By Paul Tuthill
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Springfield, MA – Several proposed ballot questions in Massachusetts are expected to move forward today. Sponsors of four questions say they will meet today's deadline to file a minimum of just under 69 thousand signatures of registered voters with the Massachusetts Secretary of State's office. WAMC's Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill reports.
One of the citizen initiatives on track to make it onto the November 2012 statewide election ballot in Massachusetts would permit terminally ill patients to self-administer life-ending drugs. Stephen Crawford, the spokesman for the group sponsoring what it calls the " death with dignity" proposal says they'll turn in about 75 thousand voter signatures by the deadline.
The measure, if approved by Massachusetts voters, would allow adults who have been told by their doctors that they have no more than six months to live to request drugs they could self-administer to end their lives immediately.
The four Roman Catholic bishops in Massachusetts issued a statement calling the ballot question a first step toward legalizing physician-assisted suicide. Other activists are going to announce plans for a campaign against the question during a news conference Thursday at the statehouse.
Voters in Massachusetts will also, it appears, have a chance to weigh in on medical marijuana. This proposed ballot question would authorize the state to register non profit medical marijuana treatment centers that could give the drug to people diagnosed with debilitating conditions such as ALS, glaucoma, and cancer.
An education reform group, called Stand For Children, says it collected about 100 thousand voter signatures for a ballot question on teacher evaluations. The organizations political director, Christian Price said it would write into law new state regulations on evaluating teachers, and go a step further by making teacher performance, rather than seniority, the deciding factor when it comes to layoffs.
Also taking a step toward the ballot today is the fight over so-called right to repair. It's about the sharing by automobile manufacturers of their computer diagnostic information with independent repair shops.. It's a battle that has been fought in the state legislature, without resolution, for several years , according to Art Kinsman, of the Right to Repair Coalition.
Two groups recently withdrew ballot questions. The supermarket industry, after an unsuccessful 2006 ballot question, was prepared to try again to lift restrictions on beer and wine sales, but is instead negotiating what it hopes will be a compromise with package store owners.
And, Janet Domenitz of MassPIRG says the group withdrew its initiative petition to expand the bottle deposit law to include water, tea and sports drinks, because of increasing optimism the legislature will act during its current term.
Under state law, legislators have until the first Wednesday in May to vote on initiative petitions that have cleared today's signature deadline. If lawmakers reject the measures, or fail to act, sponsors then have until June 21st to collect an additional 11 thousand five hundred signatures of registered voters to guarantee a spot on the November statewide ballot.