Information on bills filed by Representative Peisch -
2019-2020 legislative session
Dear Residents of the 14th Norfolk District:
My office received a high volume of calls and emails pertaining to the June 12th vote on the “Fair Share Amendment” (House Bill 86). Many of these calls were prompted by a postcard mailed to residents of Weston and Wellesley by the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance claiming that the state legislature was considering an 80% tax increase. I would like to take this opportunity to correct the false and misleading information contained in that mailing.
The House and Senate met in what is known as a constitutional convention; a joint session of both chambers to consider an amendment to the Massachusetts constitution. The amendment under consideration would impose a 4% surtax on incomes over $1 million, the revenue from which would address funding issues in public education and transportation. The vote I took does not itself impose any tax increase. Under our constitution, a majority of state legislators in two consecutive legislative sessions must vote to advance the amendment, after which it is placed on a statewide ballot. At that point, the citizens of the Commonwealth can vote to support or oppose it. I voted to advance the amendment so it can be placed on the ballot.
Very truly yours,
Alice
ALICE HANLON PEISCH
State Representative
14th Norfolk District
My office received a high volume of calls and emails pertaining to the June 12th vote on the “Fair Share Amendment” (House Bill 86). Many of these calls were prompted by a postcard mailed to residents of Weston and Wellesley by the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance claiming that the state legislature was considering an 80% tax increase. I would like to take this opportunity to correct the false and misleading information contained in that mailing.
The House and Senate met in what is known as a constitutional convention; a joint session of both chambers to consider an amendment to the Massachusetts constitution. The amendment under consideration would impose a 4% surtax on incomes over $1 million, the revenue from which would address funding issues in public education and transportation. The vote I took does not itself impose any tax increase. Under our constitution, a majority of state legislators in two consecutive legislative sessions must vote to advance the amendment, after which it is placed on a statewide ballot. At that point, the citizens of the Commonwealth can vote to support or oppose it. I voted to advance the amendment so it can be placed on the ballot.
Very truly yours,
Alice
ALICE HANLON PEISCH
State Representative
14th Norfolk District
House Bill 1080, An Act to Add a Compulsory Death Benefit to Automobile Liability Insurance
This bill adds an additional “death benefit” to compulsory motor vehicle insurance, providing for coverage of not less than $100,000 for the state of any person killed by the negligent operation of a motor vehicle (regardless of the relationship of the deceased to the owner/driver of the vehicle) in cases where the decedent had minor children, a spouse, or dependent parents at the time of death. It is important to note that this benefit would not be subject to health insurance liens and is not intended for that purpose. Rather, this bill simply serves to better support surviving family members by providing them with appropriately valued benefits to address their immediate needs in tragic circumstances.
House Bill 327, An Act Relative to Craft Brewers
This bill will help level the playing field for craft brewers, an ever-expanding sector of small business in Massachusetts, by eliminating an outdated statute and replacing it with language making it easier for craft breweries to end or change their relationships with distributors. Under current law, it is practically impossible for a small brewery to change from one wholesaler to another, even in cases of non-performance. The bill I filed this session is revised from previous iterations by creating a tiered approach to notice and restitution requirements based on the size of the brewery (based on barrels produced per year).
House Bill 326, An Act Relative to the Filing of Annual Returns by Small Public Charities
Under current Massachusetts law, the Director of the Public Charities Division of the MA Attorney General’s office has the sole authority to decide what forms are required to be filed by public charities for taxes and general financial information. Some of these tax forms are quite onerous, and require hours of complex work that is best done by an expensive account, something small nonprofits cannot afford. This bill brings Massachusetts in line with the federal policy related to public charities filing requirements, allowing small nonprofits to fill out and file a much simpler Form 990-N and Form 990-series returns.
House Bill 2117, An Act Establishing a Smart Gun Technology Task Force
The term “smart gun” is a broad term referring to many different types of firearms equipped with a safety mechanism, with the purpose of ensuring that the weapon’s user is also its owner. By including a method of identification required to use the weapon, the hope is that accidental gun deaths and the use of law enforcement weapons that are stolen during a physical struggle will decline. There have been many different types of “smart guns” with various methods used to add this extra layer of safety. Many advocacy groups working to combat gun violence have started to push for wide acceptance and usage of smart gun technology by law enforcement agencies. There have been many tragic stories of police officers injured or killed by their own weapons during violent struggles with suspects. There have also been many stories of children finding guns in their homes and accidentally killing themselves or others nearby. This technology makes it harder for either of those tragedies to occur.
House Bill 2588, An Act Making Senior Citizen Property Tax Relief More Equitable
Current Massachusetts law MGL Ch.62, §.6 states that’s those with a property assessed of $600,000 or more do not qualify for a senior citizen property tax relief. This proposal would allow senior citizens to apply for property tax relief as long as the assessed valuation of the residence is at or below the median value of residential property in the city or town where the residence is located. This would ensure greater fairness for senior citizens as their eligibility would be more equitably determined.
Please click on this link for a full list of the bills filed by Representative Peisch for the 2019-2020 Legislative Session.