HOUSE SPEAKER Robert DeLeo expressed some uncertainty Wednesday afternoon about whether the House will be able to advance a tax package before the end of the year. “Right now we’re still working on it. It’s still something that we’re working on,” DeLeo said after a Democratic caucus. “I would advise you to stay tuned in […]
Robert DeLeo
Posted inOpinion
House hit as authoritarian, top-down organization
WE HAVE WORKED in and around the Massachusetts State House for years. As legislative staffers, lobbyists, and grassroots advocates, we’ve collectively attended thousands of meetings with members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and been at the center of dozens of issue campaigns. Recently CommonWealth reported on former representative Jay Kaufman’s recollection of his experience […]
Posted inPolitics
Senate chair knocks House handling of tax break
AT A STANDSTILL over a corporate tax break, the Legislature on Thursday recessed for the remainder of the week without completing work on a bill wrapping up budgetary matters for the fiscal year that ended in June. An arcane tax policy has become a divisive policy issue, in part because of the potential cost of […]
Posted inPolitics
DeLeo to seek yet another term as speaker
HOUSE SPEAKER Robert DeLeo, who four years ago oversaw the scuttling of term limits on his reign, said he doesn’t plan to leave anytime soon and intends to seek another two-year term as leader of the chamber. The 69-year-old Winthrop Democrat who first joined the House in 1991 told the State House News Service on […]
Posted inEducation
House unveils education bill — minus controversial Senate amendment
TWO WEEKS AFTER the Senate approved a sweeping education funding bill, but stripped out language giving the state authority to oversee how the money is spent, the House appears poised to restore those accountability provisions, setting the stage for a potential clash between the two chambers. The House and Ways and Means Committee released a […]
Posted inHealth Care
Lawmakers: Baker’s health care bill a good start
LAST SESSION, Beacon Hill’s big three – the governor, the House speaker, and the Senate president — each had fundamentally different ideas about how to reform the state’s health care system, and attempts at compromise sputtered and failed. Now, Gov. Charlie Baker is taking another go at changing the health care marketplace, and he’s getting […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
DeLeo eyes comprehensive vaping legislation
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE ON THE HEELS of the state’s new temporary ban on the sale of all vaping products, a legislative committee on Wednesday endorsed a bill prohibiting the sale of all flavored tobacco and Speaker Robert DeLeo suggested the House will develop comprehensive vaping legislation. Rep. John Mahoney, the House chairman of the […]
Posted inPolitics
From insurgent to incumbent
TO SECURE A victory in last September’s Democratic primary against one of the most powerful members of the Legislature, Nika Elugardo ran a blistering campaign excoriating the entire House establishment, which she later analogized to a slave plantation. The Jamaica Plain Democrat hasn’t recanted her incendiary statements, but her tone has softened, and she has […]
Posted inHealth Care
House readies wellness bill before August break
BEFORE BREAKING FOR their unofficial August recess, House lawmakers will take up legislation aimed at finding answers for young people and parents in greatest need of medical care, including mental health care. With a relatively modest price tag of about $500,000, the bill seeks to better streamline existing services rather than create new treatment options. […]
Posted inTransportation
House leaders parlay on transpo legislation
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE House Speaker Robert DeLeo met with the House chairs of the ways and means, revenue and transportation committees for about two hours Wednesday morning to sketch out the broad transportation financing package expected to get a vote in the House this fall. As congestion on the roads and unreliable service on […]