Starting August 1, MBTA riders will be able to tap a credit card or mobile wallet to pass through subway gates or board above-ground trolleys and buses, officials announced Tuesday.
State House News Service
Posted inEconomy
Senate preps for economic developent debate, including Everett soccer stadium
The Senate’s bill authorizes $2.444 billion in borrowing, giving the executive branch flexibility to put as much of that amount into use as it determines is necessary and wise, and $350 million in tax credits mostly to be deployed in the climate technology sector.
Posted inPolitics
Uber, Lyft drivers praise settlement, push for union
Days after Uber and Lyft agreed to boost driver pay and offer new benefits to resolve a years-old lawsuit, campaigners moved Tuesday to place on the ballot a measure that would allow those same drivers to unionize.
Posted inHousing
Senate unveils housing plan with no real estate transfer tax
The bill, based on legislation Gov. Maura Healey filed in October, would prompt the creation of 40,000 housing units, according to Senate Housing Committee Chair Lydia Edwards, chipping away at the 220,000-unit shortage Massachusetts is expected to experience by the end of the decade.
Posted inGovernment
Healey’s capital spending plan puts bond bills in perspective
The state’s plan for actual capital spending dedicates $2 billion for housing over the next five years, and $400 million in fiscal 2025, which is a 30 percent increase over fiscal 2024.
Posted inHousing
New guidance offers key details of family shelter limits
A new law agreed to this year by the Legislature and Gov. Maura Healey put a limit on how long families can stay in shelter, and it also said no more than 150 families should be removed by the state every week, not counting families who leave on their own.
Posted inHealth Care
Warren bill takes aim at ‘corporate greed’ in health care
“Corporate Crimes Against Health Care” bill that would establish new penalties and guardrails for business leaders who endanger patient safety.
Posted inEconomy
Lawmakers from Lowell, Springfield say cities would welcome economic jolt
Two Democrats who have a chance to stamp their mark on Gov. Maura Healey’s plan to reinvigorate the state’s business climate want the benefits to stretch beyond the Boston metropolitan area.
Posted inTransportation
‘Terrible options’ if T budget isn’t straightened out, watchdog says
Public transportation is on the verge of an “existential crisis,” cities and towns that help fund the system warned, as the MBTA moves ahead with a budget plan that drains its reserves in the face of a looming deficit.
Posted inBallot Questions
Top Dem says talks occurring on rideshare, MCAS question alternatives
The Legislature last month ruled out acting on any of the 2024 ballot questions as proposed by the petitioners, but lawmakers have not ruled out the idea of intervening to keep some of the questions from being decided this fall by voters.