Representative Steven S. Howitt maintains perfect voting record in 2023

Boston – State Representative Steven Howitt, R-Seekonk, maintained a perfect voting record in 2023, participating in all 70 roll call votes recorded in the House of Representatives between February 1, 2023, and November 15, 2023.

Representative Howitt compiled a 100% attendance record this year by casting votes on several major policy initiatives during the first half of the 2023-2024 legislative session, including a comprehensive tax relief package that is expected to provide taxpayers with $561 million in savings this fiscal year and an estimated $1.02 billion in savings once the changes are fully implemented in 2026. Signed into law on October 4, 2023, as Chapter 50 of the Acts of 2023, An Act to improve the Commonwealth’s competitiveness, affordability and equity, the bill:

• Doubles the Senior Circuit Breaker tax credit from $1,200 to $2,400, indexed to inflation, to assist nearly 100,000 seniors with their housing costs;
• Eliminates the estate tax for all estates valued under $2 million and allows for a uniform credit of $99,600, effective January 1, 2023;
• Combines the child and dependent tax credits into one while eliminating the existing cap and increasing the credit from $180 to $310 in FY23 and to $440 in FY24, which will benefit over 565,000 families;
• Increases the rental deduction cap from $3,000 to $4,000, which will assist approximately 800,000 renters;
• Raises the Earned Income Tax Credit from 30% to 40% of the federal credit, which will benefit approximately 400,000 taxpayers earning less than $60,000;
• Allows municipalities to provide up to $2,000 in property tax reductions for older residents participating in the senior work-off program, which is currently capped at $1,500; and
• Reduces the tax on short-term capital gains from 12% to 8.5%.

On November 15, Representative Howitt joined with his colleagues in the House of Representatives to pass a long-term care oversight bill that will provide enhanced protections for patients as well as expanded training provisions for the industry’s workforce to help address persistent staffing shortages at nursing homes and other long-term care facilities. He also cast a vote in support of salary transparency legislation on October 4 to help address the gender and racial wage gap by requiring most employers to disclose the salary range for open positions on job postings.

On October 18, Representative Howitt voted against a House-sponsored gun bill, saying it will do nothing to reduce crime and will instead have a negative impact on lawful gun owners in the Commonwealth. He also questioned how much the bill will cost to implement and noted that it was strongly opposed not only by the Gun Owners Action League, but also by the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, whose members voted unanimously to oppose the bill.

Representative Howitt also voted against a supplemental budget proposal on November 8 to allocate $250 million in additional funding to the state’s emergency shelter system to help pay for the recent influx of migrants seeking shelter in Massachusetts. He cited the lack of a plan by the Healey-Driscoll Administration to stem the flow of migrants, which has pushed the state’s emergency shelter assistance program to its limits and created a strain on municipal finances as cities and towns struggle to house and educate these new arrivals.

During floor debate on the bill, Representative Howitt supported an amendment to prospectively limit future emergency housing services to individuals who have been residents of the Commonwealth for at least one year and can provide documented proof of residency. He said this is a reasonable policy change that will help ensure that long-term residents do not lose out on housing assistance to individuals who are newly arrived from out of state, but the amendment failed to pass.

In 2023, Representative Howitt was also recorded in support of several supplemental spending and bond proposals, including bills that:

• Provide universal free school meals for all students to help promote their health and well-being;
• Allow municipalities to continue the use of remote and hybrid meetings, as well as reduced quorum requirements for town meetings, until March 31, 2025;
• Authorize a one-year extension of outdoor dining options for restaurants, which will be allowed to continue serving cocktails, beer, and wine in conjunction with food takeout orders until April 1, 2024; and
• Provide $175 million in additional municipal grant funding to support several transportation-related initiatives such as the Municipal Small Bridge program and the Complete Streets program.

Representative Howitt represents the 4th Bristol District, consisting of the towns of Seekonk, Rehoboth, Precincts 1 and 2 of the town of Norton, and Precincts 4 and 5 of the town of Swansea. He currently serves as the Ranking Minority member on the Joint Committee on Transportation, and serves on the House Committee on Ethics, the House Committee on Steering, Policy and Scheduling, the Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure, and the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy.