Dear Activist,
On Friday, Charlie Baker struck or amended critical provisions in the state budget, showing Bay Staters exactly where his priorities lie--and they’re not with the people of Massachusetts.
Here’s what you may have missed about Baker’s budget vetoes:
Baker vetoed language that would have strengthened Regional Transit Authorities by funding them at $94 million.
Reliable, affordable, statewide public transportation helps reduce congestion, protect the environment, and ensure that everyone across the commonwealth has access to good jobs, good schools, and other opportunities. This veto is just the latest attack in Baker’s war on public transit. Harsh cuts, privatization efforts, and Baker’s clear disdain for public transportation and those who depend on it have led to derailments and fires, worst-in-the-nation traffic congestion, and more headaches for commuters.
Baker opposes a plan to test 6,300 rape kits in the state’s testing backlog and rejected a reporting requirement meant to hold the state accountable for ensuring each kit is tested.
Rep. Natalie Higgins filed a critical amendment to address the over 6,000 untested rape kits in the state’s backlog within 6 months. Rep. Higgins’ amendment also required the state to issue a report with the number of untested kits, the year kits were collected, and the date each kit was tested. When Baker pushed back against this plan, Rep. Higgins said, “I think that the governor and his staff and the state crime lab don't understand how they broke the trust of the 6,300 survivors whose trauma is held in those kits.”
Charlie Baker’s changes to the budget are holding Massachusetts back. Help hold Baker accountable by sharing this information with your networks and sharing the posts below on social media.
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Sincerely,
Allison Mitchell
Communications Director
Massachusetts Democratic Party
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