Post-blizzard energy debates
And a genetic discrimination hearing
My week was spent keeping a 4-year old occupied during a blizzard for two days, and then frantically getting stuff done that I couldn’t on account of keeping a 4-year old occupied. So this will be a shorter newsletter than normal. Here are some highlights about what has been going on at Beacon Hill.
Genetic discrimination hearing
The Joint Committee on Financial Services on Tuesday held a hearing that looked at a bill by Rep. Dave Rogers that would prevent insurers from using genetic test results in underwriting decisions.
Full transcript is here: https://app.legislata.com/public_offices/971/posts/2893932
Mass Save cuts passed the House
This was part of an overall energy package that was in response to increasing electricity and gas prices. The vote highlights the tension that lawmakers across the country are facing. People want prices brought down now, but the only way that you can do that is either increasing energy supply and interconnections, which takes a while, or subsidize current payments, which takes money from elsewhere in the budget.
Of course, because the bill has to pass the Senate, those cuts to the Mass Save program might be reversed.
Speaker and Senate President together on stage
I attended a State House News Service event with Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka, moderated by Jon Keller. A few takeaways:
It sounded like the Auditor’s push for more transparency was the cause of some of the rules changes this session in the legislature.
The Speaker really doesn’t like ballot questions as a way of making policy.
Even with two feet of snow on the ground, people will turn out to hear from the two top lawmakers in the state.
This Week in Bluesky
Snow and the State of the Union were the stories of the week.
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