Representative Don Humason



OVERRIDES By State Representative Don Humason, Jr. July 22, 2006 As I write this week’s column, there are only 11 days until July 31, the end of the Legislature’s formal sessions. Last week, the House began taking up overrides of Governor Romney’s vetoes of the FY ’07 state budget, the supplemental budget, and the economic stimulus bill. This week, the Senate joined the House in overriding many of those vetoes. Overrides must begin in the House of Representatives before the Senate can get them. Only the Speaker of the House and his lieutenants, like the Chairman of Ways and Means, decide which vetoes to take up for override votes. Typically, once the Speaker brings something up it gets overridden. That’s the benefit he has to having an overwhelming majority in the House. As a reminder, there are 160 State Representatives. 21 are Republicans. 139 are Democrats. Because this is an election year, you can bet that the Majority Party will seek to embarrass Governor Romney by overriding many of his vetoes, effectively increasing the spending spree we’ve gone on this year as a Legislature. It’s your money we’re spending by the way. The upside is that funding for many programs was restored and some new programs were created. The downside is that much of those programs will never serve the average taxpayer, or are targeted towards Boston and other Bay State cities while ignoring (yet again) suburban cities like Westfield. Oh yeah, and the cost is millions of dollars that could be coming back to you in the form of an income tax rollback or other rate relief. And did I mention that we’re spending money from our Rainy Day reserve fund? Governor Romney reminded us this week that money is more appropriately spent on emergencies like the repair of the Central Artery tunnel ceilings. The numbers are in from Fiscal Year 2006 which ended on June 30. According to a story in the State House News Service, “The state collected a record $18.487 billion or 8.2 % above last year and over $1 billion more than the revenue estimate used in the budget. ”Receipts for FY ‘06 outpaced the final revision of the state’s full-year revenue projection by $329 million, the Department of Revenue said. June’s $2.036 billion intake set a record for that month, fully 11.2 percent above last year and $132 million beyond the monthly benchmark. ”Despite the impressive numbers, the state’s final FY ’06 surplus will be markedly smaller because of still-uncalculated spending totals for the year. In a press statement, DOR Commissioner Alan LeBovidge said investment-associated income taxes and corporate taxes helped fuel “a good year for revenue,” while sales and use tax collections lagged.” Speaking of the sales tax, I want to give you all a heads up so you can start to save your money to save your money. I was repetitive on purpose. The Legislature is slated to approve another sales tax-free weekend just as we did last year. You may want to hold off on major purchases until this sales tax holiday arrives. I was speaking with Representative Dan Bosley (D-North Adams), Chairman of the House Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies. He was telling me about some of the behind the scenes give-and-take between the branches just to get this bill out before the end of the session. It looks like the weekend of August 12 and 13 shoppers in Massachusetts will get a temporary reprieve from the state’s 5 % sales tax. Last fall I purchased my grandmother’s house in Westfield and have been renovating it this year. Thanks to my awesome contractor, Bruno Antico Builders and Remodelers, the place is almost done and ready for me to move in. I’m making an ever-increasing list of things I need to buy for the house and I’m planning to buy them August 12 and 13. No sales tax! You may want to do the same thing. Everyone likes to save money. Representative Don Humason and his aide Joe Wynn may be reached at their Westfield District office, 64 Noble Street, Westfield, MA 01085, 568-1366. Their Boston address is State House Room 443, Boston, MA 02133, (617) 722-2460. Email address: Rep.DonaldHumason@Hou.state.ma.us * * * Please feel free to forward this column to your family, friends, and associates. If you do not wish to receive an email copy of my Saturday Westfield Evening News column, please reply and let me know. I will then take you off the list. Sorry for any inconvenience.
This Site Designed and Maintained by: The Barre Group

OVERRIDES

By State Representative Don Humason, Jr.

July 22, 2006

As I write this week’s column, there are only 11 days until July 31, the end of the Legislature’s formal sessions. Last week, the House began taking up overrides of Governor Romney’s vetoes of the FY ’07 state budget, the supplemental budget, and the economic stimulus bill. This week, the Senate joined the House in overriding many of those vetoes.

Overrides must begin in the House of Representatives before the Senate can get them. Only the Speaker of the House and his lieutenants, like the Chairman of Ways and Means, decide which vetoes to take up for override votes. Typically, once the Speaker brings something up it gets overridden. That’s the benefit he has to having an overwhelming majority in the House.

As a reminder, there are 160 State Representatives. 21 are Republicans. 139 are Democrats. Because this is an election year, you can bet that the Majority Party will seek to embarrass Governor Romney by overriding many of his vetoes, effectively increasing the spending spree we’ve gone on this year as a Legislature. It’s your money we’re spending by the way.

The upside is that funding for many programs was restored and some new programs were created. The downside is that much of those programs will never serve the average taxpayer, or are targeted towards Boston and other Bay State cities while ignoring (yet again) suburban cities like Westfield.

Oh yeah, and the cost is millions of dollars that could be coming back to you in the form of an income tax rollback or other rate relief. And did I mention that we’re spending money from our Rainy Day reserve fund? Governor Romney reminded us this week that money is more appropriately spent on emergencies like the repair of the Central Artery tunnel ceilings.

The numbers are in from Fiscal Year 2006 which ended on June 30. According to a story in the State House News Service, “The state collected a record $18.487 billion or 8.2 % above last year and over $1 billion more than the revenue estimate used in the budget.

”Receipts for FY ‘06 outpaced the final revision of the state’s full-year revenue projection by $329 million, the Department of Revenue said. June’s $2.036 billion intake set a record for that month, fully 11.2 percent above last year and $132 million beyond the monthly benchmark.

”Despite the impressive numbers, the state’s final FY ’06 surplus will be markedly smaller because of still-uncalculated spending totals for the year. In a press statement, DOR Commissioner Alan LeBovidge said investment-associated income taxes and corporate taxes helped fuel “a good year for revenue,” while sales and use tax collections lagged.”

Speaking of the sales tax, I want to give you all a heads up so you can start to save your money to save your money. I was repetitive on purpose. The Legislature is slated to approve another sales tax-free weekend just as we did last year. You may want to hold off on major purchases until this sales tax holiday arrives.

I was speaking with Representative Dan Bosley (D-North Adams), Chairman of the House Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies. He was telling me about some of the behind the scenes give-and-take between the branches just to get this bill out before the end of the session. It looks like the weekend of August 12 and 13 shoppers in Massachusetts will get a temporary reprieve from the state’s 5 % sales tax.

Last fall I purchased my grandmother’s house in Westfield and have been renovating it this year. Thanks to my awesome contractor, Bruno Antico Builders and Remodelers, the place is almost done and ready for me to move in. I’m making an ever-increasing list of things I need to buy for the house and I’m planning to buy them August 12 and 13. No sales tax! You may want to do the same thing. Everyone likes to save money.

Representative Don Humason and his aide Joe Wynn may be reached at their Westfield District office, 64 Noble Street, Westfield, MA 01085, 568-1366.

Their Boston address is State House Room 443, Boston, MA 02133, (617) 722-2460. Email address: Rep.DonaldHumason@Hou.state.ma.us

* * * Please feel free to forward this column to your family, friends, and associates. If you do not wish to receive an email copy of my Saturday Westfield Evening News column, please reply and let me know. I will then take you off the list. Sorry for any inconvenience.