STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE STATE AND FEDERAL regulators appear to have made a breakthrough to move forward with a voter-approved vehicle repair data law after legal battles and safety concerns stalled its implementation. A bit more than two months after the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration warned that a 2020 Massachusetts “right to repair” update […]
State House News Service
Posted inThe Download
After affirmative action blow, legacy preference draws focus
AFTER THE US Supreme Court ruled this spring to significantly scale back higher educational institutions’ use of affirmative action, advocacy and civil rights groups wound up for a counter-punch at Harvard. America’s oldest university, and its policy of allowing for legacy admission preference, is in the crosshairs of both a federal investigation and a civil […]
Posted inHousing, State Government, State House News Service
State tweaks MBTA Communities housing law
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE STATE ON Thursday gave more flexibility to cities and towns required to have at least one zone in which denser, multi-family housing is permitted, but also expanded the list of state grant opportunities that can be denied to any town that does not comply with the law meant to spur […]
Posted inThe Download
Will the Legislature have an appetite for overrides?
It’s been a week and change since Gov. Maura Healey signed the $56 billion state budget for fiscal year 2024. The Democratic governor signed her first budget flanked by Democratic leaders in the Legislature, a sign of executive and legislative branch harmony not always present under her Republican predecessor, Charlie Baker. House Speaker Ron Mariano […]
Posted inState Government, State House News Service, Transportation
In pivot, Healey looks to feds for money to rebuild just one Cape bridge to start
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AFTER PREVIOUS EFFORTS to secure federal funding for replacement of both Cape Cod bridges stumbled, Gov. Maura Healey and her deputies will shift to a phased approach that first targets money primarily for the Sagamore Bridge. Healey’s office said the administration will submit applications in the coming weeks for a combined […]
Posted inGambling
While online Lottery falters, third-party app provides tickets through workaround
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE LEGISLATURE AGAIN rejected an attempt to allow the Massachusetts Lottery to sell its products online, but that doesn’t mean gamblers can’t order Lottery tickets online or on their phones. Courier services that take orders for and then buy Lottery tickets on behalf of their clients have existed for years with […]
Posted inMarijuana, State House News Service
O’Brien apologizes for handling of last CCC meeting
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE CHAIRWOMAN of the Cannabis Control Commission apologized to her fellow commissioners Thursday for any “angst” or “confusion” she caused at their last meeting when she unexpectedly announced the agency’s executive director was leaving and that the CCC was in “crisis.” Chairwoman Shannon O’Brien announced at a July 28 meeting that Executive Director […]
Posted inHealth, State Government, State House News Service
State Police union claims victory over ‘tyranny’
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE PRESIDENT of the State Police union took a victory lap on Monday after an arbitrator ruled in favor of seven troopers who had remained on unpaid leave after claiming a religious exemption from mandated COVID-19 vaccination two years ago. Against a backdrop of the State House with the governor’s office […]
Posted inBallot Questions, Housing, State Government, State House News Service
Cambridge rep moves to put rent control on state ballot
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE EXACTLY 30 YEARS after Massachusetts voters narrowly prohibited rent control across the state, a long-running debate about whether to reverse or uphold the ban might once again be settled at the ballot box. A small group of local officials, tenant advocates and renters came together Wednesday in a last-minute push led […]
Posted inrecycling, State House News Service, Transportation
New MBTA contract perks included to attract, retain workers
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE MBTA’S struggles with hiring and retaining workers have grabbed headlines for months, but supporters of a new labor deal featuring pay and benefit upgrades say it represents cause for hope that the T will eventually secure the workforce needed to ensure quality service. The tentative four-year agreement includes a raise […]