Beacon Hill In 5: Recent Episodes
Carrie Healy
Beacon Hill in 5 is a weekly check-in at the Massachusetts Statehouse from New England Public Media. Get a quick look at the week ahead in state politics and government with Carrie Healy, NEPM’s Morning Edition Host, and Matt Murphy of the State House News Service.
The Massachusetts business climate, immigration, and reproductive policies likely to re-emerge as priorities for lawmakers, as Donald Trump assumes the Presidency again.
Some Hampshire County Town Clerks say that despite a lot of early votes, they expect record-breaking voter turnout.
Senate President Karen Spilka and Speaker of the House Ron Mariano haven't ruled out changes to laws coming from potential voter-approved ballot questions.
With sitting Mass. lawmakers working in a pre-election mode at the Statehouse, local election offices collect mailed in ballots, as we near election day.
Democratic U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Republican attorney John Deaton will debate Tuesday in eastern Mass. and Thursday in western Mass.
Campaigns are making the most of their opportunities to garner support from Massachusetts voters.
Administration and Finance Secretary Matthew Gorzkowicz says he expects lackluster tax collections to continue with "unavoidable deficiencies" on the horizon.
Massachusetts cannabis regulators last week were led by Commissioner Bruce Stebbins as the commission's acting chair. At that meeting, they also identified a nearly $3 million budget shortfall for this year.
Opponents of the new gun law in Massachusetts are deep into their campaign to get it repealed, but they have a lot of work ahead.
Campaigns for and against statewide ballot questions have begun running advertising campaigns to educate voters.
The Massachusetts presidential primary in March attracted about 1.2 million voters. But on Tuesday, voters will pick nominees for state- and county-level offices. And it's been a sleepy political season so far in many parts of the state.
Massachusetts House and Senate members largely vacated the Statehouse after their underwhelming finish to formal sessions on Aug. 1, saying they'd continue working on the bills they couldn't agree on.
The Massachusetts Legislature has begun a five-month stretch of informal sessions following the end of formal sessions last week.
Vice President Kamala Harris's campaign paid a visit to western Massachusetts this weekend, raised a bunch of Berkshire bucks and rallied the state's Democrats.
It's now 14 years that Massachusetts lawmakers have not agreed on a full-year budget before the start of the state's fiscal year. But that doesn't mean state office buildings are shut down.
Bills dealing with the climate, and guns only have until July 31st to be dealt with by Mass. legislators. The end of formal sessions of the two-year General Court are just weeks away.
Housing is the number one issue on the minds of Mass. residents. Can lawmakers pass a measure before the end of this session that will turnaround the current housing crunch driving so many people away?
The felony conviction of former President Donald Trump is expected to cause little to no reverberations in Massachusetts, a dependably blue state, where state house lawmakers have a mountain of bills to tackle before the end of the Legislative session.
Experts say road congestion is back to pre-pandemic levels in Massachusetts. Will state lawmakers be more receptive to adding tolls?
About two months remain in the calendar for the Massachusetts Legislature. The state House last week passed a major hospital oversight proposal. This week, state senators will debate their proposed spending plan.
Employers and the economy in Massachusetts are being affected by too few workers. We take a look at the Senate's proposed spending plan through the lens of the workforce.
Alcohol oversight has traditionally all been done by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, until the House's spending plan re-assigned oversight at casino restaurants last month.
Legislators in the Massachusetts House passed a bill, among hundreds attached in amendments to the budget, aimed at disclosing the use of artificial intelligence in political messages.
Deliberations on hundreds of amendments to the $57.9 billion Mass. House Ways and Means committee budget for fiscal 2025 are set to consume attention this week.
The Massachusetts House budget makes $500 million available to cover emergency assistance shelter costs for FY'25. The House budget debate is set for Wednesday, April 24.
While an expected Massachusetts House budget redraft is expected, and talks are ongoing over a FY'24 spending bill, the solar eclipse might distract lawmakers, if only for a few moments, from focus on these and other pressing legislation.
Gun reform lawmaking in Massachusetts will continue with urgency behind closed doors. We get the scoop on that and other stories from State House News Service reporter Chris Lisinski.
As lawmakers around the country struggle with an over-capacity emergency shelter crisis, Mass. lawmakers wrestle with reform and time limits in the only state in the country that guarantees access to shelter.
The Massachusetts Senate this week takes its second run in three years at a bill to expand access to early education and fortify that sector's workforce.
Voters will cast ballots for a presidential candidate and vote for party representation in many districts across the commonwealth.
On Thursday, the Massachusetts Senate will take up a bill to reform and codify the state's framework for sexual health education. The chamber has passed similar legislation four times previously.
The confirmation hearing for Gabrielle R. Wolohojian on Wednesday will be the second Supreme Judicial Court pick by Gov. Maura Healey of a nominee from eastern Mass. The last SJC justice from western Mass, Francis Spina, stepped down in 2016.
An attempt by Congress to sort out the immigration issue fell apart last week. The question of how Massachusetts' governor will handle the ever increasing number of unhoused families seeking shelter in the Commonwealth, continues to be top-of-mind for many across the Baystate.
There are a number of key differences between the bill approved by the Massachusetts House last fall, and what the Senate passed last week. That could lead to a lot of work for a conference committee between early February and late July.
Massachusetts Senate lawmakers will put gun safety laws to debate this week, countering the House gun bill passed in October with legislation containing a number of key differences.
Following her State of the Commonwealth address, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey has begun offering a sketch of areas where she feels the state still has enough money to deliver critical improvements. She will file her budget with the Legislature by Wednesday.
There have been many reactions to Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey's mid-year spending cuts of $375 million dollars ahead of Healey's "State of the Commonwealth" address this week.
A major environmental experiment will require new construction and major renovations to embrace fossil fuel-free infrastructure for heating and cooling in some Massachusetts communities — none yet in the western part of the state.
In this edition of Beacon Hill in 5, we hear about some new laws — and what's ahead for Massachusetts lawmakers.
Language requiring updates every two weeks on the emergency shelter system in Massachusetts was tucked into a spending bill that passed and was signed by Gov. Maura Healey last week.
Mass. lawmakers were unable to muster a quorum for the third straight day. Efforts to advance a $3.1 billion supplemental budget bill will begin again Monday.
With most lawmakers headed home for the holiday break, members of the conference committee continue to try to work out differences between spending bills approved by the Massachusetts House and Senate. The bills hold funds for the state's emergency shelters.
A Federally-mandated “unwinding” process aimed at ending Medicaid health insurance coverage for enrollees who are no longer eligible continues in Massachusetts.
A Massachusetts law passed in 2016 aimed at selling only humanely raised pork products goes into effect later this week, after multiple delays by lawsuits.
Mass. Governor Maura Healey is appealing to federal government officials for assistance, housing new immigrants coming to the state. Healey is also asking religious groups and state residents to consider taking in individuals and families. The just signed state budget includes funding for homelessness and shelter funding.
On Monday, Massachusetts House and Senate lawmakers voted on a consensus spending plan to send to Gov. Maura Healey for her review.
Massachusetts lawmakers will take on so-called ghost guns — pitting some gun owners against those favoring more regulation.
The state Department of Transportation launched an online dashboard that will help officials track progress made toward climate goals.
Closed-door negotiations continue between Massachusetts House and Senate lawmakers over spending in the annual state budget.
Both an interim budget filed by Gov. Maura Healey and the fiscal year 2024 budget hang in the balance as the clock is ticks toward July 1.
Some governors like to wait until the last minute before leaving office to issue pardons. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey is touting her decision to move quickly in her first year.
Massachusetts' Health and Human Services Secretary Kate Walsh says the federally required process of checking the insurance eligibility of Massachusetts residents is difficult and a lot more hands-on than expected.
Congestion pricing is one of the measures Mass. state senators might consider imposing to discourage drivers from commuting at already-crowded peak times.
Some Mass. lawmakers want to add embodied carbon reductions to the portfolio of policies the state will use to achieve decarbonization by 2050.
Massachusetts Senators spend this next week combing through amendments to their $55.8 billion annual budget, which will hit the floor for debate on May 23.
As lawmakers on Beacon Hill continue their budget planning, we finally get a look at the state Senate's proposal.
Following unanimous passage by Mass. House lawmakers last week, the state budget process moves to the state Senate. Lawmakers are working toward a final plan to send to the governor for her signature. The new fiscal year begins July 1.
Massachusetts House lawmakers piled about $700 million onto Gov. Maura Healey's budget, and this week the House Ways and Means Committee's $56.2 billion fiscal 2024 budget is the focus. The extra funding authorizes online lottery sales to fund child care investments, different local aid levels and more programs.
As Massachusetts lawmakers continue to work on crafting budget legislation, a recent poll shows affordability is top of mind. The majority of Massachusetts voters polled indicated that they would like to see taxes go down.
Massachusetts Republicans call the indictment politically motivated. Meanwhile the state's Democratic lawmakers in the House are putting the finishing touches on a tax proposal expected to be released soon.
Massachusetts lawmakers agreed to a compromise spending bill featuring $388 million in spending directed at what the Senate's budget chief called "time-sensitive, urgent" needs along with $740 million in borrowing plans.
The provision allowing governmental bodies to meet using remote meeting technology has not been renewed yet. It, along with other pandemic-related measures are set to expire on March 31 and April 1, if the Legislature doesn't get a measure through conference committee and to the Governor in time.
More than a million state residents on MassHealth will be getting U-S postal mail with a blue envelope from the state agency. It means a re-certification is required, and the clock is ticking.
The implementation of legal mobile sports betting in Massachusetts is this week. Mobile platforms will join in-person betting operations at MGM Springfield, Plainridge Park Casino, and Encore Boston Harbor.
Gov. Maura Healey's first state budget will be filed this week. All eyes will be on her following through with the funding on the priorities and promises that she highlighted while on the campaign trail.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey has not signaled very much about how she intends to spend her first state budget which is due by March 1. Municipal leaders have concerns.
Massachusetts stands to bring in some amount of tax revenue from casinos who saw in-person sports bettors place wagers on all facets of the Super Bowl for the first time. But to learn just how much revenue, we've got to wait until March.
Massachusetts is one of the least transparent states in the country when it comes to what happens in the Legislature. For years lawmakers have talked about becoming more transparent, but it may take a bit longer to get there.
So-called sports wagering becomes legal in Massachusetts tomorrow. The prediction for success is uncertain, as it launches as officials report state lottery profits decreasing.
While the election results of two Massachusetts House lawmakers from the eastern part are reviewed, most lawmakers are getting down to business.
Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, have laid out ambitious policy plans with stated deadlines in their inaugural remarks.
Just days before Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker participates in the 'Lone Walk' ceremony as he transitions leadership to Gov.-elect Maura Healey, a pile of bills await his signature.
Outgoing Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker will step into the role of President of the NCAA when he leaves office in January. Governor-elect Maura Healey, meanwhile, continues to appoint members to her cabinet.
Massachusetts Gov.-elect Maura Healey and Lt. Gov.-elect Kim Driscoll continue to prepare for the transition of power while departing lawmakers will give farewell addresses to colleagues this week at the Statehouse.
As the end of the year approaches, Massachusetts lawmakers continue to sit in informal session, often considering very uncontroversial and local matters.
While Massachusetts lawmakers meet with seemingly light agendas dealing mostly with local community-level issues, objections can pop up surprisingly.
Massachusetts Governor-elect Maura Healey last week announced policy committees as part of her preparation to lead the commonwealth.
Massachusetts Democrats captured all major offices on the ballot, and Massachusetts Republicans are re-grouping and taking a closer look at their messaging.
In Massachusetts Democrat Maura Healey and Republican Geoff Diehl are vying to succeed Gov. Charlie Baker, who decided not to run for re-election.
It's not only Halloween that could have candidates and interest groups on edge. With Nov. 8 nearly here, recent polls show last minute messaging and funding could make all the different in tight races.
It's not only Halloween that could have candidates and interest groups on edge. With Nov. 8 nearly here, recent polls show last minute messaging and funding could make all the different in tight races.
The results of a poll released by MassINC show the majority of Massachusetts residents surveyed think transportation should be a priority. We look at how that could influence — and foreshadow — the state's election results.
The results of a poll released by MassINC show the majority of Massachusetts residents surveyed think transportation should be a priority. We look at how that could influence — and foreshadow — the state's election results.
Ballot question three seeks to expanded the availability of licenses for the sale of alcoholic beverages. Not long ago, it seemed to many like a low-profile, uncontested issue. But recently a opponent has emerged, and has invested millions in opposing the measure.
Ballot question three seeks to expanded the availability of licenses for the sale of alcoholic beverages. Not long ago, it seemed to many like a low-profile, uncontested issue. But recently a opponent has emerged, and has invested millions in opposing the measure.
Hours of negations over the last few months have resulted in the majority of Massachusetts Gaming Commissioners' agreeing to phase in legal sports betting, perhaps in time for the Super Bowl.
Hours of negations over the last few months have resulted in the majority of Massachusetts Gaming Commissioners' agreeing to phase in legal sports betting, perhaps in time for the Super Bowl.
As the Legislature prepares to return $3 billion to taxpayers under the terms of a 1986 law, some unfinished economic development plans that included one-time checks for residents, could get scaled back.
The well-funded campaigns supporting Massachusetts ballot questions are using all types of media to convince residents to vote one way or the other.
Matt Murphy, associate editor and senior reporter at the State House News Service, takes a deep dive into the mechanism by which certain Massachusetts primary voters cast their ballots, and what that could mean for campaigns and voters in the November election.
Recent polls, including the latest from Emerson College Polling, shows Massachusetts Democratic gubernatorial hopeful Maura Healey holding at double digit lead over Republican Geoff Diehl.
Tuesday is primary day in Massachusetts, with big races across the state. Among them: the Republican primary for governor. Former President Donald Trump is backing the more conservative GOP candidate. Whoever wins will face the presumed Democratic candidate, Attorney General Maura Healey.
Gov. Charlie Baker will soon ask the Massachusetts Legislature to approve a nearly $40 million plan that invests in school safety initiatives.
Opponents of a new law allowing undocumented immigrants in Massachusetts to receive driver's licenses say they have collected enough signatures to put their repeal question onto November's ballot.
Despite lawmakers' decision to scrap tax relief measures in the final days of the Massachusetts legislative session, taxpayers will likely get some money back.
Sports betting has long been a contentious issue between the House and Senate. It, along with a host of other measures, passed in both the branches as lawmakers extended work past a July 31 end of session deadline.
State lawmakers must end formal sessions by Sunday, July 31. There is a lot still unknown about which bills that make it out of conference committees before the end of the session.
Massachusetts House and Senate leaders are signaling there's agreement on the framework of a tax relief package that builds on a plan to give $500 million in rebate checks to eligible residents.
Following two much-anticipated Supreme Court rulings last week, Massachusetts lawmakers will be looking closely at state concealed carry, and abortion laws, in these last weeks before the end of the Legislative session.
House Speaker Ron Mariano wants more answers before he moves forward with funding for expanded passenger rail service between Pittsfield and Boston, Massachusetts.
With less than three weeks before the new fiscal year begins, negotiators are continuing talks on a compromise budget using elements of the different spending plans passed by the state House and Senate.
Candidates needed to win the backing of at least 15% of delegates at the Democratic convention in Worcester to keep their campaigns alive over the summer, when they will be able to make their case to voters statewide.
Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has vetoed a bill that would allow immigrants without legal status to get driver's licenses. But the legislature gets the final word.
Republican delegates on Saturday qualified both of their candidates for Massachusetts governor for the September primary ballot. Reporter Matt Murphy of the State House News Service discusses what's ahead this week at the Statehouse in Boston.
Governor Charlie Baker said he wants to provide closure for families of those veterans. At least 76 veterans died amid the outbreak there in 2020.
Technical details between Massachusetts House and Senate versions of the immigrant driver's license legislation must be worked out by lawmakers.
Lawmakers will consider giving immigrants without legal status a pathway to get a state driver's license, and further consider sports gambling this week at the Massachusetts Statehouse.
This week, the Massachusetts House kicks off deliberations Monday on its $49.6 billion spending plan for FY23. The Senate, which meets in formal session Thursday, could move towards a long-awaited vote on sports betting after a bill emerged Friday from the Ways and Means Committee. Matt Murphy of the State House News Service talks about the week ahead.
In Massachusetts budget season follows mud season and continues for the next few months.
A Massachusetts Senate staffer push to unionize is far from a done deal. State House News Service reporter Matt Murphy discusses the complexities of the situation.
State House News Service reporter Matt Murphy discusses possible Massachusetts gubernatorial debates and a state Senate bill addressing equity in the cannabis industry.
Massachusetts legislators will address the differences between the House and Senate versions of a $1.6 billion midyear spending bill, and discuss the state's response to Russia's war in Ukraine.
Matt Murphy from the State House News Services discusses the likelihood of government bodies dropping virtual access to public events, legislative briefings and other forums.
Massachusetts health officials are revising how many deaths over the last two years were attributed to COVID-19, updating the death totals to reflect the change.
It been nearly two years since the coronavirus swept through the Holyoke Soldiers' Home, taking the lives of more than 70 veterans. A bill that would overhaul the home's management structure is up for consideration in the Senate this week.
Matt Murphy of the State House News Service explains how areas of government are faring as COVID-19 health and safety measures are gradually lifted, and the Statehouse in Boston allows visitors again.
Last week's announcement from Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker that public schools may unmask at the end of the month put the spotlight on local officials.
The field of Democratic hopefuls for the office of Massachusetts attorney general is coming into focus.
There was a deadline last week for potential candidates in Massachusetts to tell their party they intend to seek nomination for one of the state's six constitutional offices. Aspiring candidates still have another way to gain that nomination. And they face other hurdles to get on the actual ballot.
What is the state of the state? Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker will address that very question in his annual, and final, State of the Commonwealth on Tuesday evening.
Boston has rolled out a requirement to show proof of COVID-19 vaccination to enter some venues. Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker said he has no interest in a similar statewide mandate.
There's been a startling increase in COVID-19 cases in Massachusetts schools in recent weeks among both staff and students. Gov. Charlie Baker continues to defend his position not to go back to remote learning.
Some local health officials in Massachusetts are saying there's a disconnect between state policies and what is actually needed to manage during the pandemic.
Massachusetts lawmakers last week quietly passed a bill divvying up about $4 billion in federal COVID-19 relief money. It was months in the making.
Two big western Massachusetts cases championed by Attorney General Maura Healey are falling apart.
There's been another major setback for Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker's climate and energy plans.
Massachusetts lawmakers will get an earful this week on new boundaries proposed for congressional districts. But the western part of the state was spared huge changes.
About 500 Massachusetts state employees have been suspended or have resigned following the state's COVID-19 vaccine mandate.
Seven schools in Massachusetts have achieved an 80% vaccination rate and a waiver from mask rules from the state education department. But for other schools, masks remain mandatory. That rule expires on November 1.
A major COVID-19 vaccine deadline has passed for the executive branch of the Massachusetts government. Governor Charlie Baker's vaccine mandate deadline was Sunday, October 17 — the day employees needed to show proof of vaccination.
Massachusetts received $5.3 billion from the feds in what's known as ARPA funds, or COVID-19 relief funds. The vast majority of it hasn't been spent yet.
Smith & Wesson said last week it will relocate its headquarters after nearly 170 years in Springfield, Massachusetts. The company blamed proposed legislation that would essentially extend the state's assault weapons ban to manufacturers.
As the deadline approaches for them to get vaccinated for COVID-19, some Massachusetts state troopers remain at odds with the governor. This week, the police union representing some 1,800 troopers will sit down at the bargaining table with the state.
COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations and deaths are all on the upswing again in Massachusetts. The state continues to push vaccinations. In fact, in a recent radio interview, Gov. Charlie Baker seemed to leave the door open to the Commonwealth eventually using some sort of COVID-19 vaccination passport.
After canceling a statewide mask rule last spring, Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has said he wants these decisions made locally. One such local mandate took effect Monday in Springfield.
Springfield's Roderick J. Ireland Courthouse, renamed just a few years ago for the first African American justice appointed to the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court, is on the minds of the city's legislative delegation. With the building falling into further disrepair, lawmakers want Governor Charlie Baker to step in and assist.