STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE WITH A DECISION that surprised many of his colleagues, Sen. Benjamin Downing, a rising star in state Democratic politics, said Monday he would not seek a […]
Matt Murphy
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Baker slashes $50M in spending
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Friday slashed nearly $50 million from the state budget to partially close what his administration identified as a $320 million gap between […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Baker prepares mid-year budget cuts
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE WITH HIS ANNUAL SPENDING PLAN for the fiscal year that begins in July due to the Legislature in just over three weeks, Gov. Charlie Baker on Monday […]
Posted inEducation, Politics, State House News Service
Charter school expansion ‘uphill climb’
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE SENATE PRESIDENT STANLEY ROSENBERG, who still expects to determine by the end of the month whether a majority in his branch could support an expansion of […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Legislative panel releases opioid abuse bill
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE PATIENTS PRESCRIBED OPIOIDS for the first time would be limited to a seven-day supply and any individual admitted to the emergency room with an apparent drug […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
The Big Three: One happy family
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE IN THE THROES OF A GUBERNATORIAL ELECTION over a year ago now, House Speaker Robert DeLeo didn’t know what to think of the man who would […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
No go: Hefner’s ‘due diligence’ didn’t take long
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE JUST DAYS AFTER SAYING he was “seriously considering” running for a soon-to-be vacant state Senate seat, the fiancé of Senate President Stanley Rosenberg has decided not […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Baker bill empowers municipalities
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE REVIVING AN EFFORT that stalled under his predecessor, Gov. Charlie Baker on Monday proposed legislation that would give local officials control over the number of liquor […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics, State House News Service
Millionaire’s tax could raise extra $2.2b
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE BAY STATE MILLIONAIRES could pay as much as $2.2 billion in additional state income taxes under a proposal to tax some of the state’s wealthiest individuals […]
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service
Solar power rhetoric, lobbying heats up
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE House leaders are taking their effort to pass a solar energy bill before the winter recess down to the wire, fomenting an increasingly bitter and public […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, State House News Service
District attorneys back Baker on opioid bill
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE ELEVEN COUNTY PROSECUTORS who deal with the fallout of the opioid addiction epidemic on a daily basis threw their support behind Gov. Charlie Baker’s substance abuse […]
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service
House floats bill lifting solar net metering cap
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE HOUSE LEADERS ARE FLOATING a strategy to expand the solar industry in Massachusetts that would more than double the amount of installed solar capacity and eventually […]
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service
House to address solar cap before break
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE HOUSE SPEAKER ROBERT DELEO indicated Friday that the House would address the issue of the solar net metering cap separately from more comprehensive energy legislation that […]
Posted inHealth Care, State House News Service
DeLeo, Rosenberg raise opioid bill concerns
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE LEGISLATURE’S TOP TWO DEMOCRATS expressed reservations on Monday about one of the main provisions of Gov. Charlie Baker’s opioid abuse prevention plan that would allow […]
Posted inEducation, State House News Service
Baker pushes for more charter schools
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE GOV. CHARLIE BAKER REIGNITED a debate on Thursday that has vexed and divided Democrat and Republican lawmakers in recent years, proposing an expansion of charter schools […]
Posted inHealth Care, Politics, State House News Service
Baker administration, union target DCF together
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE GOV. CHARLIE BAKER plans in the coming months to implement changes at the beleaguered Department of Children and Families, part of an “unprecedented collaboration” between his […]
Posted inState House News Service, Transportation
DeLeo backs north-south rail link
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE SAYING IT WOULD BE A “TERRIBLE MISTAKE” for the state to embark upon an expansion of South Station at the expense of a rail tunnel linking […]
Posted inGambling, State House News Service
Feds OK tribal land for Mashpee casino
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE MASHPEE WAMPANOAG TRIBE won a major victory in its quest to build a resort casino in Taunton on Friday, receiving approval for 321 acres of […]
Posted inCriminal Justice, State House News Service
Bill would end license suspensions for drug convictions
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE SENATE LEADERS PLAN a vote next week to repeal a state law mandating that anyone convicted of a drug offense, regardless of whether their crime involved the […]
Posted inState House News Service, Transportation
Taxi regulations could also change
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A MODERNIZATION OF THE TAXI CAB INDUSTRY could be integrated into legislative efforts to regulate ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft, according to a House lawmaker […]
Posted inEnvironment, State House News Service
Baker defends push for hydro contracts
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE HOPING TO PUSH two energy bills through the Legislature this fall, Gov. Charlie Baker on Thursday defended his push to encourage the purchase of large-scale hydropower […]
Posted inBallot Questions, Politics
Healey approves 20 ballot questions for 2016
TWENTY PETITIONS proposing new laws that would, among other things, legalize recreational marijuana, expand the state’s authority to license charter schools, and protect whales from fishing nets, passed their first legal […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Democrat Ash loads up on GOP staffers
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE GOV. CHARLIE BAKER has won plaudits for bringing Democrats into the fold as he built a senior team around him, but the governor’s administration has also […]
Posted inState House News Service, Transportation
DeLeo vows more T reforms
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE HOUSE SPEAKER ROBERT DELEO said the body will continue to fight for MBTA management reforms favored by Gov. Charlie Baker both in ongoing budget negotiations and […]