Defund sanctuary cities?.One bill (HD.263) on Beacon Hill would make it happen.State Representative Marc Lombardo (R-Billerica) filed "An Act Relative To Sanctuary Cities and Towns" in January.If enacted, the legislation would withhold unrestricted state aid from Bay State sanctuary cities.It would direct the Massachusetts Department of Revenue to restrict local aid payments to municipalities for every day they remained a sanctuary city.Here is a breakdown of how much money it would withhold daily from sanctuary cities:1. If the population of the political subdivision is less than 10,000, $2,000.2. If the population of the political subdivision is at least 10,000 but less than 100,000, $5,000.3. If the population of the political subdivision is at least 100,000 but less than 250,000, $10,000.4. If the population of the political subdivision is 250,000 or more, $15,000.For municipalities with fewer than 10,000 people, that's $730,000 annually; for those with at least 10,000 but under 100,000, that's $1,825,000 per year; cities with at least 100,000 people but under 250,000 would lose out on $3,650,000 annually, while cities exceeding 250,000 people (Boston) would lose out on $5,475,000 per year.The city of Boston receives more than $230 million in unrestricted local aid from the state annually, so the bill would cut this aid by less than 3 three percent.Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance spokesman Paul Craney said the proposal would make the Commonwealth a better place.“Governor Maura Healey’s sanctuary policies, along with Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and others, are making the state less safe and more expensive," Craney wrote via email. "They refuse to allow state agencies cooperate with federal immigration and law enforcement authorities that are trying to keep residents safe from dangerous criminal illegal immigrants and inadmissible migrants. It’s a complete policy failure and they refuse to admit their ideas don’t work. We hope state Rep. Marc Lombardo is successful in getting his bill heard, debated, and adopted. Too many Massachusetts residents are suffering.”The legislation is a re-file of a bill that Lombardo has been filing for the past decade. "This bill not only strengthens security but removes the magnet from Massachusetts for illegal immigration," Lombardo said defending the proposal in 2015, as NewBostonPost previously reported.Last session, the Municipalities and Regional Government sent the measure to a study order, effectively killing it. Since committee votes aren't public in Massachusetts, it's unclear who voted to kill it.The bill has little chance of becoming law because Democrats have a supermajority in both chambers of the state legislature.In addition, Governor Maura Healey, a Democrat, has previously expressed support for sanctuary cities."I think we have a system that's working well here," Healey told The Boston Globe in February 2017. "There are a number of places that have adopted a status as a sanctuary city and I think that that is working, so that's probably what I think makes sense because, in practice, these efforts are going to be carried out — the direct engagement day-to-day — is actually between local officials and departments and members of the federal government."No action has been taken on Lombardo's proposal in the state legislature yet.Massachusetts has eight sanctuary cities, according to CBS News: Amherst, Boston, Cambridge, Chelsea, Concord, Newton, Northampton, and Somerville.The term "sanctuary city" generally refers to a municipality that welcomes illegal immigrants via local government services and limits cooperation with federal immigration authorities.Lombardo could not be reached for comment on Sunday, Monday or Tuesday. Nor could Healey.
Defund sanctuary cities?.One bill (HD.263) on Beacon Hill would make it happen.State Representative Marc Lombardo (R-Billerica) filed "An Act Relative To Sanctuary Cities and Towns" in January.If enacted, the legislation would withhold unrestricted state aid from Bay State sanctuary cities.It would direct the Massachusetts Department of Revenue to restrict local aid payments to municipalities for every day they remained a sanctuary city.Here is a breakdown of how much money it would withhold daily from sanctuary cities:1. If the population of the political subdivision is less than 10,000, $2,000.2. If the population of the political subdivision is at least 10,000 but less than 100,000, $5,000.3. If the population of the political subdivision is at least 100,000 but less than 250,000, $10,000.4. If the population of the political subdivision is 250,000 or more, $15,000.For municipalities with fewer than 10,000 people, that's $730,000 annually; for those with at least 10,000 but under 100,000, that's $1,825,000 per year; cities with at least 100,000 people but under 250,000 would lose out on $3,650,000 annually, while cities exceeding 250,000 people (Boston) would lose out on $5,475,000 per year.The city of Boston receives more than $230 million in unrestricted local aid from the state annually, so the bill would cut this aid by less than 3 three percent.Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance spokesman Paul Craney said the proposal would make the Commonwealth a better place.“Governor Maura Healey’s sanctuary policies, along with Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and others, are making the state less safe and more expensive," Craney wrote via email. "They refuse to allow state agencies cooperate with federal immigration and law enforcement authorities that are trying to keep residents safe from dangerous criminal illegal immigrants and inadmissible migrants. It’s a complete policy failure and they refuse to admit their ideas don’t work. We hope state Rep. Marc Lombardo is successful in getting his bill heard, debated, and adopted. Too many Massachusetts residents are suffering.”The legislation is a re-file of a bill that Lombardo has been filing for the past decade. "This bill not only strengthens security but removes the magnet from Massachusetts for illegal immigration," Lombardo said defending the proposal in 2015, as NewBostonPost previously reported.Last session, the Municipalities and Regional Government sent the measure to a study order, effectively killing it. Since committee votes aren't public in Massachusetts, it's unclear who voted to kill it.The bill has little chance of becoming law because Democrats have a supermajority in both chambers of the state legislature.In addition, Governor Maura Healey, a Democrat, has previously expressed support for sanctuary cities."I think we have a system that's working well here," Healey told The Boston Globe in February 2017. "There are a number of places that have adopted a status as a sanctuary city and I think that that is working, so that's probably what I think makes sense because, in practice, these efforts are going to be carried out — the direct engagement day-to-day — is actually between local officials and departments and members of the federal government."No action has been taken on Lombardo's proposal in the state legislature yet.Massachusetts has eight sanctuary cities, according to CBS News: Amherst, Boston, Cambridge, Chelsea, Concord, Newton, Northampton, and Somerville.The term "sanctuary city" generally refers to a municipality that welcomes illegal immigrants via local government services and limits cooperation with federal immigration authorities.Lombardo could not be reached for comment on Sunday, Monday or Tuesday. Nor could Healey.
