Senate Ways and Means has these rules

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When a reporter recently walked into the Senate Ways and Means offices for a briefing, a piece of paper at the top of a pile caught his eye. “The Ten (Senate Ways and Means) Commandments,” it said in all caps.

“These are mine, but interpreted by Kyle,” said Michael Rodrigues, the committee’s chairman, crediting his legislative aide Kyle Neves, who just hit the two-year mark working for him. 

With all the serious work that goes on in his office, from supplemental budgets on how to spend surtax revenue to a mid-year spending plan that sought to resolve a public safety crisis, “you gotta have fun,” Rodrigues said.

For the edification of our readers, the full list of commandments is below.

Just be nice. “That’s the first thing I say to every new employee or staff member. For me personally, or Senate Ways and Means, or my business,” said Rodrigues, who is also the president of ABC Floor Covering. In his mind, it's also the most important of the so-called commandments.

No drama. “OK, we’ve got a crisis du jour, we will get through it. We don’t have to add to it by infusing more drama. Let’s just roll up our sleeves and get to work.”

Don’t let the perfect get in the way of the good. “We strive all the time to be perfect. Whatever product we put out at the end of the day, a critic will find something wrong with it, because people have different opinions.”

No ties on Fridays. Neves appreciated this one, according to Rodrigues.

It’s all about the food. “I like to meet – whether it’s with constituents or colleagues – over lunch or over dinner, taking our time, enjoying each other’s company. It’s the best way to learn what the person across the table from you is really trying to say.”

No group therapy. “I get more out of spending quality time with one or two of the most knowledgeable advocates than a group of 12 to 15 advocates, where you don’t have time to engage and get down to the details.”

Half a loaf is better than none. This one he picked up from his father, who started ABC Floor Covering.

You can only spend a dollar once. “When we’re writing budgets and we have finite revenue, we have to determine how we prioritize.”

Level funding is a victory. “We spend a lot of time trying to figure out where our support from Capitol Hill is going to land. A good portion of our revenues comes from our federal partners,” he said, and budget cuts driven by possible drops in federal spending are on people’s minds these days.

No PowerPoints. “I can read. I’d rather take the time and have a conversation so you can explain the nuance, rather than run through a PowerPoint,” he said.

Tip of the MASSterList hat to State House News Service’s Chris Lisinski for spotting and snapping a photo of the commandments. What do you think should be in the House Ways and Means version? Suggestions welcome: [email protected].

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