STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE GOV.CHARLIE BAKER filed legislation Wednesday to overhaul the state’s professional licensing operations, proposing to transfer 13 boards to the Department of Public Health and to give regulators enhanced authority to investigate license holders. The bill, dubbed the Act Relative to Licensing Accountability in the Commonwealth, would also prohibit Level 3 sex […]
Matt Murphy
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Baker doesn’t budge (yet) on masks
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE MASKS WILL STILL be required for now in all indoor public places, at all events, and outdoors when social distancing is not possible in Massachusetts, despite new guidance from the Centers from Disease Control advising fully vaccinated individuals that it’s safe in most cases to stop wearing a face covering. Gov. […]
Posted inPolitics
Census: Mass. population grows 7.4% over decade
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE MASSACHUSETTS GREW by enough people over the past decade to keep all nine US House seats as the state’s population climbed to more than 7 million over the past decade, but Secretary of State William Galvin said Monday that the process of redrawing Congressional districts still will be challenging. The US […]
Posted inEducation
Senator invites Duxbury football team to meet with him
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE ON THE SAME DAY Duxbury High School fired its head football coach, state Sen. Barry Finegold invited the varsity team to meet with him, as someone who is both Jewish and played football, after players used Holocaust-related terminology to call out plays on the field during a recent game. Finegold played […]
Posted inEducation
Spilka to Baker: Get teachers vaccinated
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE WITH THE STATE expecting to see its supply of COVID-19 vaccine increase over the coming weeks, Senate President Karen Spilka on Tuesday said Gov. Charlie Baker must let teachers get vaccinated this month and should set aside a percentage of doses for teachers and school staff. Spilka’s call on the Baker […]
Posted inState House News Service, Uncategorized
Warren seeks 2% tax on those worth $50m
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE ARGUING THAT THE wealth of billionaires has grown over the course of the pandemic, US Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Monday introduced legislation in Congress to tax the extremely wealthy, pitching a plan that became a calling card of her campaign for president. The Cambridge Democrat wants to impose a 2 percent […]
Posted inPolitics
Santiago jumps into Boston mayor’s race
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE JON SANTIAGO, Â a second-term state lawmaker and emergency room doctor from Boston’s South End, is entering the race to succeed Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, joining a diverse field of candidates that already includes three members of the City Council. Santiago plans to announce his campaign Tuesday, beginning with a digital ad […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Mariano names Cronin as his No. 2
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE HOUSE SPEAKER Ron Mariano named his senior leadership team Thursday, assembling a group that includes four women and one member of color to help shape the agenda for the House as Democrats look to focus, in part, on the state’s COVID-19 and vaccination response. Mariano, who succeeded former Speaker Robert DeLeo […]
Posted inPolitics, State House News Service
Lawmakers creating more paid leadership positions
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE CREATION of three new legislative committees to focus on the state’s COVID-19 response, racial equality and cybersecurity will come at a cost of $137,672 to taxpayers, according to a  calculation based on the 2017 pay law. House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka announced Wednesday night that they […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Baker amends police reform bill
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE GOV. CHARLIE BAKER plans to return to the Legislature landmark legislation that would impose new accountability standards on police, proposing a handful of amendments Thursday that he hopes Democrats will compromise with him over, but making clear he’s not afraid to veto the legislation if lawmakers resist those changes. Baker, a […]