A state senator from Ludlow was denied the chance to testify before a legislative committee on Beacon Hill Monday—because he wasn’t at the State House in person.
It figured to be a routine meeting of the t Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure, which was hearing testimony on a litany of bills having to do with liquor laws in Massachusetts.
But, at the start of the hearing, the Senate chair of the , Sen. Pavel Payano, D-Lawrence, asked his House counterpart, state Rep. Tackey Chan, D- Quincy, who was running the session, to recognize Sen. Jake Oliveira, D-Ludlow. Oliveira, who is a member of the , wanted to participate remotely as he had meetings in his district.
Chan refused and later said: “It is the position of the house chair to have folks actually show up for work.”
Just before that Payano defended his colleague and seemed to take Chan to task.
"When you deny a duly elected state senator the right to testify, especially in a public hearing where all other residents are allowed to participate, you're not just simply silencing one person, you are silencing the voice of thousands," Payano said. "You're telling an entire community your concerns are not welcomed here."
He also said it is much more difficult for House and Senate who live far away from Boston to get into the city, due to traffic and other considerations, compared to others who live in suburban-Boston communities.
Payano also spoke on Oliveira’s behalf on a bill he is proposing to return control of liquor licenses to local communities instead of having it with the legislature.
Reached Monday afternoon, Oliveira was upset about what had taken place. He said he had testified before other committees virtually before and without problems. He took issue with the fact that a local official from Cohasset, who was also testifying on legislation, was allowed to participate virtually, but he was not extended the same courtesy.
Oliveira said not being able to speak before the committee meant that not only was his voice silenced, but so were those of the 170,000 people in his district that he represents.
"These tactics to undermine our Democratic institutions and to silence voices is very reminiscent of what's going on in Washington, D.C.," he said. "Quite frankly, this attempt to silence me is borderline unconstitutional."
Oliveira said since cities and towns allow for virtual participation in their meetings, had this happened during a municipal meeting, assuredly there would be a lawsuit.
The senator said at issue is the fact the House and Senate have not agreed on t rules to cover operations in these circumstances. With this the case, Oliveira said the rules revert to the 2019 package, which mentions nothing, one way or the other, on participating in meetings virtually, so he should have been allowed to do so here.
He added, neither he nor those in his district will remain silent on this situation.
“We need to push back on attempts, even by who are elected to the legislature, from silencing people who want to participate in the process,” he said.
Oliveira district includes some or all of 11 communities in eastern Hampden and Hampshire counties.
In a statement Senate President Karen Spilka denounced Chan's decision, saying Oliveira should have been afforded the opportunity to testify and that the idea that the rules of the House can control the operations of t committees is "without merit."
