Debate? We don’t need no stinking debate!

The Massachusetts House of Representatives today debated a number of amendments to the FY11 budget. Among the many amendments were two Republican-offered proposals – one of which would have rolled back the sales tax to 5% and the other was aimed at repealing the sales tax on alcohol purchases.

Not surprisingly, the Democratic Leadership shut down debate on both of the amendments with an old tactical maneuver – they sent the amendments to further study! While we here at The Capitol View remain frustrated with Democratic House leaders, we were pleased that several Democrats joined us in voting against the silly further amendments. For those of you who don’t know…further amending an amendment by sending it to study is a way to avoid taking what may be seen as a tough vote.

Debate? We don’t need no stinking debate!

It’s important to note that neither one of our proposals would have taken effect until July 1, 2011. However, if both respective ballot questions are successful, the changes would take effect on January 1, 2011, severely impacting this year’s budget.