THE REVERE ADVOCATE - Friday, June 30, 2017
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Beacon Hill Roll Call By Bob Katzen THE HOUSE AND SENATE: This week’s roll calls are from the week of June 19-23. The report shows how local senators and representatives voted on House and Senate versions of a bill making changes and imposing new regulations on how the state will regulate the retail sale and cultivation of marijuana. A House-Senate conference committee will soon hammer out a compromise version and present it to the House and Senate.
Representatives proposed 121 amendments to the bill yet there were only five roll calls during the ten hours it considered the bill. Senators proposed 110 amendments with only five roll calls during its ten hours. Many of the amendments were not debated but simply approved or defeated on a predetermined unrecorded voice vote.Here’s the way it works: The fate of each of these amendments were determined
earlier by the leadership. The presiding officer in the House or Senate disposes of these amendments by saying, “All those in favor of the amendment say ‘aye,’ those opposed say ‘no.’The no’s have it and the amendments are not adopted.” Or if the fate is approval, it sounds like this: “All those in favor of the amendment say ‘aye,’ those opposed say‘no.’The ayes have it and the amendments are adopted.” Senators and representatives don’t actually vote yes or no and in fact, don’t say a word. They do not even shout “aye” or “no” as one might expect. MARIJUANA REGULATIONS (H 3768, S 2090) House 126-28, Senate 30-5, approved different versions of a bill changing some provisions and adding other provisions to the law, approved by voters on the 2016 ballot, legalizing the
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possession, growing and sale of marijuana. A House-Senate conference committee has been appointed to hammer out a compromise version. The Senate version keeps the same tax rate that was approved by voters - a 3.75 percent marijuana excise tax and a local option to impose an additional tax of up to 2 percent. Combined with the existing 6.25 percent sales tax, the total tax on marijuana would range from 10 percent to 12 percent, depending on the community. The House version more than doubles the tax rate to 28 percent. The Senate version requires a city or town-wide ballot question in which voters would decide whether their community wants to opt out of the law or modify it. The House version allows cities and towns to opt out without a town-wide ballot question. Under the House version, some cities can opt out by a majority vote of the city council and approval of the city manager; other cities by a majority vote of the city council and approval by the mayor; and in a town, by a majority vote of the board of selectmen and a majority vote of a town meeting. Jim Borghesani, Director of Communications for “Yes on 4,” the group that led the campaign to legalize marijuana, prefers the Senate version.“The House ... repealed and replaced the historic measure enacted by Massachusetts residents last November,” he said. “They did it with virtually no public discussion or debate. Their bill is wrong on taxes, wrong on local control, weak on social justice and irresponsible on regulatory efficiency - and is a far cry from what voters overwhelmingly approved last year.” Sen. Pat Jehlen (D- Somerville), Senate chair of the Joint Committee on Marijuana that drafted the bill said her first priority is to protect the will of the voters. “We want to reduce the black market and we want to give opportunities to small entrepreneurs and farmers and people in communities that have been harmed,” she said. “I could not vote for the final bill, which I still find problemat-
ic in too many ways,” said Rep. Denise Provost (D -Somerville). “This bill, after all, is not the Legislature’s legalization initiative. This bill makes major changes to a referendum passed by the voters - and the voters did not approve of warrantless searches or the creation of new law enforcement agencies with other broad and poorly-defined powers.” “This bill reflects a commitment to legalizing adult-use marijuana while upholding our duty to ensure safety and effective management,” said House Speaker Bob DeLeo (DWinthrop).“The House placed a premium on health and safety.” Referring to the 28 percent tax approved by the House, Rep. Brad Hill (R-Ipswich) said, “The tax is way too high - with New Hampshire considering legalizing marijuana, all we would be doing is pushing our business to New Hampshire as usual. Additionally, the black market will continue to flourish.” Rep. Marc Cusack (D- Braintree), House chair of the Joint Committee on Marijuana, defended the 28 percent tax and said it is in the middle of the pack among the states that have legalized marijuana. “When you are starting off regulating a new industry, you don’t want to be short on revenue and implement this new industry on a shoestring budget,” said Cusack. “I have many concerns with this bill which not only prevents local residents from having a say on whether or not to allow marijuana dispensaries in their community but also creates a costly new government entity and a bureaucracy whose price tag no one has yet determined,” said Rep. Kate Campanale (R- Leicester). Rep. Robert DeLeo Yes Rep. Paul Donato Yes Rep. Stephan Hay Yes Rep. Bradley Jones Yes Rep. Joseph McGonagle Yes Rep. Theodore Speliotis Yes Rep. Steven Ultrino Yes Rep. RoseLee Vincent Yes Rep. Thomas Walsh Yes Sen. Joseph Boncore Yes
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