A summit between Senate President Karen Spilka, Mayor Michelle Wu, Boston senators, and the business community to discuss a controversial tax proposal from the mayor apparently ended without “consensus,” according to one local lawmaker present at the meeting. After months of inaction by the Senate on a plan that would shift more of the city’s … Read more
A Boston city councilor is pressing the mayor to provide details on what steps the city will take to blunt the impact of a projected double-digit residential tax increase next year, amid revelations that her bid to raise commercial tax rates is all but dead on Beacon Hill. Originally Published: August 8, 2024 at 7:40 … Read more
State Sen. Nick Collins is joining the chorus of voices calling for a new approach to combat Boston’s revived open-air drug market at Mass and Cass, saying that the mayor’s decision to put housing before treatment is what doomed her plan. Originally Published: July 30, 2024 at 5:11 a.m. Read original article here Denial of … Read more
A massive borrowing bill focused on spurring affordable housing development in Massachusetts and addressing soaring costs for prospective homeowners and renters attempts to “course correct” state housing policy, a top Democrat said as senators began debating the bill Thursday morning. Senators argued a $5.1 billion proposal released earlier this week and were expected to pass … Read more
Politics isn’t cheap in Massachusetts. For the cost of a state Senate campaign these days, a person could probably buy or put a solid down payment on a house. Not in Boston, of course. Don’t kid yourself. Maybe in Texas if anywhere. Subscribe to continue reading this article. Already subscribed? To login in, click here. … Read more
Top Democrats in the Senate are expected to propose a $250 million investment into a transportation fund as part of their fiscal year 2025 budget that will in turn let the state borrow $1.1 billion over the next five years, a source with knowledge of the plan said. Subscribe to continue reading this article. Read … Read more
Massachusetts senators voted Thursday to shuttle hundreds of millions of one-time use dollars to a state-run shelter system buckling under the weight of an influx of migrants from other countries and soaring costs that show little sign of slowing down. The spending bill that passed the Senate on a 32-8 vote inches Beacon Hill closer … Read more
The Massachusetts Senate’s longest serving member, Marc Pacheco, known for his work on climate change and the service privatization law named after him, said Tuesday he does not plan to seek re-election. The decision continues a trend this legislative session of veteran lawmakers deciding against another term for retirement or to run for other elected … Read more
With an unusually high number of initiative petitions to consider this year, leaders in the Legislature have announced they will tackle the long list of potential ballot questions through the creation of a new special joint committee. The offices of House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka issued a joint statement on Monday, … Read more
