The move kicks the already-high tension around energy issues in Massachusetts up a notch and offers somewhat of a finer point on the political fallout from Cusack’s proposal last year.
Legislature
Posted inOpinion
The Massachusetts data privacy bill is a threat to small business
The legislation’s aims are laudable. But several of its proposed restrictions on data collection and use are likely to hurt small businesses — which employ nearly 45 percent of the state’s workers and are critical to our economy.
Posted inGateway Cities
No way in and no way out: Beacon Hill hasn’t kept track of which communities qualify for Gateway City status
Despite lawmakers’ good intentions, state statute fails to create an enforcement mechanism to periodically review each city’s eligibility. Over time, some cities have met the state’s criteria without being added to the list, while others no longer qualify yet continue to reap the benefits. Oversight of the designations seems to have been lost.
Posted inGambling
‘It couldn’t come at a worse time’: Legislature strips casino mitigation funds amid municipal budget woes
The move falls in line with the Legislature’s penny-pinching efforts to alleviate state budget pressures amid a host of federal funding claw backs nearly a year into the second Trump administration. Gateway Cities with budgets already nearing a breaking point will now lose out on funds they have used for nearly a decade.
Posted inPublic Records
DiZoglio’s effort to audit the Legislature remains stalled. So she wants voters to change the law, again.
The nascent ballot question campaign seeking to subject the Legislature and the governor’s office to the public records law has a new leader: Auditor Diana DiZoglio, who views the measure as a way to circumvent opposition to her effort to audit the House and Senate.
Posted inState Government
Lawmaker representing Randolph seeks to loosen Gateway City eligibility criteria
Census counts and income thresholds haven’t stopped state Sen. Bill Driscoll, who represents the town of Randolph, from trying to secure its Gateway City status. He has introduced legislation that would revise the eligibility criteria of a Gateway – something previously attempted but never done successfully on Beacon Hill since the Legislature codified the designation in 2009.
Posted inEconomy
‘No margin for error’: State economic check-in spotlights tricky balancing act
With the “One Big Beautiful Bill” and a state economic lag colliding, Massachusetts budget-writers weigh options to balance the outlook.
Posted inState Government
Deal to raise bar advocate pay panned as ‘a slap in the face’
Legislative leaders on Wednesday rolled out a take-it-or-leave-it proposal that some dissatisfied attorneys quickly slammed as insufficient.
Posted inOpinion
Question 1 delivered a harsh verdict on the Legislature
Overwhelming public support for Question 1 suggests state legislators may need to do some soul-searching about how to address the public’s concerns about state government.
Posted inSource Document
‘We have faced an anti-democratic presidency before’
the Democratic Party must view this election not only as a wake up call, but also as an opportunity to renew our focus on the issues that drove voters across the country towards the Republican Party this year.
Posted inPolitics
Republicans make a handful of gains on Beacon Hill
Republicans flipped at least three legislative seats in Massachusetts, including one held by a veteran Democrat once in the House’s inner circle. In the other direction, a Democrat claimed at least one House district held by a Republican.
Posted inBallot Questions
Voters demand audit of Legislature, hurdles remain
In a brief interview on Tuesday night, DiZoglio said she is prepared to take on the Legislature either in court or on Beacon Hill. She said she is enlisting the support of supportive lawmakers to block any action in the Legislature that would undermine Tuesday’s vote. If that fails, DiZoglio said, she is urging the governor to side with the state’s voters.
Posted inState Government
Mariano sets legislative game plan for rest of year
The speaker also indicated he is very open to changing the Legislature’s rules in the future to provide more flexibility in approving legislation. “The Joint Rules and associated legislative timeline are both due for updates. That, however, is a discussion for the 194th General Court after the New Year,” he said.
Posted inState Government
Senate goes different law-making route to pass climate bill
Tarr, a Republican, said he saw the Senate’s new standing order for this session as a one-time event. “We should never let this practice be part of the everyday operations of this body,” he told his colleagues during a speech.
Posted inState Government
Beacon Hill mourns death of Rep. Gifford, Republican from Wareham
“Susan was also kind, and a person of integrity, traits that allowed her to bring an invaluable perspective to her work here in the Legislature,” said Spreaker Ron Mariano.
Posted inState Government
Business community needs attitude adjustment, Michlewitz says
“The negativity I hear on a daily basis is enough to make you think we’re bordering on the Great Depression, or that we’re almost wishing it into existence.”
Posted inOpinion
Legislature pulled up short in July, but it’s getting job done now
My reduced anxiety about the Legislature’s productivity this session doesn’t mean that there isn’t still room for improvement. There is no question that the lawmaking process can be smoother, and I’ve been glad to see leadership acknowledge that the Legislature can do better.
Posted inBallot Questions
DiZoglio releases audit of Legislature 2 weeks before ballot question vote
Polls indicate DiZoglio’s ballot question is expected to pass overwhelmingly, but any victory is likely only the beginning of a legal struggle over what operations of the Legislature the auditor can audit without infringing on the authority of a separate branch of government.
Posted inEnergy
House, Senate reach deal on climate bill
The key negotiators – Rep. Jeffrey Roy of Franklin and Sen. Michael Barrett of Lexington – released a statement saying they have an agreement in principle and hope to release the final bill in the coming days.
Posted inState Government
Spilka hosts opposing camps on Wu’s property tax shift proposal
The meeting in Spilka’s office, which lasted about an hour, included Wu as well as her chief financial officer and assessing commissioner, and business community leaders, such as Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce’s Jim Rooney and the Boston Municipal Research Bureau’s Marty Walz, a former House lawmaker, who have said there could be alternative approaches to Wu’s proposal, such as budget belt-tightening.
Posted inEnergy
State House climate negotiators resume talks
“I think there’s a real interest in getting to yes,” said Sen. Michael Barrett, who had all but given up hope for a larger bill after the governor filed her close-out spending bill. “Not everything is aligned quite yet, but I think we can emerge from all this chaos with a deal.”
Posted inState Government
Healey spending bill bypasses climate talks in Legislature
Healey has expressed optimism that the Legislature will pass economic development legislation in a special session later this year, but the spending bill she filed on Wednesday suggested she isn’t confident that the House and Senate will reach a deal on climate legislation.
Posted inOpinion
Why can’t the Legislature do its job?
Surely, one might be excused for thinking the Legislature would act expeditiously to fix a statute it was in such a hurry to enact. But no. The Legislature did nothing.
Posted inPolitics
Political Notebook: What type of progressive does Somerville want? | Marty Walsh rumblings | Eng on move
As she seeks election to a third term, Uyterhoeven is facing a challenge in the September 3 Democratic primary from Kathleen Hornby, who knows Beacon Hill well from her work as a legislative aide, most recently for Rep. Marjorie Decker of Cambridge. Hornby says she is just as progressive as Uyterhoeven but would approach the job differently to deliver more for the district.