THE TIMING is perfect. Our new state auditor, Diana DiZoglio, is making good on a controversial campaign promise to audit the Legislature. Her investigation will not just be about its […]
Government
Posted inCourts, Government
SJC says it’s OK to be ‘rude’ at public meetingsÂ
SPEAKERS AT public meetings can feel free to channel their inner revolutionaries now that the state’s highest court has ruled that Massachusetts law protects the right to be “rude, personal, […]
Posted inState Government
Healey setting new tone with Legislature
AFTER EIGHT YEARS working with Republican Gov. Charlie Baker, everyone wondered how the Democrat-dominated Legislature would get along with Gov. Maura Healey. Judging from the governor’s presentation of her budget […]
Posted inState Government
DiZoglio plans to audit the Legislature
FOLLOWING THROUGH on a contentious campaign promise, state Auditor Diana DiZoglio announced Tuesday that she intends to audit the Legislature, an institution she served in for more than a decade […]
Posted inGovernment, Opinion
Pulling the plug on water shut-offs
FOR MANY OF us, the first thing we do in the morning is turn on the water. We turn on the water to brush our teeth, to take a shower, […]
Posted inHousing, State Government
The curious state of Massachusetts’ rent control debate
WHILE CERTAIN FACTIONS of the Boston City Council appear to be coming around in support of Mayor Michelle Wu’s proposed middle-of-the road rent control home rule, stakeholders outside the chamber […]
Posted inEconomy
Mass. looks to line up lucrative CHIPS shotÂ
CAN A MASSIVE federal effort to bolster national security in the semiconductor sector also boost the tech economy in the Northeast? That’s the idea behind a sprawling, multistate partnership of 85 […]
Posted inState Government
Healey tells business group no one will compete harder
GOV. MAURA HEALEY started stumping for public support for her budget and tax proposals on Thursday, with the message tailored a bit to each of her audiences. In a speech […]
Posted inHousing, State Government
Administration not waiting for a ‘housing hero,’ says LG
FILED ALONGSIDE HER inaugural budget on Wednesday, Gov. Maura Healey’s proposed cabinet reconfiguration legislation offers the first concrete look at the responsibilities of a new standalone housing secretariat. Housing programs currently […]
Posted inState Government
Budget sets up ‘system’ for millionaire tax money
THE HEALEY ADMINISTRATION on Wednesday proposed a system to segregate, track, and spend the tax revenues that have started to flow into state coffers as a result of passage of […]
Posted inState Government
Healey files a ‘unicorn’ of a state budget
GOV. MAURA HEALEY unveiled a state budget package on Wednesday that cuts taxes by nearly $1 billion, socks money away for a rainy day, and pours record amounts of funds […]
Posted inEducation
State board approves controversial Worcester charter school proposal
A SPLIT Board of Elementary and Secondary Education approved a controversial new charter school in Worcester on Tuesday – the first new charter given the go-ahead during Commissioner of Education […]
Posted inEconomy, State Government
Fight over millionaire tax shifts to new arena
THE POLITICAL FIGHT over the millionaire tax never seems to end. It took eight years for the state’s unions to win passage of a constitutional amendment assessing a 4 percent […]
Posted inEnergy, State Government
Back-channel talks on Commonwealth Wind
THE HEALEY ADMINISTRATION has been working behind the scenes to get the Avangrid wind farm project back on track, but so far little progress has been made. Avangrid last year […]
Posted inEconomy, State Government
A difference of opinion on estate tax, capital gains
TWO OF THE state’s leading budget analysts are split on whether Gov. Maura Healey’s tax reform package will make the state more competitive in retaining and attracting wealthy residents. On […]
Posted inEconomy, State Government
Healey tax plan addresses ‘competitiveness’ issues
GOV. MAURA HEALEY is proposing a tax reform package that addresses cost-of-living concerns of parents, renters, and seniors while providing significant relief to wealthy individuals who may be turned off […]
Posted inHealth, Health Care, State Government
A renewed push to legalize ‘medical aid in dying’
LEGISLATORS AND MEDICAL CHOICEÂ advocates are taking another run at passing a medical aid in dying bill after the Supreme Judicial Court last year placed the responsibility squarely on lawmakers to […]
Posted inOpinion
Decarbonization road map has some gaping holes
GOV. MAURA HEALEY has gotten off to a good running start on implementing the Commonwealth’s plans to combat climate change by establishing an Office of Climate Innovation and Resilience within […]
Posted inEducation
Congressional support for teacher strikes at odds with state leadershipÂ
STRIKING TEACHERS IN Massachusetts have had strong support from some of the state’s heaviest political hitters. US Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey have offered full-throated endorsements of the strikes, with […]
Posted inGovernment, Housing
Team Wu pushes back on rent control alarms
NO, THE SKY is not falling. That was the message on Wednesday from Wu administration officials who sought to counter the alarms being sounded by Boston’s real estate industry, which […]
Posted inEconomy, Government
Mayor moves to ease residency rules in New Bedford
WITH ROUGHLY 15 percent of non-school municipal jobs in New Bedford vacant, Mayor Jon Mitchell is pushing to do away with residency requirements for most management positions. New Bedford, like […]
Posted inEnergy, State Government, State House News Service
Tepper names former colleague to head DOER
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE DEPARTMENT of Energy Resources will be under new management as the Healey administration looks to implement its own vision and strategy to advance the state’s […]
Posted inState Government, State House News Service
Healey taps Rep. Santiago as veterans secretary
STATAE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE GOV. MAURA HEALEY will tap Rep. Jon Santiago of Boston, a major in the US Army Reserve, as the state’s next veterans’ services secretary, Healey announced […]
Posted inPolitics
Moran moves into House’s No. 2 spot
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE REPS. MIKE MORAN of Boston, Alice Peisch of Wellesley, and Frank Moran of Lawrence all got big promotions Thursday as House Democrats rolled out their committee […]
