Beacon Hill Floats Dueling Broker Fee Ban Proposals
Gov. Maura Healey has put political capital behind eliminating apartment broker fees, but state legislators have backed two wildly different ways to make that happen.
In Biz Address, Healey Touts Investment, Spending Restraint
Months after a coalition of regional business chambers warned Beacon Hill politicians to rein in spending, Gov. Maura Healey pitched her new state budget recommendation to members of the state’s business community on Thursday as “balanced” and “responsible.”
Healey Eyes Millionaire’s Tax to Finance MBTA Fixes
In the second year of spending from a new revenue source tied to the state’s highest earners, Gov. Maura Healey plans to allocate the growing pot of money on MBTA fare relief for low-income individuals and leveraging funds to make capital repairs across the state’s higher education institutions.
Healey Resets Budget Outlook With $375M in Cuts, Year of ‘Belt-Tightening’
The revenue underpinnings supporting Gov. Maura Healey’s first annual budget began to erode before she signed the $56 billion spending plan last summer, and it’s forcing the new governor to reevaluate what’s affordable.
Healey OKs Boston MBTA Board Seat, Eviction Protections
In her most significant legislative action since taking office in January, Gov. Maura Healey on Wednesday signed into law her first annual state budget, including a slew of major policy changes.
Regional Transit Riders Deserve Their Fair Share
It is essential that this new source of revenue be used to strengthen transportation infrastructure, and RTAs are key in realizing a robust transit system that delivers for all residents.
Senate Includes Tax Relief Reserve in $55.8B Budget
Senate Democrats rolled out a $55.8 billion state budget bill Tuesday, leaving room for about $575 million in future investments in tax relief, which the Senate budget chief said will be hitting the chamber floor for debate soon.
Healey: Tax Relief Remains ‘Absolutely Essential’
Gov. Maura Healey doubled down on her tax relief plan on Friday, insisting that a shortfall in state revenue that has plunged this year’s state budget into the red was predicted and accounted for in her fiscal 2024 budget.
House’s 62F Overhaul ‘Unconstitutional,’ Tech Council Alleges
An influential business group warned Monday that a bill the House approved last month features an “unconstitutional provision” to reshape the rebate program that provided nearly $3 billion back to taxpayers last year.
Cap Gains Rate Cut Features in House’s $1.1B Tax Relief Plan
House Democrats have come around on the idea of slashing the state’s short-term capital gains tax rate after opposing it under Gov. Charlie Baker.
Healey Budget Shines Light on Transportation Agenda
A long-sought downtown Boston rail link between the MBTA’s Red and Blue Lines, passenger train service in western Massachusetts and another study of low-income T fares headline transit areas of focus in Gov. Maura Healey’s first annual budget.
Branches May Be Colluding On Spending Priorities
As a team of House and Senate negotiators sit down this week to begin hashing out different versions of the annual budget, there are at least a few areas where senators may be rooting for the House’s approach to prevail.
Senate Passes Budget, Next Stop Conference Committee
The Senate on Thursday approved a nearly $50 billion state budget, after adopting more than 500 amendments over three days.
Senate Dems Double Boost to Local Aid Pot in 2023 Budget
Senate leaders on Tuesday rolled out a $49.68 billion state budget proposal for the fiscal year that begins in July, touting investments they said would help families living in deep poverty and share the state’s influx of cash with cities and towns.
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.
Democrats Resigned to Dropping Local Aid in COVID-19 Bill
As top Washington negotiators reach for a long-delayed agreement on COVID-19 relief, rank-and-file Democrats appear increasingly resigned to having to drop, for now, a scaled-back demand for fiscal relief for states and local governments whose budgets have been thrown out of balance by the pandemic.
Baker Outlines Vision for ‘Pretty Decent’ Upcoming Budget
Gov. Charlie Baker, while still hoping that lawmakers will deliver him an overdue fiscal 2021 state budget by the end of November, looked ahead to next year on Wednesday, forecasting a “pretty decent” spending plan for fiscal year 2022.
MBTA Investments Shrink in Baker’s Post-Pandemic Budget
Gov. Charlie Baker’s updated annual budget would direct less money to the MBTA’s operations than the version he filed before the pandemic hit Massachusetts
This Crisis Demands Teamwork, Not Division
Calls that states hit hard by the coronavirus pandemic should seek bankruptcy rather than federal assistance are irresponsible and an abandonment of cherished national principles.
Beacon Hill Budget Deal Drops Biz Tax Break, Cuts MBTA Safety Funding
House and Senate leaders broke a weeks-long impasse over a large surplus spending bill, cutting a deal that dropped a controversial corporate tax change and trimming down Gov. Charlie Baker’s $50 million request to fund more MBTA repairs and safety inspections.
