MASSACHUSETTS CONSISTENTLY ranks as the top state to raise a family. The reason is simple: our family policies – from paid leave and childcare to education and safety – and pro-growth policies make us a leader among peer states. In 2021, Massachusetts once again led the pack by introducing the country’s first universal tax credit […]
Joshua McCabe
Posted inEconomy
Child tax credit proposal would strengthen state’s pro-family standing
THE EXPIRATION OF last year’s temporary expansion of the federal Child Tax Credit (CTC) has caused millions of children to fall into poverty. Congress’s inability to come to any agreement to revive the CTC has created unnecessary hardship for families struggling with record-high inflation levels. Fortunately, recent changes in the Massachusetts tax code have offered […]
Posted inOpinion, Race/Racism
Zoning has played a major role in racial segregation
IN RESPONSE TO decades of rising housing costs across the Commonwealth, Massachusetts recently amended the state zoning act to require local governments to reform their zoning laws. The amendments are part of a broader goal of addressing the barriers that prevent the supply of housing from keeping up with growing demand. In many communities, local […]
Posted inEconomy
The silent majority in support of housing action
RECENT HIGH-PROFILE opposition to new housing has many wondering whether Massachusetts has lost its appetite for ramping up housing production. Last year, we saw the bipartisan passage of the Baker administration’s Housing Choice Initiative, which is set to bring fundamental changes to zoning laws across the greater Boston region. This year, we have seen several […]
Posted inOpinion
Family-friendly tax reform is needed in Mass.
FAMILY ADVOCATES have been hard at work on Beacon Hill, pushing for reforms to the state’s Temporary Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) program. Their laudable efforts have led to a series of reforms meant to help the neediest families in Massachusetts — efforts that should be extended to family-friendly tax reform, too. After […]
Posted inOpinion
How to fix the mistakes of welfare reform
ON A COLD FEBRUARY DAY in 1995, former governor Bill Weld signed his much-anticipated welfare reform into law. The new law included additional work requirements, time limits, benefit reductions, and a family cap for the state’s Temporary Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) program. Such reforms were necessary, according to Weld, because the existing […]