Representative Don Humason



WHAT TO EXPECT By Representative Don Humason, Jr. April 21, 2007 I apologize for not writing a column last week. I’ve been out of work sick with bronchitis. I’m still not completely over it. I’ve been trying to lay low and not give it to anybody. My thanks to my Legislative Aide, Sarah Latour, for covering the office while I’ve been recuperating. Now that the flood waters are starting to recede, things around town are trying to get back to normal. Westfield has always been a city surrounded by rivers and when the spring rains come we really feel the pain. Several streets in my neighborhood were partially washed out. My backyard became a huge pond. I even had a couple deer come down out of the woods and drink from it. Several of my friends who live in the Kennedy Apartments were displaced by the high water. Some friends who own businesses at each end of Union Street lost business when customers couldn’t make it to their stores because of the flooded street. I’m willing to bet everybody has a story of their own to tell about the rain last week. On the plus side, the annual Westfield whitewater canoe racers this weekend will have plenty of water to contend with as they race Saturday and Sunday in the Westfield River. If you’re looking for something else to do this weekend, “My Fair Lady” is being performed at the Women’s Club by the Westfield Theatre Group. Call the theatre box office number 572-6838 for ticket information. Attention, young fishermen and women! The Westfield Sportsman’s Club will hold its annual free youth fishing derby on Sunday, April 29, from 9 – 3PM. The club is on Furrowtown Road up past Westfield High School. It’s a great event for families. Prizes are rewarded and there are always lots of great raffle prizes. It’s free for children 17 and under and it will be held rain or shine. I’ll see you there. There are other community activities going on next Saturday, April 28, in case you’re interested. Two of them that I’m aware of off the top of my head include the 23rd Annual Run for a Noble Cause & Walk for Good Health and the 8th Annual Treehuggers Cartwheelathon. Go to www.noblehospital.org for info on the run/walk and call 977-9217 for info on the cartwheelathon. I’m going to very busy next week. The House of Representatives is scheduled to begin debating the House version of the state budget for Fiscal Year 2008 on Monday. Here’s what to expect. Members will caucus next Monday at the State House before formal session begins. Upon completion of the second reading of the bill the House will likely recess until Tuesday when debate will begin on the hundreds of amendments that have been proposed to change the budget as released by the House Ways and Means Committee last week. Remember, Ways and Means has worked on their budget for months. They are not typically amenable to making considerable changes to it during debate. Still, legislators often feel the need to propose amendments that earmark or restrict spending to certain pet projects or district priorities. Most amendments will fail. A majority of them will be defeated after only limited debate. The budget debate process has changed considerably over the years. It used to be that each amendment came before the House individually and was debated separately and then voted upon. Today, the Majority Party has vast control over the process and has made it so that most amendments are consolidated into like categories (Public Health, Judiciary, Higher Education, for example). Then members with an interest in the particular category being considered at that time are invited into a room down the hall from the House chamber to discuss the amendments with the Chairman of Ways and Means and his staff. He and the staff draft a new consolidated amendment containing the numbers of all the amendments pertaining to that category, along with whatever final language and appropriation there will be. That consolidated amendment is released to the members who usually have only a few minutes to read it and understand what it does before it hits the floor for debate and a vote. I agree with critics of the process that say it removes to a back room the most important discussions of issues and proposed amendments and keeps debate to a minimum. I also feel that we legislators aren’t given enough time to properly review the consolidated amendments and make an informed decision when we vote. Sadly, we are often forced to vote for an imperfect consolidated amendment even if it doesn’t contain everything we would like. Sarah and I will be at our State House office all next week working on the budget. Please feel free to contact us at 617-722-2803. I regret I will probably not be available to take many of your calls personally because I will be on the floor of the House chamber monitoring the debate. Please leave a message with Sarah and she’ll be certain that I receive it. See you back in Westfield when budget week is over! Representative Don Humason and his new aide Sarah Latour may be reached at their Westfield District office, 64 Noble Street, Westfield, MA 01085, 568-1366. Their Boston address is State House Room 542, Boston, MA 02133, (617) 722-2803. Email address: Rep.DonaldHumason@Hou.state.ma.us
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WHAT TO EXPECT

By Representative Don Humason, Jr.

April 21, 2007

I apologize for not writing a column last week. I’ve been out of work sick with bronchitis. I’m still not completely over it. I’ve been trying to lay low and not give it to anybody. My thanks to my Legislative Aide, Sarah Latour, for covering the office while I’ve been recuperating.

Now that the flood waters are starting to recede, things around town are trying to get back to normal. Westfield has always been a city surrounded by rivers and when the spring rains come we really feel the pain. Several streets in my neighborhood were partially washed out. My backyard became a huge pond. I even had a couple deer come down out of the woods and drink from it.

Several of my friends who live in the Kennedy Apartments were displaced by the high water. Some friends who own businesses at each end of Union Street lost business when customers couldn’t make it to their stores because of the flooded street. I’m willing to bet everybody has a story of their own to tell about the rain last week.

On the plus side, the annual Westfield whitewater canoe racers this weekend will have plenty of water to contend with as they race Saturday and Sunday in the Westfield River.

If you’re looking for something else to do this weekend, “My Fair Lady” is being performed at the Women’s Club by the Westfield Theatre Group. Call the theatre box office number 572-6838 for ticket information.

Attention, young fishermen and women! The Westfield Sportsman’s Club will hold its annual free youth fishing derby on Sunday, April 29, from 9 – 3PM. The club is on Furrowtown Road up past Westfield High School. It’s a great event for families. Prizes are rewarded and there are always lots of great raffle prizes. It’s free for children 17 and under and it will be held rain or shine. I’ll see you there.

There are other community activities going on next Saturday, April 28, in case you’re interested. Two of them that I’m aware of off the top of my head include the 23rd Annual Run for a Noble Cause & Walk for Good Health and the 8th Annual Treehuggers Cartwheelathon. Go to www.noblehospital.org for info on the run/walk and call 977-9217 for info on the cartwheelathon.

I’m going to very busy next week. The House of Representatives is scheduled to begin debating the House version of the state budget for Fiscal Year 2008 on Monday.

Here’s what to expect. Members will caucus next Monday at the State House before formal session begins. Upon completion of the second reading of the bill the House will likely recess until Tuesday when debate will begin on the hundreds of amendments that have been proposed to change the budget as released by the House Ways and Means Committee last week.

Remember, Ways and Means has worked on their budget for months. They are not typically amenable to making considerable changes to it during debate. Still, legislators often feel the need to propose amendments that earmark or restrict spending to certain pet projects or district priorities.

Most amendments will fail. A majority of them will be defeated after only limited debate. The budget debate process has changed considerably over the years. It used to be that each amendment came before the House individually and was debated separately and then voted upon.

Today, the Majority Party has vast control over the process and has made it so that most amendments are consolidated into like categories (Public Health, Judiciary, Higher Education, for example). Then members with an interest in the particular category being considered at that time are invited into a room down the hall from the House chamber to discuss the amendments with the Chairman of Ways and Means and his staff.

He and the staff draft a new consolidated amendment containing the numbers of all the amendments pertaining to that category, along with whatever final language and appropriation there will be. That consolidated amendment is released to the members who usually have only a few minutes to read it and understand what it does before it hits the floor for debate and a vote.

I agree with critics of the process that say it removes to a back room the most important discussions of issues and proposed amendments and keeps debate to a minimum. I also feel that we legislators aren’t given enough time to properly review the consolidated amendments and make an informed decision when we vote. Sadly, we are often forced to vote for an imperfect consolidated amendment even if it doesn’t contain everything we would like.

Sarah and I will be at our State House office all next week working on the budget. Please feel free to contact us at 617-722-2803. I regret I will probably not be available to take many of your calls personally because I will be on the floor of the House chamber monitoring the debate. Please leave a message with Sarah and she’ll be certain that I receive it. See you back in Westfield when budget week is over!

Representative Don Humason and his new aide Sarah Latour may be reached at their Westfield District office, 64 Noble Street, Westfield, MA 01085, 568-1366. Their Boston address is State House Room 542, Boston, MA 02133, (617) 722-2803. Email address: Rep.DonaldHumason@Hou.state.ma.us

This Site Designed and Maintained by: The Barre Group