By Bob Katzen

This week’s roll calls are from the week of June 19-23. The report shows how local senators and representatives voted on House and Senate versions of a bill making changes and imposing new regulations on how the state will regulate the retail sale and cultivation of marijuana. A House-Senate conference committee will soon hammer out a compromise version and present it to the House and Senate.

Representatives proposed 121 amendments to the bill yet there were only five roll calls during the 10 hours it considered the bill.

Senators proposed 110 amendments with only five roll calls during its 10 hours.

Many of the amendments were not debated but simply approved or defeated on a predetermined unrecorded voice vote. Senators and representatives don’t actually vote yes or no and in fact, don’t say a word. They do not even shout “aye” or “no” as one might expect.

MARIJUANA REGULATIONS (H 3768, S 2090) — House 126-28, Senate 30-5, approved different versions of a bill changing some provisions and adding other provisions to the law, approved by voters on the 2016 ballot, legalizing the possession, growing and sale of marijuana. A House-Senate conference committee has been appointed to hammer out a compromise version.

The Senate version keeps the same tax rate that was approved by voters — a 3.75 percent marijuana excise tax and a local option to impose an additional tax of up to 2 percent. Combined with the existing 6.25 percent sales tax, the total tax on marijuana would range from 10 percent to 12 percent, depending on the community. The House version more than doubles the tax rate to 28 percent.

The Senate version requires a city or town-wide ballot question in which voters would decide whether their community wants to opt out of the law or modify it. The House version allows cities and towns to opt out without a town-wide ballot question. Under the House version, some cities can opt out by a majority vote of the city council and approval of the city manager; other cities by a majority vote of the city council and approval by the mayor; and in a town, by a majority vote of the board of selectmen and a majority vote of a town meeting.

YES: Rep. Cory Atkins, Rep. Colleen Garry, Rep. Thomas Golden, Rep. Kenneth Gordon, Rep. Shelia Harrington, Rep. James Miceli, Rep. Rady Mom, Rep. David Nangle, Sen. Michael Barrett, Sen. James Eldridge

NO: Rep. Marc Lombardo, Rep. James Lyons, Sen. Bruce Tarr

DIDN’T VOTE: Rep. James Arciero, Rep. Jennifer Benson, Sen. Eileen Donoghue, Sen. Jennifer Flanagan, Sen. Barbara L’Italien

NUMBER OF PLANTS ALLOWED (S 2090) — Senate 4-34, rejected an amendment that would reduce from 12 to six the number of flowering marijuana plants a home grower is allowed to grow at the same time.

Amendment supporters said that if allowed 12 growing plants, a person could harvest 192 ounces of marijuana per year which could be made into more than 17,000 joints. This would allow a person to smoke 46 joints per day, obviously more than any person can consume. They said allowing 12 would lead to professional marijuana growers coming to Massachusetts to grow marijuana and sell it on the black market at a price lower than the retail stores and to people younger than 21.

Amendment opponents said the statistics cited by proponents of the reduction to six are based on commercial cultivation which yields much more marijuana than home growing. They argued that the ballot question approved by the voters allowed 12 plants and should not be changed.

NO: Sen. Michael Barrett, Sen. Eileen Donoghue, Sen. James Eldridge, Sen. Jennifer Flanagan, Sen. Barbara L’Italien, Sen. Bruce Tarr

Bob Katzen welcomes feedback at bob@beaconhillrollcall.com