Supporters of an expanded bottle deposit law said on Tuesday they have the support of a majority of both House and Senate lawmakers but can’t pry the legislation out of committee. […]
State Government
Posted inEconomy, Politics, State House News Service
House bill eases grocery price tag law
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE Grocery stores in Massachusetts would no longer be required to put price tags on each item and could instead deploy price scanners for consumers to use, […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
DeLeo pokes Mark Zuckerberg
The following is an open letter to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg from Speaker Robert DeLeo, originally published at Menlo Park Patch. I wanted to take this opportunity to update you […]
Posted inPolitics
DCR, club strike deal on rent
The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation is ending a standoff with the Wollaston Yacht Club by renewing the organization’s permit at its existing $5,000-a-year level as long as the […]
Posted inPolitics
Article examines Patrick’s representation of blacks
Gov. Deval Patrick has successfully represented black interests on Beacon Hill with legislation, executive orders, and the appointment of more than 200 African-Americans to positions in state government, according to […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics
Budgeting efficiency
For bloodless efficiency, you couldn’t beat the House deliberations over a $32 billion budget, which were wrapped up Wednesday night after just three days of debate, an antiseptic process that […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics
Bottle deposit bill going for No. 15?
For 14 years, supporters of the state’s bottle deposit law have been pushing to expand its reach to include a host of non-carbonated, non-alcoholic beverages such as bottled waters, juices, […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics, The Back Story
No new taxes but lots of tax breaks
House leaders proudly unveiled a $32 billion budget this week that avoids new taxes and fees by paring back 280 individual spending accounts and even ordering agencies to put contracts […]
Posted inOpinion, Politics
New Hampshire push poll law gets it wrong
Every four years, Granite State residents are bombarded with calls from political pollsters, gauging the state of the first-in-the-nation presidential primary. Then, but a few months later, the shelling begins […]
Posted inEconomy, Education, Politics
House budget offers few new initiatives
House Democrats proposed a $32 billion spending plan that includes no new taxes, fees, or bottle deposits but does provide a slight increase in local aid, additional funding to combat […]
Posted inPolitics
Beacon Hill’s army of influence
special interests spent more than $67 million last year lobbying on Beacon Hill, the equivalent of about $335,000 per lawmaker, according to state records. The Massachusetts Teachers Association was the […]
Posted inPolitics
Lawmaker using exile as platform
No one had to put Charley Murphy’s desk out in the hall, but they might as well have. In December, Murphy resigned as House majority whip, one step ahead of […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics
What’s up with the sales tax?
Sales tax receipts normally behave like you’d expect them to: They rise when the economy is expanding, and fall when unemployment spikes. Data from across the country show that, historically, […]
Posted inPolitics
Eat your greens
The latest gamble by one of the country’s most successful, but aging, state lotteries is to use lifetime payouts to attract a new breed of bettors. While the Lottery has […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Time out
Illustration by Eva Vazquez. DEAN WILLIAMSON, A high school senior from Worcester, came to the State House in late February hoping to see a debate in the House of Representatives. […]
Posted inEnvironment, Politics, The Back Story
Renewable anxiety
UPDATE: The bill referenced in this story passed the Senate yesterday. For the full text of the bill, click here. To read about yesterday’s Senate session, click here. Lawmakers on […]
Posted inEconomy, Politics
Patrick credits stimulus for 90,000 Mass. jobs
Gov. Deval Patrick defended President Barack Obama’s handling of the economy this morning, blaming a “sclerosis” in Congress for impeding the president’s ability to make the type of investments that […]
Posted inPolitics
Cahill lawsuit leads to indictment
Attorney General Martha Coakley learned about the alleged political connection to a 2010 Lottery ad blitz the same way everyone else in Massachusetts did – she read about it in […]
Posted inPolitics, Transportation
T backs subway fare hike of 17%
Bay State commuters who rely on the MBTA will be slapped with an average 23 percent fare hike under a budget proposal that state transportation officials unveiled today. “The proposal […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
DCR not talking
Over the past couple months, Ed Lambert has been talking tough about the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s deadbeat renters, but now he’s not talking at all. The DCR commissioner […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
The underbelly of Beacon Hill
Richard Vitale, the friend and financial advisor to former House speaker Sal DiMasi, admitted last October that he illegally lobbied on Beacon Hill without registering as a lobbyist. He was […]
Posted inPolitics
IG questions legality of Red Sox deals
Inspector General Gregory Sullivan is questioning the legality and fairness of a 2003 deal between the Boston Redevelopment Authority and the Boston Red Sox that allowed the ball club to […]
Posted inPolitics, The Back Story
Life Sciences Center in salary crosshairs
CORRECTION: The salary information contained in this story for employees of the Life Sciences Center has changed. The two employees who were earning $185,000 a year have left, leaving the […]