By Bob Katzen

“As we continue to experience the aftermath and trauma of senseless gun violence in our communities, we must utilize all available resources to stop these tragedies. My colleagues and I urge these credit companies not to cave to political pressure and to move forward with what will be an important resource in detecting, identifying and stopping potential threats to public safety.”

—Attorney General Andrea Campbell urging Visa, American Express, Mastercard and Discover to honor their commitment made in September to implement a new merchant code for gun sales. The companies recently announced they were no longer planning on implementing the code, citing legislation in several states seeking to bar or limit the use of the voluntary code.

“The bill … would impose a fee on the largest emitters of greenhouse gasses in Massachusetts, that would go into a climate resiliency superfund. These would be polluters like Shell Oil whose profits doubled in 2022 to $42 billion or ExxonMobile which reported a record $56 billion in profits.”
—Rep. Steve Owens (D-Watertown) on his bill to hold top polluters financially responsible for climate change.

“Cocktails to-go were allowed during the pandemic to support struggling hospitality businesses which represent thousands of jobs across Massachusetts. Since then, cocktails to-go have become a regular part of takeout dining for adult consumers and a stable source of revenue for hospitality businesses as they continue to recover from the lasting impacts of COVID-19.”
—Andy Deloney, senior vice president at the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States, urging the Legislature to extend for one year the law allowing restaurants to sell beer, wine and cocktails with takeout orders. The law is set to expire on April 1.