Journal of the Senate
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
ŒIK Commontoealtïj of Jteöacfniöettö THE JOURNAL OF THE SENATE OF THE YEAR 1996 PRINTED BY ORDER OF THE SENATE AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROVISIONS OF SECTION 10 OF CHAPTER 5 OF THE GENERAL LAWS. BOSTON EAGLE GRAPHICS, INC., LEGISLATIVE PRINTERS 30 LANCASTER STREET 1996 JOURNAL OF THE SENATE. At a General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, begun and holden at Boston on the first Wednesday, being the third day of January, in the year one thousand nine hundred and ninety- six, and the two hundred and twentieth of the independence of the United States of America, the following named members of the Senate, elected for a term of two years at an election held on the Tuesday next after the first Monday in November in the year 1994, assembled at four minutes past eleven o'clock A.M., in the Senate Chamber, and were called to order by the Honorable William M. Bulger, President of the Senate, to wit: Hon. June M. Swift of North Adams in the Berkshire, Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin District. Hon. Thomas C. Norton of Fall River in the First \ Bristol Hon. Mark C. Montigny of New Bedford in the Second J Districts. Hon. Henri S. Rauschenbach of Brewster in the Cape and Islands District. Hon. Edward J. Clancy, Jr.. of Lynn in the First I Hon. Frederick E. Berry of Peabody in the Second > Essex Districts. Hon. James P. Jajuga of Methuen in the Third ) Hon. Bruce E. Tarr of Gloucester in the First I Essex and Hon. John D. O'Brien of Andover in the Second J Middlesex Districts. Hon. Linda J. Melconian of Springfield in the Hampden District. Hon. Brian P. Lees of East Longmeadow in the First \ Hampden and Hon. Michael R. Knapik of Westfield in the Second J Hampshire Districts. Hon. Stanley C. Rosenberg of Amherst in the Hampshire and Franklin District. Hon. Daniel P. Leahy of Lowell in the First \ Hon. Charles E. Shannon of Winchester in the Second I Middlesex Hon. Richard R. Tisei of Wakefield in the Third / Districts. Hon. Robert A. Havern of Arlington in the Fourth I Hon. Lucile P. Hicks of Wayland in the Fifth / Hon. Lois G. Pines of Newton in the First Middlesex and Norfolk District. Hon. David P. Magnani of Framingham in the Middlesex, Norfolk and Worcester District. Hon. Warren E. Tolman of Watertown in the Middlesex and Suffolk District. Hon. Thomas F. Birmingham of Chelsea in the Middlesex, Suffolk and Essex District. Hon. Robert A. Durand of Marlborough in the Middlesex and Worcester District. Hon. Cheryl A. Jacques of Needham in the Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex District. Hon. William R. Keating of Sharon in the Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth District. Hon. Michael W. Morrissey of Quincy in the Norfolk and Plymouth District. Hon. Marian Walsh of Boston in the Norfolk and Suffolk District. Hon. Therese Murray of Plymouth in the Plymouth and Barnstable District. Hon. MichaeMarc Rl. CPachec. Creedoo onf Tauntoof Brockton n in the SeconFirst d \| BristolPlymouth Districts. and Hon. Robert L. Hedlund of Weymouth in the Plymouth and Norfolk Districi. Hon. William M. Bulger of Boston in the First Suffolk Hon. Dianne Wilkerson of Boston in the Second Districts. Hon. Robert E. Travaglini of Boston in the Suffolk and Middlesex District. Hon. W. Paul White of Boston . in the Suffolk and Norfolk District. Hon. Robert A. Bernstein of Worcester in the First Worcester Hon. Matthew J. Amorello of Grafton in the Second Districts. Hon. Robert D. Wetmore of Barre in the Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire and Franklin District. Hon. Robert A. Antonioni of Leominster in the Worcester and Middlesex District. Hon. Louis P. Bertonazzi of Milford in the Worcester and Norfolk District. Pledge of The President, the Senators, guests and employees then recited allegiance. the pledge of allegiance to the flag. Mr. Lees asked unanimous consent to make a statement; and there being no objection, he addressed the Senate as follows: Statement History books, columnists, and political pundits seldom have of the used the word "kaleidoscope" to describe a legislative body like the Honorable Brian P. Lees. Massachusetts State Senate. But seven full years on the floor of this Chamber and in the corridors of this State House have convinced me that the term "kaleidoscope" does indeed capture the volatility, variety and versatility of the Senate and its members better than any single word. WITH ONE STARTLING CAVEAT — YOU — MR. PRESIDENT! Here, for 18 years, one color, one characteristic, one continuum has been present, and almost always dominant — no matter how many times the Massachusetts Senate kaleidoscope has turned: You are the dean of the Senate, Mr. President. You have been its driving presence and force far longer than any other presiding officer in the 216 year history of this Senate. Your legislative service on Beacon Hill has spanned 8 Governors, 9 Lt. Governors, 6 United States Senators, and more than one thousand representatives and senators. My only regret, Mr. President, is that we Republicans have not been resourceful and resilient enough to change the membership of the Senate to see how skillfully you would have functioned as a Minority Lecider\ Of one thing I am certain, you would have kept a Republican majority on its toes and you would have certainly tested its mettle. You have been a worthy and honorable adversary. In debate and on the field of legislative battle when tactics and strategy come to the fore, you have always risen to the highest level. And history will recall that you were big enough, wise enough, and truly civil and civic-minded when you forged a working alliance with Governor Weld, Lt. Governor Cellucci and the Republican members of this Senate when the Commonwealth needed bi-partisan leadership with a capital "B" during those dark days of debt and drift in 1991 and 1992. Your fairness and courtesy have been hallmarks of your tenure as President of the Senate. Calvin Coolidge also served as President of this Senate and his tenure was marked by the same combination of wit, wisdom and powerful leadership. One day when Mr. Coolidge was presiding, one Senator became so enraged at another during debate that he told him to "go to hell." Indignation filled the chamber and Coolidge gaveled the Senate into recess. After listening to his angry Senatorial cohorts propose all sorts of political penalties for the ill-tempered Senator Coolidge suggested that the matter be addressed by the only pre- siding officer with authority to resolve it — the Senate President He reconvened the Senate and asked the hot-headed Senator to stand! A hush fell over the Senate as it awaited the punishment. Coolidge eyed the Senator and solemnly said, "I have examined the Constitution and the Senate rules, and there's nothing in them that compels vou to go." While there is nothing in either the Constitution or the Senate rules today that compels you to go, on behalf of myself, the Republican members and all the members of this body, I congratulate you on your past successes and wish you well on the new challenges you are about to meet head-on. And. Mr. President, some day when you're dealing with the faculty and staff at the University of Massachusetts and you're frustrated and upset, just remember those four magic words which have always made you stop, listen and know the errors of your ways: "Give me a break!" Good luck and god-speed, Mr. President! Resignation. The Clerk read the following communication from the Honorable William M. William M. Bulger, President of the Senate:— Bulger,— Resignation as President. OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT MASSACHUSETTS SENATE STATE HOUSE, BOSTON 02133-1053 January 3, 1996. Mr. Edward B. O'Neill Clerk of the Massachusetts Senate State House Boston, Massachusetts 02133 Dear Mr. O'Neill: I have this day resigned from the position of President of the Senate. Sincerely, WILLIAM M. BULGER, President of the Senate. The communication was placed on file. Mr. Bulger, the eldest senior Senator, thereupon assumed the duties of the Chair. Election of a President. The Senate then proceeded to the election of a President. Statement,— There being no objection, Mr. Bulger made the following state- Honorable William M ment, and placed in nomination for President, Mr. Birmingham of Bulger. Middlesex, Suffolk and Essex, to wit: It has been my great privilege to serve in this Legislature since 1961 — longer than some of my present colleagues have been alive. I have spent a generation in this chamber. So many faces long gone, and so many echoes from so many yesterdays, are with me as I stand here now. Memories in the theater of the past are poignant ... All the players are there, all the dramas, the comedies and the occasional tragedies . the campaigns, the elections, the important speeches, the key caucuses, the critical debates . They are all there ... I recall the friends with fondness, and I regard no colleague, past or present, as a foe . This show has had a long, long run. Through it all I have been sustained by my family — by Mary, my wife, and by our nine children. Without their loyalty I would have been lost. I know there were times when they felt pain from political attacks on me — attacks that I ignored, but they could not. Still, they never flinched — and they never asked me to either. I am deeply grateful for the unwavering support of my constituents. I knew I owed them my judgment, and that blind obedience to their opinions would be a betrayal of that duty. Clearly, they approved that view. Their constancy and trust made all my years of service possible.