latest updates

Posted on January 21, 2023

01/21/2023 Saturday Scoop: Thousands of bills filed on Friday & which ones to watch

Finally, some wintry weather to remind us it is January, after all! Another sure sign it’s January, yesterday was the legislature’s bill….

Posted on January 14, 2023

01/14/2023 Saturday Scoop: Mariano refuses to seat 2 Democrats elected to House

This week the weather matched the news: mostly dreary and drizzly, with a few peeks of sunshine.  First, the sunshine: bees are going to….

Posted on January 07, 2023

01/07/2023 Saturday Scoop: New session, same bologna

Happy New Year! Oh, I just love that new session smell.  The 193rd Legislative Session began on Wednesday, bringing with it a new class of….

Posted on December 17, 2022

Legislator farewell speeches: highlights

As is tradition on Beacon Hill, lawmakers who won’t be returning for the next session for one reason or another made farewell speeches on….

Posted on December 10, 2022

12/10/2022 Saturday Scoop: No funding for emergency shelter, yes funding for east-west rail

I’m not going to lie to you: I’m terribly behind on holiday gift shopping this year.  But you know who’s even more behind on delivering….

Posted on December 03, 2022

12/03/2022 Saturday Scoop: Boston’s ill-fated home rule petition & climate news

It was a slow post-Thanksgiving week on Beacon Hill*–*well, about as slow as a week can be with visits from the president and a couple of….

Posted on November 19, 2022

11/19/2022 Saturday Scoop: Baker's veto, House staff raises, and Question 6 results

We did it–we made it through another Election day, largely unscathed! And with so much on the line this time around, that’s no small feat.….

Posted on November 09, 2022

Question 6 Passes by an Average of 85%

Results have been slowly trickling in since polls closed on Tuesday night and although we’re still awaiting final tallies, I can say with….

Posted on November 05, 2022

11/05/2022 Saturday Scoop: What’s in the long-awaited $3.8 billion spending bill

October surprises are so last month–November surprises are all the rage. With less than a week until the election, Beacon Hill enacted the….

Posted on November 04, 2022

Biden’s Marijuana Pardons and the War on Drugs in Massachusetts

We said we’d post about Biden’s marijuana pardon early last month, and here it is, folks. Let’s be clear: this is a huge deal. A pardon….

Posted on October 29, 2022

10/29/2022 Saturday Scoop: Step therapy bill on the move + midterm stakes

Happy Halloween, Friends! Leaves on the trees have turned blood red, ghosts and ghouls are emerging from their slumber, and the spookiest….

Posted on October 22, 2022

10/22/2022 Saturday Scoop: Malden and Haverhill teachers strikes illegal according to MA law

Happy General Election Season, Friends! The deadline to register to vote is Saturday 10/29–a week from today. Moving the registration….