Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Killing of Woburn Police Officer Jack Maguire helped gain support for Melissa's Bill, which limits parole eligibility for convicted violent repeat offenders.
With the fate of Melissa's Bill solely in Gov. Deval Patrick's hands Tuesday, the governor made a decision at 2:30 p.m. this afternoon. "I will sign this bill," he said. Melissa's Bill, named for Melissa Gosule who was killed by a violent repeat offender who was out on parole, has been in the works for years. But it was the killing of Woburn Police Officer Jack Maguire on Dec. 26, 2010 that spurred more support for the bill. Officer Maguire responded to an armed robbery at Kohl's in the middle of a blizzard. When he stopped the suspect, a paroled repeat offender with several convictions for robbery and violence against police officers, gunfire was exchanged. Officer Maguire was killed, as was the suspect. Chuck Maguire, Officer Maguire's…
After Tuesday, the House and Senate will not have an opportunity to override any veto.
Although the legislative session ends Tuesday at midnight, Gov. Deval Patrick has 10 days to sign any bills that land on his desk. But anything he vetoes cannot be overridden since the Legislature will have adjourned. Perhaps the most-watched bill in this scenario is the mandatory sentencing bill, also called the "three-strikes" law or "Melissa's Bill," over which the governor and Legislature have locked horns. The bill eliminates parole for someone convicted three times of one of 40 or so violent crimes, with at least one conviction having carried a minimum three-year prison term. Although it passed with overwhelming support in both chambers last week, Patrick sent it back Saturday, asking for an amendment that increases judicial …
Monday, July 30, 2012
The governor on Saturday sent 'Melissa's Bill' back to the Legislature.
Gov. Deval Patrick set in motion a wave of criticism when he proposed an amendment to the "three strikes"/Melissa's Bill on the grounds that it lacked sufficient provisions for judicial discretion. Warning of possible unintended "unjust consequences" that can arise from mandatory sentencing laws, Patrick wrote in a letter to the Legislature, "None of us is wise or prescient enough to foresee each and every circumstance in which the new habitual offender provisions may apply." On Monday afternoon, the House rejected Patrick's amendment by a vote of 132-23, according to The Boston Globe. The bill's fate is up in the air, as the legislature's summer session will end Tuesday at midnight. The governor has not indicated whether he would …
The governor on Saturday sent the anti-crime bill back to the Legislature.
Gov. Deval Patrick set in motion a wave of criticism when he vetoed the popular "three strikes" crime bill on the grounds that it lacked sufficient provisions for judicial discretion. Warning of possible unintended "unjust consequences" that can arise from mandatory sentencing laws, Patrick wrote in a letter to the Legislature, "None of us is wise or prescient enough to foresee each and every circumstance in which the new habitual offender provisions may apply." But critics accuse Patrick of vetoing a good anti-crime bill by asking for amendments that only protect offenders. "Governor Patrick has had a busy week defending the interests of those who break the law...," said Sen. Bruce Tarr, the state senate's minority leader. "His …
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Under the compromise, lenders would not be required to enter into mediation before foreclosing.
The House unanimously passed a compromise on the foreclosure bill that scraps the contentionous mediation provision but requires lender to modify certain loans before evicting homeowners. The compromise, hammered out in a conference committee comprised on members of both chambers, passed the House Wednesday and is expected to go before the Senate Thursday. According to the bill, mortgages that are more expensive to foreclose on rather than to modify need to be adjusted. In other words, if the expected recovery from a foreclosure is of less value than that which would be gained by modifying the loan, the lender is required to adjust the loan. The bill would also ban foreclosures that lack the proper documentation. But this documenation …
Friday, March 16, 2012
Fire Chief Bill Cullinane says it would be a safety hazard to legalize fireworks.
With politicians at the State House contemplating legalizing the sale and use of fireworks, Dedham officials spoke out against the proposed legislation. "I don't support that bill," Dedham Fire Chief Bill Cullinane said Thursday. "It's obvious that it's a safety hazard." The bill, proposed by state Rep. Richard Bastien (R-Gardner), is in front of the Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security. It would allow town governments to issue licenses to sell fireworks and allow them to issue permits for the use of fireworks. Bastien told the Boston Globe that Massachusetts would see $40 million in fireworks sales and $2 million in sales tax revenue from the sales. In the interview, Bastien said the bill would clean up the "Wild …
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