In a formal address on the House floor, DeLeo focused on health care reform and civics education, but did not mention criminal justice reform.
Massachusetts House Speaker Robert DeLeo, D-Winthrop, drew a direct comparison with President Donald Trump and the Republican-led Congress from the first moments of his formal speech on the House floor on Wednesday.
"I promise this will be a little shorter than the president's remarks last night," DeLeo quipped, referring to Trump's 80-minute State of the Union address.
The Democratic speaker, in an address laying out his priorities for the coming legislative session, stressed the differences between Massachusetts and Washington on topics including health care, bipartisanship and civics education.
As representatives, "We hear the concerns of our constituents directly and we stand up for those in need," DeLeo said. "That may not be flashy, and it's certainly not what we heard about last night in Washington, but it is at the core of what we do."
Most immediately, DeLeo said the House on Wednesday plans to take up a $15 million supplemental budget bill to help school districts that have accepted large numbers of students fleeing hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico.
Springfield has accepted more Puerto Rican students than any other Massachusetts city. "This extra money is certainly going to go a long way in making sure we're able to provide top quality education," said State Rep. Angelo Puppolo, D-Springfield.
The supplemental budget being voted on by the House also will provide $250,000 for the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination to hire two new staffers for training and one new investigator. DeLeo said MCAD is seeing an increase in requests for sexual harassment training and also expects to see an increase in sexual harassment complaints, following the renewed national attention on the issue.
The bill also includes more money for public defenders.
One major priority DeLeo stressed is the House's commitment to health care reform.
"I am proud that with all of the challenges coming from Washington, we've kept our eye on the ball: advancing Massachusetts' leadership while remaining true to our values," DeLeo said, focusing specifically on health care reform.
The Senate already passed a comprehensive bill addressing health care costs. The House is expected to take up its own version of the bill this session.
DeLeo said the House bill will address supporting community hospitals and community health centers; shielding patients from rising health care costs and giving them the necessary information to make health care decisions; giving more tools to businesses; and increasing transparency in pharmaceutical spending.
DeLeo reiterated his commitment to include no new broad-based taxes in the fiscal 2019 budget.
Other priorities DeLeo mentioned include providing more money for the life sciences sector; creating a workforce development system for early education; investing in children's mental health; providing more support services in schools; and expanding civics education in schools.
"One cannot look at the roiling national political climate of the last 24 months and not realize that too many are unaware of our basic political tenets and traditions," DeLeo said, in discussing the bill that would require civics education. "In the void, pernicious beliefs and basic untruths can take hold."
Notably, DeLeo did not mention criminal justice reform. Two major criminal justice bills are pending in a committee of House-Senate negotiators, and many lawmakers consider that a top priority this session.