The Legislature last month ruled out acting on any of the 2024 ballot questions as proposed by the petitioners, but lawmakers have not ruled out the idea of intervening to keep some of the questions from being decided this fall by voters.
Rep. Alice Peisch, who co-chaired the Legislature’s Special Joint Committee on Initiative Petitions, told reporters Wednesday that “there are some discussions going on” about potential alternatives to the proposals put forward by advocates, some of whom have set their sights on the ballot after years of inaction by the Legislature.
“I believe that there are some ongoing on a couple of issues,” the House assistant majority leader said. “Whether those will result in something similar to what happened six years ago or not remains to be seen.”
In June 2018, legislative leaders, Gov. Charlie Baker and ballot activists agreed to a “Grand Bargain” to increase the state minimum wage, create a paid family and medical leave program, establish a permanent sales tax holiday, and phase out time-and-half pay on Sundays and some holidays. Those reforms were enacted to avoid related ballot questions, including one to lower the state’s sales tax.
Peisch’s special panel last month recommended that 10 proposed ballot questions — representing six different topics — ought not to be approved by the Legislature, including proposals to eliminate the use of MCAS as a graduation requirement, declare app-based drivers to be independent contractors while potentially extending them some benefits, increase the minimum wage that businesses must pay tipped employees, and open up access to psychedelic substances.
Peisch said there’s “some conversation on the MCAS question, I believe there are some on the rideshare question, and there may be on the others as well.”
If Beacon Hill brokers a deal on ballot question alternatives, action will likely need to occur before July 3. That’s the date by which campaigns must submit more signatures to Secretary of State William Galvin’s office to lock in their spot for the Nov. 5 statewide ballot.
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