BOSTON — Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, who is running to become governor of the state, is among those supporting Question 1 and Question 4 on the statewide ballot.
Healey, a Democrat, was among the ballot questions’ supporters who rallied outside the Dudley Cafe in Boston’s Roxbury neighborhood Saturday morning.
Question 1 is commonly referred to as the “Fair Share Amendment” and the “millionaires tax.” A yes vote on the ballot would establish an additional 4% state income tax on that portion of annual taxable income in excess of $1 million.
“It is high time that millionaires pay their fair share,” Pressley said. “And public education and public transit are our two most important infrastructures.”
In a statement, the campaign for “No on Question 1” said that if the ballot measure were to be passed, it would nearly double the income tax rate on tens of thousands of homeowners, small business owners, family farmers, retirees and other hardworking Massachusetts residents.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Geoff Diehl has already said he will vote “no” on Question 1, and some opponents worry it will cause more Massachusetts residents to move out of the state.
Question 4, meanwhile, will let voters decide if a new law that allows undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses should remain in place.
“We believe that it’s a social justice right for all of our immigrant brothers and sisters,” said Karina Flores, an East Boston resident.
“This is a matter of public safety and this is a matter of making sure that we know who is on the roads, that we know that they are trained,” Healey said.
The law at the center of Question 4 would allow Massachusetts residents regardless of legal status to acquire a standard driver’s license starting July 1, 2023, striking a section of state law that renders undocumented immigrants ineligible to get licensed.
The Massachusetts House of Representatives and State Senate each put their final stamp on the bill on May 26, but Gov. Charlie Baker vetoed the legislation the following day. Both houses of the State Legislature, however, voted to override Baker’s veto less than two weeks later.
