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Senate President Refuses to Bring H.5102 to Floor
Josey1
Member Posts: 9,598 ✭✭
Senate President Refuses to Bring H.5102 to the Floor
Click here to read the bill language
As GOAL members now know, H.5102 recently passed the Massachusetts House of Representatives with a vote of 115 to 32, almost an 80% affirmative vote.
Since the passage in the House there has been a steady stream of misinformation in the media concerning what this bill does. Because of this media blitz, Senate President Thomas F. Birmingham publicly denounced the legislation and stated that he would not preside over a senate that would gut our state's gun laws.
It was apparent from the Senate President's comments that he had no real knowledge of the language contained in H.5102, but was acting on the bad information given to him by others. Since his statements to the media, GOAL has repeatedly attempted to meet with the Senate President and/or his staff so that we could supply him with factual information concerning the bill. To date the Senate President and his staff has refused to meet with GOAL to discuss the merits of the bill or any problems they might have with it.
It is clear from this inaction that the Senate President has no real interest in the rights of the citizens of Massachusetts, but is instead attempting to use the abuse of thousands of people as a political platform in his race for the Governor's office. It is a shame that one of our state's leading Democrats believes that the path to the Governor's office is paved with the broken spirit and trampled rights of our fellow citizens. It should be clear to everyone that when the people's representatives in the House vote a bill through with an 80% margin and the Senate refuses to even discuss it, we are surely witnessing the demise of democracy.
What can you do to help?
The legislative session will end on July 31, 2002 and with it any hopes to pass this legislation into law. We are urging every Massachusetts citizen to call their Senator immediately and ask them to do whatever is necessary to bring H.5102 to the floor for a vote. Ask your Senator to ask President Birmingham for a vote on H.5102 now.
The time to act is now!!!
Below are comments made on the Senate floor on Thursday July 25, 2002 by Senator Brian Lees (R).
Sen. Lees said H 5102 makes corrections to the assault weapons bill, one of the lousiest pieces of legislation we ever passed. It had stringent guidelines for law-abiding men and women. This bill works hard to try to straighten that out. I will work hard between now and the end of formal sessions to release this bill from Ways and Means so we can at least debate it. Mr. President you loved that bill. You put a grenade launcher on the list. The president threw that in there. On that same list was a bayonet clip, which you thought should be included. You put in if someone was put in there for doing something illegal after World War II they can't get a handgun today. I don't want my neighbor to have an AK47 or an Uzi or a grenade launcher. We need to make some corrections to this bill. I want the chairman to tell me when we will get the bill out of Ways and Means. We need to correct a problem that we created. There are people that can't get a handgun legally that used to be able to get one. If you don't like the House bill, we can clean it up. There are police officers on desk duty because they can't go out on the road because we passed this absolute piece of junk. Everyone likes assault weapons ban bill. It's like Clean Elections. But the devil is in the details. There's something wrong in here. I am giving warning now to Ways and Means and their staff. I am going to ask them every session where it is and why it's not coming out and I am going to ask for roll calls. I am going to be asking for removal of that bill from committee. Thank you Mr. President.
SENATE
LIST OF MEMBERS FOR THE 2001-2002 SESSION
NAME ROOM PHONE
Robert A. Antonioni 109-E 722-1230
Steven A. Baddour 520 722-1604
Frederick E. Berry 109-D 722-1410
Senate President Thomas F. Birmingham 332 722-1500
Stephen M. Brewer 216 722-1540
Harriette L. Chandler 518 722-1544
Robert S. Creedon, Jr. 413-C 722-1200
Cynthia Stone Creem 416-B 722-1639
Susan C. Fargo 504 722-1572
Guy William Glodis 413-B 722-1485
John A. Hart, Jr. 309 722-1150
Robert A. Havern 513 722-1432
Robert L. Hedlund 413-F 722-1646
Cheryl A. Jacques 312-B 722-1555
Brian A. Joyce 413-A 722-1643
Michael R. Knapik 421 722-1415
Brian P. Lees 308 722-1291
Thomas M. McGee 413E 722-1350
David P. Magnani 323 722-1640
Linda J. Melconian 333 722-1660
Joan M. Menard 109-B 722-1114
Mark C. Montigny 212 722-1481
Richard T. Moore 312-D 722-1420
Michael W. Morrissey 413-D 722-1494
Therese Murray 511-C 722-1330
Andrea F. Nuciforo, Jr. 213-B 722-1625
Robert O'Leary 416-A 722-1570
Marc R. Pacheco 109-C 722-1551
Steven C. Panagiotakos 218 722-1630
Pamela P. Resor 410 722-1120
Stanley C. Rosenberg 320 722-1532
Charles E. Shannon, Jr. 511-A 722-1578
Jo Ann Sprague 206 722-1222
Bruce E. Tarr 313-A 722-1600
Richard R. Tisei 313-C 722-1206
Steven A. Tolman 213-A 722-1280
Robert E. Travaglini 511-B 722-1634
Susan C. Tucker 424 722-1612
Marian Walsh 405 722-1348
Dianne Wilkerson 312-C 722-1673
http://www.goal.org/sen5102.htm
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878
Click here to read the bill language
As GOAL members now know, H.5102 recently passed the Massachusetts House of Representatives with a vote of 115 to 32, almost an 80% affirmative vote.
Since the passage in the House there has been a steady stream of misinformation in the media concerning what this bill does. Because of this media blitz, Senate President Thomas F. Birmingham publicly denounced the legislation and stated that he would not preside over a senate that would gut our state's gun laws.
It was apparent from the Senate President's comments that he had no real knowledge of the language contained in H.5102, but was acting on the bad information given to him by others. Since his statements to the media, GOAL has repeatedly attempted to meet with the Senate President and/or his staff so that we could supply him with factual information concerning the bill. To date the Senate President and his staff has refused to meet with GOAL to discuss the merits of the bill or any problems they might have with it.
It is clear from this inaction that the Senate President has no real interest in the rights of the citizens of Massachusetts, but is instead attempting to use the abuse of thousands of people as a political platform in his race for the Governor's office. It is a shame that one of our state's leading Democrats believes that the path to the Governor's office is paved with the broken spirit and trampled rights of our fellow citizens. It should be clear to everyone that when the people's representatives in the House vote a bill through with an 80% margin and the Senate refuses to even discuss it, we are surely witnessing the demise of democracy.
What can you do to help?
The legislative session will end on July 31, 2002 and with it any hopes to pass this legislation into law. We are urging every Massachusetts citizen to call their Senator immediately and ask them to do whatever is necessary to bring H.5102 to the floor for a vote. Ask your Senator to ask President Birmingham for a vote on H.5102 now.
The time to act is now!!!
Below are comments made on the Senate floor on Thursday July 25, 2002 by Senator Brian Lees (R).
Sen. Lees said H 5102 makes corrections to the assault weapons bill, one of the lousiest pieces of legislation we ever passed. It had stringent guidelines for law-abiding men and women. This bill works hard to try to straighten that out. I will work hard between now and the end of formal sessions to release this bill from Ways and Means so we can at least debate it. Mr. President you loved that bill. You put a grenade launcher on the list. The president threw that in there. On that same list was a bayonet clip, which you thought should be included. You put in if someone was put in there for doing something illegal after World War II they can't get a handgun today. I don't want my neighbor to have an AK47 or an Uzi or a grenade launcher. We need to make some corrections to this bill. I want the chairman to tell me when we will get the bill out of Ways and Means. We need to correct a problem that we created. There are people that can't get a handgun legally that used to be able to get one. If you don't like the House bill, we can clean it up. There are police officers on desk duty because they can't go out on the road because we passed this absolute piece of junk. Everyone likes assault weapons ban bill. It's like Clean Elections. But the devil is in the details. There's something wrong in here. I am giving warning now to Ways and Means and their staff. I am going to ask them every session where it is and why it's not coming out and I am going to ask for roll calls. I am going to be asking for removal of that bill from committee. Thank you Mr. President.
SENATE
LIST OF MEMBERS FOR THE 2001-2002 SESSION
NAME ROOM PHONE
Robert A. Antonioni 109-E 722-1230
Steven A. Baddour 520 722-1604
Frederick E. Berry 109-D 722-1410
Senate President Thomas F. Birmingham 332 722-1500
Stephen M. Brewer 216 722-1540
Harriette L. Chandler 518 722-1544
Robert S. Creedon, Jr. 413-C 722-1200
Cynthia Stone Creem 416-B 722-1639
Susan C. Fargo 504 722-1572
Guy William Glodis 413-B 722-1485
John A. Hart, Jr. 309 722-1150
Robert A. Havern 513 722-1432
Robert L. Hedlund 413-F 722-1646
Cheryl A. Jacques 312-B 722-1555
Brian A. Joyce 413-A 722-1643
Michael R. Knapik 421 722-1415
Brian P. Lees 308 722-1291
Thomas M. McGee 413E 722-1350
David P. Magnani 323 722-1640
Linda J. Melconian 333 722-1660
Joan M. Menard 109-B 722-1114
Mark C. Montigny 212 722-1481
Richard T. Moore 312-D 722-1420
Michael W. Morrissey 413-D 722-1494
Therese Murray 511-C 722-1330
Andrea F. Nuciforo, Jr. 213-B 722-1625
Robert O'Leary 416-A 722-1570
Marc R. Pacheco 109-C 722-1551
Steven C. Panagiotakos 218 722-1630
Pamela P. Resor 410 722-1120
Stanley C. Rosenberg 320 722-1532
Charles E. Shannon, Jr. 511-A 722-1578
Jo Ann Sprague 206 722-1222
Bruce E. Tarr 313-A 722-1600
Richard R. Tisei 313-C 722-1206
Steven A. Tolman 213-A 722-1280
Robert E. Travaglini 511-B 722-1634
Susan C. Tucker 424 722-1612
Marian Walsh 405 722-1348
Dianne Wilkerson 312-C 722-1673
http://www.goal.org/sen5102.htm
"If cowardly and dishonorable men sometimes shoot unarmed men with army pistols or guns, the evil must be prevented by the penitentiary and gallows, and not by a general deprivation of a constitutional privilege." - Arkansas Supreme Court, 1878