Evan Horowitz of the Center for State Policy Analysis Horowitz said the Donahue Institute analysis would be more suitable if the state was in a recession because it assumes there is a shortfall of jobs and economic activity. He questioned whether it would be possible to create 30,000 jobs in what is basically a full employment economy. Indeed, he indicated the bond bill could accelerate the scramble for scarce employees right now.
Analysis of Healey housing bill called ‘half-baked’
Posted inTransportation
Short takes: Developing a new system of transportation financing
“We’re not going to be dodging potential options just for political reasons. That’s what’s going to be different this time,” said Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt.
Posted inTransportation
Healey outmaneuvering Wu on low-income fare
BOSTON MAYOR Michelle Wu is a fan of doing away with fares on the MBTA, but over the last month she has been outmaneuvered by Gov. Maura Healey who favors charging low-income riders a half-priced fare.
Posted inEconomy
Business community ready to help on housing crisis
Massachusetts is facing a dire housing crisis, and business leaders understand that our state’s economic future depends on addressing the problem.
Posted inState Government
Hits and misses on millionaire tax spending plan
With the release of her budget on Wednesday – the second including millionaire tax money — Gov. Maura Healey made some interesting moves. She delivered on some wish-list projects, missed on a couple others, and proposed a way to turn millions of dollars in millionaire tax money into billions of dollars for budget priorities.
Posted inTransportation
Wu backs bill cutting commuter rail fares in Boston
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu called the proposed commuter rail fare cuts “low-hanging fruit that is there to get more people onto reliable public transportation, ease congestion, and help the flow of traffic as we continue to fix the larger system.”
Posted inCriminal Justice
Incarceration and crime rates both down sharply since 2018 reforms
Five years after Massachusetts enacted sweeping reforms aimed at reducing incarceration and addressing racial disparities in the criminal justice system, a new study says the state has seen sharp decreases in both incarceration and crime rates.
Posted inImmigration
Healey seeks $893m for shelter system
“The situation is evolving and we continue to evolve with it,” said Mathew Gorzkowicz, the governor’s top budget official.
Posted inTransportation
Healey’s $58b state spending plan boosts T, education funding with one-time revenues, cuts
Amid a forecast for little to no tax revenue growth, Healey’s team balanced their plan by trimming $450 million from various line items, proposing to prevent about half a billion dollars in other spending growth, and deploying $1.25 billion from other available state resources.
Posted inOpinion
Another chance for Mass. to back South African freedom struggle
Massachusetts has a long connection with the freedom and justice movement in South Africa, and those ties will be renewed this week when a key leader of the current fight for democracy there arrives in Boston to draw attention to that cause.
Posted inImmigration
Healey on board with reforms at southern border
AS SENATE NEGOTIATORS in Washington edge closer to a deal on immigration, Gov. Maura Healey is signaling a willingness to support steps that restrict access to migrants at the border. […]
Posted inMarijuana
Hemp-based THC products are showing up all over
The reason hemp is treated differently is because the 2018 federal Farm Act removed hemp from the definition of marijuana, which is considered a controlled substance under federal law.
Posted inOpinion
Some thoughts on how to deal with the Steward situation
STEWARD HEALTH CARE appears to be in serious financial trouble. In some ways, it’s surprising the for-profit health care system — with 33 hospitals, including eight in Massachusetts, plus a physicians […]
Posted inPolitics
Donors to DiZoglio ballot campaign mostly hail from business sector
The ballot question is championed by state Auditor Diana DiZoglio, who is in effect launching another statewide campaign after jumping from a state Senate seat to the auditor’s office in 2022.
Posted inEducation
Striking Newton teachers get support from Boston congresswoman
Some of the loudest voices of support among political leaders for striking teachers are again coming from officials who are far removed from the day-to-day oversight of the schools or state policy governing teachers’ strikes, which are illegal under current law.
Posted inOpinion
We propose new tiered discounts on electricity
IT’S AN UNWELCOME FACT that far too many utility customers across Massachusetts struggle to afford their monthly bills. While utilities, including National Grid, offer discounted rates and other assistance programs, […]
Posted inState Government
Healey scratches liquor license provision from municipal bill
GOV. MAURA HEALEY touched off a bit of political intrigue on Monday when she filed “municipal empowerment” legislation that lacked one of the powers she had trumpeted just three days […]
Posted inTransportation
Healey says no new taxes — for now
Gov. Maura Healey says she won’t be relying on new taxes and fees to balance her budget proposal for the coming fiscal year, but it seems new taxes and fees are not far away on the horizon.
Posted inThe Codcast
Reading Healey’s transportation tea leaves
Gov. Maura Healey’s State of the Commonwealth address included ambitious language about supporting transportation, but the details remain to be seen. This week on The Codcast, former Sec. of Transportation Jim Aloisi and Executive Director of the MBTA Advisory Board Brian Kane join CommonWealth Beacon’s Bruce Mohl to discuss what kind of support Massachusetts’s transportation system needs and is likely to get.