Carl Sciortino, 2008 State Rep Questionnaire Responses

Why should progressive Democrats consider you to be the best choice for state representative in this race? What have you championed and/or accomplished as an elected official that supports your claim?

As State Representative, I have been a strong advocate for progressive causes. I was the lead sponsor of the strongest buffer zone law in the country, played a leadership role in the fight for marriage equality and efforts to close corporate tax loopholes, and co-sponsored the minimum wage increase and Massachusetts’ landmark health reform law. In addition, I have filed legislation that promotes affordable housing, encourages energy efficiency and the development of green technology, and reforms the MCAS test to strengthen the Commonwealth’s education system.

What would be your top legislative priorities in your next term of office? What have you already done to demonstrate your commitment on these issues?

I consider MBTA debt relief, transgender non-discrimination and hate crimes legislation, closing corporate tax loopholes, and MCAS reform to my top legislative priorities. I filed legislation this session to direct the state to assume the T's "legacy debt" in order to allow the MBTA to get on firm financial footing, and improve service, operations, and reliability. I have also sponsored a bill to protect transgender individuals from hate crimes and discrimination, which will include gender identity and expression in the state’s non-discrimination statute and will amend existing hate crime laws to explicitly protect people targeted for violence and harassment. I was a leader in preventing multi-state corporations from exploiting tax loopholes, and will continue to fight to close corporate tax loopholes. I am also committed to MCAS reform, having filed legislation that would create a system of multiple assessments to determine if students should graduate from high school to decrease the negative consequences of reliance on a single metric.

During the previous Republican administration, there were dramatic cuts in state funding for safety net services, higher education, and local aid. Thus far, there has only been limited success in restoring funding to address unmet need.

a) What program(s) or service(s) would be your highest priorities for funding restoration?

It is critical that we restore funding for programs that were cut during past Republican administrations. Local aid and school funding is my highest priority for the budget. Before I took office, local aid for Medford and Somerville had been slashed, but has increased every year since I have been in office. We are not yet back to previous levels, but continue to make progress towards that goal. I have also sought to restore funding for some critical state programs, including the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program, HIV/AIDS and other public health programs, and senior care programs such as Meals on Wheels.

b) How would you propose to pay for restored funding for these and other priorities? If you propose spending cuts in other areas, be specific about the programs or services or staff positions that would be cut; if you propose to increase revenues, be specific about the sources of that revenue.

Achieving a balanced budget at the state level is required without any deficit spending, and is an annual challenge to meet the many needs of the Commonwealth. Cuts in services are often at the expense of those who are most vulnerable, such as the elderly & disabled, and at the expense of programs that when cut cause additional expenses down the road, such as public health programs. I am committed to ensuring that corporations pay their fair share of taxes, by closing corporate tax loopholes, and ensuring corporations cannot shift their profits to other states to avoid paying in Massachusetts. This is something I have led the fight on in the House. I also support Governor Patrick’s proposals to allow cities and towns to raise revenues through local hotel and meals taxes. I am also taking a lead role in trying to remove the property tax exemption currently enjoyed by telecommunications companies, which costs cities and towns close to $100M in lost revenue each year. Unless we have honest debate about these issues at the state level, and find sources of revenue to support local aid and other programs, the burden will otherwise be passed along to cities and towns, causing a further increase in the property tax, and placing additional burdens on the backs of working families, which is not an option to me.

All over the country there are proposals to make it both harder and easier for people to cast their vote. What election reform proposals do you support or disagree with?

I am a strong supporter of increasing civic and political participation among our citizens, and have endorsed proposals that I thought would achieve this goal. I co-sponsored legislation that would establish Election Day voter registration. I have also been an advocate for fair elections, and would support reinstitution of the Clean Elections Law passed by the voters, but repealed by the legislature under Speaker Finneran. I have also co-sponsored legislation to institute Instant Runoff Voting, and legislation to have Massachusetts join other states in what is known as the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact.

The Green Line is slated to come to both Somerville and Medford. In Medford there have been many discussions about the challenges of bringing the Green Line in and some opposition. How do you feel about the extension to Medford and how would you support your position as a legislator?

I am supportive of the extension of the Green Line. I have worked to ensure that this project is adequately funded and completed on time. As a member of the Joint Committee on Transportation, I worked closely with the rest of the delegation and Governor Patrick, and was successful in securing $600 million in the transportation bond bill for this project. I believe that the Green Line Extension is an opportunity to improve the transportation infrastructure in this area, which is important for transportation as well as for environmental reasons. I also believe that this project should be completed with the utmost participation and planning of the local community, and have been a consistent presence at every community meeting on the project to talk to residents about their thoughts and ideas about the extension.

Do you support bringing casino gambling and/or racetrack slot machines to Massachusetts? If so, how and why should it be done and what trade-offs would be involved? If not, why not?

I am opposed to the introduction of casinos or racetrack slot machines in Massachusetts. I have seen firsthand the social and economic costs associated with gambling, including higher rates of domestic violence, alcoholism, and substance abuse. Casino gambling revenue estimates never take into account the economic costs associated with the rise in bankruptcy, foreclosure, and divorce, which are shown to increase in proximity to casinos. I do not believe that we should increase the rates of these problems in our state under the guise of economic development.