FORMER STATE SENATOR Dean Tran, who was indicted earlier this month on charges that he stole a gun from an elderly constituent, filed suit in federal court on Wednesday against Attorney General Maura Healey, alleging that the case against him is a politically motivated move by a partisan Democratic political figure. Tran is a Republican […]
Government
Posted inHealth, State Government
With time short, lawmakers seek to reshape local public health
THE LEGISLATURE is poised to dramatically reshape Massachusetts’ local public health landscape, after the COVID-19 pandemic spotlighted just how inadequate it is. “I’ve been doing this work for almost 25 years and it’s just astounding to me the opportunity that we’re being presented with here, and the fact that the Legislature really understands the importance […]
Posted inState Government
Long-forgotten tax cap about to be triggered
WHILE LAWMAKERS scramble to put together a package of tax breaks in the final days of the legislative session, a little-known law from the mid-1980s is about to alter the Beacon Hill debate over tax relief. Record tax revenues in fiscal 2021 are expected to trigger the state’s tax cap for the first time in […]
Posted inPolitics
Handful of Democrats called out for voting to suspend rules
A CONSERVATIVE advocacy group on Monday called out a handful of Democratic lawmakers who in early 2021 voted for more time to study bills coming out of conference committees but last week voted to suspend the Legislature’s existing rules to take up climate change legislation immediately. The joint rules of the Massachusetts House and Senate […]
Posted inHealth Care
Lawmakers reach agreement on abortion legislation
WITH THE CLOCK ticking down on the Legislature’s two-year session, House and Senate leaders announced on Monday that negotiators have reached agreement between the two branches on a bill to strengthen abortion rights in Massachusetts. The push for enhanced abortion protections came in the wake of last month’s Supreme Court ruling overturning the landmark 1973 […]
Posted inGovernment
Sen. Markey seeks to pack ‘illegitimate’ Supreme Court
US SEN. ED MARKEY has emerged as one of the most forceful critics of the US Supreme Court after recent decisions on abortion, gun licensing, and environmental protection. Markey has called for adding four more seats to the court, to minimize its current conservative tilt. “If a bully steals your lunch money and you don’t […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Lawmakers pass moratorium on prison expansion
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE IT’S ALMOST TIME for Gov. Charlie Baker to decide exactly what he thinks about a legislative mandate preventing his administration from studying or constructing new correctional facilities. Lawmakers on Thursday advanced a compromise bill that authorizes nearly $5.2 billion in bonds to repair, modernize and upgrade state buildings and, in an […]
Posted inEnergy, State Government
Here’s what’s in the Legislature’s energy/climate change legislation
THE LEGISLATURE suspended its rules and whisked through a climate change bill on Thursday that seeks to make Massachusetts the “Saudi Arabia of wind,” promotes the adoption of zero emission vehicles, and allows 10 communities to bar fossil fuel infrastructure in new construction. The precise contents of the bill were not available and the funding […]
Posted inState Government
State budget is a lot more than just a spending plan
FRAIDY REISS, who leads the New Jersey-based advocacy group Unchained At Last, has been fighting to end child marriage in Massachusetts for six years, lobbying lawmakers and testifying at hearings. Supporters created a coalition of 50 organizations opposed to child marriage, and there was no vocal opposition. The first legislative session Reiss was told it […]
Posted inState Government
Senate’s $4B economic development bill provides faster tax relief
THE MASSACHUSETTS SENATE released a $4 billion economic development bill on Monday that includes some key spending differences from a House bill in areas like education, human services, and housing. The House and Senate are largely in agreement on a $1 billion proposal to reduce a slew of taxes, but with two key differences, one […]