ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT, Gov. Charlie Baker’s worst fears about giving the Legislature control of $5.3 billion in federal money came true. The House and Senate blew past their self-imposed deadline of getting Baker a spending bill by Thanksgiving, leaving the procrastination-prone Legislature with no firm near-term deadline by which to spend the money. “The Baker-Polito […]
Charlie Baker
Posted inTransportation
Lamont puts TCI on hold in Connecticut
CONNECTICUT GOV. Ned Lamont on Tuesday said he is putting on hold his pursuit of the Transportation Climate Initiative, leaving Massachusetts in a precarious, go-it-alone position as the regional cap-and-trade gasoline initiative is scheduled to begin practice runs next year and launch formally in 2023. According to news reports in Connecticut, Lamont said he couldn’t […]
Posted inEconomy
Baker: $500m for unemployment insurance fund not debatable
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Tuesday said putting the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund on sound footing requires a $500 million infusion from the state’s share of American Rescue Plan Act funding and a still undetermined amount of money from a $7 billion bond authorization. At a press conference in Watertown, Baker addressed the financial status of the […]
Posted inEconomy
Business leader ‘confused’ by unemployment insurance revelations
THE PRESIDENT and CEO of the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce says the business community was caught off guard just like everyone else by the news that the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund may be in far better financial shape than anyone thought. “I’d say we’re confused and waiting for information,” said Jim Rooney. Rooney […]
Posted inEconomy
Baker administration unsure of balance in unemployment insurance fund
A TOP AIDE to Gov. Charlie Baker said on Friday that the administration is still trying to determine the current balance in the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund. Rosalin Acosta, the secretary of labor and workforce development, told members of a study commission that US Treasury data indicate the fund has a current balance of […]
Posted inEconomy
Baker urged to clear up unemployment insurance fund confusion
A SENIOR ANALYST at the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center who is following the debate over the solvency of the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund urged the Baker administration on Thursday to clear up confusion about the fund’s financial status. Phineas Baxandall, senior policy analyst and advocacy director at the left-leaning center, said the information […]
Posted inEconomy
Unemployment insurance deficit may have vanished
This story has been updated with a Baker administration response. THE DEFICIT in the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund, expected by some to run into billions of dollars eventually, has apparently vanished, according to a state senator and documents filed with the federal government. The state issued a report for May indicating the trust fund was […]
Posted inCriminal Justice
Baker refiles marijuana-impaired driving bill
GOV. CHARLIE BAKER on Wednesday announced that he is taking another run at passing a bill to stop people from driving while impaired by marijuana. Baker said the bill will enhance public safety “by equalizing alcohol and marijuana and giving law enforcement more tools to keep our roads safe from impaired drivers.” The bill is […]
Posted inPolitics
Super PAC looks ahead to 2022
THE CHAIRMAN of the Massachusetts Majority super PAC said on Wednesday that his organization fared well in this week’s elections and, with $600,000 in available cash, is well-positioned to do the same in 2022. Gov. Charlie Baker raises a lot of money for the super PAC because he supports its goal of helping moderate and […]
Posted inPolitics
The ‘question’ keeps coming to Baker
THE QUESTION started being posed the day after Gov. Charlie Baker won a second term in office in 2018: Would he seek a third term? At the time, Baker dismissed the question as premature, but it didn’t go away. Lately, it’s being asked more and more, nearly once a week. With one election season ending […]