Republican Lawmakers Make Melissa’s Bill 2011 Legislative Priority

BOSTON—Republican lawmakers, led by Minority Whip Brad Hill (R-Ipswich) today called on their colleagues to join with them in making “Melissa’s Bill” a 2011 legislative priority.

“Melissa’s Bill” was filed in the memory of Melissa Gosule, a then-27-year-old teacher who was murdered in 1999 by a repeat offender who had served less than two years in jail for a combined 27 criminal convictions.

“Melissa’s Bill” was refiled for multiple session, most recently in January of 2009 and has been stuck in the Judiciary Committee since March of the same year.

If passed into law, repeat, violent offenders would be kept where they belong - behind bars.

In the wake of the tragic shooting death of a Woburn Police Officer John Maguire by a career criminal, the Republican Caucus is hoping there will be an appetite to pass this critical piece of legislation early in the new legislative session.

“A priority of the Legislature should be to ensure the safety of all the citizens of the Commonwealth from dangerous, habitual offenders and this legislation would do just that,” said Representative Hill, the sponsor of “Melissa’s Bill.”

“We in the Republican Caucus are happy to take the lead on this issue, however we hope our colleagues will join us in our effort to keep every citizen of the Commonwealth safe,” said House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr.


Among the components of “Melissa’s Bill” include:

 Expands the habitual offender statute to better target the most dangerous repeat offenders, stating that the maximum punishment available by law shall be imposed for either a defendant’s third Superior Court felony conviction or a third conviction of a felony punishable by more than 10 years in prison.

 Removes parole eligibility for those repeat offenders convicted under “Melissa’s Law.”

 Requires revocations and imposition of the suspended sentence when a preponderance of the evidence establishes that the probationer committed a felony while on probation. Currently, there is no such requirement.

 Removes loophole by specifically stating that state and federal convictions apply to the habitual offender statute. Currently, federal convictions are not included in the habitual offender statute.

 Authorizes judges to impose conditions of release to make clear that sentences on new crimes committed during the pendency of a case shall run consecutively, eliminating the ability of defendants to agree to “package deals” and receive concurrent sentences for crimes committed while they are out on bail.

Republican Lawmakers to hold Media Availability

BOSTON—Republican lawmakers, led by Minority Whip Brad Hill will hold a media availability tomorrow to discuss “Melissa’s Bill,” a piece of legislation that has been stuck in the Judiciary Committee for many months now. If passed into law, repeat, violent offenders would be kept where they belong - behind bars.

“Melissa’s Bill” was filed in the memory of Melissa Gosule, a then-27-year-old teacher who was murdered by a repeat offender who had served less than two years in jail for a combined 27 criminal convictions.

In the wake of the tragic shooting death of a Woburn Police Officer by a career criminal, the Republican Caucus will take this opportunity to call on their colleagues to support this critical piece of legislation.

A priority of the Legislature should be to ensure the safety of all the citizens of the Commonwealth from dangerous, habitual offenders and this legislation would do just that.

Representative Brad Hill will be joined by other Republican lawmakers, as well as Melissa Gosule’s father, Les Gosule.

The press conference will be held tomorrow (Tuesday) at 11:00 a.m. outside of Room 124 at State House.

House Minority Leader’s Statement on Long Overdue Resignation of Probation Commissioner

BOSTON—House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. issued the following statement this evening after hearing Probation Commissioner John O’Brien finally handed in his resignation.

This evening’s resignation of Probation Commissioner John O’Brien is long overdue, however an appropriate way to usher in the New Year. It is my hope that this will be the first step in the long, difficult process of cleaning up what is known to be a very corrupt probation department.

The road to restoring the public’s confidence in state government will be a bumpy one but nonetheless this resignation is a critical step in making that effort become a reality.

Sales Tax Holiday a Win for Taxpayers

As you may recall, during the summer, the state held a sales tax holiday to help businesses and taxpayers alike. While many Democrats would have you believe, this relief came at too high of a cost to the state, we here at The Capitol View see it as a win-win. Not only were businesses able to generate some much needed traffic in their stores during the lull of summer, but taxpayers were able to save close to $20 million as well.

The taxpayers of Massachusetts face one of the highest tax burdens in the country. The least the state can do is provide one weekend where shoppers can make purchases without being heavily taxed. Additionally, businesses here in Massachusetts have a serious disadvantage when it comes to competition thanks in part to tax-free internet shopping, not to mention sales tax-free New Hampshire. In times of economic despair, we, as a legislative body must do everything we can to allow business to thrive and flourish while also enabling middle-class families to enjoy the lifestyle they work so hard for.

We say kudos to the sales tax holiday weekend and bravo! We fully intend to file this legislation when the new session convenes next week and look forward to providing a little more relief next summer.

Appreciation and Gratitude to Secretary Kelley

As many of you have probably heard by now, Governor Patrick has asked Veterans’ Services Secretary Thomas Kelley for his resignation. Although we understand Secretary Kelley serves at the pleasure of the Governor, we are disappointed and confused by this decision.

Secretary Kelley has not only served the Veterans of Massachusetts well, but he has served his country with honor for many, many years. A Vietnam Veteran and a Medal of Honor recipient, Secretary Kelley has unconditionally fought for his country and the Commonwealth.

We here at The Capitol View would like to thank him for his many years of service. He is a true American Patriot who deserves all the respect we can give him. His successor certainly has big shoes to fill.

Thoughts and Prayers with Family of Fallen Police Officer

As many of you know by now, this weekend, the life of a Woburn Police Officer was tragically cut short when a career criminal shot and killed the officer as a robbery attempt went terribly wrong.

Woburn police officer John Maguire served on the force for more than three decades and until this incident, it has been reported by several media outlets, that he had never fired his weapon before.

While there’s nothing we can say to console the family and friends of Office Maguire, we here at The Capitol View would like his loved ones to know that our thoughts and prayers are with them and they go through the very difficult process of grieving.

May God bless Office Maguire and his family.

From all of us here at The Capitol View, we'd like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. We'd also like to extend our thoughts and prayers to all of our service men and women serving domestic and abroad who will not have the opportunity to celebrate the holidays with their loved ones.

House Minority Leader’s Statement on Massachusetts Losing a Congressional Seat

BOSTON—House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. issued the following statement today after hearing the Commonwealth will be losing a Congressional seat.

I am disappointed that despite growth in population in Massachusetts, our state is set to lose a congressional seat. One less Congressman means one less voice advocating on behalf of Bay State residents in Washington. While this loss has been long anticipated it is disappointing nevertheless. In addition, our modest growth compared to other areas of the country will likely mean we could lose out on significant federal funding over the next decade.

A Welcome, but Long Overdue Decision

In case you missed it, today the Patrick Administration announced that the Commonwealth of Massachusetts will, “sign an agreement to formally join Secure Communities, a federal program that screens all people who are arrested and fingerprinted to determine who is an illegal immigrant.” That’s according to a recent update on the Boston Globe’s website.

The program will allow law enforcement to report those people who are here illegally and get arrested to be reported to US Immigration and Customs Enforcement. ICE will then make the decision whether to detain and deport them.

While this is a welcome policy shift on the part of the Patrick Administration, it is indeed long overdue. Hopefully, Governor Patrick will follow through on this initiative.

Click here to read more on the subject.

Farewell to the Outgoing Members

Today, the nearly 40 outgoing members in the Massachusetts House of Representatives bid a final farewell on the floor of the Chamber. From the Republican Caucus, Representatives Lew Evangelidis, Bob Hargraves, Jeff Perry and Karyn Polito all said their goodbyes to their colleagues.

We wish all of the members, especially our Republican colleagues, the best of luck in the future. No matter what paths they take, we know the future is bright for all four of them.