STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE NATION’S HIGHEST COURT on Thursday declared that two major colleges violated the Constitution by considering a student’s race as a factor in admissions, a landmark decision that sent shockwaves through the higher education industry and generated condemnation, disappointment, and criticism from many corners. The US Supreme Court’s conservative majority restricted […]
Chris Lisinski // State House News Service
Posted inHealth Care
DiZoglio’s MassHealth audit disputed by Healey administration
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE MASSHEALTH ERRANTLY paid more than $84 million related to care for residents who were living in other states, Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s office concluded in a new report that the executive branch criticized as “overly broad” and “misleading.” State law requires members of MassHealth, which combines Medicaid and the Children’s Health Insurance […]
Posted inCourts, State House News Service
Feds tell automakers not to comply with Mass. law
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE FEDERAL TRANSPORTATION officials dealt a major blow to a voter-approved Massachusetts law boosting access to motor vehicle telematic data, warning that the measure on the state’s books “poses significant safety concerns.” The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration on Tuesday effectively told major automobile manufacturers not to comply with the state’s “right […]
Posted inCourts, State House News Service
Cypher stepping down from SJC, giving Healey a pick
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE SUPREME JUDICIAL Court Justice Elspeth Cypher plans to step down in January, giving Gov. Maura Healey a chance to appoint someone to the state’s highest court early in her first term. The SJC announced Monday that Cypher, who turned 64 in February, will retire from the court on Jan. 12, 2024 […]
Posted inHealth Care
Mass. health care spending spiraling upward
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE MASSACHUSETTS REGULATORS delivered one of their most forceful warnings yet that health care prices are spiraling out of control, ramping up the pressure on lawmakers who have been unable to develop a consensus vision of cost control. Experts at the Health Policy Commission on Wednesday said the combination of total health […]
Posted inState Government, State House News Service
Tax revenues bounce back, yet still short of benchmark
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE STATE TAX REVENUES surpassed expectations in May after an unexpectedly steep nosedive in April, yet the total haul remains hundreds of millions of dollars short of projections with the budget year drawing to a close, officials said Monday. The Department of Revenue announced Monday that Massachusetts collected $2.706 billion in May […]
Posted inEconomy
Senate debate highights fault lines on competitiveness issue
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE SENATE’S TOP Republican opted against seeking a vote Thursday on a roughly $750 million tax relief proposal, but set off a debate that revealed some fault lines as senators prepare for action on a standalone tax bill that Democrats have promised is around the corner. The impromptu discussion bounced from […]
Posted inState Government, State House News Service
Senate approves budget, next up negotiations with House
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE THE ANNUAL STATE budget season moved to the next phase Thursday evening as the Senate unanimously approved a nearly $56 billion spending plan that ramps up expenditures while setting aside hundreds of millions of dollars for a tax relief plan that hasn’t been unveiled. Senators voted 40-0 to finalize their rewrite […]
Posted inState Government, State House News Service
Healey names Gobi director of rural affairs
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE SEN. ANNE GOBI will leave the Legislature to fill a newly created post in the Healey administration, triggering a special election in the central Massachusetts district she represents. Gov. Maura Healey announced Monday that she tapped Gobi to become the state’s first director of rural affairs. The Spencer Democrat will serve […]
Posted inTransportation
‘Red flags’ in budget worry MBTA Advisory Board
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE CITIES AND TOWNS that help fund the MBTA are concerned it will be “impossible” to restore pre-pandemic service levels and that the agency might need to hike fares given the growing shadow of a budget shortfall that officials so far have failed to address. The MBTA Advisory Board, a group that […]