STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE EMPLOYERS WOULD SEE their long-term obligation to replenish the state’s unemployment insurance fund cut by $1 billion under a proposal Gov. Charlie Baker made on Wednesday, […]
state house news
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
20% increase in breakthrough cases
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE IN THE WEEK between August 7 and August 14, almost 2,700 fully vaccinated people became infected with COVID-19 in Massachusetts, the Department of Public Health said […]
Posted inDrug Addiction
The ‘other crisis’ keeps on chugging along
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE PRELIMINARY DEPARTMENT of Public Health data show 1,038 people died of opioid overdoses in the first six months of this year, an estimated 5 percent decrease […]
Posted inPolitics
IRS says Rep. Linsky owes $154,000 in taxes
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE INTERNAL REVENUE Service has filed a hefty lien against a state representative for nonpayment of taxes, but the lawmaker said Tuesday that he has already […]
Posted inPolitics
Gig question foes exchange claims
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE OPPONENTS OF A NEW worker benefits ballot question campaign asked state campaign finance regulators on Monday to investigate the question’s backers, who alleged in response that […]
Posted inPolitics
From gig economy to TCI, 30 ballot questions filed
PROPONENTS FILED 30 ballot questions with the attorney general’s office on Wednesday in an attempt to circumvent Beacon Hill and win approval directly from voters in 2022 for laws dealing with […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
State pension fund achieves record gain
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE FISCAL YEAR 2021 was a record year for the Massachusetts state pension fund, which closed the one-year period ending June 30 with the highest return in […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Emissions pact opponents predict fuel shortages by 2023
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE OPPONENTS OF THE regional effort to wring carbon emission reductions from cars, trucks and other forms of transportation predicted Thursday that Massachusetts residents could face fuel […]
Posted inThe Download
Work world won’t be the same
CommonWealth Magazine · Mass Reboot Episode 5: Work Early last year when the coronavirus pandemic hit, the nature of work was transformed within days. For some that meant replacing office […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
House overrides Baker veto on charitable giving deduction
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE TWENTY-ONE YEARS after voters approved a tax deduction for charitable donations, the House on Wednesday voted to override Gov. Charlie Baker’s veto and postpone for another […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Suffolk DA Rollins nominated to be US attorney
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE PRESIDENT BIDEN ON MONDAY nominated Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins to serve as the state’s top federal prosecutor, a historic move that could reshape the […]
Posted inGambling
House approves sports betting, again, with bipartisan vote
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE HOUSE OVERWHELMINGLY approved a bill to legalize sports betting in Massachusetts on Thursday evening, but even before the vote, the question of whether to allow […]
Posted inDrug Addiction
New opioid settlement could bring $500 million to Massachusetts
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE MASSACHUSETTS STANDS TO receive more than $500 million over the next roughly 18 years as part of a massive settlement announced Wednesday that would end investigations […]
Posted inPolitics
Redistricting process could split some precincts
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE SOME LOCAL VOTING precincts may be split into two state legislative districts in the ongoing decennial redistricting effort, a top lawmaker said Monday during a hearing […]
Posted inThe Download
State seal set to get a makeover
After hundreds of years, the state’s coat of arms, seal, and state flag are getting a makeover, or at least that’s the plan. A commission created by a state resolution […]
Posted inTransportation
Lawmakers reach deal on new MBTA oversight board
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE LAWMAKERS REACHED a compromise Friday on a new MBTA oversight board and  rules that would allow  voters  in cities and towns with municipal elections this summer […]
Posted inTransportation
Lawmakers add $150m to transportation infrastructure bill
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE LEGISLATURE passed an infrastructure bill on Thursday that had been under negotiation for several weeks, padding the traditional $200 million in annual financing for local […]
Posted inThe Download
Breakthrough cases bad for vaccine messaging
Regular communication and sharing of data have been a key part of the Baker administration’s approach to combating the COVID-19 pandemic. For months, Gov. Charlie Baker gave a COVID briefing […]
Posted inHealth Care
Health care costs keep rising
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE AVERAGE TOTALÂ costs for Massachusetts family health insurance premiums roughly tripled from 2000 to 2019, hitting $21,424 and surpassing the national cost for a new compact […]
Posted inThe Download
Insurers put squeeze on Biogen Alzheimer’s drug
Call it the first big shot across Biogen’s bow in what may become a multi-billion-dollar war in which the hopes of millions for a way to hold back the ravages […]
Posted inThe Download
Souza victory unites Somerset Select Board
Kathy Souza, a candidate for Select Board in Somerset, was asked at a recent debate how she would heal the division in town over a scrap metal export operation at […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
House set to debate rules, extend emergency
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE ALL HOUSE SESSIONS would permanently be livestreamed, committee chairs would have discretion to hold hybrid-format hearings, and published committee votes would not require the disclosure of […]
Posted inThe Download
Baker administration breaks silence on Brayton Point
The Baker administration, after months of silence, issued a cryptic statement suggesting it is reviewing the legal status of a controversial scrap metal operation using a state-owned pier at Brayton […]
Posted inHealth Care
House overrides Baker veto on labor agreement
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE HOUSE DEMOCRATS ignored the warnings of Gov. Charlie Baker and overrode his veto Wednesday of legislation requiring a new Holyoke Soldiers’ Home to be built under […]