Beacon Hill Roll Call
Volume 49 – Report No. 51
December 16-20, 2024
Copyright © 2024 Beacon Hill Roll Call. All Rights Reserved.
THE HOUSE AND SENATE: There were no roll call votes in the House or Senate last week. Both branches spent most of their time in session listening to the farewell speeches of legislators who will not be returning to the Legislature next year.
During the week of December 16-20, the House met for a total of eight hours and 21 minutes while the Senate met for a total of eight hours and 15 minutes.
The 2023-2024 Legislative session ends on January 1, 2025. At that time, all bills that have not been given final approval by both the House and the Senate and sent to the governor die.
Many of the bills that will die have not been approved by either branch. But there are several measures that were given initial approval with little or no debate by the House. Following initial approval, the proposals automatically go to the House Committee on Bills in Third Reading (BTR), whose job it is to review the bill and check the contents for legal technicalities and proper citations. After the bill is released by BTR, it is considered and debated by the House and then put up for an up or down vote.
Under House Rule 28A, BTR has 45 days to report out the bill to the House floor for debate and a vote.
The rule reads: “The committee on Bills in the Third Reading shall report on a legislative matter not later than 45 days following the day the matter was referred to it. The Clerk shall indicate on the Calendar entry of every matter before the committee on Bills in the Third Reading the date that said matter was referred to said committee.”
Beacon Hill Roll Call has found four bills that many months ago were given initial approval by the House with little or no debate and were sent to BTR where they have all lingered much longer than 45 days and will die if not acted upon by January 1.
Beacon Hill Roll Call believes that BTR is violating House rules by keeping the bills in committee and not reporting them out after 45 days as required under House rules. This tactic is often used by BTR and other House committees to bottle a measure up and ultimately defeat it by running out the clock.
Here are the four bills that were all approved by the House more than 45 days ago:
ONLINE CAR SALES (H 351) – On February 12, 2024, the House gave initial approval to a bill that makes online sales of cars subject to the same law as if the sales were executed at the dealership’s physical place of business.
FORTUNE TELLERS (H 3893) – On February 15, 2024, the House gave initial approval to legislation that would eliminate the current state law requiring that all fortune telling applicants must have lived in the city or town in which they are seeking their license to practice for at least one continuous year prior to filing their application.
INCREASE FINES FOR VIOLATING HANDICAPPED PARKING (H 3261) – On February 22, 2024, the House gave initial approval to a proposal that would allow cities and towns to increase the current $300 maximum fine for parking illegally in a parking space reserved for persons with disabilities. That $300 fine is set by the state and goes into the municipalities’ General Fund. The measure would allow cities and towns to impose an additional $450 fine – making the total fine $750. The additional $450 would be placed into a specialized local account to be used for Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) upgrades in the city or town where the violation occurred. The original $300 fine would still go into the community’s General Fund.
ROSA PARKS DAY (H 3075) – On February 26, 2024, the House gave initial approval to legislation designating February 4th as Rosa Parks Day, “in lasting recognition of a historic civil rights leader.”
For more information and details on each bill, roll call attendance, and other relevant information, please visit the Wakefield Daily Item at www.localheadlinenews.com.
