cannabisnews.com: Tax Cut, Health Care, Marijuana Initiative Drives 





Tax Cut, Health Care, Marijuana Initiative Drives 
Posted by FoM on September 01, 1999 at 17:35:03 PT
State House News Service 
Source: Boston Herald
Statewide voters in 2000 may make decisions about issues ranging from an income tax cut to legalization of marijuana to universal health care after Attorney General Thomas Reilly today advanced ballot questions about those and nine other public policy issues.
As attorney general, Reilly must rule on whether proposed ballot laws are constitutional. Reilly also certified a constitutional amendment to strengthen parents' rights. It has a shot at appearing on the 2002 ballot. He rejected four petitions, including ones allowing public aid to private and parochial schools, and repealing adoption reforms passed by the Legislature this spring. The state constitution prohibits efforts tinkering with either the courts or religion. Gov. Paul Cellucci said he plans to use both his GOP campaign organization and Barbara Anderson's Citizens for Limited Taxation to gather the necessary signatures to put his $1.4 billion income-tax rollback question on the ballot. Irritated by the Legislature's outright rejection of his calls to roll the income tax rate back to 5 percent from 5.95 percent over three years starting in January, the state's chief executive is turning to the public for help. "The people in the Legislature aren't listening. They're not doing what's right for our families and right for our economy," Cellucci said this afternoon after officially filing his petition with Secretary of State William Galvin. "Despite 28 tax cuts ... we are still the fifth-most taxed state in the county. This is very important for the economic future of our state." Before any of the approved 13 measures appear on the ballot for popular review, sponsors face weeks of canvassing neighborhoods and shopping centers to collect 57,100 signatures of support from voters. Then if the Legislature doesn't act by May 3, sponsors must collect an additional 9,517 signatures by July 5, 2000 to put the questions on the November ballot. Galvin must print forms that the petition organizers will use to gather signatures; the forms will be ready Sept. 15. Cellucci said that leaves enough time for legislative leaders to commit to lowering the income tax to 5.75 percent for next year. House Speaker Thomas Finneran and Senate President Thomas Birmingham are currently negotiating the 61-day-late state budget, which includes a House provision to lower the tax rate to 5.75 percent. The Senate has proposed leaving the income tax rate untouched and instead offering new tax breaks to the elderly and the working poor. "You might as well go to 5.75 because it's going to happen next November anyway," Cellucci told Finneran and Birmingham through reporters. "Maybe that will help the current budget impasse. If they want to compromise between the House version and the Senate version by adopting what we've recommended, that would be great." While the tax rollback effort has drawn most of the attention, other veterans of the initiative petition process, like Harold Hubschman, are promising well-orchestrated campaigns. Last year, the state's highest court blocked Hubschman's effort to abolish tolls on the Masspike. The Brookline consultant is back this year with a plan granting tax credits to people who pay auto excise taxes or road, bridge or tunnel tolls. "People love their cars and they hate to be taxed on travelling," said Hubschman, leader of the Commuter Tax Relief Coalition. "The issue is not that people don't want to pay for government services. They just hate taxes on their cars." Although Hubschman collected 150,000 signatures for his "Free the Pike" campaign in 1997, the Supreme Judicial Court threw the question out on the grounds that it would have forced the state to break its contract with Masspike bondholders. Pike bonds, which often finance roadwork, are repaid with toll revenues. Hubschman said this year's effort preserves tolls by having the state reimburse drivers about $500 million in toll and excise tax receipts. He said polls conducted for his campaign show 75 percent of voters favor eliminating the excise tax, while 62 percent would like to abolish tolls. Both Cellucci and Hubschman said the state can easily afford their respective $1.4 billion and $500 million efforts. But sponsors of a plan calling for universal health care by 2003 say they aren't ready to talk about how much their plan would cost. Sponsored by the Ad-Hoc Committee to Defend and Improve Health Care, the initiative petition calls for universal health care, a patients' bill of rights and a moratorium on non-profit hospitals converting to for-profit companies. This morning, committee representative Sarah Bennett said costs wouldn't be much higher than what residents already pay. Health care costs may even be lower if administrative and management expenses could be cut. She said the organization is currently trying to decide upon a funding mechanism. Other initiatives OK'd by Reilly today: * Increase the tax credit granted to residents who give to charity. Former assistant AG Cheryl Cronin, who has also served as a lawyer for the state Democratic Party, is leading the campaign. * Allow the possession of marijuana and expand the law allowing people caught with marijuana to argue they need it for medical reasons. Georgetown lawyer Steven Epstein, who unsuccessfully defended Anderson's 1997 tax-cut initiative from a challenge by the teacher's unions, is leading the drive for the six related questions. * Make possession of marijuana a civil, not criminal offense. Noted state ballot law expert and former First Assisstant AG Thomas Kiley is leading the campaign. Kiley, who is often hired to attack or defend ballot questions before the SJC or the Ballot Law Commission, said he is running the effort because his younger brother died of a drug overdose. * Clarify the rights of parents to discipline their children, and limit the right of government to intervene between parents and children. Philip Shea Jr. of the Woburn-based Fatherhood Coalition filed the petition for a constitutional amendment. * Prohibit dog racing. David Vaughn of Jamaica Plain is leading the effort. * Allow Sunday sales of liquor with approval from the local licensing authority. Argeros and Linda Hiou of Alexandra's Liquor in Salem are leading the campaign. * Open up cable networks to internet service providers like America Online. The petition was filed by J. Christopher Grace, who listed a Newbury Street address. * Allow parents to bury the remains of miscarried stillborns. Undeveloped fetuses are currently treated as medical waste. Michael and Jean Morrisey of Lexington filed the petition. * Require schools to notify parents if pesticides are being used near schools; filed by MassPIRG. * Ensure that commercial fishing gear does not harm sea life that is not sought by fishermen, filed by Richard Max Strahan of Cambridge. Pubdate: September 1, 1999Boston Herald
END SNIP -->
Snipped
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Post Comment


Name: Optional Password: 
E-Mail: 
Subject: 
Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message]
Link URL: 
Link Title: