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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT EMISSIONS — Gov. Charlie Baker is in Washington, D.C. today to testify before the House Natural Resources Committee, where he plans to talk about what the state is doing to address climate change and promote renewable energy.
The hearing is significant — today marks the first hearing on climate change in the House in more than half a decade. And after a weeks-long government shutdown brought the Capitol to a halt, it appears lawmakers are moving forward on their promise to address climate change. Baker plans to call for federal emission reduction targets at the hearing, according to the State House News Service.
On Beacon Hill, lawmakers are starting to organize around climate goals, too. More than 100 state legislators are rallying behind state Rep. Jennifer Benson's carbon pricing bill, close to double the number of lawmakers who supported the legislation last session.
Put simply, the bill aims to put a price on carbon pollution and would invest around a third of the revenue into clean transportation, resiliency and renewable energy projects, according to Benson's office. Carbon pricing is also known as a market-based mechanism to reduce carbon emissions.
Ninety-four state representatives — well over half of the 160 House members — have signed onto the Benson bill. All are Democrats, save for independent Rep. Susannah Whipps. Eleven state senators also cosponsored the Benson bill.
"The fact that we were able to get more than 100 cosponsors this session proves that there's a ton of momentum behind this issue," Benson said in a statement to POLITICO. "I think a lot of it is a reaction to the extreme weather we've been experiencing in the U.S. However, some of it is also a reaction to the inaction of the Trump administration. He's rolled back emissions standards and doesn't even believe that climate change is real. People now understand that, at least for now, states are going to have to do the work of climate change policy."
Environmental advocates had expected Benson's bill to drum up 70 cosponsors this session, and were surprised to see the total top 100 lawmakers. "More than anything else this signals to House leadershipthat Democratic rank and file [members] have formed a consensus around how we are to tackle carbon emissions," carbon pricing advocate Michael Green of Climate XChange said in statement.
After last week's cosponsorship deadline , lawmakers await committee assignments before they can get to work on thousands of bills. In December, Massachusetts joined a number of other states in a pledge to create a system that limits transportation emissions, which play a large role in carbon pollution.
Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com.
TODAY - Gov. Charlie Baker speaks on climate change before the House Committee on Natural Resources in Washington. Acting Gov. Karyn Polito chairs a meeting of the Governor's Council to Address Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence. Boston Mayor Marty Walshannounces new affordable housing units in the South End. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission meets. The Governor's Council meets.
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 | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
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- "State lawmakers propose to regulate student loans — all but inviting a lawsuit," by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: "Beacon Hill lawmakers are reigniting efforts to scrutinize student loan companies, a move that could inject Massachusetts into a still-unfolding legal battle pitting states against the Trump administration — with millions of borrowers in the middle. Proposals filed in both the House and Senate would subject loan servicers to new registration requirements, create an ombudsman to field complaints about unfair practices, and empower the state to investigate and pull the licenses of 'deceptive' companies."
- "Revenue slide leaves state $400 million behind benchmark," by Matt Murphy, State House News Service: "Despite continued economic growth, state government fell into an even deeper financial hole in January when tax collections missed their target by $195 million leaving state finance officials staring at a $403 million gap more than half-way through the budget year. Budget monitors had been hoping to see a rebound after a dismal December for state revenues, but income tax collections continued to lag the state's projections, which were only recently revised upward."
- "Government commission proposed to examine state journalism industry," by Katie Lannan, State House News Service: "At a time when acquisitions of local papers by international chains and waves of mass layoffs mean the news industry itself is often making headlines, a state lawmaker has offered up a plan she hopes will 'sound the alarm.' Rep. Lori Ehrlich, a Marblehead Democrat, filed a bill that would create a 17-member commission to study 'communities underserved by local journalism,' including 'the adequacy of press coverage,' effects of social media, print and digital business models, and 'public policy solutions to improve the sustainability of local press business models and private and nonprofit solutions .'"
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| FROM THE HUB |
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- "Long delays in State Police crash probes are strikingly routine," by Shelley Murphy, Boston Globe: "Extended delays in crash investigations over the past five years are strikingly routine, a Globe review of State Police records has found. State troopers assigned to the reconstruction unit took an average of about 10 months to complete each of more than 1,900 investigations initiated from January 2014 to Jan. 23, 2019, records show. An additional 321 investigations — most involving fatalities — remain incomplete, with more than a third open for more than a year. More than 40 of those cases have been pending for more than two years."
- "Ride-hail drivers failing checks," by Christian M. Wade, The Salem News: "More than 15 percent of potential ride-hail drivers last year — more than 30,000 applicants - were rejected for failing a state criminal screening despite having passed checks by Uber and Lyft, according to state regulators. The rejected applicants were too young, had criminal backgrounds or had problems with their driving records, according the state Department of Public Utilities."
- "Howard Schultz defends himself during visit to Cambridge," by Michael Levenson, Boston Globe: "Howard Schultz, the billionaire former chief executive of Starbucks, defended himself Tuesday against the blistering criticism he has received from Democrats who say he will help reelect President Trump if he runs as an independent for president in 2020. 'I'm not deterred by it,' Schultz, a former Democrat, told about 200 people gathered to hear him speak on the fifth stop on his book tour, at the Brattle Theatre in Harvard Square."
- "An estimated 1.5 million jubilant fans show Patriots pride at parade," by Mark Arsenault, Boston Globe: "Hundreds of thousands of euphoric fans packed the streets of Boston Tuesday in perhaps the largest rally in the city's history, a triumphant victory parade that celebrated the Super Bowl champion New England Patriots with deafening cheers and raining confetti. Tired of winning, New England? Not by a long shot. Fans clad in treasured Patriots garb poured into downtown in jubilation, riding a wave of adrenaline from the team's incredible sixth title on Sunday."
- "Parking 'strike' called at UMass Boston," by Sarah Betancourt, CommonWealth Magazine: "STUDENTS, STAFF, AND FACULTY at UMass Boston say they plan to hold a 'parking strike' on Wednesday, urging people not to park at campus garages and lots where charges have increased from $6 to $15 a day. 'Our administration talks about their commitment to urban mission, but I can't see it on a $15-a-day parking fee. Students I've talked to are just baffled,' said Jeffrey Melnick, a graduate program director in American studies and a member of the UMass Faculty Staff Union."
- "Why GE Is Paying $57 Million To The French Government," by Elisabeth Harrison, WBUR: "In 2015, General Electric purchased the energy and power side of the French multinational company Alstom for $10.6 billion. But according to the French Finance Ministry, GE didn't make good on all aspects of that deal. The French government says GE was supposed to create 1,000 new jobs. In three years, how many did it actually add? Just 25. So Boston-based GE will put $57 million into a French government-operated fund to boost industry, according to a statement from French Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire."
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| WARREN REPORT |
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- "Elizabeth Warren apologizes for calling herself Native American," by Annie Linskey and Amy Gardner, Washington Post: "Sen. Elizabeth Warren said Tuesday that she was sorry that she identified herself as a Native American for almost two decades, reflecting her ongoing struggle to quiet a controversy that continues to haunt her as she prepares to formally announce a presidential bid. Her comments more fully explain the regret she expressed last week to the chief of the Cherokee Nation, the first time she's said she was sorry for claiming American Indian heritage."
- "Kentucky MAGA teen targets Warren for potential libel suit," by Lisa Kashinsky, Boston Herald: "The Kentucky MAGA teen who was vilified after a viral faceoff with a Native American activist last month is striking back with a threatened libel suit — with his high-profile lawyer sending 'preservation demand letters' to U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and a long list of media outlets and commentators who disparaged him."
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| DATELINE D.C. |
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- "Charlie Baker will urge Washington to act on climate change," by Jess Bidgood, Boston Globe: "Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker is set on Wednesday to call for the federal government to take significant action to respond to the threat of climate change, marking a sharp contrast with his party's orthodoxy on the issue. Baker, a Republican, is scheduled to testify on the issue before the House Committee on Natural Resources, which is holding its first hearing on climate change since 2009 as a part of an effort by Democrats to bring the issue to the fore now that they control the House."
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| THE CLARK CAUCUS |
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- "Democrats bat away Trump's olive branch on drug pricing," by Adam Cancryn and Sarah Owermohle, POLITICO: "President Donald Trump keeps telling Democrats he wants a big bipartisan drug pricing deal. But Democrats don't believe him — and are rolling out a series of bills that would set the framework for talks far to the left, defying Trump to stand in the way. At the center of that effort is empowering Medicare to directly negotiate drug prices — a top liberal priority that's faced near-universal opposition from Republicans, yet won Trump's support when he ran for president."
- Why Democratic women wore white to the State of the Union address, by Brittany Shoot, Fortune: "The House Democratic Women's Working Group invited women of both political parties to wear white to honor the legacy of women's suffrage in the United States. With a record number of women serving in Congress, the sartorial choice creates a powerful visual representation of elected women's leadership."
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| FROM THE DELEGATION |
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- "If the State of the Union is strong it 'has little to do with the Trump administration' says Rep. Ayanna Pressley," by Jacqueline Tempera, MassLivecom: "At a press conference with the Democratic women of Congress shortly before the president is due to give his State of the Union address, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, a Boston Democrat, pushed back against the Trump administration. The female Democrats in the House and Senate wore white during a press conference Tuesday afternoon, a nod to the suffrage movement."
- "Massachusetts Democrats question President Donald Trump's State of the Union call for unity," by Shannon Young, Springfield Republican: "Despite President Donald Trump's State of the Union call for lawmakers to come together on an array of policy issues, some Massachusetts Democrats questioned his commitment to bipartisanship. Members of the state's congressional delegation offered that while they support the president's call for unity on Capitol Hill, they remain skeptical as to whether Trump will be able to put partisan politics aside when it comes to contentious issues, like immigration."
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| MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS |
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- MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE: "New Hampshire's opioid crisis looms over marijuana legalization debate," by Naomi Martin, Boston Globe: " In the state that ranks second in the country for opioid overdose deaths, concerns about worsening that crisis repeatedly emerged on both sides of the debate. The bill's chance of ultimately becoming law remains unclear. Governor Chris Sununu, a Republican, has vowed to campaign against it in the Democrat-controlled Legislature and if it passes, veto it. To override a veto, both the House and the Senate would need a two-thirds majority. Sununu has also cited the state's opioid crisis as a reason for his opposition."
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| ABOVE THE FOLD |
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— Herald: "VICTORY!" — Globe: "Trump decries 'partisan investigations'" "ONCE MORE, WITH FEELING." |
| ALL ABOARD |
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- "Ridership on commuter rail exploding with fans for Patriots rally," by Adam Vaccaro, Mark Arsenault and Meghan Barr, Boston Globe: "Like the Los Angeles Rams, the MBTA got blitzed by Patriots jerseys. An onslaught of fans coming to the Super Bowl parade in Boston overwhelmed the commuter rail system Tuesday morning, despite dozens of extra trips and additional cars, filling trains to capacity long before they got to Boston and swelling ridership to double the normal daily commune."
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| FROM THE 413 |
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- "Comerford co-sponsors statewide plastic bag ban," by Grace Bird, Greenfield Recorder: "Massachusetts may become the third state in the nation to ban carry-out plastic bags, after California and Hawaii. Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, a bill co-sponsor, said through a spokesperson that 'this is an idea whose time has come.'"
- "Area students head to Boston to lobby for rural schools," by Greta Jochem, Daily Hampshire Gazette: "As Beacon Hill eyes reforming the way the state funds public schools, a coalition of rural districts are asking the state to increase funding for rural schools. Led by the Massachusetts Rural Schools Coalition, about 50 students from rural schools, including those from Hatfield and Hampshire Regional, are heading to Boston on Thursday to ask that a rural factor is added to the Chapter 70 funding."
TRANSITIONS - Phillomin Laptiste was nominated by Boston Mayor Marty Walsh to the Board of Health.
- Dr. Katie McBrine, who ran for state Senate in 2018, will chair the new Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus South Shore Committee.Melissa Smith, who managed McBrine's campaign, will serve as vice chair.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to Webster state Rep. Joseph McKenna.
DID THE HOME TEAM WIN? Yes and yes! The Bruins beat the Islanders 3-1. The Celtics beat the Cavaliers 103-96.
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