Thread by @act_on_mass

📢Rules vote is tomorrow!!📢

This is not a drill folks, TOMORROW, the legislature will be voting on amendments to make committee votes public, and to give us more time to review bills before they come to a vote. Email your rep now to ask them to support: bit.ly/email-my-rep

Tune in tomorrow at 1PM where we'll be live tweeting the action! #ThePeoplesHouse

There’s still time to contact your rep ahead of the transparency votes! Send them at email at bit.ly/email-my-rep to make sure your voice is heard
#ThePeoplesHouse

And it’s on! The rules debate has been gaveled into session. First up: confirming Kristin Kassner won the election in the 2nd Essex District over Republican incumbent Lenny Mirra

It’s official: Kristin Kassner will be seated as the new state rep for the 2nd Essex District! Better late than never.

Rep. Galvin is speaking now on the Rules Package. Highlighting popular hybrid options from the emergency rules during covid included in this permanent rules. A great start! I wonder if he knows public committee votes is also popular — 87% of MA voters support it

He also highlights the new deadline for a bill to be released by noon the day before a vote. With a 5PM deadline to submit amendments, it’s absurd to think this deadline is sufficient. We deserve adequate time to read a bill, which is why we fight for 72 hours.

Galvin has requested a roll call and a sufficient number of reps have stood in favor. We will get a name-by-name count of how each rep votes on the rules.

Well, there it was: Amendment #5 for public committee votes just died, with excruciatingly little fanfare, on a voice vote.

On a technical note: A voice vote is when the Speaker calls the outcome of a vote based on the perceived “yay” and “nay” votes he hears from the floor. In reality, nobody says a word and the Speaker just gets to call the vote how he wants. Ah, democracy.

Making all committee votes public is extremely popular and uncontroversial. Well, outside the walls of the state house, anyways: 87% of Bay Staters are on the record in support. Plus, most legislatures across the country and even the MA senate publishes their committee votes!

But that just goes to show: a demonstrated mandate from the people means little in a state house where just a few members of leadership make all the decisions. That’s the exact system we need to change.

Thank you @Rep_Erika for holding this amendment. The fact that it was dismissed without a roll call is a testament to the need for transparency. But the fight continues. Our democracy didn’t get this broken overnight, and it will take a sustained movement to fix it.

Amendment 7 from Rep. Brad Jones to provide more time to review technical or perfecting amendments before a vote has failed 23-130 on a roll call vote. What do these people have against letting legislators know what they’re voting on? #mapoli

Amendment 12 from Rep. Jones would give reps an extra 30 minutes to read consolidated amendments (mega-amendments made of hundreds of filed amendments during the budget process). This one, also, failed on a roll call: 23-130

It’s pretty incredible that not a single Democrat voted in favor of these amendments. While they were both filed by Republicans, transparency is an extremely popular non-partisan issue. It’s unacceptable for reps to use party politics as an excuse to not support good governance.

Onto the joint rules, and it’s bad news here too: public committee votes has again been rejected on a voice vote, without debate. Incredibly disappointing, and frankly ironic, how easily this widely popular amendment got rejected. #mapoli

This is particularly troubling because the joint rules package released by leadership yesterday contained NO language about a requirement for committee votes to be public. That’s right–that compromise language from last session was gone. #mapoli

Another technical note: the House is voting on two separate rules packages today. The House rules govern committees with only House members. The Joint rules govern how joint committees operate, and must be agreed upon between both the House and Senate.

The House is currently debating Amendment #9 which would require committee hearings be scheduled a week in advance, instead of just 72 hours. This policy makes it easier for everyday people to testify on bills. This was included in the Senate’s joint rules proposal last session.

Rep. Balser of Newton rises in opposition saying “all of us want to increase access the public has to us,” yet continues on to say this amendment is unnecessary because people don’t need to know about a hearing a week in advance. #mapoli

When a rep justifies making it harder for everyday people to access the legislative process because it allows more “flexibility” for legislators 🚩🚩🚩

Even with a hybrid option, 72 hours is just not enough time to ensure working people, people with childcare needs, or people without reliable Internet access can participate in committee hearings on bills that would affect their lives. #mapoli

And there you have it folks, the House Rules and the House’s proposal for the Joint Rules are done. Pros: committee hearings will continue to be hybrid. Cons: just about everything else. #mapoli

It was particularly disappointing to see so little debate on the floor on something that matters so much to our democracy. Only 8 amendments were filed (and not withdrawn) to both sets of rules debated today–combined. That's what the Speaker's power looks like. #mapoli

That’s exactly why Act on Mass was founded: the people of Massachusetts deserve better than this. We deserve a state house that strives to be more accessible and accountable to everyday people, not one that bends over backwards to keep us out. #mapoli

Angry? Me too. Join the fight and learn more at actonmass.org. Together, we can build a state house that works for the people--not just for insiders, lobbyists, and corporations.

This fight is just the beginning. The Speaker may have loads of institutional power, but we have the people–87% of them, to be exact. And given the choice between the two, I’d take the people every time. actonmass.org/ballot-questio… #mapoli