They haven't held a formal session since midsummer — and won't again until after the new year — but legislators insist they're still working diligently during the political offseason.
"I always get a kick out of it when I see Howie Carr say we're on an extended vacation," state Rep. John Keenan said. "... I can tell you ... I have not been on vacation for the last five months."
Legislators essentially adjourned for the year in the final few hours of July. Between August and January, both chambers hold informal sessions, where a single legislator can hold up a piece of legislation. As a result, lawmakers are generally only able to pass relatively noncontroversial measures.
During a 40-minute session Monday, for example, legislators approved a sick-leave bank for a Boston Municipal Court employee, appointed an officer to the Bourne Police Department, and scheduled a date change for the North Reading annual Town Meeting.
Nonetheless, lawmakers claim they are still tackling the people's business by attending committee hearings, drafting bills for the new session and responding to requests from within the district.
"I was in the office every day this week," state Rep. Ted Speliotis said. "... We are working."
"The real work is the work people don't see — the day-to-day constituent work — which is really the lion's share," Keenan said.
The soon-to-be fourth-term Salem representative said he's been working largely on tourism issues over the last few months. He plans to soon file a bill to reinstitute a tourism fund that would pump more money into marketing Massachusetts as a destination. Earlier this week, he said, he met with officials from MassPort and the Seaport Advisory Council to look at the next phase of the Salem Wharf development project, which could potentially draw cruise ships to the Witch City.
State Rep. Lori Ehrlich plans to tweak and refile a bill requiring utility companies to fix known gas leaks in their pipelines, which she said is a clear public safety hazard. She's also working with other lawmakers on a bill that braces both the city and workers for a transition if the Salem power plant closes.
Meanwhile, she's also trying to push along two bills regulating debt collection, including one that establishes behavior guidelines for collectors.
"Between an active campaign and what's shaping up to be a very challenging session ahead, I've been putting in very long hours since formal sessions ended," Ehrlich said.
Speliotis said he helped guide through a home-rule petition for a liquor license for McKinnon's in Danvers and contacted the state auditor in an attempt to help the town secure more funding to respond to the demand in services from homeless families placed in Danvers motels by the state.
He's also trying to catch up on constituent requests that came in as he encountered voters this fall.
"We were in the streets every single day," Speliotis said. "Those things add up and back up during the campaign."
State Rep. Joyce Spiliotis estimates that she's been working between 50 and 60 hours a week, including weekends when she attends community events. She gets about 300 e-mails a day, she said.
"This is my full-time job," Spiliotis said. "... As I see it, the busiest time is when we're not in session because that's when we can schedule a lot of things we can't normally schedule when we know we'll be in session for four or five hours."
State Rep. Mary Grant, who will depart Beacon Hill in January, was out of town and unavailable for comment, an aide said. State Rep. Brad Hill did not return a message left at his office yesterday.
Overall, legislators said their constituents have high expectations for them.
"My sense is, if you're not doing the job day in and day out, you're going to get booted from office," Keenan said. "If you're doing the job, I think you will be OK."
Staff writer Chris Cassidy can be reached at ccassidy@salem news.com.
Sister Says She Reported Brother in Patz Killing
Patz Suspect's Sister: I Went to Police in 1980s
Diplomatic Expulsions Follow Fresh Syria Report
15 Dead in Northern Italy's 5.8-magnitude Quake
Angry Birds Spreading Their Wings
Witness Describes Fla. Face-chewing Attack
Man Falls Off Crane, Dies After Police Standoff
Russia Condemns Ally Syria Over Massacre of 108
Dairy Farm Uses Chiropractor to Help Cows
Unexpected Smog in Pristine National Parks
Air Canada Plane Makes Emergency Landing
New Ticks Spread Across Southeast, Diseases Rise
Bring Your Own Tech Programs Charge Up Students
Pope's Butler Vows to Help Vatican Investigation
Mother of Allegedly Abused Girl Denies Claims
Raw Video: 19 Dead in Qatar Shopping Mall Fire
Service Dogs Help Wash. Soldiers Battling PTSD
Raw Video: Heckler Bursts in on Blair Testimony
Japan Farmers Plant, Seek Radiation-free Rice
