It is easy to see how that storyline can spark the ire of voters and the scorn of opinion writers. But it is a fundamentally flawed reading of legislative productivity for reasons that are virtually never acknowledged amid the easy targeting of lawmakers.
Legislature
Posted inOpinion
DiZoglio’s campaign to audit the Legislature is fueled by misinformation, political ambition, and personal attacks
There has been no better example in Massachusetts politics of the chasm that exists between what is actually true, and what the loudest voices are willing to say for their own personal gain, than the legislative audit spectacle.
Posted inEnvironment
House committee strips Senate policy plans from environmental bond
The House Ways and Means Committee slimmed the Senate’s bond authorizations (S 3064) down by more than 20 percent, advancing a new draft Tuesday that would authorize $3.078 billion in borrowing compared to the Senate-supported $3.94 billion.
Posted inState Government
House approves later last call bill that would run through July
If it clears the Senate and is signed into law, the bill would take effect Monday, June 8 and expire Friday, July 31, and enable bars to push last call to 3 a.m. “subject to approval of the local licensing authority.”
Posted inOpinion
Lack of contested legislative races and overflow of ballot questions reflect democracy in decline
The many ballot questions but few contested legislative races is less a study in contrasts than a snapshot of correlates.
Posted inEnergy
House energy chair must be removed from post over his controversial climate bill, Mass. Sierra Club says
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.
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.
