Representative Don Humason



AFTERMATH Westfield Evening News column By State Representative Don Humason, Jr. May 8, 2010 I predicted in my written-on-the-spot column last week during the week-long House budget debate that I would most likely vote against the final budget bill. And that’s exactly what I did. The vote was 132-25. As the State House News Service reported it, “After a day of often acrimonious debate about the way the House was conducting its business, the House voted 132-25 Friday night to pass a $27.8 billion fiscal 2011 budget and send it to the Senate, which plans its budget debate in late May. “The budget increases overall state spending by 3.2 percent. Just before the vote, the House voted 105-52 to send a proposal reinstating the death penalty to a special commission for study. All 16 House Republicans voted against the budget, which passed without the traditional concluding remarks from supporters and opponents of the budget. “With little in the way of new revenue to spend, debate for most of the week centered on whether to attach legislative proposals to the budget. Critics of the legislative process said too many ideas are bottled up in committees and are unlikely to surface for floor votes. House leaders, under Speaker Robert DeLeo, maintained the process is working. The House quickly adjourned following the bill's passage, with plans to return on Tuesday.” The week after budget debate is traditionally pretty quiet as Ways and Means Committee staffers and the House Clerk’s office sift through the aftermath of the debated amendments and make certain what passed, didn’t pass, or was either consolidated or further studied. The Senate looks at what we did in the House as well and literally does the after-math of how much our version of the budget spends. Because they have an extra month before they debate their version of the budget the Senate has the advantage of reviewing an extra month of state revenue receipts. With April as the biggest tax month, Senate budget writers usually have a better financial picture of the state. After spending all five days last week on Beacon Hill, I had hoped to get more time to catch up back in Westfield but that was not to be. Even with a House schedule that contained only informal sessions for this week and next week, I still had to be at the State House for meetings and hearings. As a member of the legislature’s Joint Committee on Transportation, I try to attend every public hearing and executive session of that committee. I was also appointed to the special six-member Conference Committee on the Safe Driver Bill passed a few months back by both branches. As with every Conference Committee, this group is composed of six members; Three representatives and three senators, two from each branch are Democrats, one is a Republican. I am the Republican House member on the Conference Committee. The six of us act as a special committee tasked with reaching a compromise between the two versions of the bills passed by the House and Senate. You may remember the main issues in the legislation were banning texting while driving, use of cell phones while driving (either hand-held or hands-free), and testing of elderly drivers. I am not permitted to speak publicly about the negotiations of the Conference Committee until we release a final report. That report goes back to the House and Senate for an up or down vote. It can be debated but not amended. Then it goes to the Governor. I am fortunate to have a Westfield student interning at my State House office. Cheryl Szafran graduates on Friday from Northeastern University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and a minor in International Affairs. Congratulations Cheryl! Sunday is Mother’s Day. I would like to wish my mom, and all moms, a very Happy Mother’s Day. * * * Disclaimer: The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not the staff, editor, or publisher of the Westfield Evening News. Representative Don Humason and his Chief of Staff Sarah Latour may be reached at their Westfield District Office, 64 Noble Street, Westfield, MA 01085, 568-1366. Representative Don Humason may be reached at his Boston office, State House Room 542, Boston, MA 02133, (617) 722-2803. Email address: Rep.DonaldHumason@Hou.state.ma.us Website: www.donhumason.org
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AFTERMATH

Westfield Evening News column
By State Representative Don Humason, Jr.
May 8, 2010

I predicted in my written-on-the-spot column last week during the week-long House budget debate that I would most likely vote against the final budget bill. And that’s exactly what I did. The vote was 132-25.

As the State House News Service reported it, “After a day of often acrimonious debate about the way the House was conducting its business, the House voted 132-25 Friday night to pass a $27.8 billion fiscal 2011 budget and send it to the Senate, which plans its budget debate in late May.

“The budget increases overall state spending by 3.2 percent. Just before the vote, the House voted 105-52 to send a proposal reinstating the death penalty to a special commission for study. All 16 House Republicans voted against the budget, which passed without the traditional concluding remarks from supporters and opponents of the budget.

“With little in the way of new revenue to spend, debate for most of the week centered on whether to attach legislative proposals to the budget. Critics of the legislative process said too many ideas are bottled up in committees and are unlikely to surface for floor votes. House leaders, under Speaker Robert DeLeo, maintained the process is working. The House quickly adjourned following the bill's passage, with plans to return on Tuesday.”

The week after budget debate is traditionally pretty quiet as Ways and Means Committee staffers and the House Clerk’s office sift through the aftermath of the debated amendments and make certain what passed, didn’t pass, or was either consolidated or further studied. The Senate looks at what we did in the House as well and literally does the after-math of how much our version of the budget spends.

Because they have an extra month before they debate their version of the budget the Senate has the advantage of reviewing an extra month of state revenue receipts. With April as the biggest tax month, Senate budget writers usually have a better financial picture of the state.

After spending all five days last week on Beacon Hill, I had hoped to get more time to catch up back in Westfield but that was not to be. Even with a House schedule that contained only informal sessions for this week and next week, I still had to be at the State House for meetings and hearings.

As a member of the legislature’s Joint Committee on Transportation, I try to attend every public hearing and executive session of that committee. I was also appointed to the special six-member Conference Committee on the Safe Driver Bill passed a few months back by both branches.

As with every Conference Committee, this group is composed of six members; Three representatives and three senators, two from each branch are Democrats, one is a Republican. I am the Republican House member on the Conference Committee. The six of us act as a special committee tasked with reaching a compromise between the two versions of the bills passed by the House and Senate.

You may remember the main issues in the legislation were banning texting while driving, use of cell phones while driving (either hand-held or hands-free), and testing of elderly drivers.

I am not permitted to speak publicly about the negotiations of the Conference Committee until we release a final report. That report goes back to the House and Senate for an up or down vote. It can be debated but not amended. Then it goes to the Governor.

I am fortunate to have a Westfield student interning at my State House office. Cheryl Szafran graduates on Friday from Northeastern University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and a minor in International Affairs. Congratulations Cheryl!

Sunday is Mother’s Day. I would like to wish my mom, and all moms, a very Happy Mother’s Day.

* * *

Disclaimer: The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not the staff, editor, or publisher of the Westfield Evening News.

Representative Don Humason and his Chief of Staff Sarah Latour may be reached at their Westfield District Office, 64 Noble Street, Westfield, MA 01085, 568-1366. Representative Don Humason may be reached at his Boston office, State House Room 542, Boston, MA 02133, (617) 722-2803. Email address: Rep.DonaldHumason@Hou.state.ma.us Website: www.donhumason.org