Johnson told reporters that the bill will not change the portion of state Medicaid costs paid by the federal government for states that have expanded Medicaid, like Massachusetts.
Speaker Johnson sends signals on two key Medicaid reforms
Posted inMarijuana
Legislators are pushing for more forceful action on intoxicating hemp-derived products
With an uneven crackdown on hemp-derived products, which contain the same active ingredient as cannabis but are not regulated the same way, legislators are looking to put the Cannabis Control Commission in charge.
Posted inCourts
High court probes whether former state senator should be immune from conflict of interest charges
Former state senator Dean Tran’s ethics violation case goes to the Supreme Judicial Court, tasked with considering just how broad “legislative immunity” protections are for lawmakers who run afoul of conflict of interest law.
Posted inOpinion
The case for a long overdue ‘raise’ for seniors in nursing homes
Seniors living in nursing homes should be able to cover their basic needs that are not provided by Medicaid or their facility, allowing them to age with dignity.
Posted inPolitics
Wu challenger emerges from inside Boston City Hall
He is currently in-house counsel for City Hall’s treasury department, which handles money, property, and securities acquired by the city.
Posted inEducation
Senate stays out of vocational admissions debate – for now
A Beacon Hill showdown over vocational high school admissions policies is looming, as the Senate did not follow the House lead in including language to block changes to vocational school admission policies in its budget proposal.
Posted inCourts
Lawyers challenge customs officials’ constitutional authority to deport Brown Medicine kidney doctor
An amended complaint filed in U.S. District Court in Massachusetts Monday contends that the U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers who refused entry to Alawieh at Boston Logan International Airport lacked the constitutional authority to deport her back to Lebanon.
Posted inOpinion
Massachusetts has one of the slowest job growth rates in the country. That’s a big problem.
Since early 2020, the Bay State has had the third slowest private sector job growth in the nation.
Posted inState Government
Senate budget panel recommends 6.3% annual spending increase
The draft budget bill, which will be up for debate in the Senate starting May 20, does not feature any tax increases.
Posted inEnvironment
A new project is helping Chelsea residents better understand their air quality
With protections for clean air and environmental justice communities being rolled back by the Trump administration, a project in Chelsea has put up over 80 air monitors around the city to help its residents make informed decision about their health.
Posted inHousing
Eviction records can now be sealed in Massachusetts
Eviction court records are publicly available on the state Trial Court’s website, so even if a tenant won their case or it was dismissed, the record is accessible to everyone.
Posted inState Government
Weekly roundup – budget bonanza
The House-approved annual budget bill reveals policy and political fault lines
Posted inThe Codcast
No man is an island: The collective climate challenge of coastal Massachusetts
This episode of the Codcast is a recording of a live event that took place April 30 in Provincetown, Mass., co-moderated by CommonWealth Beacon reporter Jennifer Smith and Eve Zuckoff of CAI (the Cape and Islands NPR station). Together with a panel of conservation, planning, and community development experts, they discussed what it means to live and plan responsibly on the Cape and Islands, understanding the realities of climate change and the housing crunch as a collective crisis.
Posted inOpinion
Accelerating climate change demands ‘agile systems’ thinking — and action
In the face of accelerating climate change, the scale and scope of resilience work is growing far beyond what policy makers in the late 20th century thought possible. The general risk of not acting at the needed scale far surpasses the downside risk of any single action negatively impacting an ecosystem.
Posted inTransportation
The next MBTA commuter rail contract is likely to look similar to the current one
Details of the decision will be rolled out at a downtown Boston meeting later this month.
Posted inEnvironment
Without FEMA resilience money, Mass. communities scramble to save flood prevention projects
One month since the Trump administration shut down a resilience funding program, communities dependent on the money for major infrastructure projects are still reeling.
Posted inOpinion
Massachusetts has a literacy problem. We ignore it at our peril.
Six out of every ten children in Massachusetts cannot read or do math at grade level. Eight out of ten low-income, Black and Latino children are not performing at grade level. Only half of white children are proficient.
Posted inEnvironment
How higher temperatures and more pollen are affecting the health of Boston residents
Extreme temperatures pose a health risk on both ends of the spectrum as increasingly hot days can contribute to heat stroke and worsening seasonal allergies, while the bitter cold can aggravate respiratory health issues and cause hypothermia.