Massachusetts Artists Leaders Coalition

Artists leaders and artist-run groups addressing policy issues that affect artists in Massachusetts

MALC’s Guide to Budget Debates and Bundled Legislation

MALC’s Guide to Budget Debates and Bundled Legislation

With the House budget debate slated to start today- here is a “guide” to better understanding the debate process, how to watch the House budget debate, and “bundled legislation”:

HOW TO WATCH THE BUDGET DEBATE:

Today, the House is slated to start its debate on the proposed House budget at 10am. When either the House or Senate is in what is called “formal session”, the State House, by law, needs to remain open to the public. This means if the debate goes into the late evening or early morning, the State House will be open to allow members of the public to watch the debate in person.

Many advocates and lobbyists are indeed up at the State House trying to meet with House members, officials and/or their staff to advocate for their budget amendment(s).

For a list of the House budget amendments MALC is following for our sector see this link: http://artistsunderthedome.org/malc/news/monday-april-24th-massachusetts-house-begins-debate-fy18-budget/

Watch the debate live!

If you can’t be at the State House in person to observe the budget debate, you can watch the session via live stream on the “the House Cam”. (Click on the session name. Adobe Flash Player required.):
https://malegislature.gov/Events

(Note: you can watch both the House and Senate when they are in formal session via the live stream, as above)

Tips

You might want to open another window to monitor what actions the House “chamber” takes on the filed amendments by using the following link. The House clerk is tasked with keeping this page as up-to-date as possible:
https://malegislature.gov/Budget/HouseDebate

 

UNDERSTANDING THE AMENDMENT/BUDGET DEBATE AND BUNDLING LEGISLATION:

The image of Massachusetts law makers debating amendments for the House budget beneath the State House’s golden dome might be compelling but isn’t the only reality of the House of Representatives’ budget week. With more than 1,300 amendments having been filed to the House’s Fiscal Year 2018 (FY18) budget proposal, only a few will be debated on the House floor. The rest will be withdrawn, thrown out, or bundled into policy-centered “consolidated amendments”. The consolidated amendments will then be approved by roll call vote.

Long before an amendment is filed, conversations help decide its fate. Lobbyists and constituents pressure legislators to file amendments. For the amendment to become part of the budget, it’s the leadership that gives (or withholds) the blessing to move forward. Members-only meetings (only representatives are allowed in the discussions) are held during the budget debate for House members and leadership to discuss what amendments will be bundled into policy-centered “consolidated amendments”.  Some of the proposed amendments will be revised to have a better chance of being bundled (i.e., wording changed, dollar amount changed).  A green light means a representative’s amendment will land safely in a consolidated amendment/bundled legislation. A red light means you can fight to a floor debate if you want, but you’re probably going to lose.

And that’s why disciplined, coordinated advocacy campaigns are so important. If the only people pushing for an amendment are constituents of the representative who files it, guess what? That amendment doesn’t stand much of a chance. If, however, constituents from across the Commonwealth are pressuring both their representative and members of the leadership to adopt an amendment, then that amendment starts looking pretty good to the House as an institution. The more representatives who co-sponsor or sign on to the amendment the more chance it has to pass.

MALC is proud to advocate for the artists community and creative economy in a state where residents take an interest in what their government is doing and are willing to add their voice to the fight. The House will start its budget deliberations this week and the Senate will begin debate (and bundling) in May. Stay tuned as we continue to bring you up to date coverage on the state budget process.