The Week Ahead On Beacon Hill
If the 2015-2016 legislative agenda were a bonfire, it’s now burning brightly, with a thick bed of embers, and Rep. Brian Dempsey is getting ready to hoist an oversized log onto the blaze. A session...
View ArticleKinder Morgan Suspends Work, Spending On Pipeline Project
Citing inadequate commitments from prospective customers, Kinder Morgan on Wednesday suspended further work and spending on its Northeast Energy Direct natural gas pipeline project, which held the...
View ArticleSenate Votes To Raise Mass. Smoking Age To 21
The Massachusetts Senate voted 32 to 2 on Thursday to raise the state’s tobacco purchase age from 18 to 21, passing legislation that supporters said would cut down youth tobacco use and nicotine...
View ArticleThe Week Ahead On Beacon Hill
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker faces a new political challenge in the months ahead: working with Beacon Hill Democrats to get what he wants during crunch time in the 2015-2016 session while also...
View ArticleThe Week Ahead On Beacon Hill
As lobbyists and interest groups grow antsy waiting on a House energy bill, transportation officials are set to unveil a new Green Line extension project scope and cost estimate this week, the House...
View ArticleEasy Passage in Mass. Senate For Transgender Accomodations Bill
By a 33-4 vote, the Massachusetts Senate on Thursday afternoon passed legislation establishing protections for transgender people using public accommodations. The bill bans discrimination based on...
View ArticleThe Week Ahead On Beacon Hill
Lawmakers appear poised to potentially cash in on the raging national debate over income inequality. Debate over a proposed 4 percent surtax on incomes above $1 million is scheduled on Wednesday before...
View ArticleThe Week Ahead On Beacon Hill
State senators are not dissuaded by tax collections that are running well short of estimates for the current fiscal year and the one that begins on July 1. In a little over 48 hours culminating last...
View ArticleBaker Would Sign House Version Of Transgender Bill
On the eve of House debate on the issue, Gov. Charlie Baker said Tuesday he would sign transgender anti-discrimination legislation crafted by House leaders. RELATED: Springfield NAACP Leader Questions...
View ArticleThe Week Ahead On Beacon Hill
The state budget is officially in secret conference talks, the House continues to mostly ignore the ambitious legislative agenda shipped over from the Senate, and the Senate, which faces pressure to...
View ArticleThe Week Ahead On Beacon Hill
Despite a solid economy, low unemployment, and a former state budget chief in Gov. Charlie Baker and two former Ways and Means Committee chairs – House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Stan...
View ArticleThe Week Ahead On Beacon Hill
When the House and Senate gavel back in Tuesday after their Fourth of July break there will be less than four weeks remaining until the end of formal sessions, including two weeks when legislative...
View ArticleThe Week Ahead On Beacon Hill
The major legislative pieces are falling into place as legislative leaders navigate the final weeks of formal sessions, accelerate their work on major bills, and plan for rare mid-July national...
View ArticleVacationing Baker Keeping Tabs On End Of Session From Gloucester
Governor Charlie Baker remains in Gloucester Sunday where he has been vacationing with family for the past several days, but as the Legislature convened for its final formal gathering of the two-year...
View ArticleHigh Court Nominee With Springfield Roots Has Easy Day On Beacon Hill
Personally opposed to the death penalty and open to the idea of unauthorized immigrants receiving driver’s licenses, Superior Court Judge Kimberly Budd encountered mostly smooth sailing in a vetting...
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