Massachusetts House Speaker Ron Mariano goes ‘On the Record’ about immigration, energy, audit

LONG TO DO LIST SAVING MONEY FOR PEOPLE IS THE MOST IMPORTANT WORK OF OUR STATE RIGHT NOW. LEADERS FACING MOUNTING FRUSTRATION OVER ENERGY COSTS, AFFORDABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY. SPEAKER RULES AND REIGNS. THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS, JUST LIKE A KING. HOUSE SPEAKER RON MARIANO HAS SERVED ON BEACON HILL FOR MORE THAN THREE DECADES. THE QUINCY DEMOCRAT TOOK OVER THE CHAMBER BACK IN 2020. THIS MORNING, THE SPEAKER GOES ON THE RECORD ABOUT THE STATE’S CURRENT PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS FROM WCVB CHANNEL 5 THE INSIDE WORD FROM BEACON HILL TO CAPITOL HILL. TODAY’S NEWSMAKERS ARE GOING ON THE RECORD. GOOD MORNING EVERYONE. IT IS SUNDAY, MARCH 8TH AND I’M ED HARDING AND I’M SHARMAN SACCHETTI. AND JOINING US AT THE TABLE IS MASSACHUSETTS HOUSE SPEAKER RON MARIANO. THANKS SO MUCH FOR JOINING US. HAPPY TO BE HERE. LET’S GET STARTED WITH SOME NEWS. GOVERNOR MAURA HEALEY JUST SENT A LETTER TO THE DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY DEMANDING FULL TRANSPARENCY ABOUT ICE DETENTION PRACTICES IN MASSACHUSETTS. DO YOU THINK ICE HAS BEEN TRANSPARENT ENOUGH? OH, FAR FROM IT. YOU KNOW, ALL THEIR AGENTS ARE RUNNING AROUND WITH MASKS. YOU KNOW, TRYING TO INTIMIDATE AND FRIGHTEN, FRIGHTEN THESE REFUGEES AS THEY ROUND THEM UP AND INTIMIDATING PEOPLE. AND THAT’S PART OF THE REASON FOR THEIR SUCCESS, IS THEY COME IN LIKE GANGBUSTERS, ARMED. AND IT’S PRETTY DIFFICULT TO STAND UP TO THEM. IF YOU’RE NEW TO THIS COUNTRY, AND I’M QUITE SURE WHAT YOUR STATUS IS AND WHAT YOU’RE GOING THROUGH. SO I THINK THERE IS FAR AWAY FROM TRANSPARENCY AS YOU CAN GET, YOU ARE PLANNING TO HOLD A VOTE IN THE HOUSE ON IMMIGRATION POLICIES COMING UP SOON. LAST WEEK THERE WAS A HEARING ON WHAT’S CALLED THE PROTECT ACT THAT BANNED CIVIL IMMIGRATION ARRESTS IN COURTHOUSE WITHOUT A WARRANT. GOVERNOR HEALEY, SHE’S ALSO FILED A BILL TO BAN ICE FROM ENTERING CHURCHES, SCHOOLS, SENSITIVE LOCATIONS. WHAT DO YOU THINK NEEDS TO BE IN AN IMMIGRATION BILL? WELL, THE INTERESTING THING IS THAT WE HAVE. USED AS A AS A TEMPLATE, THE BLACK AND LATINO CAUCUSES WORK AROUND THIS WHOLE PROBLEM. THE WHOLE IMMIGRATION PROBLEM. AND WE FOUND A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT ISSUES THAT THAT DIRECTLY. IMPACT THE REFUGEES THAT ARE BEING HASSLED. AND WHAT WE WANT TO DO, SINCE WE CAN’T HAVE ANY CONTROL OVER THE IMMIGRATION POLICY, IT’S A FEDERAL ISSUE. THE FEDS MAKE ALL THE DECISIONS. THE FEDS MAKE THE DECISIONS ON HOW THEY’RE GOING TO IMPLEMENT IT. AND WHAT TACTICS THEY’RE GOING TO USE. BUT WHAT WE CAN DO AND WHAT WE WILL DO IS WE WE BROUGHT TOGETHER ALL THE LAW ENFORCEMENT ENTITIES IN MASSACHUSETTS THE OTHER DAY. WE HAD A FORUM WITH WITH POLICE OFFICERS, POLICE CHIEFS, DISTRICT ATTORNEYS, ATTORNEY GENERALS, THE ATTORNEY GENERAL, AND THEIR AGENTS TO FIND OUT WHERE THE LINES ARE, HOW WE CAN HAVE AN IMPACT ON THE PROCESS WITHOUT OVERSTEPPING THE BOUNDARY AND INFRINGING UPON THE FEDERAL RIGHTS THAT THESE FOLKS HAVE TO RUN THEIR PROGRAMS. AND WHAT WE’RE DOING IS, IS TRYING TO GUARANTEE THAT IF YOU’RE IN OUR STATE, YOU ARE GOING TO GET THE SAME RIGHTS AS EVERYONE ELSE IN OUR STATE. THERE’S NO REASON WHY YOU SHOULD BE DENIED. IF YOU GOT HERE AND YOU’RE NOT A CRIMINAL. AND LET ME PREFACE THIS YOU’RE NOT HERE ON A CRIMINAL CHARGE. YOU YOU DESERVE TO BE TREATED JUST LIKE EVERYONE ELSE. SO? SO YOU WERE YOU WERE TRYING TO DEFINE WHERE THE LINES ARE SO THEY WOULD HOLD UP IN COURT, RIGHT? YEAH. EXACTLY. YEAH. EXACTLY. BECAUSE THIS IS WHERE IT’S ALL GOING TO END UP ANYWAY. AND SO YOU WANT TO YOU WANT TO GO IN THERE ON SOLID FOOTING. AND WE WANTED TO TALK TO THE FOLKS WHO ARE ON THE FRONT LINES. AND IT’S AMAZING WHEN YOU WHEN YOU HAVE THESE DIFFERENT SEGMENTS OF LAW ENFORCEMENT, HOW THEY’VE CHOSEN TO TO INTERACT WITH THE FEDS. SOME HAVE HAVE ALMOST COOPERATIVE, YOU KNOW, WHERE THEY EXCHANGE INFORMATION AND TALK AND THEN OTHERS. THERE’S NO INTERACTION. SO THERE’S THERE’S NO POLICY COMING OUT OF THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT TO IMPLEMENT WHAT THEY’RE DOING. SO IT’S A CATCH AS CATCH CAN. SO, SO SO FORGIVE THE SIMPLICITY OF THIS PART OF THE QUESTION, BUT HOW DOES IT KEEP AMERICAN CITIZENS SAFE? WELL, BY HAVING NO VIOLATIONS OF OUR FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHTS, THE SECOND AMENDMENT RIGHTS OR ANYTHING ELSE, I MEAN, YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO COUNSEL. YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO MAKE A PHONE CALL. YOU HAVE A RIGHT TO TALK TO YOUR FAMILY. THEY CAN’T JUST PUT YOU ON A BUS AND SEND YOU TO NEW HAMPSHIRE OR WHEREVER ELSE THEY’RE SENDING YOU. SO WE EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE. YEAH, THEY HAVE, BUT WE’RE TRYING TO PREVENT THAT. AND THAT’S WHAT THIS BILL IS GOING TO HOPEFULLY WILL DO, WILL TAKE ALL THOSE EGREGIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES THAT THAT THEY’VE USED TO BEAT UP PEOPLE IN, IN STRONG ON PEOPLE AND BACK THEM OFF SO THAT IF YOU ARE IN MASSACHUSETTS, YOU KNOW THAT YOU WILL GET THE SAME RIGHTS AS ANYONE ELSE. LET’S TALK ABOUT ENERGY. THE HOUSE RECENTLY APPROVED A BILL TO TRY TO GIVE PEOPLE A BREAK ON SOME OF THESE SKYROCKETING GAS AND ELECTRIC BILLS. THOSE ARE CAUSED IN PART BY CHARGES FOR ENERGY EFFICIENCY PROGRAMS. THE BILL MAKES BIG CUTS TO MASS SAVE, INCLUDES CLOSER GOVERNMENT OVERSIGHT, DIRECTS THE STATE TO REFUND SOME FEES. HOW MUCH IS THIS REALLY GOING TO HELP PEOPLE? WHEN WINTER ROLLS AROUND NEXT, NEXT YEAR AND THEY START TO SEE THESE GAS BILLS, THESE ELECTRIC BILLS TOTALING INTO THE HUNDREDS? IT’S A GREAT QUESTION BECAUSE THE THE COMPLETELY HONEST ANSWER IS IT’S NOT GOING TO HELP MUCH AT ALL. THE WHAT WE DID WAS WE LOOKED AT THE BILL AND SOME OF THE CHARGES THAT ARE ON THE BILL, WHICH WHICH WERE DEVELOPED AS WE TRIED TO MOVE OUR CONSUMPTION AWAY FROM FOSSIL FUELS. WE WANTED PEOPLE TO INVEST IN SOLAR POWER. WE WANTED PEOPLE TO INVEST IN OFFSHORE WIND. AND ONE OF THE WAYS TO DO IT WAS TO GIVE INCENTIVES ON ON THE BILL. AND WE HAVE AND WE’VE BEEN, SOME WOULD SAY GENEROUS AND SOME WOULD SAY TOO GENEROUS. BUT BUT WE HAVE MADE CHANGES. BUT NOW WE LOST OUR PARTNER THE, THE MONEY THAT WE WERE GETTING FROM THE GOVERNMENT TO, TO MAKE THIS CHANGE, TO GET TO OUR 20. YEAH. THANK YOU. THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, WE YOU KNOW, OUR PLEDGE WAS TO GET TO CARBON NEUTRAL BY 2030. THIS PRESIDENT HAS JUST WALKED AWAY. HE SHUT DOWN OFFSHORE WIND. WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP PEOPLE GIVE PEOPLE AN AFFORDABILITY BREAK HERE? WELL, WE’RE DOING IT. WE WE TOOK NINE, $9 BILLION OUT OF THE FUND OVER THE NEXT TEN YEARS BECAUSE WE HAD THE HIGHEST. HIGHEST CHARGING MASS. WELL, WHATEVER THE SAVE PLAN IS NAMED IN EACH STATE, WE WERE WE WERE THE SECOND HIGHEST IN THE COUNTRY. WE WERE WE WERE PUTTING A LOT OF MONEY INTO THIS. AND NOW WE HAVE TO RE REDEFINE WHAT WE’RE DOING ON A MONTHLY BILL BECAUSE WE JUST CAN’T KEEP PILING THINGS INTO THE BILLS. WELL, TO DRILL DOWN EVEN DEEPER, PARDON THE PUN, THE BILL DOES NOT ADDRESS A STATE PROGRAM THAT INCENTIVIZES GAS COMPANIES TO FIX AND REPLACE LEAKY PIPES AT A TIME WHEN THE STATE IS TRYING TO CONVINCE PEOPLE, AS YOU JUST MENTIONED, TO GET OFF FOSSIL FUELS, WHY NOT? I YOU LOST ME ON THAT. I’M SORRY. THE THE GAS COMPANIES, THE THE STATE PROGRAM TO INCENTIVIZE INCENTIVIZE GAS COMPANIES TO FIX AND REPLACE LEAKY PIPES WHEN THE STATE IS IS TRYING TO CONVINCE PEOPLE TO GET OFF FOSSIL FUELS. BUT BUT IT’S MADE IT’S MADE IT DIFFICULT TO MAKE THAT THAT STEP. WELL, THE YOU HAVE TO BE EFFICIENT IN WHERE WE ARE NOW. RIGHT. YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE LEAKS THAT, THAT ARE IN OUR SYSTEM NOW ARE COSTING US AN AWFUL LOT OF MONEY. SO THE BEST THING THAT WE CAN DO FOR THE TIME BEING IS YOUR HOUSEHOLD. IN MY HOUSEHOLD IS SHUT DOWN. THE LEAKS MAKE SURE WE’RE USING ALL THE GAS THAT WE’RE PAYING FOR, AND IT’S COMING INTO OUR FURNACES, AND WE’RE GETTING OUR MONEY’S WORTH. AND THAT’S WHAT THIS IS AN ATTEMPT TO DO. IT SEEMS LIKE WE’RE PAYING FOR GAS WHILE ALSO TRYING TO GET PEOPLE OFF GAS AND PAYING FOR CLIMATE AND PAYING FOR CLIMATE INITIATIVES. WELL, LET ME LET ME REMIND PEOPLE THIS IS A HUGE CHANGEOVER THAT WE’RE GOING THROUGH. WE HAVE TO CHANGE THE WHOLE GRID SYSTEM THE WAY WE WE DISPERSE ELECTRICITY THROUGHOUT THE COMMONWEALTH, AND WE’RE NOT GOING TO DO IT WITHOUT FEDERAL HELP AND HAVE THE FEDS WALK AWAY FROM US ON EVERY SINGLE CLEAN FOSSIL FUEL THAT WE’VE BEEN INVOLVED IN IS UNCONSCIONABLE. HE’S DRIVING US TO GAS AND OIL BECAUSE THAT’S WHERE HIS FRIENDS ARE. THEY’RE IN THE BUSINESS. THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, THE SPEAKER’S IN THE CHAIR. OUR CONVERSATION CONTINUES AFTER THE BREAK.