On November 8th, besides voting for candidates, you will find four questions on your Massachusetts ballot. The text of all four can be found on the Secretary of State's website. Make sure you know what you’re voting for — but this is how I plan to vote on the questions, and why:
1. Fair Share Amendment - YES
Do you approve of the adoption of an amendment to the constitution summarized below, which was approved by the General Court in joint sessions of the two houses on June 12, 2019?
By voting YES on Question 1, you will make sure that the very richest in Massachusetts – those who make over $1 million a year [new income, not assets like homes] – pay their fair share. Current tax rules allow multimillionaires to pay a smaller share in taxes than the rest of us. Question 1, the “Millionaires’ Tax,” will make the extremely wealthy pay an additional 4 percent on the portion of their yearly income above $1 million. Voting YES means that additional money is constitutionally guaranteed to go toward transportation and public education. Voting YES on Question 1 means every child can go to a great school. We can fix our roads, expand access to vocational training, and make public colleges more affordable. Excellent roads and schools help our small businesses grow, create new jobs, and build strong communities. Voting YES on Question 1 means creating opportunity for everyone.
2. Regulation of Dental Insurance - YES
Do you approve of a law summarized below, on which no vote was taken by the Senate or the House of Representatives on or before May 3, 2022?
Massachusetts law already requires health insurance companies to spend 88% of premium dollars on patient care. Any overage is then refunded to consumers.
A YES vote expands consumer protection laws that already exist for medical insurance companies to dental insurance companies.
A YES vote ensures better coverage and value for patients, instead of unreasonable corporate waste. For example, according to its own 2019 Form 990, Delta Dental (in Massachusetts alone) paid executive bonuses, commissions, and payments to affiliates of $382 million, while only paying $177 million for patient care. A YES vote would eliminate this inequity. Similar to medical insurance, this law would require dental insurance companies to allocate at least 83% of paid premiums to patient care, or refund premiums to patients to meet this standard.
Insurance companies will try to confuse voters by saying that dental insurance premiums will increase. This is false, because Section 2(d) of the law specifically disallows increases above the consumer price index without state approval.
3. Expanded availability of liquor licenses - NO
Do you approve of a law summarized below, on which no vote was taken by the Senate or the House of Representatives on or before May 3, 2022?
A NO vote protects consumers from a law that tilts the alcohol beverage playing field toward mammoth retailers, who will get an unfair share of a finite number of liquor licenses.
A NO vote prevents a DOUBLING of the number of licenses for large supermarket chains, who are the main beneficiaries and sponsors of this legislation.
4. Eligibility for Driver's Licenses - YES
Do you approve of a law summarized below, which was approved by the House of Representatives and the Senate on May 26, 2022?
This law allows Massachusetts residents who cannot provide proof of lawful presence in the United States to obtain a standard driver’s license or learner’s permit if they meet all the other qualifications for a standard license or learner’s permit, including a road test and insurance, and provide proof of their identity, date of birth, and residency. Though regarded by some as an endorsement of illegal immigration, it is nothing of the sort. This is fundamentally a public safety — not an immigration — issue.
A YES vote keeps in place a law that allows all drivers in Massachusetts to be properly vetted for licenses (by providing proof of identity, date of birth, and residency), pass required tests and buy insurance, regardless of immigration status.
A YES vote means safer roads and better tools for law enforcement to do their jobs. In 17 states with similar laws, passage led to declines in uninsured drivers and hit-and-run crashes. That’s why this measure is endorsed by over 60 law enforcement officials statewide—including most sheriffs, district attorneys, and all 42 police chiefs in the Massachusetts Major Cities Chief of Police Association.