Education and animal welfare advocates are ready to visit Beacon Hill to warn lawmakers that they’re on track to circumvent the Legislature and pass ballot laws in November unless lawmakers decide to take action before then. Both sides of the charter school expansion debate are scheduled to testify Monday on a proposed initiative petition that will be paired before the Education Committee with a ballot plan to roll back the state’s adoption of Common Core education standards. On Thursday, activists plan to press lawmakers to phase out the use of certain confinement practices on farm animals.
Tuesday’s New Hampshire presidential primaries are dominating attention, accentuated Friday by Gov. Charlie Baker’s decision to endorse New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. But Beacon Hill officials also have a full agenda for the week, including hearings on Baker’s budget in Amherst and Methuen and a hearing on bills calling for a $15 an hour wage for Logan Airport workers and underground economy whistleblower protections. There’s also always the potential for breakthroughs on opioid abuse, solar energy and driver’s license suspension bills that have cleared both branches and await resolution before conference committees. But it appears any major bills will have to wait a while to see action in the House, which does not plan to hold its next formal session until Wednesday, Feb. 24.
Click on the audio link above to hear a conversation between State House News Service reporter Matt Murphy and NEPR’s Henry Epp.