MUCH HAS BEEN WRITTEN about the legalization of sports betting in the Commonwealth. The introduction of this much-debated and formerly illegal pastime is a tribute to the power of the gambling industry in Massachusetts. Meanwhile, with the conclusion of the Legislature’s formal sessions, a bill that would have taken some of the gamble out of […]
Government
Posted inState Government, State House News Service
Dems feel Baker knew of looming tax-break blockbuster
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AS THEIR CAREFULLY crafted plans for tax relief and massive spending outlays began to slip away with last Thursday’s stunning news about a 1986 tax law, frustrated Democrats on Beacon Hill went into spin mode. First, late Friday afternoon, Rep. Christine Barber of Somerville took to the House floor to suggest […]
Posted inState Government, Transportation
Baker announces 30-day Orange Line shutdown
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER announced Wednesday that the MBTA’s entire Orange Line will shut down for 30 days in order to accelerate repairs. It will be the longest shutdown of an entire line in MBTA history, and Baker said it will let the T do the amount of work in 30 days that would have taken […]
Posted inPolitics, State Government
3 Democrats make the case for being Maura Healey’s No. 2
JIM BRAUDE BEGAN Tuesday evening’s GBH debate among the three Democrats running for lieutenant governor by asking a standard opening question to candidates: Why are you running for this office? But in the case of the state’s lieutenant governor, what he really meant was, why in the world are you running for this office? It […]
Posted inEnvironment
Public lands preservation legislation comes up short
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE LAWMAKERS WERE UNABLE to find agreement on a bill aimed at maintaining open spaces across Massachusetts in a marathon final formal session Sunday into Monday, but one top negotiator said he remains hopeful the measure can still pass in the coming months. Sen. Sal DiDomenico, one of the leads on a […]
Posted inCourts, Drugs, Guns, Marijuana, State Government
Here’s what passed in marathon all-night legislative session
IN A MARATHON all night session, the Massachusetts Legislature finally finished many of their key priorities of the 2021-2022 legislative session, even as one key priority – tax reform – remained undone. They passed bills on equity in the cannabis industry, legalizing sports betting, and tightening gun licensing laws in the wake of a Supreme […]
Posted inState Government, State House News Service
Groggy lawmakers pull the plug on $1b tax package
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE HOUSE and Senate pulled an all-nighter to push through approval of a wide assortment of bills before the legislative session ended but ultimately decided Monday morning to abandon an economic development bill containing a $1 billion package of permanent tax cuts and one-time payments to taxpayers. Legislators said it would […]
Posted inPolitics, State Government, State House News Service
House rejects Baker’s latest ‘dangerousness’ gambit
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE WITH THE LEGISLATIVE session expected to end on Sunday night and a large backlog of bills in the pipeline, the House and Senate accomplished relatively little on Saturday. House Democrats roundly rejected a Gov. Charlie Baker plan to overhaul how criminal defendants can be deemed dangerous and detained, spiking his last-minute […]
Posted inOpinion
Bike stats contradict safety claims of Cambridge officials
AMID AN OUTCRY over how the implementation of Quick Build bike lanes will all but eliminate street parking in front of local businesses, the Cambridge City Council has smacked down residents’ concerns with false and outdated information. No matter which side of this debate you stand on, everybody should be able to deliberate based on […]
Posted inHealth Care
Budget notes: Disability Law Center questions veto
THE DISABILITY LAW CENTER on Friday released its latest report criticizing the state’s management of Bridgewater State Hospital, a day after Gov. Charlie Baker vetoed money for the center to continue its work. The organization is designated by federal law as the state’s protection and advocacy agency, an independent watchdog with legal authority to monitor […]