Greetings!

ENCOURAGE CIVIC ENGAGEMENT IN YOUR COMMUNITY AND ORGANIZATION BY HOSTING A FREE LOCAL TRAINING!

Massachusetts has worked for decades to build a system of public structures that keep our communities safe and healthy, educate our children, and draw businesses to our state.
 
The debates over tax and budget policies in our state have profound implications for the future of all of our communities. Now more than ever, it is critical for concerned residents to weigh in on the important decisions being made by legislators and state officials.
 
ONE Massachusetts is offering updated trainings-in English and Spanish-designed to give Massachusetts residents the tools needed to understand the implications of tax and budget policies and to advocate effectively for their own specific issues. Trainings free of charge for groups of all sizes, and range from 20-minute budget updates to half-day interactive workshops:

• Basic Budget Literacy:  The affect of budget priorities & tax policies
• Building on Our Budget History:  How decades of policy decisions in
• Massachusetts have shaped our state's budget, along with a look at our tax policy options moving forward.
• Talking About Our Government: How to communicate about public policy issues in ways that better engage your community, increase confidence in out ability to work together towards goals, and more effectively advocate and all  levels of government.
• Nonprofit Lobbying: These trainings will likely be in two tracks:
  1) How to utilize the information made available by the Secretary of State's new Lobbyist Public Search System.
  2) How nonprofit organizations can comply with the new Lobbying Reform law and maximize their advocacy rights at the same time!

Click here for training flyers: English Flyer | Spanish Flyer

Here is a look at what else has been going on across Massachusetts:

Sales Tax - Senate Approved. The Senate voted in favor of adopting the 25% increase in the sales tax proposed by the House of Representatives. (Tally Sheet: 29-10)


Alcohol Tax Exemption Removal - Senate Approved. "Lifting the sales tax exemption on alcohol sold at package stores would raise another $80 million for those services, senators said." [Boston Globe]


Local Options Taxes - Senate Approved. Massachusetts Senate approved a bill "allowing cities and towns to impose a 2 percentage point increase in taxes on hotels and restaurant meals will help offset cuts in state aid to municipalities, senators said." [Boston Globe]



Income Tax - Senate Rejected. The Massachusetts Senate voted to defeat a bill proposed by Senator Sonia Chang-Díaz to roll the state income tax back to 5.95%, and would have brought in roughly $1.3 billion in additional revenues per year. (Tally Sheet: 28-11)


Gas Tax - Senate Rejected. The Massachusetts Senate voted down two amendments to the budget that would increase the Gas Tax, a 12-cent increase sposored  by Senator Cynthia Stone Creem (Tally Sheet: 30-9), and a 19-cent increase proposed by Senator Anthony Petruccelli (Tally Sheet: 34-6).


Slots at Racetracks - Senate Rejected. The Senate voted no to including revenues from slot machines at area racetracks in the FY10 Budget, but, "The state's top political leaders - House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo, Senate President Therese Murray, and Governor Deval Patrick - have all agreed to address the issue again in the fall." (Tally: 29-8) [Boston Globe]

• Conference Committee. Once the Massachusetts FY10 Budget has passed both the Senate and House of Representatives, the bill will move on to a conference committee with members of both chambers.
  
  It is still possible for the legislature to enact changes to all revenue options - including options that were passed over by both chambers - in a couple of ways. The conference committee could change the FY10 Budget directly - or an additional bill could be passed outside of the budget itself. Examples of these options include increasing the Income Tax and the Gas Tax.