Student Leader Ship

ITS SUNDAY, JANUARY 21ST AND WE HAVE A LOT TO GET TO. ITS THREE FOR THE SHOW IN NEW HAMPSHIRE. WILL VOTERS UPEND THE GOP APPLECART ON TUESDAY, OR IS TRUMP POISED TO RUN THE TABLE? AND GOVERNOR HEALEY MAKES HER FIRST STATE OF THE COMMONWEALTH SPEECH A MEMORABLE ONE. THE CHAIR OF THE HOUSE WAYS AND COMMITTEE IS IN THE CHAIR THIS MORNING TO TALK DOLLARS AND CENTS. LETS GO ON THE RECORD FROM WCVB CHANNEL FIVE. THE INSIDE WORD FROM WASHINGTON TO BEACON HILL. TODAYS NEWSMAKERS ARE GOING ON THE RECORD. WELCOME TO OTR, EVERYONE. IM ED HARDING LONG NOW ON NEWSCENTER 5 POLITICAL REPORTER SHARMAN SACCHETTI. ITS GREAT TO HAVE YOU WITH US. AS YOU CAN SEE, STATE REP AARON MICHLEWITZ IS MICHAEL. WHITMAN IS WITH US THIS MORNING. CHAIR OF THE HOUSE WAYS AND MEANS COMMITTEE. HES SITTING IN THE CHAIR. THE FUNDING THAT THAT GOVERNOR HEALEY NEEDS FOR HER PRIORITIES MOVES THROUGH HIS COMMITTEE. SINCE 2009, HE IS REPRESENTED THE THIRD SUFFOLK DISTRICT CHAIR OF WAYS AND MEANS SINCE 2019, LIFELONG RESIDENT OF THE NORTH END. BIG TIME CELTICS FAN. HES A GRADUATE OF NORTHEASTERN UNIVERSITY. ITS GREAT TO HAVE YOU WITH US. THANKS FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME. THANKS FOR BEING HERE. WELL, LETS GET RIGHT TO IT. YOU HEARD THE GOVERNORS SPEECH OR TAX HIKES ON OR OFF THE TABLE TO FUND THOSE PROPOSED BILLS TO FUND THOSE PROPOSALS. TAX HIKES? ARE YOU KNOW, NOT ON THE TABLE. I THINK THE SPEAKER SAID IT BEST. WED BE SCHIZOPHRENIC BY SAYING WE WOULD BE LOWERING TAXES ONE ONE DAY AND THEN RAISING TAXES THE NEXT. SO I THINK FOR NOW, YOU KNOW, WERE GOING TO HAVE TO LOOK AT THOSE THOSE PROPOSALS. THE GOVERNOR GAVE A VERY, YOU KNOW, AGGRESSIVE AGENDA DURING HER STATE OF THE STATE. YOU KNOW, IT WAS GREAT TO SEE HER EXCITED AND ENERGIZED AND AND SHOW A LOT OF MOTION IN TERMS OF THE THOSE DISCUSSIONS. AND I THINK SHE DID A GREAT JOB. BUT WERE GOING TO HAVE TO SEE IF WE, THE DEVILS, WILL BE IN THE DETAILS AND WELL HAVE TO SEE HOW IT PLAYS OUT WHEN THEY FILE THEIR BUDGET AND WHAT WE CAN AND CANT AFFORD. WELL, THATS THE BIG QUESTION. THESE ARE SOME SWEEPING PROPOSALS, SOME OF THEM YOU SAW DOLLAR SIGNS ATTACHED TO SOME OF THEM. YOU DONT KNOW HOW SHES GOING TO FUND THEM. SO I GUESS THE QUESTION IS CAN THIS THE STATE AFFORD THIS RIGHT NOW? I THINK IT WELL HAVE TO SEE WHAT THAT ACTUALLY PLAYS OUT. WHEN SHE FILES HER BUDGET NEXT WEEK, WELL SEE WHAT EXACTLY WHAT HOW THEYRE GOING TO FUND SOME OF THESE PROPOSALS, WHAT THEY ACTUALLY COST. WELL GO THROUGH A HEARING PROCESS THROUGH BOTH SIDES OF THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE. AND WELL SEE WHAT WE CAN COME UP WITH. WE DO HAVE SOME OPPORTUNITIES WITH THE FAIR SHARE MONEY THAT THAT WE THAT WE USED LAST, LAST BUDGET THAT WERE GOING TO TRY TO USE AGAIN, THIS YOU WONT KNOW UNTIL APRIL, BUT WE WONT KNOW EXACTLY WHAT THAT NUMBER REALLY IS UNTIL APRIL. YEAH, IT IS A LITTLE A LITTLE BIT OF FLYING BY THE SEAT OF YOUR PANTS IN RELATION TO THAT TAX COLLECTION, BECAUSE WE DID BUDGET IT FOR $1 BILLION LAST YEAR WHEN WE DID THE BUDGET. WELL SEE WHAT WE ACTUALLY COME UP WITH. BUT WE DO EXPECT EVEN IF THERE IS YOU KNOW, SOME RESPECT OF OF BEING ABOUT $1 BILLION, IT WILL PROBABLY GROW TO SOME, TO SOME. WELL, LETS TALK ABOUT TAX COLLECTIONS. THEY WERE OVERESTIMATE BY $1 BILLION. IT FORCED THE GOVERNOR TO CUT, WHAT, 375, ALMOST $400 MILLION IN PROGRAMS AND OTHER LINE ITEMS. HOW DID THAT HAPPEN? AND HOW MUCH BELT TIGHTENING IS NEEDED? WELL, IT CERTAINLY, YOU KNOW, IS CREATING A CHALLENGE FOR US GOING FORWARD HERE. FOR THE REST OF THE FISCAL YEAR AND INTO THE INTO THE NEW BUDGET CYCLE. BUT BUT CERTAINLY, YOU KNOW, THESE THINGS AS WE KNOW, THINGS GO UP AND THINGS COME DOWN, YOU KNOW, RELATED TO THE BUDGET, BILLION DOLLARS. WELL, I MEAN, WE WENT THROUGH 30 STRAIGHT MONTHS OF OF GOING ABOVE OF OUR BENCHMARKS. SO IT WAS BOUND TO HAPPEN THAT WE WERE GOING TO HAVE SOME TYPE OF, YOU KNOW, SLOWDOWN OF SOME SORT. ITS IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT WE ARE STILL COLLECTING REVENUE AT A HIGHER RATE THAN WE DID LAST SESSION. IM SORRY, LAST, LAST FISCAL YEAR, BUT WERE NOT COLLECTING IT AT THE AT THE RATE THAT WAS ORIGINALLY PROJECTED. SO WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO GO THROUGH A DIFFICULT BUDGET CYCLE HERE. THERES GOING TO HAVE TO BE THE TIGHTENING OF THE BELT. WE ARE GOING TO HAVE TO BE MINDFUL OF THAT. WHEN WE MAKE THESE DECISIONS. SO SOME OF THESE NEW INITIATIVES WERE NOT REALLY SURE WHAT WERE GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO YET. WELL HAVE TO ANALYZE THEM. THERE ARE A LOT OF IMPORTANT THINGS THAT WE THAT WE HAVE BEEN FUNDING FOR YEARS, AND SOME ARE NEW INITIATIVES LIKE UNIVERSAL SCHOOL MEALS, NO COST CALLS, YOU KNOW, COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOR FOR ANYBODY UNDER 25. THOSE I MEAN, FOR ANYBODY OVER 25, YOU KNOW, THOSE ARE IMPORTANT INITIATIVES THAT WE PUT ON THE TABLE LAST YEAR FOR THE FIRST TIME. WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WERE ABLE TO FUND THOSE. THOSE ARE REALLY GOING TO BE THE PRIORITY GOING FORWARD. DO YOU THINK BEACON HILL HAS I MEAN, THIS IS REPUBLICANS BELIEVE BEACON HILL HAS A SPENDING PROBLEM. DO YOU DO YOU THINK BEACON HILL DOES HAVE A SPENDING PROBLEM? I DISAGREE WITH THAT STATEMENT THAT WE HAVE. WE HAVE A SPENDING PROBLEM. YOU KNOW, THE FACT IS WEVE HAD, LIKE I SAID, 33 STRAIGHT MONTHS OF OVER, OVER, OVER GOING OVER OUR OUR BUDGET PROJECTIONS, WE HAD A LOT OF FLUSH MONEY COMING IN. IT WAS IT WAS, YOU KNOW, A GOOD TIME IN TERMS OF THE ABILITY TO BE ABLE TO DO SOME REAL IMPORTANT THINGS AND PROVIDE SOME REAL, IMPORTANT RESOURCES. BUT WE ALSO, YOU KNOW, PUT AWAY $8 BILLION INTO THE RAINY DAY FUND. ITS A RECORD NUMBER. ITS NEVER BEEN OUR RAINY DAY FUND HAS NEVER BEEN THAT HIGH. WE ALSO ACTUALLY STILL HAVE ARPA MONEY THAT WE HAVENT SPENT, YOU KNOW, THE PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATION WAS LOOKING FOR US TO SPEND THAT MONEY IMMEDIATELY OUT THE DOOR. THE MINUTE IT CAME THAT WE GOT IT FROM WASHINGTON, WERE IN THE MINDSET. WE WERE THE MINDSET TO HOLD ON TO IT IN CASE WE NEEDED IT. WERE ONE OF THE LAST STATES THAT ACTUALLY HAVENT SPENT OUR ARPA MONEY. SO FOR US TO SAY THAT WE HAVE A SPENDING PROBLEM, I THINK IS A LITTLE OUT OF, YOU KNOW, OUT OF SORTS. AND AND IN TERMS OF THE FACTS OF WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW. SO, SO MAKING MASSACHUSETTS, YOURE TALKING ABOUT THE GOVERNORS SPEECH, MAKING MASSACHUSETTS MORE AFFORDABLE WAS A MAJOR THEME IN HER STATE OF THE COMMONWEALTH ADDRESS. SHES PUSHING FOR PASSAGE OF A $4 BILLION HOUSING BOND BILL. IT WOULD MAKE IT EASIER FOR HOMEOWNERS TO BUILD IN-LAW APARTMENTS, FOR EXAMPLE, OR IT WOULD LET CITIES AND TOWNS TAX HIGH DOLLAR REAL ESTATE SALES IN AND PUT THAT TOWARD AFFORDABLE HOUSING. SO WHY WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF THAT? SO THEY HAD THEY ACTUALLY THE HOUSING COMMITTEE HAD THE HEARING THIS PAST WEEK. UH, IT WAS A TEN HOUR, 11 HOUR HEARING. I THINK IT WENT DEEP INTO THE NIGHT. A LOT OF PEOPLE TESTIFIED, A LOT OF PEOPLE HAD INTEREST IN IT. WE OBVIOUSLY HAVE A HOUSING CRISIS. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME WEVE POTENTIALLY DOING A HOUSING BOND BILL. I WANT TO SAY IN 7 OR 8 YEARS, YOU KNOW, 7 OR 8 YEARS AGO, WE WERE IN A MUCH DIFFERENT PLACE IN TERMS OF OUR HOUSING STOCK, OUR HOUSING COMPONENTS. BACK THEN, THIS IS MUCH NEEDED, SOMETHING WERE CERTAINLY INTERESTED IN DOING. I THINK AS WE WORK THROUGH THE PROCESS, THROUGH THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS, THE BILL WILL WILL SEE ITSELF THROUGH. ITS GOING THROUGH HOUSING RIGHT NOW. IT WOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH BONDING. IT EVENTUALLY COME THE WAYS AND MEANS AND THEN WELL TRY TO GET IT TO THE FLOOR. AND THE HOPE IS TO GET IT PASSED BEFORE THE END OF THE LEGISLATIVE SESSION. SAY SO BASED ON WHAT YOURE SAYING, IT CANT WAIT, RIGHT? I MEAN, THIS CANT WAIT. ITS WE ARE IN A HOUSING CRISIS. IT IS THE IS PROBABLY THE NUMBER ONE ISSUE THAT I THINK MANY OF ME AND MY COLLEAGUES HEAR ABOUT WHEN WERE TALKING TO OUR CONSTITUENTS IS HOUSING IS IS AT THE FOREFRONT OF A LOT OF OUR MINDS. THIS BOND BILL WILL CERTAINLY HELP. IT IS NOT THE CURE ALL. IT IS GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME. IT TOOK IT TOOK US YEARS TO GET INTO THIS ISSUE. ITS GOING TO TAKE US YEARS TO GET OUT OF IT. BUT WE ARE MAKING PROGRESS. I MEAN, I DO, YOU KNOW, THE MBTAS COMMUNITY ACT IS, HAS IS SHOWING SOME PROGRESS IN TERMS OF ZONING AND ALLOWING, YOU KNOW, COMMUNITIES TO BE ABLE TO DEVELOP ALONG TRANSIT ORIENTED HOUSING. I THINK THERE ARE STEPS BEING TAKEN THAT HAVE ALREADY BEEN STARTED, AND I THINK THERES BOND. BILL WILL ACTUALLY TAKE IT TO THE NEXT LEVEL. ALL RIGHT. AN EXPANSION IN CHILD CARE ASSISTANCE AND UNIVERSAL PRE-K. THATS ANOTHER EXPENSIVE, POTENTIALLY TRANSFORMATIONAL PROGRAM. UH, THAT WAS PITCHED BY THE GOVERNOR LAST WEEK. SHE AND LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR KIM DRISCOLL, THEY TOURED THE MYSTIC VALLEY YMCA IN MALDEN. NOW, THE GOAL OF HELPING FAMILIES IS UNDERSTANDABLE, BUT WHERE WOULD THE ADDITIONAL REVENUE COME FROM FOR SOMETHING LIKE THIS? I HAVENT SEEN EXACTLY. OBVIOUSLY, THE GOVERNORS PLAN DIRECTLY. WE WILL PROBABLY SEE IT, YOU KNOW, IN THE OBVIOUSLY IN THE BUDGET THATS FILED NEXT WEEK. UH, WHAT ABOUT GAMBLING REVENUE? WELL, SO, I MEAN, ONE THING THAT WE PUT ON THE TABLE THE PREVIOUS, LAST TWO YEARS IS TO DO THE ONLINE TO CREATE ONLINE LOTTERY TO ALLOW OUR LOTTERY TO BE COMPETITIVE WITH OTHER ONLINE MEASURES LIKE SPORTS BETTING, AND TAKE THAT REVENUE AND MOVE IT TOWARDS, UH, EARLY EDUCATION FUNDING. WE THINK ITS A, YOU KNOW, ITS A ITS A ITS A ITS A GOOD COMPONENT OF AN EASY COMPONENT TO GO GO THROUGH IN THE SENSE OF, YOU KNOW, WEVE DONE EDUCATION FUNDING THROUGH OUR, UH, OUR CHAPTER 70 FUNDING THROUGH THE LOTTERY FOR YEARS FOR, YOU KNOW, FOR GENERATIONS. NOW, THIS IS SOMETHING THAT WE THINK IS AN EASY FIX TO SOME DEGREE. UH, THE THE NUMBER OF THE REVENUE, I THINK IS STILL UP FOR DEBATE. EXACTLY HOW MUCH IT WOULD BE, BUT WE CERTAINLY THINK IT WOULD GO IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION IN TERMS OF MAKING, UH, ALLOWING US TO HAVE SOME ADDITIONAL REVENUE, UH, ACCESSIBLE TO US TO TAKE CARE OF EARLY EDUCATION. OTHER STATES DO HAVE THIS AVAILABLE ONLINE, RIGHT? YEAH. WOULD IS MASSACHUSETTS SORT OF LAGGING IN THAT? UH, YOU KNOW, IM NOT IM NOT SURE EXACTLY THE NUMBER OF STATES THAT DO THAT. BUT THERE ARE THERE ARE A NUMBER OF STATES THAT ARE DOING ONLINE LOTTERY ALREADY. YOU HOPED TO GET SOMETHING DONE IN THAT REALM BY THE END OF SESSION. WEVE PUT THIS ON THE TABLE A NUMBER OF TIMES. I YOU KNOW, WE STILL GOT TO WORK THROUGH OUR BUDGET PROCESS, BUT I THINK ITS SOMETHING THAT WE FEEL STRONGLY ABOUT. WE HAVE FELT STRONGLY ABOUT. IT HASNT GOT OVER THE FINISH LINE YET, BUT SOMETHING THAT WERE GOING TO KEEP WORKING AT. LETS TALK ABOUT THE THE MIGRANT CRISIS, THE THE MIGRANT SHELTER CRISIS HAS ALSO BECOME $1 BILLION BUDGET CRISIS. JUST A FEW MONTHS AGO, AT THIS VERY TABLE, HOUSE SPEAKER RON MARIANO SAID THAT THE CAVALRY WAS NOT COMING. SO REPUBLICANS THAT ARE THAT ARE CALLING FOR CHANGES TO THE STATES RIGHT TO SHELTER LAW, HOW DO WE NAVIGATE THESE VERY COMPLICATED AND AND DEEP WATERS? ITS A VERY COMPLICATED ISSUE. OBVIOUSLY, WERE WERE DEALING WITH AN ISSUE THAT WAS CREATED FROM FROM WASHINGTON IN THAT THE STATES AND THE MUNICIPALITIES ARE HAVING TO KIND OF HANDLE AND DEAL WITH, AND WE ARE HANDLING IT. WE ARE DEALING WITH IT. WERE DEALING WITH IT IN A COMPASSIONATE WAY. UH, ITS A CONTINUED CONVERSATION THAT WERE HAVING UP AT BEACON HILL. UH, RELATED TO HOW TO HANDLE THIS FROM A FINANCIAL STANDPOINT. YOU KNOW, ITS ITS SUPPOSEDLY GOING TO BE PROJECTED OUT TO BE $1 BILLION, MAYBE OVER A YEAR. BUT WHO KNEW? WE DIDNT KNOW THAT LAST YEAR. AND WHO KNOWS WHAT THATS GOING TO BE GOING FORWARD? I THINK ONE OF THREE THINGS OR MULTIPLE THINGS HAVE TO HAPPEN OUT OF THE THREE THINGS THAT, UH, WE ARE SEEING THAT WASHINGTON KIND OF NEEDS TO STEP UP ON, EITHER ONE. THEY NEED TO COME TO THE TABLE AND FINALLY GET THROUGH AN IMMIGRATION REFORM. I WOULD I WOULD IM NOT BETTING ON THAT. NO, NO. NUMBER TWO, THEY HAVE TO CONTINUE ON THE WORKFORCE. UH, VISA COMPONENT AND MAKING SURE THAT THOSE GET OUT QUICKER, THOSE THEY HAVE DONE A BETTER JOB WITH, THAT. I THINK WE NEED TO DO EVEN MORE. SO ITS STILL OVER A YEAR. THE AVERAGE SHELTER, UH, WAIT WHILE WHILE SOMEONES WAITING FOR THEIR WORKFORCE VISA THAT THAT TIMELINE NEEDS TO GET GET GET SHRUNKEN AND IT NEEDS TO GET SMALLER FOR PEOPLE TO GET OUT THERE TO BE ABLE TO MAKE TO MAKE MONEY SO THEY CAN GET OUT OF THE SHELTER SYSTEM. UM, AND THEN NUMBER THREE, YOU KNOW, IS IS POTENTIAL REVENUE IS POTENTIAL FUNDING COMING FROM WASHINGTON. UH, YOU KNOW, BIDEN PUT $1.4 BILLION ON THE TABLE IN A, IN A, IN A SPENDING BILL LAST YEAR, HASNT SEEN ITS WAY THROUGH. THAT WOULD ONLY GIVE US PROBABLY ABOUT 40 TO 50 MILLION. SO, YOU KNOW, THATS ONLY A DROP NOT A DROP IN THE BUCKET. BUT ITS NOT CERTAINLY ENOUGH FOR US TO PLAN FOR WHAT WOULD BE $1 BILLION PLAN. NOW, WE WE WE, YOU KNOW, THIS WILL PLAY ITSELF OUT THROUGH TIME AND WELL SEE, YOU KNOW, THE THE ADMINISTRATION PUT THE CAP, UH, PUT A TEMPORARY CAP ON OF 7500 FAMILIES BACK IN NOVEMBER. THAT HAS NOT STOPPED PEOPLE FROM COMING HERE. PEOPLE ARE STILL GOING TO BE COMING HERE. WE NEED TO WE NEED TO HANDLE THIS. THIS AGAIN IN A COMPASSIONATE WAY, BUT ALSO ALSO IN A IN A STRATEGIC WAY. THAT SURPLUS FUND THAT SHED LIKE TO DRAIN, $700 MILLION, WHERE LAWMAKERS AT ON THAT RIGHT NOW. I MEAN, I THINK THATS AN OPTION OF FOR THE CONVERSATION OF WHERE WHERE WE MIGHT GO TO, UH, YOU KNOW, TH