STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE HOUSE on Wednesday unanimously adopted its rules for the two-year term that began four weeks ago, agreeing to eliminate a pandemic-era policy that allowed representatives to participate in sessions and vote remotely. The rules package also outlines a new hybrid committee hearing structure that will allow for both in-person and […]
Sam Doran | State House News Service
Posted inEnvironment
Healey greets Mothers Out Front at her office door
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE A CLIMATE JUSTICE GROUP got a last-minute speaker at its State House rally on Wednesday — Gov. Maura Healey, who told a group of mostly mothers and children outside her office that they were “the first to actually visit me here.” Mothers Out Front had originally planned to meet with Healey’s […]
Posted inImmigration, State House News Service
Signature effort on immigrant driver’s license law nears goal
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE CAMPAIGN to repeal the new driver’s license law, which is set to open up license access to immigrants without legal status in Massachusetts, said it hit a milestone Wednesday and turned in the requisite number of signatures to print the repeal question on the November ballot. Secretary of State Bill […]
Posted inState Government, State House News Service
Spilka sees no path forward for staff unionization
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE LEGISLATIVE STAFF have waited around four months to learn whether Senate President Karen Spilka would recognize their unionization effort with IBEW Local 2222, and on Thursday Spilka seemed to shut the door on that possibility — with an invitation for staff to attend a briefing from Senate lawyers on Friday. Senators […]
Posted inState Government, State House News Service
Senate approves pandemic policy extensions bill
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE DURING ITS FIRST session of the final month of serious legislating, the Massachusetts Senate on Tuesday released and passed a bill further extending some pandemic-era policies. Several policies dealing with remote or virtual participation would be kept alive until Dec. 15, 2023 under the bill, including the ability for towns to […]
Posted inEnvironment
Wu wants to test electric school buses
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE BOSTON WILL ROLL in a small number of electric school buses next school year in a pilot program geared toward fully electrifying the city’s fleet in the next eight years, Mayor Michelle Wu announced Wednesday, and the city is also laying groundwork for vocational training around electric vehicles. Up to 20 […]
Posted inPolitics
Senate Dems move Rollins nomination forward
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE DEMOCRATS IN THE US SENATE took a major step forward toward confirmation of Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins to become the next top federal prosecutor in Massachusetts, narrowly voting on Thursday to bring her nomination forward to the full Senate. Rollins’s nomination has been shelved in the US Senate Judiciary […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Lawmakers don’t get ARPA spending bill done
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE HOUSE AND SENATE will go into their mid-session recess without finalizing a plan to spend close to $4 billion in federal COVID-19 relief funding and state surplus tax dollars, giving up on the prospects for a deal Wednesday as Democrats in both branches remained too far apart to cement a […]
Posted inPolitics
Mariano intends to run for speaker again
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AS CANDIDATES START to shift into campaign mode for 2022, House Speaker Ronald Mariano said Monday that he intends to stick around for another term in one of the most powerful posts in state government. “I have every intention of doing that, yeah,” Mariano said  regarding his plans to campaign for […]
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 paid off some of the bottom line, expects the lien to be lifted, and vowed to give the federal government “every dime” he owes. “I’ve […]