The Saturday Send
Massachusetts set out to modernize its unemployment insurance system. Then it hit a new low.
By Jordan Wolman and Chris Lisinski
Massachusetts was the slowest state in issuing initial unemployment payments in the country between June and October.
Keolis was once on thin ice over commuter rail concerns. Now, it’s a finalist for another lucrative MBTA contract.
By Chris Lisinski
Better on-time performance and major ridership milestones have boosted the outlook for commuter rail operator Keolis, which early in its tenure faced major scrutiny from Beacon Hill.
Healey administration pushes back clean heat standard to 2028 as affordability concerns mount
By Jordan Wolman
Oil, propane, and natural gas providers would need to gradually cut their emissions each year under the program and buy credits to offset their pollution, costs which in theory could be passed on to consumers, which would run counter to Gov. Maura Healey’s attempts to lower energy costs.
Prospects shaky for real estate transfer fee
By Jennifer Smith
Supporters of real estate transfer fees, a long-bubbling idea on Beacon Hill that would impose a surcharge on property sales to generate affordable housing funding, are vowing to make another push for transfer fees in the coming final year of the two-year legislative session.
Next up on Beacon Hill: House leaders plan closed-door meetings on Healey’s energy affordability bill
By Jordan Wolman
The political pressure to lower energy prices in the Bay State, home to the third-highest electricity costs in the country and rising gas bills, has intensified and will likely continue to escalate in an election year for both Healey and the Legislature.
What do cities and advocates want from the Legislature in 2026?
This week on The Codcast, CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith talks with Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson; Jennie Williamson, the state director of The Education Trust in Massachusetts; and Clark Ziegler, executive director of the Massachusetts Housing Partnership. They break down what has and hasn’t been a lawmaking priority; dive into the current relationships between cities, the state, and the federal government; and discuss their legislative wish list for the second half of the two-year cycle.
Published by MassINC