STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE MASKS WILL no longer be required on MBTA vehicles and properties, Massachusetts Department of Transportation officials announced Tuesday afternoon, a day after a federal judge in Florida struck down a nationwide masking mandate on public transportation systems. “The Commonwealth has followed federal guidance in terms of face coverings and to be […]
Chris Van Buskirk
Posted inTransportation
Immigrant license bill clears House by veto-proof margin
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE HOUSE PASSED legislation Wednesday that opens a pathway for some undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses in Massachusetts, a move advocates say would make roads safer for all motorists and opponents argue rewards people for entering the country illegally. On a 120-36 vote, the House advanced the bill to the […]
Posted inHealth Care, State House News Service
Wu eyes Long Island for Mass and Cass help
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE RENOVATING BUILDINGS on Long Island and reintroducing treatment there for people dealing with substance use disorder and homelessness could be part of a medium- to long-term plan for the city of Boston to help alleviate issues at the Mass and Cass intersection, Mayor Michelle Wu said after touring the island. Issues […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
ARPA spending bill finally heads to Baker
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE IT LOOKS A LOT DIFFERENT from the bill he proposed, but Gov. Charlie Baker finally has on his desk a version of legislation doling out billions of dollars in federal economic relief funds and surplus state tax revenue. The Legislature took final votes Friday on a $4 billion American Rescue Plan […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
House add $174m to ARPA bill
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A MAJOR SPENDING bill allocating federal COVID-19 relief funds and surplus state tax revenues cleared the House on Friday evening by a vote of 159-0 after lawmakers added nearly $174 million via the amendment process. The bill began with a bottom line of $3.65 billion and representatives took a handful of […]
Posted inRace/Racism, State House News Service
Ex-commissioner sues Baker over firing
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE FORMER HEAD of the state’s Commission for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing is suing the Baker administration in federal court, Â claiming he was instructed to apologize in the wake of a report about racist behavior at his college fraternity, then terminated because “it was no longer politically correct to […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
House crushes transparency rules amendment
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE HOUSE LAWMAKERSÂ spent over an hour locked in a tense debate Wednesday afternoon on an unsuccessful transparency amendment to the Legislature’s 2021-2022 joint rules before ultimately adopting a rules package to govern interactions between the two branches that strips a few elements of the Senate’s proposed reforms. The House approved a rules […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Tyler to head Black and Latino Caucus
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AS THE NEWÂ legislative session gets underway, the Black and Latino Legislative Caucus plans to install Rep. Chynah Tyler of Roxbury as its new chair, replacing Rep. Carlos Gonzalez of Springfield. Tyler will take over as chair of the caucus in February after a session that saw the caucus push through a […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
House approves police reform bill on 93-66 vote
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AND ON THE third day, after sessions that ran for a collective 35 hours, the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed a sweeping police reform and accountability bill that seeks to certify all law enforcement officers in the state and curb the use of force tactics by police. The bill, representing the […]
Posted inPolitics
Senate OKs bill expanding voting options
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE SENATE PASSED expanded vote-by-mail legislation Tuesday that would allow voters to avoid the polls, but still participate, during the upcoming primaries and general election if they feel unsafe due to the ongoing pandemic. The Senate approved vote-by-mail legislation that would offer registered voters three options to cast a ballot: during […]