| | | | |  | | By Kelly Garrity | | Presented by |  | | | COME AND GO — Gov. Maura Healey has spent much of her time in office crafting policies aimed at attracting new businesses and residents to the Bay State. But since declaring a state of emergency last summer, she’s struck a different tune with many of those who are arriving looking to make Massachusetts their home. “My message is clear to folks who are looking to come to Massachusetts: We do not have housing. We do not have capacity,” the governor told reporters Tuesday. That message was directed at a different audience than the one she targeted with welcoming billboards along highways in Texas and Florida last year. It came hours after the administration dealt the latest blow to Massachusetts' so-called right-to-shelter law that’s already been surgically slimmed down as the state tries to manage the increased demand. The new restrictions announced Tuesday would limit stays in the state’s four overflow sites in Chelsea, Lexington, Cambridge and Norfolk to five days, starting next week, and families who seek shelter there won’t be eligible for placement in the emergency shelter system for at least six months. They also reprioritize who would get placed in the EA system: families who are homeless because of a no-fault eviction, “sudden or unusual circumstances” within the state (such as floods or fires) or families that include at least one person who is a veteran, would be added to the priority list that already includes families with newborns, serious medical needs, or those at risk of domestic violence. Republicans almost applauded the move. But for them it was too little, too late. MassGOP Chair Amy Carnevale accused Healey of playing politics during an election year (Healey won’t be on the ballot, but the legislators that comprise the state’s Democratic majority will — though a lot of them aren’t facing any competition.). Democratic leaders continued to insist Tuesday there isn’t another option to keep the thinly stretched system afloat without congressional action. Lawmakers opted not to cover the nearly $1 billion tab that the shelter program is expected to rack up this fiscal year, leaving a funding gap that will likely need to be supplemented. The reality is, there are other options. The state could pull from the bulging “Rainy Day” fund that lawmakers love to tout but not touch. The budget, which calls for making community college and Regional Transportation Authorities free, could’ve been divided up to deliver more for the program. But none of those alternatives are particularly politically tenable. And, as Senate President Karen Spilka emphasized Tuesday to reporters, it’s not entirely a problem of Massachusetts’ own making, though high housing costs and lack of affordability and capacity don’t help. This “is a federal issue. … We need federal immigration reform,” Spilka said. GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Tips? Scoops? Birthdays? Email me: kgarrity@politico.com TODAY — Healey has no public events. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll chairs a Governor’s Council meeting at noon and speaks at an Amelia Earhart Plaque rededication ceremony at 1:30 p.m. in Medford. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu joins a roundtable with Bloomberg Arts participants at 10 a.m. in the South End and attends Climate Tech Demo Day at 11:45 a.m. at City Hall Plaza. Sen. Ed Markey holds a press conference on expanding the U.S. Supreme Court at noon in D.C.
| | A message from CVS Health: Paying less out-of-pocket means our members can focus on living healthier lives. Learn more about how CVS Caremark is ensuring access and affordability to critical medications for millions of Americans. | | | |  | DATELINE BEACON HILL | | HOW HEALEY STACKS UP — Gov. Maura Healey may not have hit the Most Popular Governor mark that her predecessor did, but she's still among the top state executives in the country, according to a new Morning Consult poll. Healey ranked 14th on the list with 59 percent approval/30 percent disapproval, just below Delaware Gov. John Carney and right above Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee. People still seem to love their moderate Republican governors: Vermont’s Phil Scott has topped the list for two years running. New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu wasn’t far behind at 6th. One more New England governor, Democratic Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont, broke the top 10, at No. 9. The least popular governor? That would be Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee, per the Morning Consult ranking. — “Watchdog finds no impact to patient care,” by Christian M. Wade, The Eagle-Tribune: “A new report from a court-appointed monitor overseeing Steward Health Care System’s hospitals in Massachusetts said there have been no major issues impacting patient care during the company’s bankruptcy proceedings. The report by Ombudsman Suzanne Koenig states that while staffing issues are challenging, she didn’t see any issues ‘that made her believe patients were in immediate danger or otherwise receiving unsafe care due to staffing issues’ during visits to Steward’s eight Massachusetts hospitals.” — “Gov. Maura Healey says all Steward Hospitals in Mass. received bids last week,” by Matthew Medsgar, Boston Herald.
| | FROM THE HUB | | ALTERNATE REALITY — “If Boston had hosted the 2024 Olympics, these were the proposed venues. What has happened there since?,” by Katie McInerney and Christina Prignano, The Boston Globe: “For Olympics fans, it was a dream come true. Beach volleyball on Boston Common. A glimmering stadium tying the city together. Out-of-use parking lots would become the Olympic village, then affordable housing. The MBTA would be fixed. For the realists in the region, it was a nightmare.”
| | | | Live briefings, policy trackers, and procedural, industry, and people intelligence from POLITICO Pro Analysis gives you the insights you need to focus your policy strategy this election cycle. Secure your seat. | | | | | | | IN MEMORIAM | | A 'QUIET HERO OF BOSTON' — Jack Connors, the longtime philanthropist and advertising legend who shaped Boston politics and institutions, has died. He was 82. Connors, a Democrat who chaired former Republican Gov. Charlie Baker’s reelection campaign, helped raise hundreds of millions of dollars for philanthropic causes across the city. He died of cancer Tuesday morning at his home in Brookline, The Boston Globe reported. Tributes poured in for Connors, one of the founders of the marketing firm Hill Holliday. Baker, in a post on social media, described him as a “great man & a good friend to so many.” "I don't think Jack really cared much about the letter at the end of somebody's name," Baker told WBUR. "What he cared about was whether or not you were committed to a cause or to a greater good that he was working on." Mike Sheehan, who took the reigns at Hill Holliday from Connors, lauded his “uncanny ability to convince, cajole, and seduce others to invest time and money for causes he found worthy,” in an emotional op-ed. Here are some of the other remembrances: — Gov. Maura Healey described him as a “champion” and “friend,” in a post on X. “Jack spent his life trying to make our state and country a fairer, more inclusive place,” she wrote. — “Will there ever be another Jack Connors? No, there will never be another Jack Connors,” former Boston Mayor Marty Walsh told The Boston Globe. — Connors “was a good man,” Former Rep. Joe Kennedy III wrote on X. “He believed in his beloved Boston and spent his life lifting up those that needed it most. We will miss him.
| | | YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS | | | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Rep. Seth Moulton is endorsing Josh Tarsky in his bid to replace state Rep. Denise Garlick in the 13th Norfolk District, praising Tarsky’s “impressive background of public service” in a statement shared by his campaign. — The Mass Retirees Association, the Sierra Club and Carpenters Local 339 have endorsed Lynn School Committee member Sean Reid in his bid for the open 11th Essex District seat, per his campaign. CHALLENGE BREWING — Steven Schimmel, the executive director of the Jewish Federation of Central Massachusetts, is eyeing a challenge to Rep. Jim McGovern, he confirmed to Playbook. Schimmel hasn’t officially decided if he’ll jump in the race — he’s still collecting signatures to get on the ballot. He first started considering getting in the race in the wake of the Hamas attack on Israel on Oct. 7. While he’s been “frustrated” by McGovern’s stance on the war in Gaza and the fallout from the fighting here, Schimmel emphasized that a potential bid wouldn’t be personal and that he and McGovern share a cordial relationship. In fact, McGovern offered Schimmel his guest ticket to see Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s address to Congress today. McGovern won’t be there — he’s one of several lawmakers boycotting the event. As for a potential challenge, “Congressman McGovern is focused on delivering for our district and fighting to protect our democracy,” a spokesperson told Playbook.
| | | | A message from CVS Health:   | | | | | 2024 WATCH | | — “Unburdened by What Has Been, Bernie Bros Join the KHive,” by Catherin Kim, POLITICO: “Vice President Kamala Harris has all but clinched her party’s nomination following endorsements from top Democrats, but she’s also winning over an unlikely group of supporters that used to rail against her: Bernie Bros. Very online progressives have rallied to Harris’ side with an arsenal of coconut memes and Charli XCX references. It’s a curious phenomenon for anyone who remembers the jockeying among the crowded Democratic primary field in 2020.” SGOTUS WATCH — Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff will be in Massachusetts next week for fundraisers on Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard, per NYT’s Teddy Schleifer. ANOTHER ONE — Add Bay State Stonewall Democrats to growing list of Massachusetts political organizations and politicians backing Vice President Kamala Harris's White House bid. The group voted unanimously to endorse her Tuesday night. — “Mass. Black political leaders energized by Democrats' turn to Kamala Harris,” by Saraya Wintersmith, GBH News.
| | WARREN REPORT | | — Sen. Warren says Harris is 'pulling our party together', by Amanda Beland, Tiziana Dearing and Amy Gorel, WBUR. — “Warren slams Vance’s 2021 comments referring to Harris and other Democrats as ‘childless cat ladies’,” by Alyssa Vega, The Boston Globe. — “Democratic senators seek to reverse Supreme Court ruling that restricts federal agency power,” by Lawrence Hurley, NBC News: “Democratic senators plan to introduce legislation Tuesday that would effectively overturn a Supreme Court ruling last month that imposed new limits on federal agencies when they issue regulations about a wide variety of issues, including the environment and consumer protection. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., will introduce a bill that would restore the previous standard under which federal agencies had some leeway to interpret the law when they issued regulations under statutes that are ambiguously written. It has the backing of nine other Democratic senators, as well as Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt.”
| | | | The space economy is already woven into our lives in ways we don't always appreciate, creating a global backbone for communications, media, data, science and defense. It's also becoming an increasingly competitive zone among nations - and a venue for complex and important public-private partnerships. Join POLITICO on July 30 for a conversation about what Washington needs to understand is at stake – which sectors of the global economy see their growth arc in space, and what the role of government leaders is in both growing and regulating the explosion of orbital ideas. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | | IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN | | — “Vineyard Wind to face ‘reckoning’ in Boston federal court amid Nantucket turbine crisis,” by Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald: “Vineyard Wind, mired in the debris crisis on Nantucket, is set to face a ‘reckoning’ in court this week as critics try to toss it’s underlying permit, arguing that regulators failed to analyze how the project would impact the environment and fishermen. Arguments will be heard in federal appeals court in Boston on Thursday when Responsible Offshore Development Alliance – a coalition of fishing companies and industry associations – continues its fight against Vineyard Wind.” — “Initial Environmental Assessment Of Vineyard Wind Turbine Blade Failure Released,” by Jason Graziadei, The Nantucket Current.
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Learn more about how we’re making medicine more affordable for all Americans. | | | | | DAY IN COURT | | — “A pair of Mass. State Police troopers who testified at Karen Read trial are under internal investigation,” by Danny McDonald, The Boston Globe: “Two Massachusetts State Police troopers who testified during the Karen Read murder trial are the subjects of an internal affairs probe, the agency announced Tuesday. The troopers are Detective Lieutenant Brian Tully and Sergeant Yuri Bukhenik. Tully and Bukhenik took the stand last month in the Read trial, which has already drawn intense scrutiny of State Police’s handling of the matter. The troopers are on full duty. State Police did not offer additional details Tuesday night, citing the pending internal investigation.”
| | HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH | | TRANSITIONS — Alana Davidson is the new director of communications for the state’s Executive Office of Education. She previously worked communications for the Department of Early Education and Care and the Department of Transitional Assistance HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Stacey Monahan. Happy belated birthday to the Telegram & Gazette’s Kinga Borondy, who celebrated Tuesday. Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
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