonwealth. One such amendment offered by Senator Rodrigues that I co-sponsored would bring clarity to the Massachusetts tip pooling law. 

Amendment #76 that we offered would replace Massachusetts’ vague tip pooling laws with the Federal Fair Labor Standards Act’s language, which would remove the confusion of who should be allowed to share tips.

Unfortunately, our amendment did not pass. It was defeated in a close roll call vote of 17-19. Posted below is the actual roll call vote made yesterday by the members of the Senate.

Senate #2350

Yeas: 17 Nays: 19

Roll Call Votes: Yea/Nay

Frederick E. Berry: Did Not Vote
Stephen M. Brewer: Yea
William N. Brownsberger: Yea
Gale D. Candaras: Yea
Harriette L. Chandler: Yea
Sonia Chang-Diaz: Nay
Katherine Clark: Nay
Cynthia Stone Creem: Nay
Sal N. DiDomenico: Nay
Kenneth J. Donnelly: Nay
Eileen Donoghue: Nay
Benjamin B. Downing: Nay
James B. Eldridge: Nay
Susan C. Fargo: Nay
Barry Finegold: Yea
Jennifer L. Flanagan: Yea
John Hart: Did Not Vote
Robert L. Hedlund: Yea
Patricia D. Jehlen: Nay
Brian A. Joyce: Yea
John Keenan: Nay
Thomas P. Kennedy: Nay
Michael R. Knapik: Yea
Thomas M. McGee: Nay
Mark C. Montigny: Yea
Michael O. Moore: Yea
Richard T. Moore: Nay
Senate President Therese Murray: Did Not Vote
Marc R. Pacheco: Nay
Anthony Petruccelli: Yea
Michael Rodrigues: Yea
Stanley C. Rosenberg: Nay
Richard J. Ross: Yea
Michael Rush: Yea
Karen E. Spilka: Nay
Bruce E. Tarr: Yea
James E. Timilty: Yea
James Welch: Nay
Daniel Wolf: Nay

Votes to Note: Senate Passes Melissa’s Bill

Yesterday the Senate debated Melissa Bill’s, a habitual offender bill that aims to prohibit society’s most violent criminals from being released early from their sentences. The bill has several key provisions, and chief among them are:

• The prevention of parole eligibility for third time violent felons for certain crimes.

• The prevention of parole eligibility for felons serving multiple life sentences (two or more) based on separate incidents.

• Requiring the parole board to reach a 2/3 affirmative vote before a prisoner is granted parole while serving a single life sentence.

I am happy to report that the Senate enacted the bill by a 31-7 margin. Posted below is a key provisions summary of the bill and the actual roll call vote made by the members of the Senate. The bill now goes to the Governor and awaits his action. Please call his office at (617) 725-4005 to express your support of the bill.

Melissa's Bill Key Priorities and Crimes Summary

House #3818 An Act Relative to Sentencing and Improving Law Enforcement Tools

Yeas: 31 Nays: 7

Roll Call Votes: Yea/Nay

Frederick E. Berry: Yea
Stephen M. Brewer: Yea
William N. Brownsberger: Nay
Gale D. Candaras: Yea
Harriette L. Chandler: Yea
Sonia Chang-Diaz: Nay
Katherine Clark: Yea
Cynthia Stone Creem: Nay
Sal N. DiDomenico: Yea
Kenneth J. Donnelly: Yea
Eileen Donoghue: Yea
Benjamin B. Downing: Yea
James B. Eldridge: Nay
Susan C. Fargo: Nay
Barry Finegold: Yea
Jennifer L. Flanagan: Yea
John Hart: Did Not Vote
Robert L. Hedlund: Yea
Patricia D. Jehlen: Nay
Brian A. Joyce: Yea
John Keenan: Yea
Thomas P. Kennedy: Yea
Michael R. Knapik: Yea
Thomas M. McGee: Yea
Mark C. Montigny: Yea
Michael O. Moore: Yea
Richard T. Moore: Yea
Senate President Therese Murray: Yea
Marc R. Pacheco: Yea
Anthony Petruccelli: Yea
Michael Rodrigues: Yea
Stanley C. Rosenberg: Yea
Richard J. Ross: Yea
Michael Rush: Yea
Karen E. Spilka: Yea
Bruce E. Tarr: Yea
James E. Timilty: Yea
James Welch: Yea
Daniel Wolf: Nay

Votes to Note: Senate Debates Jobs Bill, Rejects Elimination of Sales Tax Holiday

Today the Senate is debating an economic jobs bill that contains several important measures aimed to make Massachusetts a more business friendly environment and mechanisms to decrease the unemployment rate here in the Commonwealth, which remains steady at 6%.  With that goal in mind, there were 126 amendments filed to modify Senate Bill 2350, An Act relative to infrastructure investment, enhanced competitiveness and economic growth in the Commonwealth, by the members of the Senate.

One amendment offered by Senator Patricia Jehlen reaches no such goal, and would potentially prove to be harmful if passed. Amendment #3 would eliminate this year’s Tax Free Holiday scheduled for August 11th & 12th. During a time of year when business is usually stagnant for retailers, the Tax Free Holiday provides a boom in sales and offers savings for consumers, which is particularly important for those buying school supplies for their children.

Fortunately, my colleagues and I were able to defeat the proposed amendment by a roll call vote of 6-31. Posted below is the actual roll call vote made today by the members of the Senate.

Amendment #3 Sales Tax Holiday

Yeas: 6 Nays: 31

Roll Call Votes: Yea/Nay

Frederick E. Berry: Nay
Stephen M. Brewer: Nay
William N. Brownsberger: Nay
Gale D. Candaras: Nay
Harriette L. Chandler: Nay
Sonia Chang-Diaz: Yea
Katherine Clark: Nay
Cynthia Stone Creem: Nay
Sal N. DiDomenico: Nay
Kenneth J. Donnelly: Nay
Eileen Donoghue: Nay
Benjamin B. Downing: Nay
James B. Eldridge: Yea
Susan C. Fargo: Nay
Barry Finegold: Nay
Jennifer L. Flanagan: Nay
John Hart: Did Not Vote
Robert L. Hedlund: Yea
Patricia D. Jehlen: Yea
Brian A. Joyce: Nay
John Keenan: Nay
Thomas P. Kennedy: Nay
Michael R. Knapik: Nay
Thomas M. McGee: Nay
Mark C. Montigny: Nay
Michael O. Moore: Nay
Richard T. Moore: Nay
Senate President Therese Murray: Did Not Vote
Marc R. Pacheco: Yea
Anthony Petruccelli: Nay
Michael Rodrigues: Nay
Stanley C. Rosenberg: Nay
Richard J. Ross: Nay
Michael Rush: Nay
Karen E. Spilka: Nay
Bruce E. Tarr: Nay
James E. Timilty: Nay
James Welch: Nay
Daniel Wolf: Yea