By Bob Katzen

Juneteenth, which was celebrated last week on June 19th, commemorates more than 250,000 slaves in Texas learning of their freedom on June 19, 1865. The date came more than two years after President Abraham Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation. Juneteenth became a federal holiday in 2021, the same year it was celebrated as a state holiday for the first time in Massachusetts. Former Gov. Charlie Baker signed the holiday into law in July 2020. Continue reading This Week’s QUOTABLE QUOTES on Beacon Hill →

By Bob Katzen

The Cannabis Policy Committee held a hearing on a proposal that would establish a $100 to $500 civil penalty for a driver possessing an open container of marijuana or marijuana-infused edibles in the passenger area of a motor vehicle — similar to the state’s open alcohol container law. The measure also creates exemptions for certain vehicles including limousines and RVs.

Continue reading BAN OPEN CONTAINERS OF MARIJUANA IN MOTOR VEHICLES (H 186) →

By Bob Katzen

The Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy’s hearing included a measure that would expand the bottle bill to include containers as small as nips and as large as one gallon; more types of beverages such as water, energy drinks and iced tea; an increase in the deposit from 5 cents to 10 cents; an increase in the handling fees paid to retailers and redemption centers; an exemption for retailers of less than 2,000 square feet from the requirement of accepting containers for redemption; and a provision that would direct unclaimed deposits in excess of $70 million to the re-established Clean Environment Fund, to be used for administering the deposit system and for programs related to solid waste management and environmental protection. Continue reading EXPAND THE BOTTLE BILL (S 2245) →

By Bob Katzen

Sen. Jake Oliveira (D-Ludlow) proposed a late-filed bill that would remove the home street address of candidates for elected office from ballots and nomination papers. The measure would allow only the city or town in which the candidate resides to be listed. Continue reading ELIMINATE THE ADDRESS OF CANDIDATES ON THE BALLOT (SD 2982) →

By Bob Katzen

Another bill heard by the Education Committee would prohibit public schools from using an athletic team name, logo or mascot which is associated with Native Americans. The bill bans the current and future use of any of these mascots. Any school that does not comply with this law would not be eligible for discretionary state education grants. Continue reading PROHIBIT USE OF NATIVE AMERICAN MASCOTS IN PUBLIC SCHOOLS (S 312) →

By Bob Katzen

The Education Committee held a hearing on several bills which would ban student use of cell phones during classes except when expressly directed by a teacher. Continue reading BAN USE OF CELL PHONES IN SCHOOLS (S 381) →

By Bob Katzen

Senate 6-33, rejected an amendment that would strike a section of the supplemental budget that would allow any rate increases proposed by utility companies to take effect in 60 days, if the proposed increase is not reviewed and acted upon by the Department of Public Utilities (DPU).
Continue reading UTILITY RATE INCREASES (S 2529) →

By Bob Katzen

Senate 38-2, approved a $532 million fiscal 2025 supplemental budget that includes $174 million for fiscally strained acute care hospitals and $35 million for community health centers facing financial challenges. The House has already approved a different version of the bill and a House-Senate conference committee will eventually draft a compromise version. Continue reading $532 MILLION FISCAL 2025 SUPPLEMENTAL BUDGET (S 2529) →

By Bob Katzen

House 150-3, then 148-4, Senate 40-0, approved and sent to Gov. Maura Healey the conference committee version of a $1.3 billion fiscal 2025 supplemental budget that uses funds generated from the surtax imposed on taxpayers’ earnings of more than $1 million annually, to fund $593 million for education-related projects and $716 million for transportation-related ones. The House and Senate had approved different versions of the bill and the conference committee drafted this compromise version. Continue reading $1.3 BILLION FOR TRANSPORTATION AND EDUCATION (H 4227) →