The House voted 152-1 to approve a bill that combines reforms intended to avert a repeat of the Steward Health Care crisis with changes designed to boost state oversight of facility expansions and closures, refine cost control tools to better account for fluctuations, and increase funding for hospitals that typically serve high shares of low-income patients and people of color.
Chris Lisinski I State House News Service
Posted inBallot Questions
DiZoglio targets Uber, Lyft with supercharged hypothetical audit
The analysis estimated the on-demand ride platforms would have owed the state about $266 million in combined workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance, and the paid family and medical leave payments over the past decade if their tens of thousands of drivers were treated as full employees.
Posted inState Government
Despite flat tax collections, House budget plan would boost spending 3.3%
The House plan does not call for any major tax hikes or draw from the state’s long-term “rainy day” savings account, whose balance could surpass $9 billion by July 2025 under the House’s latest projection.
Posted inImmigration
Senate bill also backs cap on stays in emergency shelter system
Like the bill that cleared the House earlier this month, the Senate bill could push some people out of the system after nine months, which would mark a shift in a state that by law guarantees access to shelter for eligible families and pregnant women.
Posted inTransportation
Power issue knocks out morning service on Blue, Green, Orange lines
T stations opened fare gates on all four major subway lines for the evening rush hour Thursday as a sort of apology to riders who earlier that day faced delays and darkened platforms when power problems rolled across the Blue, Green and Orange Lines.
Posted inTransportation
Healey’s $58b state spending plan boosts T, education funding with one-time revenues, cuts
Amid a forecast for little to no tax revenue growth, Healey’s team balanced their plan by trimming $450 million from various line items, proposing to prevent about half a billion dollars in other spending growth, and deploying $1.25 billion from other available state resources.Â
Posted inState Government
Healey pushes $93m boost in new child care spending
Healey plans to pursue about $93 million in new child care spending in her fiscal year 2025 budget proposal, which will also request another $475 million in grants to continue supporting early education providers.
Posted inEnergy
7 communities picked for fossil-free construction experiment
“This is a huge milestone,” said Lisa Cunningham, co-founder of the ZeroCarbonMA advocacy group. “I hope it’s only the beginning of a sea change in the way we think about building, not just in Massachusetts but throughout the country.”
Posted inState Government
House, Senate leaders tapping brakes on spending growth
Senate budget chief Michael Rodrigues of Westport was noncommittal when asked about Gov. Maura Healey’s plan to drain $700 million in surplus revenue funds to cover rising expenses this year and next year associated with the state’s emergency shelter system.
Posted inEnergy
State agency prepares to buy Salem offshore wind port land
Crowley will receive $30 million for the sale, the same amount the company paid when it originally purchased the land, according to Tyson. Another $45 million in state funding will support capital development at the site.