THE TAX RELIEF BILL released by legislative leaders on Tuesday significantly changes a law approved by voters in 1986, requiring that excess tax collections be returned in equal amounts to all taxpayers rather than proportional to the taxes they paid. The so-called tax cap law has been triggered only twice, once in fiscal 1987 and […]
National Politics
Posted inCriminal Justice
Rollins resigning as US attorney
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE RACHAEL ROLLINS, a former Suffolk County prosecutor who quickly rose in political prominence and often drew the ire of Republican lawmakers, will resign her role as US attorney for Massachusetts this week because “her presence has become a distraction,” her attorney said. Rollins’s attorney, former Justice Department inspector general Michael Bromwich, […]
Posted inOpinion
Divided Congress could be good for Biden
IN JUNE 1858, Abraham Lincoln famously said “A house divided against itself can not stand.” Now, 165 years later, the 118th Congress has officially begun and the divide is deeper than we have seen in generations. The Democrats remain in control of the Senate while a new Republican majority takes over in the House – truly […]
Posted inPolitics
Baker talks politics on CNN
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE STEPPING ONTO A STAGE that he usually shuns, outgoing Gov. Charlie Baker recently invited CNN to his State House office so he could share his thoughts on the midterm elections and the direction of his Republican Party. In the interview that aired Monday on the national network, the two-term governor said […]
Posted inOpinion
If Dems lose the House, Sen. Warren may be to blame
DEMOCRATS HAVE an Elizabeth Warren problem. With control of Congress too close to call – and potentially coming down to 1 or 3 seats – national Democrats are Monday morning quarterbacking messaging and money allocation decisions in the final weeks. Rather than pointing fingers, many Democrats should be looking in the mirror. The Democrats’ chance […]
Posted inPolitics
Two surgeons who are moms jump into politics
UNTIL SHE STARTED a PAC to elect candidates to Congress, Dr. Anahita Dua had little exposure to the world of politics. Dua is a vascular surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital, where she co-directs a center focused on peripheral artery disease and limb amputation, and an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School. The 39-year-old Newton resident, […]
Posted inEducation
White House says 813,000 in Mass. eligible for student debt relief
AN ESTIMATED 813,000 student loan borrowers in Massachusetts will qualify for debt relief under President Biden’s student debt relief plan, according to data released by the White House Tuesday. As a pandemic-era pause on student loan repayments ends in December, Biden announced a plan last month to provide permanent relief for some borrowers. Biden’s plan […]
Posted inPolitics
Barnstable commissioner candidate minimizes ties to Oath Keepers
RON BEATY, a Republican candidate for Barnstable County commissioner, said Monday that he made a small donation to the right-wing group Oath Keepers in 2014 but has not been involved in the group since then. CommonWealth reported earlier this month that the Anti-Defamation League analyzed a leaked database of members of the Oath Keepers, which […]
Posted inOpinion
Federal funds, used wisely, can tackle climate change
AMERICANS CAN FINALLY breathe clean air and a sigh of relief as we see the path ahead to our clean energy future. For decades, the prospects for a livable future looked dim as we fought an uphill battle to make sure the United States would fully embrace climate action and clean energy. Congress has been […]
Posted inPolitics
Harris calls Mass. a model on abortion rights
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE MASSACHUSETTS STANDS as a “model” that other states should follow to protect access to abortions and other reproductive health care, Vice President Kamala Harris said during a visit to the Bay State on Thursday. Offering praise both for the Democrats who crafted a substantial reproductive care bill and for Republican Gov. […]