After two days of debate, the house passed a bill facilitating the siting of land based wind facilities. The vote was 101 to 52 and I voted in the majority.
Illegal Immigration and Public Housing
Access to public housing is another matter where there is ambiguity and debate when it comes to illegal immigration. Access to federal housing is restricted based on immigration status, but notably, access to state housing does not depend on immigration status. This has been the case since 1977, when U.S. District Court ruled in Weeks …
Illegal Immigrant Employment and Benefit Use
Illegal immigration has become even more of a hot-button issue in our country due to the Arizona law and in Massachusetts from the proposed budget amendments on immigration. I am researching the facts about the immigration situation in Massachusetts, and this post will explore the linked issue of immigrant employment and welfare use. The subjects …
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The Health Care Gift Ban
In 2008, Massachusetts passed a law prohibiting gifts by drug and device companies to doctors. I voted for the ban then. After revisiting the issue, I continue to support the ban. I will listen carefully to the arguments on the floor, but I expect to vote against repeal.
Is the Governor’s Council Obsolete?
I’ve always wondered – why do we need a Governor’s Council? What duties do they perform that could not be covered by other existing bodies? As far as I can tell: approval of gubernatorial appointments (including judges), prison pardons, and something about payments from the treasury. How much does this cost, in terms of salary, …
The Budget Conference Report
We passed the conference committee report this week. It now goes to the Governor’s desk for review.