Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr (R-Gloucester)
released the following statement today, following Governor Patrick’s decision to
send the crime bill, also known as Melissa’s Bill, back to the legislature with
an amendment (Senator Tarr was a principal architect of the Senate version of
the bill, and served on the conference committee that reconciled the differences
between the House and Senate versions):
“Governor Patrick has
had a busy week defending the interests of those who break the law. He rejected
a measure to require proof of legal residence to register a car, has said he
will refuse to enforce restrictions on purchases with EBT cards, and now he is
trying to provide violent repeat criminals with a ‘safety
valve’.
His actions to
jeopardize the passage of the crime bill are both ill-timed and ill-advised by
trying to amend a good and balanced bill with an extraordinary measure to
protect repeat violent criminals, with precious little time remaining in the
legislative session.
The governor's
proposal was never seriously considered by the House or the Senate, and was
expressly rejected by the conference committee, and yet he has chosen to risk
the passage of the entire bill, which he has publicly characterized as ‘good’,
for such a measure, in a repeat of his performance when the legislature first
placed a gaming bill on his desk.
Fortunately, the
legislature has made a firm commitment to public safety by passing this
comprehensive bill with overwhelming and consistent support. My hope is that the
House and Senate will once again take a strong stand to protect public safety,
and that the governor will act quickly in response to our actions to prevent the
clock or the calendar from becoming the deciding factor in protecting the
citizens of the Commonwealth from those who repeatedly make them
victims.”