Rep. William Straus, the House chair of the Legislature’s Transportation Committee, on Monday took aim at “a former government official” who believes the best way to solve the MBTA’s problems is to give the transit authority more money.

At an oversight hearing of the Transportation Committee, Straus never identified the official but kept referring to him during the panel’s questioning of MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng and Transportation Secretary Gina Fiandaca.

“Some who are no longer in government but still have a microphone, so to speak, have expressed the view that the problem is money and resources to be provided to the MBTA,” Straus said early on in the hearing. “My own view is that these things do take money but money alone may not be the answer.”

The Mattapoisett Democrat’s comments seemed to be directed at James Aloisi, a former secretary of transportation who now serves on the TransitMatters board, writes commentaries for CommonWealth, and is often a guest commentator on GBH.

Aloisi has written several pieces for CommonWealth dating back to last fall in which he urged the Legislature and governor to address a looming shortfall in the MBTA’s operating budget by relieving the T (and the regional transit authorities) of the cost of providing paratransit service and a large chunk of their debt service costs. In a March 13 commentary spotlighting five ideas for improving the MBTA, Aloisi urged the Legislature to act on the funding issues this year.

Aloisi said he watched some of the Transportation Committee hearing and tweeted a note to Straus. “Those of us asking for more money for the T are aware of the imminent crisis of an operating budget shortfall,” he wrote. “Fare revenues no longer satisfy 1/3 of T budget needs. Riders need informed action by the Legislature & we aren’t getting any.”

Straus took note of the tweet during the hearing. “Somebody must have thought I offended them,” he said. “They already went on Twitter to question some of the comments I made earlier today – someone who once was in public service.”

During the hearing, Eng was asked if the T is receiving the money it needs. The general manager said yes, but he also said the authority needs additional, steady revenue streams. “Definitely, additional funds are needed,” he said.

Despite taking note of Aloisi’s tweet in the midst of the hearing, in a telephone interview after the hearing, Straus was coy about whether his comments about “a former government official” were directed at Aloisi. “I guess he decided he fits the bill, but I wasn’t thinking of him necessarily,” the representative said.

For his part, Aloisi pointed out that his focus hasn’t been just on the funding issue. He said he has recommended a number of other reforms needed at the MBTA to get the transit authority on track.

“He is just not understanding the point,” Aloisi said, offering to join Straus on The Codcast, CommonWealth’s podcast, to discuss the issue in greater depth.

BRUCE MOHL 

FROM COMMONWEALTH

Tracking your location: State lawmakers are pushing legislation that would ban the sale of cell phone location data, which could theoretically allow someone to track the comings and goings of people at abortion clinics or other locations. The cell phone data is gathered by phone apps and sold to data aggregators who in turn resell the information. Read more.

Mum on slow zones: MBTA General Manager Phillip Eng refuses to say anything about the cause of all the slow zones on the subway system and offers no timetable on when they will be gone. He also tells an oversight hearing of the Transportation Committee that the attrition rate of staff at the MBTA is unusually high at 13 percent. Read more.

OPINION

License plate tampering: Paul Rehme of Boston says the flagrant tampering with license plates in Massachusetts has got to stop because it’s costing the state a lot of money and demonstrating how uncivil society is right now. Read more.

Supply problem: Greg Bialecki, a former secretary of housing and economic development, says the state’s loss of population is not due to uncompetitiveness but to a shortage of housing. The outmigration, he says, is not due to reduced demand for the opportunity to live in Massachusetts but instead limited supply of the opportunity to do so. Read more.

FROM AROUND THE WEB

BEACON HILL

Rep. Michael Day, the House chairman of the Legislature’s joint Judiciary Committee, is proposing a sweeping set of updates to state gun laws, including a provision that would ban so-called “ghost guns.” (Boston Globe) 

Adam Reilly at GBH says Gov. Maura Healey appears to be selling Massachusetts to Irish companies at least in part by showcasing the state’s willingness to embrace diversity and the rights of everyone. Healey, the state’s first openly lesbian governor, is in Ireland for a trade mission and also to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the decriminalization of homosexuality.

MUNICIPAL MATTERS  

William Fahey, the former director of youth services in Andover, is fined $20,000 for improperly using donated funds to pay workers, himself included. (Eagle-Tribune)

WASHINGTON/NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

CNN got a copy of the audio recording of a 2021 conversation in which former president Donald Trump appears to be showing others in a room with him papers regarding a possible attack on Iran that he calls “highly confidential.” The recording is a key piece of evidence in the case brought against Trump by special counsel Jack Smith. Trump says in the recording that he can’t  declassify the document now because he is no longer in office, a comment undercutting his claim in an interview last week that he was only talking about news clippings in the conversation. (New York Times) 

ELECTIONS

Donald Trump offers praise for Robert Kennedy Jr.,  – a “common sense guy” – whose Democratic run for president could cause headaches for Joe Biden. (Boston Herald) 

BUSINESS/ECONOMY

A new report concludes “greening” Massachusetts structures through a new energy code could price tens of thousands of Massachusetts households out of the real estate market, recommending policy changes on a local and state-wide level to encourage the construction of green buildings with affordability in mind. (Worcester Telegram)

EDUCATION

A Harvard Business School professor known for his research on dishonesty and unethical behavior is accused of submitting work containing falsified results. (NPR)

IMMIGRATION

The Biden administration’s initiative to speed up the processing of asylum applications isn’t working well in Boston, according to a new report from the Harvard Immigration and Refugee Clinical Program. (WBUR)

As the RMV prepares for over 100,000 applications for drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants, advocates are preparing potential applicants and warning of possible scams. (GBH)

ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT

The New York Times drops into New Bedford and has an overview of the massive Vineyard Wind project that is underway. 

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/COURTS

New Bedford Police Sgt. Samuel Ortega has been issued a written reprimand after the New Bedford Light reported on a series of complaints of harassment by three different women and a lengthy internal report that concluded Ortega had violated the city’s harassment policies.  

The US Supreme Court is poised to rule this week on President Joe Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan. Regardless of the decision, loan repayments are set to restart in September. (MassLive)

MEDIA

The Boston Herald is ending the comment function on its stories in order to speed up the functioning of its website, the paper said in a note published Tuesday. So is another Alden newspaper, the Denver Post, according to Media Nation.