This concentration of power in the hands of a few people is commonplace in the Legislature, so much so that it is largely taken for granted.
Massachusetts Legislature
Posted inState Government
Short takes: Will ‘quorum sessions’ become a go-to option on Beacon Hill?
In a history-making move, the House and Senate passed a $3.1 billion spending bill over the objections of many Republican lawmakers. The branches pulled it off by bringing in enough legislators to establish a quorum – 81 in the House and 21 in the Senate.
Posted inOpinion
Backroom deal for Everett soccer stadium in works again
THE BUNKER HILL monument in Charlestown is a symbol of democracy’s promise, but it may soon be overshadowed – literally — by a colossal monument in nearby Everett to democracy’s failings. That’s because Beacon Hill legislators have been busy working behind the scenes on a stealth budget amendment that would override current zoning of 43 […]
Posted inState Government
Mariano to seek reelection to another term
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AS HE WORKS DEEPER into his fourth decade on Beacon Hill, House Speaker Ron Mariano confirmed Tuesday that he plans to run for reelection in 2024 and for another term as speaker in 2025, but declined to commit to serving out his next term, if reelected. “That remains to be seen,” […]
Posted inOpinion
End the discriminatory treatment of farmworkers
THIS SEASON’S TORRENTIAL, climate-driven rain and floods devastated the Massachusetts farm economy, damaging over 110 farms, 2700 acres and causing millions in crop losses. Fortunately, the state and federal governments, as well as individuals and philanthropies, quickly responded to farmers’ pleas for emergency relief. Those responses should be loudly applauded. But what about farmworkers? Recall […]
Posted inGuns
House leaders take hands-on approach with latest gun bill
GUN CONTROL legislation moved back on to Beacon Hill’s front burner on Thursday, as House leaders unveiled a revised bill that they hope to send directly to the Senate later this month. The House officials said the new bill incorporates a number of modifications designed to address concerns about an earlier piece of legislation, which […]
Posted inOpinion
Tax relief makes Mass. more affordable
LAST WEEK, the Legislature passed the Commonwealth’s largest tax relief bill in a generation – and today Gov. Maura Healey will sign the bill into law. The culmination of more than a year of work by the Legislature, this law strikes the critically important balance of providing tangible, permanent financial relief for Massachusetts families, seniors, and […]
Posted inState Government
Tax relief bill alters refunds under tax cap law
THE TAX RELIEF BILL released by legislative leaders on Tuesday significantly changes a law approved by voters in 1986, requiring that excess tax collections be returned in equal amounts to all taxpayers rather than proportional to the taxes they paid. The so-called tax cap law has been triggered only twice, once in fiscal 1987 and […]
Posted inState Government
Legislative leaders roll out ‘generational’ tax package
LEGISLATIVE LEADERS unveiled a tax relief package on Tuesday that includes every provision of the House and Senate proposals but fits within the budget number for this year by paring back several of the elements. The tax package, which is expected to be approved by the House and Senate this week before going to Gov. […]
Posted inState Government, State House News Service
Senate appealed to AG on DiZoglio’s legislative audit petition
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE AUDITOR DIANA DIZOGLIO’S proposed ballot-box appeal to crack open the Legislature’s books for her inspection cleared a key hurdle last Wednesday. And it turns out that Attorney General Andrea Campbell, by certifying that the initiative passed legal muster, overruled a formal objection from the state Senate. DiZoglio served two terms in […]