The Trump administration’s move to pause trillions of dollars in federal spending triggered an avalanche of uncertainty, panic and outrage, including a lawsuit from Attorney General Andrea Campbell and several of her counterparts.
State House News Service
Posted inState Government
Healey budget leans on surtax to drive up spending
Gov. Maura Healey proposed increasing state spending to more than $62 billion next fiscal year, relying on burgeoning income tax collections from the state’s wealthiest and a slew of other budget-balancing strategies in a spending plan unveiled Wednesday.
Posted inImmigration
Trump citizenship order draws quick lawsuit
President Donald Trump’s executive order attempting to redefine birthright citizenship drew an immediate lawsuit from immigrants’ rights groups, including the ACLU of Massachusetts, and another subsequent complaint from Attorney General Andrea Campbell and more than a dozen of her peers.
Posted inState Government
Mass. owes feds $2.1 billion to resolve unemployment mistake
The state will pay the federal government $2.1 billion over the next decade after the Baker administration mistakenly used federal pandemic funds to cover unemployment benefits.
Posted inState Government
Healey expands scope of shelter law shakeup
Gov. Maura Healey on Wednesday recommended statutory changes to the decades-old Right to Shelter Law.
Posted inState Government
DiZoglio not satisfied with Senate Democrats’ audit response
The Senate Subcommittee tasked with handling Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s quest to probe the Legislature agreed Monday to meet with her office but outlined a string of issues.
Posted inState Government
With new term dawning, Spilka eyes K-12 funding reform, primary care overhaul
A newly reelected Senate President Karen Spilka previewed some of her legislative priorities for the 2025-2026 session: reexamining the state’s education funding formula, pressing for primary health care delivery reform, and pushing again to expand juvenile court jurisdiction to include young adults aged 18.
Posted inTransportation
Free bus rides help regional transit hit new highs
Ridership among regional transit authorities shot up to 2.345 million in June 2024, surpassing the pre-Covid level of 2.131 million rides in June 2019. RTA officials cheered the newly fare-free bus rides people are taking around the state.
Posted inState Government
Democrats redirect savings deposit to balance state budget
Lawmakers moved Monday to redirect more than half a billion dollars headed for the state’s long-term savings account and instead use it to close a budget gap and fund some additional spending.
Posted inEnergy
Offshore wind contracts put off again until after Trump takes office
The evaluation team negotiating contracts with those projects informed DPU in a letter Thursday that it will not meet Friday’s target for finishing contract talks, or the Dec. 18 target date for contract filings. The evaluation team includes the Department of Energy Resources, National Grid, Eversource and Unitil.