Boston, MA–Last night, the Democratic supermajority on Beacon Hill displayed an irresponsible, ineffective, opaque, and chaotic approach to legislating, revealing their arrogance and disorganization. In a last-minute rush, they attempted to push through as many pieces of legislation as possible, with no open debate and no public input. This strategy is counterintuitive to effective legislating, and was clearly designed to avoid public scrutiny.
Their dysfunctional strategy backfired, and many bills failed to pass by the deadline. The infighting within the Democratic supermajority was evident, proving once again that one-party rule is ineffective and detrimental to the taxpayers of Massachusetts. As the calendar turned to August, Democratic leaders scrambled to cover their failures. Senate President Spilka deflected responsibility, stating, “You can assign blame, but that gets us nowhere.” When questioned about the effectiveness of marathon final sessions, House Speaker Mariano dismissively responded, “Why wouldn’t it be [effective]?”
MassGOP Chair Amy Carnevale commented on the night’s chaos, stating, “This type of rushed legislating runs counter to basic principles of governance and transparency. The leadership delayed action on these bills because they knew the only way to pass these measures was to rush 100-page bills through without public input or even to allow their own legislators the chance to read them! This is by design. The party bosses thought they could steamroll regular order.”
Carnevale continued, “The failure of the Democratic caucus to pass more than a handful of bills in the formal legislative session is a clear indication that Speaker Mariano and Senate President Spilka cannot work collaboratively, and they certainly cannot provide proper leadership for their members, much less Massachusetts taxpayers. The result? Inaction on crucial measures related to the health of the Commonwealth’s economy. Meanwhile, Republicans on Beacon Hill worked diligently on behalf of their constituents. They spoke up, they participated in debate, they proposed alternative solutions, and – most importantly – they demonstrated what it actually means to be competent legislators.”
“When one-party rule devolves into the partisan, chaotic, inactive display that took place in the halls of Beacon Hill, it becomes abundantly clear that the Democratic Supermajority has, simply, too many cooks in the kitchen. It points to the desperate need for more productive voices in state government, and that is exactly what the Republican candidates for State Representative and State Senate have to offer. A vote against entrenched Beacon Hill party bosses is not a reflection of ideology; it is a vote against corruption, greed, and outright laziness,” Carnevale concluded.