LOTS OF ATTENTION has been paid to Massachusetts’ unprecedented spending, made possible by once-in-a-lifetime federal largesse to pay for COVID-19-related needs. Behind the scenes, Massachusetts has also been saving. The comptroller’s annual report for fiscal 2021, which ended June 30, reveals that Massachusetts’ stabilization fund is the largest it has ever been since the fund […]
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ARPA spending bill finally heads to Baker
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE IT LOOKS A LOT DIFFERENT from the bill he proposed, but Gov. Charlie Baker finally has on his desk a version of legislation doling out billions of dollars in federal economic relief funds and surplus state tax revenue. The Legislature took final votes Friday on a $4 billion American Rescue Plan […]
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Negotiators reach ARPA spending bill deal
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE HOUSE AND SENATE leaders said Tuesday night that they had struck a deal to spend $4 billion in American Rescue Plan Act and state tax surplus funds, concluding a two-week negotiation that spilled over into the Legislature’s end-of-year recess. House Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz and Senate Ways and Means […]
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Lawmakers don’t get ARPA spending bill done
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE HOUSE AND SENATE will go into their mid-session recess without finalizing a plan to spend close to $4 billion in federal COVID-19 relief funding and state surplus tax dollars, giving up on the prospects for a deal Wednesday as Democrats in both branches remained too far apart to cement a […]
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Senate passes ARPA spending bill
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AFTER WADING THROUGHÂ hours of debate and considering hundreds of amendments, the Senate late Wednesday night unanimously approved a $3.82 billion package to steer special federal relief funds and surplus state budget revenues into virtually every corner of the state. All three Senate Republicans, who unsuccessfully sought to double the amount of […]
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State tax collections keep up surprising growth
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A THIRD OF THE WAY into fiscal 2022, state tax collections are trending about 20 percent ahead of the pace that led to a roughly $5 billion surplus in fiscal year 2021, the Department of Revenue announced Wednesday. State tax collectors took in $2.445 billion last month — $356 million or […]
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House add $174m to ARPA bill
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A MAJOR SPENDING bill allocating federal COVID-19 relief funds and surplus state tax revenues cleared the House on Friday evening by a vote of 159-0 after lawmakers added nearly $174 million via the amendment process. The bill began with a bottom line of $3.65 billion and representatives took a handful of […]
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2 key hurdles face Mass. power line to Quebec
A PROPOSED power line bringing hydroelectricity from Quebec into New England via Maine faces two key hurdles in the coming months that could make or break climate change efforts in Massachusetts. The power line project, called New England Clean Energy Connect, is being financed by Massachusetts electricity ratepayers. If built, it would deliver 1,200 megawatts […]
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No more Band-Aids on broken public health system
WE KNOW MASSACHUSETTS has a broken local public health system because our organizations represent the thousands of health directors, board of health members, public health nurses, and other staff and volunteers who have been on the front lines throughout the pandemic. Over the past 18 months, our members have been working overtime and then some […]
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Baker not worried about staff shortages due to vaccine mandate
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE WITH LESS THAN A MONTH until his vaccination mandate for state employees takes effect, Gov. Charlie Baker said Monday he was not worried about creating staffing shortages at the State Police or other agencies where employees may decide not to follow the governor’s directive. “I think we’re going to get people […]