Legislators aim to finish 'big six' bills
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House Speaker Robert DeLeo said there is a strong desire to get the six bills before Gov. Charlie Baker.
As the clock runs down on formal session in 2016, Gov. Charlie Baker, House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Stanley Rosenberg put forward an optimistic front Monday that their collective legislative priorities will prevail before the end of July.
Baker last week labeled the "big six" bills remaining before the Legislature this session: diversification of the state's energy mix; regulation of the ride-for-hire industry; restricting the use of non-compete agreements; ensuring pay equity between genders; and economic development and municipal finance reform bills filed by the governor.
"Based on the conversations we've had with the leadership and with some of the members who have already been assigned to conference committees, there seems to be a tremendous amount of desire to make this stuff happen over the course of the next two weeks," Baker said after meeting with DeLeo and Rosenberg.
DeLeo agreed that there is interest in getting all six bills done before the July 31 end of formal sessions.
"I think there is maybe one or two that have already had some informal conversations, that have already made some progress," he said. "Although we can never say definitely it's going to be done, I think it's at least a start and the desire is there to make a strong attempt to see that they're set before the governor before we break."
Conferees were named Monday to committees to reconcile House and Senate versions of the non-compete legislation (S 2418 and H 4434), municipal modernization (S 2430 and H 4419) and the economic development bill (S 2435 and H 4483).
Conference committees have already begun hashing out differences between versions of energy legislation (H 4385 and S 2400) and ride-for-hire industry regulation (H 4064 and S 2398).
"Where there's a will there's a way. We have the will and we will find the way," Rosenberg said. "Some of these bills came over a little late but the Senate got them done as quickly as we could, they're going to conference as quickly as we can, we will work cooperatively and do everything we can to get them on the governor's desk."
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