By Bob Katzen

The House 128-24, supported the ruling of the chair that a proposed amendment that would have required the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities to collaborate with ICE regarding detainers issued for dangerous criminal aliens, was beyond the scope of the shelter bill and should not be allowed on the House floor for debate.

Rep. Marc Lombardo (R-Billerica), the sponsor of the amendment said that the amendment would make it clear that we want these monsters off the streets and will take proactive actions to protect Massachusetts residents.

He urged members to oppose the ruling of the chair so that his amendment can be debated and voted upon. “It is simply outrageous that this amendment was ruled out of scope as it pertained to the operations of the shelter system which was the exact scope of the underlying bill,” said Lombardo. “The reality is that the majority party realized it would be a terrible amendment for them to vote against so instead, they ruled it out of scope to prevent political embarrassment.”

Rep. Danielle Gregoire (D-Marlborough) supported the ruling of the chair that this amendment is beyond the scope of this narrowly tailored funding bill. She added that there are several pieces of legislation that have been filed this session that will deal with this issue and the House can debate the issue at that time.

(A “Yes” vote supports the ruling of the chair that prohibits the amendment from being debated and voted upon on by the House. A “No” vote is against the ruling and favord the amendment being debated and voted upon.)

Rep. Christine Barber Yes Rep. Mike Connolly Yes Rep. Paul Donato Yes Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven Yes