latest updates

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….

Posted on October 15, 2022

10/15/2022 Saturday Scoop: What the legislature can do about the housing crisis

Friends, The leaves have started to turn, birds are chirping, and I just spent this perfect sunny afternoon canvassing in Medford for Yes….

Posted on October 08, 2022

10/08/2022 Saturday Scoop: What Biden’s marijuana pardons means for Massachusetts

Friends, In a week full of big national news, the news coming out of the Massachusetts State House is same old, same old: legislators still….

Posted on October 01, 2022

10/01/2022 Saturday Scoop: Who’s getting the $3 billion in tax refunds this fall

Happy October, friends! Let’s kick off the spookiest month of the year with a scary story: It was the last night of July–a dark and stormy….