Hearings Scheduled Through November

JULY 2009: Beyond the budget debate and various "reform" measures capturing daily headlines, the sixteen standing legislative committees are hard at work analyzing the thousands of proposals now before the Legislature.

Among this eclectic myriad of legislation are the nineteen bills filed by the Association for the 2009-2010 Legislative Session. All but one Association bill is under the review of the Joint Committee on Public Service, which is chaired by Representative Robert Spellane (D-Worcester) and Senator Thomas McGee (D-Lynn). The remaining bill, S1233, is before the Committee on Revenue chaired by Representative Jay Kaufman (D-Lexington) and Senator Benjamin Downing (D-Pittsfield).

Under the Massachusetts Constitution, all bills must receive a public hearing. Both committees began their hearing process in March, with the Public Service Committee scheduled to hold hearings through November on each of the 900+ bills before the Committee.

"The legislative process can be long and frustrating, especially during difficult economic times," said Association Legislative Chairman Bill Hill. "While it certainly will not be easy to move a bill during the current budget climate, each one of our 19 bills is important to our Association. We only file bills that we feel have strong merit and a realistic chance of passing

"So while times are tough right now, things will improve with time and these issues will need to be addressed. We'll spend this time educating the Legislature and building support to pass bills as the economy improves and funding becomes available once again."