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Beacon Hill Weekly Roundup - 2/17/06
Jack Clarke, Director of Public Policy & Government Relations
Chris Hardy, Assistant Director for Legislative Affairs
This Week: Working on the Ways & Means
Slow Grind
With weighty deliberations on comprehensive health care coverage stalled in conference committee, the second year of the legislative biennial session has gotten off to a slow start. The health care gridlock forestalls action on other significant bills, including final resolution of a supplemental spending measure for the current fiscal year that includes waivers of overhead fees for the Natural Heritage & Endangered Species Fund and the Water Supply Protection Trust Fund. Meanwhile, the House and Senate Committees on Ways & Means have embarked on a month-long series regional public hearings to prepare the next fiscal year’s budget. Those hearings will lead to the release of a preliminary House spending plan in mid-April. But, for this past week, Mass Audubon focused our lobbying on two bills before the Ways & Means Committees.
Senate Reviews Ocean Management Bill
Mass Audubon is working with Senator Robert O'Leary (D-Barnstable), Senator Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester), the Conservation Law Foundation, and The Ocean Conservancy to pass a bill that would put Massachusetts at the forefront of ocean management and protection in the United States. The Oceans Act would require the development of an ocean management plan to govern development activities and foster sustainable use of marine resources in Massachusetts’s waters. The Oceans Act was reported favorably by the Joint Committee on Environment, Natural Resources & Agriculture this past November and is now before the Senate Committee on Ways & Means.
The legislature’s Coastal Caucus—an association of representatives and senators who serve coastal districts—convened a briefing this week for interested legislators and staff members on the Oceans Act. Mass Audubon was invited to deliver a power point presentation on the background and substance of the legislation. Click here <http://www.massaudubon.org/advocacy/priorities.php> and scroll down to "The Massachusetts Oceans Act: Charting a Course for the Bay State's Ocean Resources" to find a copy of the bill, a fact sheet, and Q&A. Governance structures for ocean resources management have historically been focused on single resources or activities, and public decisions about whether to allow certain activities have occurred through a reactive and fragmented approach. Advances in science and technology and increased dependence on fossil fuels will continue to bring a host of changes to Massachusetts waters. New legislation is needed to give public agencies stronger authority to plan for various activities within the state waters of the Commonwealth, and ensure the coordinated administration of all state permits governing or impacting offshore development—from liquefied natural gas terminals and utility pipelines to telecommunications cables and sand mining.
Conservation Tax Credit
Mass Audubon is working with The Nature Conservancy to advance legislation that would establish a new state income tax credit for landowners who make voluntary donations of land to public agencies or qualified non-profit conservation organizations. The bill is presently before the House Committee on Ways & Means. The bill’s sponsor, Representative Stephen Kulik (D-Worthington) recently delivered a letter, co-signed by over 60 representatives, urging House Ways & Means to release the bill for consideration on the House floor. This week, Mass Audubon and The Nature Conservancy met with Committee staff to outline the bill and its importance for land conservation. Under the bill, taxpayers who donate qualified land would get a tax credit worth 50% of the land's appraised value, for up to $50,000; the credit could be carried forward for up to 10 years. Used in conjunction with the existing federal tax deduction for gifts of land, a modest state income tax credit could make conservation a more attractive option for landowners by offsetting the out-of-pocket expenses involved in making a donation (including attorney fees and appraisal costs). New incentives are needed to stimulate the capital necessary for investing in the permanent protection of our irreplaceable natural resources, before the window of opportunity closes.
Please contact us if you have any questions at: action@massaudubon.org.
About The Beacon Hill Weekly Roundup
The Beacon Hill Weekly Roundup tracks the legislative priorities of Mass Audubon, focusing on the protection of the nature of Massachusetts. We encourage you to forward this newsletter to friends, family, and colleagues and to enlist their support.
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