Lawmakers Preparing to Send Updated Climate Bill Back to Baker
7 News Boston
“Sen. Michael Barrett, who co-chairs the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy with Rep. Jeff Roy, said just before noon that he and Roy had agreed on a way to respond to the governor’s concerns. He said the House would take the matter up first.”
Baker in take-it-or-leave-it position on climate bill
CommonWealth Magazine
“Sen. Michael Barrett of Lexington, his branch’s energy expert, was the lead champion of continuing the price cap, a provision that requires that each successive procurement come in at a lower price than the previous one.
Barrett had argued that a price cap was needed to protect utility customers, but on Sunday he accepted Baker’s proposal to do away with the cap entirely. “We’re willing to take the chance that even more jobs can come if we do away with price controls,” he said.”
Governor’s Climate Change Bill Amendments Make Passage Uncertain
New Boston Post
“This looks to be a major rewrite. Hard to know what the two legislative branches will manage to agree on, in the time we have left,” state Senator Michael Barrett, a lead climate change negotiator, said in a text message to State House News Service. “This has already been a tough negotiation.”
More Work to Do on Major Mass. Climate Bill as Baker Makes ‘Major Rewrite’
NBC Boston
His Senate counterpart, Sen. Mike Barrett, was a little less optimistic.
“This looks to be a major rewrite,” Barrett texted a News Service reporter. “Hard to know what the two legislative branches will manage to agree on, in the time we have left.”
“This has already been a tough negotiation,” Barrett added.
Massachusetts should require gun liability insurance
Boston Globe
“Mandatory liability insurance for gun owners, requiring them to absorb the full costs associated with their gun ownership, would be a giant step forward in the Commonwealth to combat gun violence. “An Act to Require Liability Insurance for Gun Ownership,” sponsored by Representative David Linsky and Senator Michael Barrett, is currently up for debate in the next legislative session.”
Governor Charlie Baker Returns Climate Bill With ‘Major Rewrite’
WBZ News Radio
“This looks to be a major rewrite,” Barrett texted a News Service reporter. “Hard to know what the two legislative branches will manage to agree on, in the time we have left.”
“This was already a tough negotiation,” Barrett added.
Legislature to Pass Major Clean Energy Bill
Patch.com
“The changes we’re after make for an unusually long list, because they track the lengthening list of concerns our constituents bring to us,” said Senator Michael J. Barrett (Lexington), Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy. “The climate problem takes many forms, and with this bill we respond in kind. People worried about the issue will find grounds for hope here.”