It is hardly unusual for Gov. Charlie Baker to cry in public. But on Wednesday, after a gut-wrenching hour listening to stories from survivors of domestic violence, the governor not only cried, but admitted failure about his inability to get a bill addressing criminal dangerousness past the finish line. “We filed this legislation…four years ago,” […]
Charlie Baker
Posted inUncategorized
Baker cries at emotional domestic violence roundtable
IT IS HARDLY UNUSUAL for Gov. Charlie Baker to cry in public. But on Wednesday, after a gut-wrenching hour listening to stories from survivors of domestic violence, the governor not only cried, but admitted failure about his inability to get a bill addressing criminal dangerousness past the finish line. “We filed this legislation…four years ago,” […]
Posted inHealth Care, State House News Service
Back to the future: Red Sox launching booster facility
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE START of next year’s baseball season may be in jeopardy, but the turnstiles will be turning again at Fenway Park when it is expected to reopen in January as a COVID-19 booster clinic 10 months after it closed its doors as one of the state’s first mass vaccination sites. Gov. […]
Posted inThe Download
Process overtakes promise on ARPA spending bill
It started out as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity — the chance to spend billions of dollars in unexpected federal and state funds to accomplish real change in Massachusetts – but as the process dragged on and on on Beacon Hill, the debate sounded more and more about process and less about change. Gov. Charlie Baker pressed […]
Posted inNews Analysis
Process overtakes promise on ARPA spending bill
IT STARTED OUT as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity — the chance to spend billions of dollars in unexpected federal and state funds to accomplish real change in Massachusetts – but as the process dragged on and on on Beacon Hill, the debate sounded more and more about process and less about change. Gov. Charlie Baker pressed […]
Posted inUncategorized
Baker signs $4b ARPA bill with slight tweaks
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Monday signed into law a $4 billion spending bill, while vetoing several commissions that he worried would slow down the process of distributing the money. “The pandemic has had a significant impact on Massachusetts workers, families, communities, and businesses for nearly two years, and today’s signing directs billions of dollars in […]
Posted inUncategorized
Acosta says bond money needed for UI trust fund
THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION on Friday gave lawmakers its most detailed accounting yet of the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund, and said it is preparing to issue bonds to put the fund on sound financial footing. “We will have to bond. There is no doubt,” said Rosalin Acosta, the secretary of labor and workforce development, in […]
Posted inPolitics
Baker worried about ‘red tape’ in ARPA bill
WITH FOUR DAYS left before Gov. Charlie Baker must act on a $4 billion spending bill, he voiced concerns about “a lot of red tape” in the legislation. “The thing we’re most concerned about at this point is not so much the money but there’s a lot of red tape baked in there,” Baker told reporters […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Rollins confirmed as US Attorney; Harris breaks tie vote
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE WITH A PARTY-LINE VOTE that had to be broken by Vice President Kamala Harris, the US Senate on Wednesday confirmed Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins as the new top federal prosecutor for Massachusetts. Nominated for the US attorney post by President Joe Biden in July, Rollins became the subject of a […]
Posted inThe Download
Baker administration remains vague on UI holdup
Despite growing pressure from Republican and Democratic legislators, the Baker administration is continuing to offer vague statements on why it is having difficulty producing a financial accounting of the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund. No monthly report on the trust fund has been issued since June and administration officials have provided no clarity on what […]