IT’S BEEN ABOUT six months since the Healey-Driscoll Administration took office, an opportune moment to assess its performance in connection with the revitalization of the beleaguered MBTA. Let’s look at […]
Massachusetts Legislature
Posted inEnergy, State Government, State House News Service
Thong-wearing climate activists turn their cheeks in Senate
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THONG-WEARING climate activists intent on stopping fossil fuel infrastructure mooned senators and disrupted Thursday’s tax relief debate in the Massachusetts Senate. About an hour later, they […]
Posted inOpinion
Lawmakers should back Make Polluters Pay bill
IN MAY, the Massachusetts House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources heard testimony from a large number of voters who had descended on the State House to urge the committee […]
Posted inEconomy
Senate debate highights fault lines on competitiveness issue
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE SENATE’S TOP Republican opted against seeking a vote Thursday on a roughly $750 million tax relief proposal, but set off a debate that revealed some […]
Posted inOpinion
Sad state of affairs on Beacon Hill
THE MASSACHUSETTS Legislature is broken. It’s not as bad as Tennessee or Montana, where Republican supermajorities have tried to expel or silence Democratic dissenters. Or Oregon, where Republicans simply walk […]
Posted inState Government, State House News Service
Healey names Gobi director of rural affairs
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE SEN. ANNE GOBI will leave the Legislature to fill a newly created post in the Healey administration, triggering a special election in the central Massachusetts district […]
Posted inPolitics
House leaders pushing majority rule in joint committees
HOUSE LEADERS appear to be pushing majority rule in most of the Legislature’s joint committees, but the effort has had little impact so far except in the badly divided Telecommunications, […]
Posted inEconomy
Split-in-two committee to hold dueling hearings this week
Those interested in testifying on bills dealing with offshore wind and energy storage may have to do double-duty this week. The feuding House and Senate chairs of the Legislature’s Telecommunications, […]
Posted inState Government
Split-in-two committee to hold dueling hearings this week
THOSE INTERESTED in testifying on bills dealing with offshore wind and energy storage may have to do double-duty this week. The feuding House and Senate chairs of the Legislature’s Telecommunications, […]
Posted inPolitics, State Government
Fight erupts over committee rules on Beacon Hill
This story has been updated with a comment from Rep. Jeffrey Roy. A FIGHT is brewing on Beacon Hill over the rules governing how joint committees made up of House […]
Posted inState Government, State House News Service
High Tech Council calls House move unconstitutional
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AN INFLUENTIAL BUSINESS group warned Monday that a bill the House approved last month features an “unconstitutional provision” to reshape the rebate program that provided nearly […]
Posted inPolitics
House approves budget amendments with little or no debate
THE HOUSE on Wednesday approved a spending plan for the coming fiscal year after three days of deliberations, with most of the serious discussions taking place out of sight. As […]
Posted inGambling
What you need to know about the House budget proposal
What follows is an explainer about what’s in the House Ways and Means budget proposal for fiscal 2024. How big is the House Ways and Means budget? It comes in […]
Posted inPolitics, State Government
House tax plan builds on Healey approach
HOUSE LEADERS fell in line behind Gov. Maura Healey’s call for tax changes to make the state more affordable and competitive, unveiling legislation on Tuesday that not only mirrors but […]
Posted inOpinion
No more climate legislation needed; it’s time for action
IN 2021, after extensive negotiation, the Massachusetts Legislature passed the Next Generation Roadmap for Massachusetts Climate Policy, which calls for reducing emissions by 75 percent by 2040 and 85 percent […]
Posted inOpinion
HDIP addresses need for market-rate housing
WE ALL KNOW that New Bedford is facing a housing crisis that involves not only rising rents and home prices, but a severe shortage in housing options across all income […]
Posted inState Government
Mariano says state can afford another tax cut package
THE PROSPECTS for passage of a new tax reform package gained momentum on Thursday as House Speaker Ron Mariano said the chamber will soon unveil a series of tax cuts, […]
Posted inEducation
METCO students, parents lobby for more funding
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE HUNDREDS OF STUDENTS and parents roamed the halls of the State House this week to ask state lawmakers to support increased funding for the largest school […]
Posted inOpinion
DiZoglio’s audit of Legislature seems straight out of Hollywood
THE TIMING is perfect. Our new state auditor, Diana DiZoglio, is making good on a controversial campaign promise to audit the Legislature. Her investigation will not just be about its […]
Posted inState Government
DiZoglio plans to audit the Legislature
FOLLOWING THROUGH on a contentious campaign promise, state Auditor Diana DiZoglio announced Tuesday that she intends to audit the Legislature, an institution she served in for more than a decade […]
Posted inPolitics
Moran moves into House’s No. 2 spot
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE REPS. MIKE MORAN of Boston, Alice Peisch of Wellesley, and Frank Moran of Lawrence all got big promotions Thursday as House Democrats rolled out their committee […]
Posted inPolitics
Some Senate Dems on fence on term limit issue
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AS SENATE DEMOCRATS emerged Wednesday from a private caucus in President Karen Spilka’s office, they had mixed reactions to the proposed removal of a decades-old term […]
Posted inState Government, State House News Service
Under new rules, House returns to in-person sessions
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE HOUSE on Wednesday unanimously adopted its rules for the two-year term that began four weeks ago, agreeing to eliminate a pandemic-era policy that allowed representatives […]
Posted inPolitics
House panel votes 2-1 to seat Kassner over Mirra
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE REPRESENTATIVES WILL BE ASKED to vote Wednesday on a party-line recommendation to declare Kristin Kassner, a Hamilton Democrat, the official winner in a contested recount she […]
