Local legislators set agenda for 2009

DOVER and SHERBORN - As a new session gets under way on Beacon Hill, reform and ethics issues top the agendas of many local legislators.

This is no surprise, considering the scandals that have rocked the Massachusetts legislature in recent months.

Sen. Scott Brown
“There is just a lack of trust with the public in its elected officials,” said Sen. Scott Brown, R-Wrentham, whose district includes Sherborn. “I think it is reflective of what is happening up here the last couple of years with Wilkerson, Marzilli, Finneran and the rumors around DiMasi.”

Brown is proposing a “use it or lose it” bill to restrict the amount of campaign money legislators can hold onto between elections to around $30,000. He thinks this will encourage more citizens to run against well-funded incumbents, bringing some fresh faces to the legislature.

“Right now it’s unlimited, and some senators have more than $1 million,” said Brown. “A lot of people who were thinking about running just give up.”

Several legislators were interested in Gov. Deval Patrick’s proposal to raise the penalty for bribery from three years in prison to 10, but said it required further examination. The bill is in part a response to the scandal surrounding former Sen. Dianne Wilkerson, who stands accused of accepting bribes from undercover officers.

Rep. David Linsky
The reform efforts of local legislators are not confined to ethics issues. Several representatives are seeking to eliminate waste and inefficiency, particularly in the state’s transportation agencies.

“We have an administrative system that duplicates agencies and is not efficient,” said Rep. David Linsky, D-Natick, whose district includes Sherborn, who sits on the House Transportation Committee. “We are looking at abolishing the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority and combining all of the transport agencies under one roof.”

Linsky also argued that the toll system on the Massachusetts Turnpike imposes an unfair burden on commuters in Boston’s western suburbs. He said shifting to gas taxes and registration fees would allow drivers throughout the state to share costs more equitably.

Rep. Lida Harkins
Rep. Lida Harkins, D-Needham, whose district includes Dover, is focusing heavily on a bill to make permanent recent changes in the state funding formula for education. Harkins’ research director, Edmund Donnelly, said the act will allow historically deprived Dover schools to get their fair share of state aid.

“This legislation would ensure that every community receives at least 17.5 percent of its foundation budget from the commonwealth and will be phased in over five years,” wrote Harkins’ office.

One of Harkins’ most popular and talked-about bills would help a group who cannot lobby for themselves: pets. She has earned many co-sponsors for a ban on pet de-vocalization, the practice of removing the vocal chords from dogs and cats.

“It is an incredibly painful procedure and it leaves them with a kind of whimpering, crying sound,” said Donnelly. “A freshman at Needham High School brought this practice to our attention.”

Many veterinarians perform the operation simply to help pet owners live quieter, less stressful lives. The bill seeks ban the operation unless the animal in question has a clear medical need.

Sen. James Timilty
Sen. James Timilty, D-Walpole, did not respond in time to be included in this article.