STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE ALL 200 SEATS in the Massachusetts Legislature are up for re-election this fall, but nearly two-thirds of sitting members are on a glide path toward another […]
Chris Lisinski I State House News Service
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Housing panel backs 2 rent control bills
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A Beacon Hill committee has endorsed two bills that would clear the way for rent control to return to Massachusetts more than two-and-a-half decades after voters […]
Posted inState House News Service
COVID-19 outduels Boston Marathon
THE BOSTON MARATHON has been run in some form every year since 1897, withstanding the 1918 influenza pandemic, two world wars, and other disruptions. But with the state’s path through […]
Posted inTransportation
Groups seek more independence for T board
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A GROUP OF TRANSPORTATION advocacy groups and an MBTA watchdog suggested Monday that the successor to the Fiscal and Management Control Board should be built as […]
Posted inHealth Care, State House News Service
Legislative panel backs 2 safe injection sites
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEE endorsed a proposal to establish at least two locations in Massachusetts for supervised drug consumption, giving some momentum to a controversial idea that […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Coalition presses Baker to reduce prison population
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE WARNING THAT PUBLIC HEALTH precautions are impossible with prisons and jails at their current population levels, a coalition of legal aid and community groups increased their […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Rollins asks SJC to vacate 64 guilty pleas
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE SUFFOLK COUNTY DISTRICT ATTORNEY Rachael Rollins asked the state’s highest court Monday to vacate guilty pleas for 64 defendants who were not provided exculpatory evidence in […]
Posted inHealth Care
Virus notes: Baker appeals for contact tracing support
THE STATE’S EFFORT to slow the spread of the coronavirus by reaching out to those infected and tracking down their close contacts is off to a quick start, but it […]
Posted inEconomy
25% of state workforce files jobless claims
NEARLY 900,000 MASSACHUSETTS workers, representing almost a quarter of the state’s entire labor force, have filed new claims for unemployment benefits since mid-March as the COVID-19 pandemic and the widespread […]
Posted inEconomy
Virus notes: Gig workers can now apply for unemployment
A RANGE OF WORKERS previously ineligible for unemployment benefits can now seek state aid if they are unable to work because of the COVID-19 outbreak and its impacts on public […]
Posted inState House News Service
Dems overrule Republicans on eviction legislation
THE HOUSE ADVANCED a compromise bill Wednesday afternoon to temporarily ban almost all eviction and foreclosure proceedings statewide shortly after Democratic negotiators made a breakthrough, but appeared unable to win over […]
Posted inEducation
MCAS testing requirement suspended this year
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE MCAS TESTING REQUIREMENTS for the school year are suspended, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education will modify or waive graduation requirements for students set to […]
Posted inArts and Culture
Museum of Fine Arts losses at $1.4m and growing
A MASSACHUSETTS ART MUSEUM laid off almost three-quarters of its staff. Another expects to face a budget deficit in the tens of millions of dollars. Leisure destinations that rely on […]
Posted inHealth Care, State House News Service
Virus notes: Frustrated Baker almost says God-damned
IN A SIGN of his growing frustration with the challenges associated with acquiring personal protective equipment for frontline medical workers, Gov. Charlie Baker almost said “God damned” at a televised […]
Posted inHealth Care
Virus notes: State, local elections being postponed
HOUSE AND SENATE LEADERS signaled that their branches plan to take action on Monday to postpone upcoming legislative and municipal elections because of the coronavirus threat. Senate President Karen Spilka […]
Posted inHealth Care
Virus notes: Baker orders child care shift
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Wednesday moved to address the childcare needs of those on the frontlines of the COVID-19 outbreak, ordering all existing early education and childcare centers to shut […]
Posted inHealth Care
Campaigning in the coronavirus era
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE DOOR-TO-DOOR CANVASSING has been replaced with phone calls and tweeting. Local elections officials are weighing new ways to expand absentee ballot access for worried voters. Candidates […]
Posted inHealth Care
Baker announces statewide school closing, other sweeping restrictions
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE IN THE MOST dramatic escalation yet of the state’s response to the coronavirus outbreak, Gov. Charlie Baker on Sunday announced that all Massachusetts public schools must […]
Posted inTransportation
Track info to disappear 1 minute before departure
SOUTH STATION commuters who leave themselves little time to get to their platforms may soon need to change their habits or risk missing their trains altogether. Starting on March 18, […]
Posted inTransportation
House OKs $18b transportation bond bill
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A DAY AFTER VOTING to raise taxes and fees by as much as $600 million per year, the Massachusetts House on Thursday overwhelmingly approved a roughly […]
Posted inTransportation
House passes transportation bill with minor tweaks
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE MASSACHUSETTS HOUSE of Representatives approved a major tax bill Wednesday night that Democratic leaders say will generate more than half a billion dollars for transportation […]
Posted inTransportation
DeLeo deputy raises expectations on transportation bill
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AS THE HOUSE zeroes in on a transportation financing proposal, one of House Speaker Robert DeLeo’s top deputies said Tuesday that the bill could be a […]
Posted inTransportation
Rider, revenue ripples seen from low-income MBTA fare
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AN INCOME-BASED MBTA fare option could attract tens of thousands of new rapid transit and bus riders and could prompt hundreds of thousands more trips on […]
Posted inTransportation
Green Line shutdowns to last a month
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE TRAVELING ON AN MBTA train will get more challenging this year, but officials promise passengers it will all be worth it in the long run. All […]