STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE HOUSE AND SENATE leaders said Tuesday night that they had struck a deal to spend $4 billion in American Rescue Plan Act and state tax surplus […]
Massachusetts Legislature
Posted inOpinion
Pushing for radically different child care system
NATALIE IS a multiracial single mother raising a young son with autism in the greater Boston area. In my job at Economic Mobility Pathways, I work with women like her to […]
Posted inUncategorized
Baker laments ‘massive delay’ in spending ARPA funds
ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT, Gov. Charlie Baker’s worst fears about giving the Legislature control of $5.3 billion in federal money came true. The House and Senate blew past their self-imposed deadline […]
Posted inThe Download
Health care fuels first-half lobbying
The State House remains closed to the public, but the business of lobbying on Beacon Hill keeps rolling along, particularly in health care. According to data gathered by Secretary of […]
Posted inUncategorized
Health care fuels first-half lobbying
THE STATE HOUSE remains closed to the public, but the business of lobbying on Beacon Hill keeps rolling along, particularly in health care. According to data gathered by Secretary of […]
Posted inPolitics
Mariano intends to run for speaker again
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AS CANDIDATES START to shift into campaign mode for 2022, House Speaker Ronald Mariano said Monday that he intends to stick around for another term in […]
Posted inPolitics
Progressive group slams House for lack of professionalism, transparency
A GROUP OF PROGRESSIVE activists, including three former state representatives, released a 52-page report on Tuesday slamming state House leaders for perpetuating a structure that centralizes power in the speaker […]
Posted inPolitics
Revised map puts Fall River, New Bedford in separate districts
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE FALL RIVER and New Bedford would remain in different Congressional districts under a revised map released on Monday by legislative leaders that disregarded the pressure being applied […]
Posted inOpinion
Mariano’s health care bill shows promise
HOUSE SPEAKER Ron Mariano on Friday followed through on his pledge to put forward legislation that would subject expansion projects of major health care providers to more regulatory review. The bill, […]
Posted inEconomy
Baker urged to clear up unemployment insurance fund confusion
A SENIOR ANALYST at the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center who is following the debate over the solvency of the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund urged the Baker administration on […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Senate passes ARPA spending bill
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AFTER WADING THROUGH hours of debate and considering hundreds of amendments, the Senate late Wednesday night unanimously approved a $3.82 billion package to steer special federal relief […]
Posted inPolitics
Fall River’s fate unclear as power players divided
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE DEBATE OVER HOW the South Coast cities of New Bedford and Fall River should be represented in Congress continues to divide the state’s political power players, […]
Posted inHealth Care
Senate unveils major mental health bill
LEADERS IN THE Massachusetts Senate on Tuesday unveiled a comprehensive mental health bill, which would set a floor for the rates insurers must pay for mental health services, address the […]
Posted inUncategorized
2 more House lawmakers provide proof of vaccination
TWO MORE STATE representatives provided proof over the weekend that they have received COVID-19 shots, leaving the House with only five of its 160 members out of compliance with the […]
Posted inHealth Care
Mariano backs bill to provide more scrutiny of hospital expansions
THE MASSACHUSETTS HOUSE will consider a health care bill that would impose increased scrutiny on hospital expansions, House Speaker Ron Mariano said Thursday. The goal of the bill would be to stop […]
Posted inUncategorized
Seven reps not complying with House vaccine mandate
THERE ARE SEVEN state representatives who have not yet provided proof of vaccination or requested a religious or medical exemption from the vaccine mandate imposed by the House of the […]
Posted inUncategorized
Heavy health care focus in Senate spending plan
LEADERS IN THE Massachusetts Senate on Wednesday laid out a plan for spending $3.66 billion, taken from a combination of federal money from the American Rescue Plan Act and some surplus […]
Posted inPolitics
Congressional redistricting map unites Fall River
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE FALL RIVER, the state’s 10th most populous city, would no longer be divided between two congressional districts under a draft map lawmakers released Monday that fell […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
House add $174m to ARPA bill
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A MAJOR SPENDING bill allocating federal COVID-19 relief funds and surplus state tax revenues cleared the House on Friday evening by a vote of 159-0 after […]
Posted inOpinion
Remember the right whales with a special day
RAMONA DELANEY’S 93-year-old grandmother died peacefully on a Tuesday in April. The funeral service was held on Friday. On Saturday, Ramona, with husband Matt Delaney and 14-year-old daughter Katrina, purchased […]
Posted inThe Download
Can ARPA spending spur transformative change?
Four months ago, CommonWealth reported that jockeying was underway for a slice of the $5.9 billion pie of federal money coming to Massachusetts state government from the American Rescue Plan […]
Posted inUncategorized
Can ARPA spending spur transformative change?
FOUR MONTHS AGO, CommonWealth reported that jockeying was underway for a slice of the $5.9 billion pie of federal money coming to Massachusetts state government from the American Rescue Plan Act. […]
Posted inEducation
Baker signs bill prohibiting ‘meal-shaming’ in schools
THE PRACTICE of “meal-shaming,” drawing attention to a student whose family owes money for school meals, is a thing of the past, after Gov. Charlie Baker signed a law prohibiting the practice in […]
Posted inPolitics
Senate adds 6th majority-minority district in Brockton
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AFTER SOLICITING feedback over the past week on draft redistricting maps for the Legislature, House and Senate leaders on Tuesday finalized revised plans that would add […]