| | | | |  | | By Lisa Kashinsky and Kelly Garrity | SEE YOU IN COURT, MAYBE — Diana DiZoglio is inching toward the nuclear option in her quest to audit the Legislature. The auditor told Playbook her staff is consulting with the attorney general’s office on legal options for compelling lawmakers to comply with her review — including by suing them. DiZoglio has been threatening to take legislative leaders to court to get them to open up their books for an audit that spans everything from hiring and spending to rules procedures and committee appointments. With neither House Speaker Ron Mariano nor Senate President Karen Spilka cooperating — by claiming DiZoglio doesn’t have the authority for the audit — the auditor told Playbook that it’s “unfortunately likely we will need to pursue legal action sooner rather than later.” That could put Andrea Campbell in the awkward position of having to publicly pick between DiZoglio and the legislative leaders who endorsed her bid for attorney general. The auditor would need authorization from the attorney general’s office to sue the Legislature — permission that’s rarely granted when one part of state government is being pitted against another. If a lawsuit was approved, the attorney general would then need to pick which side to represent and a special assistant attorney general would be called in for the other. Campbell and other top Democrats including Gov. Maura Healey have so far avoided being dragged into the fight between DiZoglio and her former House and Senate colleagues. But DiZoglio could force Campbell’s hand if she tries to take legal action against the Legislature — which presumably won’t happen until after DiZoglio finds out whether lawmakers are going to shortchange her office’s budget. GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Tensions are also flaring between the House and Senate over the omnibus gun bill that state Rep. Michael Day filed last week. The House quickly referred the legislation, a priority of Mariano’s, to the joint Judiciary Committee. But the Senate, despite holding three sessions since, has yet to agree to assign the bill to a committee so lawmakers can schedule a hearing for it — drawing public ire from its filer. “It’s astounding to me that the Senate refuses to assign this bill to a committee. It’s usually a perfunctory exercise,” Day, who co-chairs the Judiciary Committee, told Playbook. “The longer we sit on this, the longer people succumb to gun violence in our neighborhoods.” A Senate spokesperson responded to the House’s unusually public and sharp salvo by saying the “lengthy” bill “touches on a lot of important issues, and as with any bill referral, it is being reviewed to determine which committee to refer it to.” One possible reason for the delay: Senators have already filed their own bills on gun safety — including on ghost gun regulations, a key piece of he House’s sweeping firearms bill and an increasing problem statewide — with a different committee and might not want to see their efforts stomped on by a House that seems to be looking to fast-track its own plan. Plus, there’s that ongoing power struggle between the House and Senate chairs of some joint committees that could affect what bills get to move forward. TODAY — Healey and Acting Gov. Kim Driscoll have no public events. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu visits the BCYF Curley Community Center at 10 a.m. Sen. Elizabeth Warren tours 6K Inc. in North Andover at 11:15 a.m. and joins Rep. Jim McGovern for a Brownfields funding announcement at 2 p.m. in Worcester. THIS WEEKEND — Education Secretary Patrick Tutwiler is on WCVB’s “On the Record” at 11 a.m. Sunday. Axios Boston’s Mike Deehan and I are on NBC10 Boston’s “@Issue” at 11:30 a.m. Sunday. Tips? Scoops? Email us: lkashinsky@politico.com and kgarrity@politico.com.
| | | | JOIN 7/11 FOR A TALK ON THE FAA’S FUTURE: Congress is making moves to pass the FAA Reauthorization Act, laying the groundwork for the FAA’s long-term agenda to modernize the aviation sector to meet the challenges of today and innovate for tomorrow. Join POLITICO on July 11 to discuss what will make it into the final reauthorization bill and examine how reauthorization will reshape FAA’s priorities and authorities. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | |  | DATELINE BEACON HILL | | — “State takeover floated as a potential solution for hospital closures,” by Katie Lannan, GBH News: “Massachusetts lawmakers are weighing a bill that would give the state the power to step in and temporarily take control of a hospital that wants to shut down essential services." — “Berkshire County Probate and Family Court is busier than ever. Pending legislation could help relieve some of that burden,” by Amanda Burke, Berkshire Eagle: “Help could be on the way, thanks to legislation that is poised to expand by eight the number of probate judges sitting in the commonwealth for the first time since 1999. There are currently about 50. Both the House and the Senate have included proposals for funding to add the judges to the Family and Probate Court bench in their proposed spending plans for the fiscal year, meaning the provision is likely to be included in the final package sent to Gov. Maura Healey for final approval.” — "‘We need to take care of it.’ State House’s landmark golden dome and cupola are discolored, decaying," by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: "The problems are clear, but how the state intends to address them are not. Officials have not committed to a timeframe for repairing the landmark or indicated how extensive any project could be."
| | | FROM THE DELEGATION | | | — RUNNING ON A NEW PLATFORM: Twitter is dying … again … maybe. But luckily for the Very Online — and politicians who rely on social media to get their message out — Meta has a new app to woo Twitter users who have hit their limit (literally and figuratively). Threads became the most rapidly downloaded app ever, with more than 30 million downloads in the first 16 hours after its launch. And many Massachusetts politicians have been quick to get on board the "Twitter killer." Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll have joined, as have Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, and Reps. Jake Auchincloss, Katherine Clark, Bill Keating, Seth Moulton and Ayanna Pressley. Several of them have already posted threads. Markey even held an AMA. We'll see if this one sticks as the Twitter alternative. — “The new power couple taking on Wall Street: J.D. Vance and Elizabeth Warren,” by Eleanor Mueller, POLITICO: “Sen. J.D. Vance — the Trump-backing former venture capitalist — is trying to lead Republicans in a new cause: cracking down on big banks. Following a Senate campaign in which he pledged to prioritize rural America over titans of industry, the Ohio lawmaker is using a seat on the Banking Committee to flex his populist bona fides, teaming up with Democrats including Sens. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Dick Durbin of Illinois on bills that the industry’s biggest players despise — while championing legislation that protects smaller banks.”
| | DAY IN COURT | | — “Wrongly convicted Boston man sues state for $1 million,” by Chris Burrell, GBH News: “Wrongly convicted of murder and imprisoned nearly four decades ago, 71-year-old Joseph Jabir Pope is suing the state of Massachusetts for $1 million in compensation. ... His lawsuit being filed in Suffolk Superior Court comes as lawmakers are weighing a bill that would remove the $1 million cap on compensation and offer immediate cash assistance to wrongly convicted people like Pope."
| | IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN | | — “Massachusetts has vast solar potential, according to new state report,” by Sabrina Shankman, Boston Globe: “A new detailed analysis of available surfaces in Massachusetts concludes that the state has much more room to expand solar energy than previously believed, appearing to dispel long-held concerns that the state might be too densely developed to meet its solar energy commitments without major disturbances to forests, wetlands and other environmentally important resources.” — “Boston wants to make EVs EZ,” by Paul Singer, GBH News: “At the end of June, Boston issued two requests seeking ideas from contractors about how to build a charging network — one for a system that would be owned and operated by the city, the other run by a private company. … The bids say the city wants the charging stations up and running within six months of signing a contract.”
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO POWER SWITCH: The energy landscape is profoundly transforming. Power Switch is a daily newsletter that unlocks the most important stories driving the energy sector and the political forces shaping critical decisions about your energy future, from production to storage, distribution to consumption. Don’t miss out on Power Switch, your guide to the politics of energy transformation in America and around the world. SUBSCRIBE TODAY. | | | | | | | FROM THE 413 | | — “Mayor vetoes pregnancy center ordinance a day after council approves measure at a contentious meeting,” by Maddie Fabian, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “After a contentious public hearing Wednesday evening that ended in the City Council passing a pregnancy center ordinance, Mayor Nicole LaChapelle vetoed the measure Thursday afternoon. … The ordinance aims to protect the privacy of people seeking or accessing reproductive and gender-affirming services in the city. In a memo to City Council President Homar Gomez, the mayor wrote that the ordinance would not strengthen individual rights beyond what already exists in state law, and that despite legal merit, the ordinance would face legal challenges and add up to costly repercussions for the city.”
| | THE LOCAL ANGLE | | — “Ethics Commission alleges Solomon violated laws,” by Will Broaddus, The Eagle-Tribune: “The State Ethics Commission has alleged that former Methuen Police Chief Joseph Solomon violated several laws prohibiting conflict of interest while he was serving as chief. The Commission found reasonable cause for its allegations on May 18 and, having reached no settlement with Solomon's attorney on these matters, filed an order to show cause on June 30 that initiates an adjudicatory proceeding within 90 days." — “Brandeis University apologizes for ad that offended Orthodox Jewish student group,” by Ellie Wolfe, Boston Globe: “The ad ran in The New York Times Magazine on June 25 and included the statement ‘Brandeis was founded by Jews. But, it’s anything but Orthodox.’” — “558 confirmed cases and 6 deaths in a week. See the latest COVID-19 data from Mass.,” by the Boston Globe.
| | THE NATIONAL TAKE | | — “After secret documents leak, Pentagon plans tighter controls to protect classified information,” by Lolita C. Baldor and Tara Copp, The Associated Press: “The Pentagon on Wednesday announced plans to tighten protection for classified information following the explosive leaks of hundreds of intelligence documents that were accessed through security gaps at a Massachusetts Air National Guard base.”
| | MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE | | — “New Hampshire bans boycotts of Israel in state procurement and investments,” by the Associated Press: “New Hampshire followed dozens of other states Thursday in prohibiting state contracts or investments involving companies that boycott Israel and its trade partners. The executive order signed by Gov. Chris Sununu makes New Hampshire the 37th state to enact such regulations, according to the Israeli-American Coalition for Action.”
| | HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH | | TRANSITIONS — Elischia Fludd is the next executive director of the Massachusetts Climate Action Network. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Bryan Bowman, Megan Wessenberg, Mike Rigas, Roselle Chartock, Melisse Morris, Vanessa Gatlin, Tim Murray and Northeastern’s Mike Ferrari, a Beacon Hill and Capitol Hill alum. HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND — to Samuel Weinstock, Andy Flick, William LaRose and Maddie James, who celebrate Saturday; and to Sunday birthday-ers Amy Sennett, Brittany Webb of state Sen. Cindy Creem’s office, Rachel Dec, Ryan Boehm, Boston Globe alum Wesley Lowery, George-Alexander Attia and MassGOP alum Madeleine Cammarano. Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
