Baker: FTA Can Bring ‘National Knowledge’ to MBTA
Gov. Charlie Baker said Thursday that he welcomes a nearly unprecedented safety investigation the Federal Transit Administration will launch into the MBTA, an agency under the governor’s watch.
Tax Relief? Baker Really Does Anticipate It
The dam appears to have broken on tax relief as state revenues continue to surge and Gov. Charlie Baker now expects that the Legislature, despite its recent tax votes, will approve some kind of a tax cut by the time formal lawmaking ends this summer.
Don’t Turn Away from Existing Blueprints for the MBTA
Under the MBTA’s new board, important transit plans are falling aside and public commitments are falling off-track. And vital zoning reforms and carbon emissions plans depend on the plans being abandoned.
Lawmakers Tee Up Monday Hearing on Baker’s Econ Dev Bill
Gov. Charlie Baker’s $3.5 billion economic development bill, one of his priorities for the remaining three months of formal lawmaking this year, will get its hearing Monday before the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies.
East-West Rail Needs Funding Plan
Two big pieces of seemingly unrelated transit news last week are in fact signs of a political struggle coming down the track: How to adequately fund public transportation.
Agreement Reached To Advance East-West Rail
Federal and state officials on Tuesday agreed on a path forward to extend passenger rail service west of Worcester to the cities of Springfield and Pittsfield, an effort designed to finally connect the eastern and western parts of the state by rail.
Mass. House Rejects Series Of Tax Relief Proposals
House Democrats kicked off debate Monday on a nearly $50 billion state budget bill by rejecting Republican-led efforts to weave tax relief into the annual spending plan.
Bravo for Retail Revitalization Pushes
Boston’s new push to boost its neighborhood retailers is coming at a welcome time, just as Gov. Charlie Baker is proposing a similar move statewide.
With $3.5B Package, Baker Focuses on Improving Downtowns
A $3.5 billion economic development bill that Gov. Charlie Baker announced on Thursday looks to chart a post-pandemic pathway for Massachusetts with investments in housing, downtown revitalization and climate resilience, administration officials said.
CPAs, Retailers and Think Tanks Back Baker Tax Relief
Complicated sections of tax law that make Massachusetts an “outlier” compared to other states saddle public accountants with unnecessary strain and prevent them from focusing on their clients’ best interests, the head of an industry group said Tuesday.
Amid Push For Electric Heat Pumps, Baker Could Join Early Adopters
To get to the required 50 percent reduction in statewide greenhouse gas emissions by 2030, the Baker administration says about a third of Massachusetts homes will have to be heated and cooled with electric heat pumps, and Gov. Charlie Baker is looking into whether it makes sense for his Swampscott home to be among them.
House Leaders Eye Investment in ‘Better Future’ With $49.6B Budget
Acknowledging that surplus tax collections and federal aid have kept Massachusetts afloat through the darkest days of the pandemic, House leadership on Wednesday unveiled a nearly $50 billion budget for fiscal year 2023 that Speaker Ron Mariano said will reinvest in the state’s lower- and middle-class residents and gird the post-COVID economy for “tough times” in the future.
Level of Climate Projects Questioned in Infrastructure Bill
Gov. Charlie Baker has linked his $9.7 billion infrastructure bond bill to efforts to limit the impact of climate change and reduce its disproportionate impacts on certain populations, but one environmental advocate told lawmakers Tuesday that the proposal’s language “fall(s) short on these priorities.”
Senate Plan Pours $250M into Decarbonization Movement
Transportation, energy and the construction fields feature as primary focus areas in a bill Senate Democrats rolled out Thursday to accelerate decarbonization efforts amidst what lawmakers called a sluggish approach by state agencies.
Wide-Ranging Spending Bill Reaches Baker’s Desk
A $1.67 billion midyear spending bill that also extends pandemic-era restaurant reforms and empowers state officials to divest public pension funds from Russian-involved companies landed on Gov. Charlie Baker’s desk Thursday.
Baker Ready to Revive Hynes Redevelopment Plan
The Hynes Convention Center property in Back Bay could be back in play for a multi-million-square-foot private redevelopment project.
At Chamber, Baker Plugs Downtowns Aid, Help for Unemployed
In his first in-person speech to the business community in two years, Gov. Charlie Baker said Tuesday he will offer some “unusual approaches” later this week to help people get back to work as he made a pitch for an agenda in his final year in office that includes investing in behavioral health and helping cities and towns redesign their downtowns for a post-pandemic future.
Baker Outlines $9.7B Transpo Plan for Fed Infrastructure Aid
Efforts to replace the MBTA’s entire Green Line trolley fleet, a statewide move toward electric vehicle adoption, and projects to make infrastructure more resilient in the face of climate change impacts would all get a boost under a $9.7 billion bond bill Gov. Charlie Baker outlined on Thursday.
Baker Dings Boston Transfer Tax Proposal, Riling Debate
A day before Boston Mayor Michelle Wu plans to sign a petition that would add a new tax on real estate sales of $2 million or more in her city to fund affordable housing, Gov. Charlie Baker said he generally does not “support these sorts of things.”
Lawmakers May Rebalance Baker’s Tax Relief Plans
Gov. Charlie Baker pitched his nearly $700 million tax relief package Tuesday as a way to keep more money in the pockets of parents, low-income workers and seniors, prompting some lawmakers to probe into what populations would benefit and to what degree.
