No easy shelter solutions

Mar 07, 2024

‘IT WILL COLLAPSE’ — Something’s gotta give.

That was the consensus among state representatives who voted 121-33 to advance a $260 million spending bill that would cover the costs of the emergency assistance program through the end of June and limit how long families can stay in the shelter system to 12 months max.

House Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz cast the changes as “temporary” but necessary to sustain a program that would otherwise “collapse under its own weight.”

His comments are indicative of the precarious moment the state is in. Tax collections again fell short of benchmarks in February. The Healey administration already slashed spending for this fiscal year, and the governor’s proposed budget calls for flat growth in the next one. Meanwhile, the federal deal that would have tightened border policies and sent much-needed dollars to states sheltering migrants remains dead.

And so, without the congressional cavalry, the state House passed a bill that would cap most people’s shelter stays at nine months and let those who are working or in job-training programs stay for another three months. Pregnant women, people with certain disabilities, veterans and domestic violence victims would be eligible for 12 consecutive months in the system. Other approved amendments would require families be given 90-day notice before they have to exit shelter and cap the number of families leaving the program at 150 per week.

Republicans balked at the bill they said doesn’t go far enough to address the core issue of immigration. Some Democrats joined them in voting against its passage. “Something needs to be done,” progressive state Rep. Mike Connolly posted on X. But in his view that includes doing more to address the lack of affordable housing that's pushing some people into the shelter system in the first place.

The House debate — both in the chamber and within the Democratic caucus — underscored the political friction being fueled by the worsening migrant and shelter crisis. And those tensions could again spill across chambers as the House-approved changes to the shelter system move onto the Senate.

Michael Rodrigues, the Senate Ways and Means chair, raised the idea of “unintended consequences” when asked on Wednesday whether he supports putting time limits on shelter stays.

“Whenever you limit time, it begs the question: What happens when that time expires?” he told reporters.

And a spokesperson for Karen Spilka wouldn’t directly answer when asked if she supported the House plan, saying only that the Senate president “has been clear that we need to help the families entering our state, but we need help from Congress.”

Gov. Maura Healey has said she’s open to changing the system. She filed regulations last fall that would allow her administration to limit the length of shelter stays. But she’s yet to exercise that authority.

Both lawmakers and the governor are facing pressure from some advocates not to impose even more conditions on people seeking shelter after Healey capped the program at 7,500 families last year and created a triage system to assess their need.

“We’re very concerned about what time limits would mean for people,” Andrea Park of the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute said after the House vote. “This is a fundamental change to the program that I think deserves a bigger discussion.”

GOOD THURSDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. How is it not Friday yet?

TODAY — Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll address the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce’s Quarterly Breakfast Club at 7:45 a.m. Healey kicks off her “Mass Leads Roadshow” with stops at 9:45 a.m. in Worcester and 11:30 a.m. in Hopkinton. Driscoll speaks at the MMA’s Women Leading Government conference at 9:30 a.m. Spilka tours a Head Start center in Malden at 10 a.m. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu speaks at a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 11 a.m. in Back Bay. House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark holds a press conference on reproductive rights at 11 a.m. in D.C.

Tips? Scoops? Election results? Email us: kgarrity@politico.com and lkashinsky@politico.com.

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PARTY POLITICS

HANGING IN THE BALANCE — Results are still trickling in for the Republican State Committee races that became a referendum on Chair Amy Carnevale’s leadership.

Both camps — the “Massachusetts Freedom Slate” backed by former state Rep. Geoff Diehl and former Chair Jim Lyons, and the group of candidates more aligned with Carnevale — won some key races and lost others.

A sampling: Kathy Lynch, an incumbent on the “Freedom Slate,” fended off a challenge from longtime Republican operative and former U.S. Senate hopeful Beth Lindstrom, according to unofficial results. But 19-year-old Amanda Peterson, who managed state Sen. Peter Durant’s last campaign, claimed victory over incumbent Maureen Maloney, a “Freedom Slate” candidate who chaired the unsuccessful ballot campaign to reject the law granting undocumented immigrants access to driver’s licenses.

Carnevale’s supporters believe they'll control enough seats to be in a “very strong” position to stop her detractors from trying to force her out at the next State Committee meeting. Todd Taylor, a “Freedom Slate” endorsee and Lyons ally who won reelection on Tuesday, also said it seems like Carnevale will stay on as chair.

But Diehl says nothing's a done deal. “It’s going to take a little time before we know if anyone plans to challenge the chair with a vote of no confidence,” he told Playbook, while reiterating that he’s not interested in running for chair himself.

BTW, the Boston candidate whose antisemitic remarks prompted a pre-election disavowal from the MassGOP lost her race, according to unofficial tallies.

DUST SETTLES FOR FRAMINGHAM DEMS — State Rep. Priscila Sousa will be the sole member of the “Group 2” slate to join the Framingham Democratic Committee after the winning “Group 1” slate only ran candidates for 34 of the 35 available seats. The MetroWest Daily News’ Jesse Collings dives into the aftermath of the fraught campaign.

YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS

TRAINING SEASON’S OVER — The general election is getting underway in full force today, with the sole Republican left standing, former President Donald Trump, preparing to offer a play-by-play of the State of the Union speech his likely November rival, President Joe Biden, is delivering tonight to a joint session of Congress.

After Trump and Biden completed near sweeps of the Super Tuesday nominating contests, a few things happened in quick succession: Former South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley exited the Republican race and pointedly didn’t endorse Trump. Rep. Dean Phillips (D-Minn.) dropped his primary challenge to Biden and threw his support behind the president. Both sides scrambled to scoop up Haley’s supporters — Biden with an olive branch, Trump with an insult. Biden’s camp also began making plays for Haley’s donors.

In New Hampshire, where the GOP is hoping to keep the governor’s office after Chris Sununu leaves, Republican former Sen. Kelly Ayotte endorsed Trump. (Ayotte, who has gone back and forth over the years on supporting Trump, still hasn’t said who she voted for in the state’s presidential primary.) Her rival, former state Senate President Chuck Morse, endorsed Trump long ago. Sununu previously said he would support his party’s nominee.

DIG IN — “Massachusetts election maps: See how Trump and Biden’s support has changed since 2016,” by Christina Prignano and Kirkland An, The Boston Globe: “Trump continues to struggle with suburban voters, and Biden did not see a large erosion of support among Democratic voters.”

— “‘No preference’ votes ‘surpassed all expectations’ in primary election, organizers say,” by Jesse Steinmetz and Liz Neisloss, GBH News: “Members of the Vote No Preference Coalition say they’re committed to pushing Biden as much as possible and would continue their movement through the general election.”

THE NATIONAL TAKE — "Haley flopped. But she exposed Trump’s weaknesses on her way out," by Lisa Kashinsky and Jessica Piper, POLITICO.

On the ground in Albany. Get critical policy news and analysis inside New York State. Track how power brokers are driving change across legislation and budget and impacting lobbying efforts. Learn more.

DATELINE BEACON HILL

— “Massachusetts’ top appeals court judge to retire early, offering Healey another high-profile opening,” by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: “The chief justice of the Massachusetts appeals court will step down from his post later this year, giving Governor Maura Healey another high-profile vacancy to fill in the state’s judiciary. … [Mark V.] Green, an appointee of three separate Republican governors, isn’t slated to hit the state’s mandatory retirement age until September 2026. But he said he decided to step down after weighing ‘a mix of personal and professional considerations.'"

— “Gomez Could Face Senate Primary Challenge from the City Council,” by Matt Szafranski, Western Mass. Politics & Insight: “Springfield Senator Adam Gomez won his seat in a primary challenge. Now Springfield City Councilor Malo Brown could be on the verge of launching his own bid against the two-term senator for the Hampden District.”

— “What is Healey's vision? Here are the topics she's spoken most about as Mass. governor,” by Cassandra Dumay, Aditya Chopra and Cici Yu, Boston University/GBH: “A GBH News analysis of the governor’s speeches during her first year in office found that Healey mentioned jobs and the workforce in 46 out of 67 major policy speeches — more than any other topic."

— “Mass. looks to end veteran homelessness with $20M campaign,” by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald.

FROM THE DELEGATION

STATE OF THE GUEST LIST — Rep. Bill Keating is bringing Evgenia Kara-Murza, the wife of jailed Russian opposition leader Vladimir Kara-Murza, as his guest to Biden’s State of the Union speech tonight.

Like Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Rep. Ayanna Pressley is bringing someone who benefited from Biden’s student debt forgiveness program: teacher Priscilla Higuera Valentine. Rep. Seth Moulton will be accompanied by Oleksandra Kovalchuk, a Ukrainian national now based in Salem who is working to protect Ukraine’s museums and historic sites. And House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark is bringing Amanda Zurawski, the lead plaintiff in Zurawski v. State of Texas, who was denied abortion care until she became septic.

SETTING SOTU EXPECTATIONS — Biden is expected to cover everything from the war in Gaza to his efforts to lower the cost of prescription drugs when he delivers his State of the Union address at 9 p.m. Here’s what members of the Massachusetts delegation want to hear:

Clark wants Biden to “underscore his commitment to reproductive justice and stopping the MAGA attack on abortion, IVF, birth control, and freedom itself,” she said in a statement.

Warren is hoping the president will “tout his accomplishments" on student debt and junk fees and "talk about his plans" to "make child care more affordable and the wealthy pay their fair share."

Moulton is hoping to see Biden dispel concerns about his age while blasting Republicans over immigration and reproductive rights.

Pressley hopes Biden reminds people of about the impact of his student debt cancellation program and firmly calls for a ceasefire in Gaza and the return of hostages.

Sen. Ed Markey wants hear Biden continue to put climate action, jobs and justice at the top of his agenda "so that we can lead and deliver on the promise of a Green New Deal."

Rep. Jake Auchincloss wants Biden to deliver “a clear exposition of how strong the economy is” and remind people that it was Republicans who torpedoed the bipartisan border bill, he said on MSNBC.

Rep. Stephen Lynch is looking for Biden to show “strength and determination” like last year and address the wars in Ukraine and Gaza.

Rep. Jim McGovern wants the president to hit the highlights — and remind viewers of the “existential threat” of MAGA extremism.

Rep. Lori Trahan wants to hear Biden “state clearly and unequivocally that Democrats will do everything in our power to protect access to reproductive care, including IVF, mifepristone, and abortion,” she said in a statement.

WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD BE READING

— “After Mass. and Cass crackdown, homeless community cast out into the shadows of Boston,” by Tori Bedford, GBH News.

— “SJC asks, do you have to put down a dying dog?” by Jennifer Smith, CommonWealth Beacon.

— “U.S. agency: St. Vincent Hospital not meeting standards of safe patient care,” by Henry Schwan, Telegram & Gazette.

— “'Never thought I'd be sitting in this seat': How Brockton school board ends power struggle,” by Christopher Butler, The Enterprise.

— "Maine shooter had signs of traumatic brain injury before Lewiston rampage, according to BU study," by Sean Cotter, The Boston Globe.

— “For some local businesses, overflow shelters housing migrants open door to reliable state-funded contracts,” by Daniel Kool and Samantha J. Gross, The Boston Globe.

— “What is Healey's vision? Here are the topics she's spoken most about as Mass. governor,” by Cassandra Dumay, Aditya Chopra and Cici Yu, GBH News.

HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Christina Gregg.

NEW HORSE RACE ALERT: STUPOR TUESDAY — Hosts Steve Koczela and Lisa Kashinsky parse the Bay State’s not-at-all-surprising Super Tuesday results and what they mean for November. Host Jennifer Smith checks in on the first of a series of committee hearings on the current slate of ballot measures. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud.

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