THE JOINT COMMITTEE on Election Laws recently voted a bill favorably out of committee that would expand democracy and signal a tide change in how Massachusetts weighs punishment, rehabilitation, and […]
It’s time to restore felon voting rights
Posted inHealth, State House News Service
Poll: Abortion restrictions affect college decisions in Northeast
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE COMPETITION among colleges for students is intensifying, and state laws banning abortion are among the new considerations for students and families. A recent poll of […]
Posted inState Government
Senate budget embraces in-state tuition for undocumented students
SENATE LEADERS unveiled a budget proposal on Tuesday that embraces in-state tuition payments for undocumented Massachusetts students, rejects calls for expanding the state Lottery online, and sets aside enough funding […]
Posted inThe Download
Senate budget boosts RTA funding, backs fare-free buses
THE STATE’S 15 regional transit authorities, long considered a transportation afterthought on Beacon Hill, are suddenly all the rage. RTAs, which operate local bus networks across the state outside the […]
Posted inState Government, Transportation
Senate budget boosts RTA funding, backs fare-free buses
THE STATE’S 15 regional transit authorities, long considered a transportation afterthought on Beacon Hill, are suddenly all the rage. RTAs, which operate local bus networks across the state outside the […]
Posted inOpinion
Arrigo has big challenge ahead at DCR
WHAT’S IT LIKE having the job as commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation? Ask a budget analyst on Beacon Hill and you’ll get an answer like: Manage […]
Posted inTransportation
Stop the deaths at MBTA, parents tell lawmakers
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE CALLING FOR ACTION to “stop the pain and suffering,” the parents of a Boston University professor who died when he fell through a broken MBTA station […]
Posted inState Government
Spilka following different path on tax relief
GOV. MAURA HEALEY and the House rolled out their tax relief plans in tandem with their budget proposals for the coming year, but the Senate is moving in a different […]
Posted inEnvironment
Coastal flood maps leave homeowners in the lurch
MASSACHUSETTS IS ONE of 15 states that has no flood disclosure requirements for a potential homebuyer, so residents usually turn to maps developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to […]
Posted inThe Codcast
Has party imbalance broken democracy in Mass.?
CommonWealth Magazine · Has party imbalance broken democracy in Massachusetts?
Posted inPolitics
Has party imbalance broken democracy in Mass.?
THE STATE OF the two political parties in Massachusetts could not look more different. We are perhaps the bluest of blue states, with Democrats now holding virtually every elected position […]
Posted inThe Download
Has party imbalance broken democracy in Mass.?
THE STATE OF the two political parties in Massachusetts could not look more different. We are perhaps the bluest of blue states, with Democrats now holding virtually every elected position […]
Posted inOpinion
A big chunk of lobbying in Mass. is not tracked
IN MARCH, Professor Julia Payson of New York University addressed a small group who had gathered at Boston University’s Initiative on Cities to hear about the new book she wrote […]
Posted inEnvironment
Cities, towns are frontline in addressing climate change
OUR HEALTH as a community is tied to the health of our environment and our planet. The stark reality however is that our future is not guaranteed. Climate change is […]
Posted inState Government, State House News Service
Tax forecast misses mark, but Healey says that was expected
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE GOV. MAURA HEALEY doubled down on her tax relief plan on Friday, insisting that a shortfall in state revenue that has plunged this year’s state budget […]
Posted inGambling
Envisioning a Massachusetts ‘iLottery’
IF THE MASSACHUSETTS LOTTERY expands onto the internet with a new “iLottery,” what could it look like? Let’s spin the wheel. Option 1 – Michigan. Started in 2014, the Michigan […]
Posted inThe Download
Envisioning a Massachusetts ‘iLottery’
IF THE MASSACHUSETTS lottery expands onto the internet with a new “iLottery,” what could it look like? Let’s spin the wheel. Option 1 – Michigan. Started in 2014, the Michigan […]
Posted inOpinion
Weymouth compressor fight has implications for Pilgrim
IN THE 1940s, the Fore River Basin of Weymouth, Quincy, and Braintree was home to major factories, supplied hundreds of good paying jobs, and set the stage to create the […]
Posted inState Government
Healey brings more women into governor’s office
GOV. MAURA HEALEY, the first woman to be elected governor of Massachusetts, is bringing more women into state government with her. According to the state’s diversity dashboard, Healey has 52 […]
Posted inThe Download
SJC wades into face-off over online stock trading
IT’S A NICE thought that “broker-dealers” who handle transactions in the ever-changing world of online securities trading platforms should show a basic standard of care to clients, but that may […]
Posted inCourts, Government
SJC wades into face-off over online stock trading
IT’S A NICE THOUGHT that “broker-dealers” who handle transactions in the ever-changing world of online securities trading platforms should show a basic standard of care to clients, but that may not […]
Posted inState Government
April tax revenues plunge 23% below forecasted levels
THE GENERALLY nonstop tax revenue growth the state has experienced for the last several years came to a halt in April, when revenue came in more than $2 billion lower […]
Posted inEducation
‘Direct admissions’ could be game-changer for some colleges
DIRECT ADMISSIONS, first implemented statewide in Idaho in 2015, is a relatively new process where students can be accepted into a college or university before having to submit an application. […]
Posted inThe Download
Boston rent control plan on the ropes
What do you call the opposite of a trial balloon? A deep-six signal? Whatever the term for it, it sure looks like legislative leaders are giving it some play when […]