The state Senate will vote Thursday on Gov. Charlie Baker’s plan to grow jobs in the state, but could put a changes of their own into the economic development bill.
Baker’s nearly $1 billion plan calls for a $500 million investment in MassWorks, the state government program to help cities and towns expand job training, recruitment and economic growth programs.
The Senate’s bill varies from the one the House passed already, as it would increase tax breaks for the working poor while adding taxes to online hospitality rentals like Airbnb.
The Senate has a variety of amendments to the bill on its schedule, everything from reining in corporate tax credits to changing how taxes are calculated for farms.
Lawmakers will then have to reconcile the bill with the House’s version and get it to Baker’s desk with his signature before the end of formal sessions at the end of the month.
A bill to help close the gender wage gap is up for a vote today in the House.
The idea behind the bill is that by preventing employers from punishing employees for talking about what they earn, open dialogues will reveal pay disparities between men and women. And it goes further, banning employers from asking what an applicant has earned in previous jobs.
House Speaker Pro Tempore Patricia Haddad said the bill isn’t about government telling businesses who to hire or how much to pay them.
“This is about government incentivizing our businesses to do what they have said all along that they believe is right,” Haddad said.
According to the state treasurer’s office, women in Massachusetts make on average only 82 cents for every dollar men make.
The wage gap bill was passed by the Senate months ago, but House Speaker Robert DeLeo is working on a compromise version that’s more palatable to traditional business interests.
Many of Baker’s vetoes to this year’s state budget will likely be reversed this month by the Democratic-controlled House.
First up on Democrats’ docket are amendments Baker made to the budget that adjust spending downward for a number of programs and accounts.
Democrats enjoy large majorities in both the House and Senate, so when it comes to the pet projects, district earmarks and other spending they want, they can easily pass changes over the objections of the Republican governor.
In all, Baker vetoed slashed over $400 million from the budget Democrats gave him a few weeks ago. Expect much of that spending to be restored by the time a final budget is determined.
One big item Baker vetoed was $7.7 million in funding for arts and cultural programs. Democrats argue that state spending results in more revenue down the road for the cities and towns that put on arts events.
House lawmakers are still looking over the budget changes Baker sent them, and have until the end of the month to finalize a spending plan.
