http://www.statehousenews.com
Advances - Week of Feb. 16
2/14/20 4:41 PM
Back-to-back debate nights next week fill some of the void that lawmakers are creating as they take their customary weeklong February break, which coincides with school vacation week.
Flu Severity Rises to “Very High” in Massachusetts
2/14/20 3:57 PM
Influenza severity rose from high to very high, with related hospitalizations continuing to increase in recent weeks, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported Friday afternoon.
Spilka: Housing, Transpo, Health Care Bills Emerging
2/14/20 1:00 PM
Up next on Senate President Karen Spilka's agenda after passing major mental health access and carbon pricing bills: "comprehensive" housing legislation, transportation policy and one — or maybe two — more health care packages.
New Law Requires Registry as Safeguard Against Caretaker Abuse
2/14/20 10:55 AM
A state commission will assemble a confidential registry to protect individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities from abusive caregivers, under a bill Gov. Charlie Baker signed Thursday.
Senate Session - Thursday, Feb. 13, 2020
2/13/20 6:48 PM
All 38 senators voted to approve an extensive bill Thursday aimed at improving access to mental health treatment and eliminating barriers that have prevented true implementation of a 20-year-old state law requiring parity between mental and physical health care.
Spilka Voices Support for Reducing Fares
2/13/20 4:46 PM
Senate President Karen Spilka believes any new revenues approved by the Legislature this year to improve transportation should be used to reduce fares on public transportation in order to encourage more people to ride the MBTA and local buses.
MGC Plots Process for Plainridge License Renewal
2/13/20 4:43 PM
Massachusetts casino regulators settled Thursday on the process they will use this spring as they consider renewing the license for Plainridge Park Casino, the first of the gambling halls authorized under the 2011 expanded gaming law to come up for renewal.
Medicaid Rule Leaves Up to $2.5 Bil at Risk in Mass.
2/13/20 4:22 PM
Governors around the country, including Gov. Charlie Baker, are fighting the Trump administration over proposed changes to how the federal government reimburses states for Medicaid, seeking to avoid a shift that could blow a massive hole into state budgets.
Baker on Third Term Bid: “Definitely Not a No”
2/13/20 3:55 PM
Gov. Charlie Baker isn't ruling out running for a third term, and when it comes to a more immediate election – the March 3 presidential primary – he's continuing to keep his plans to himself. In a radio appearance on Thursday, Baker said he hasn't made the call yet on whether he'll seek re-election, and characterized his lack of decision as "definitely not a no."
Springfield Casino Plans $16 Mil Contribution to Housing Redevelopment
2/13/20 2:28 PM
Officials from Springfield and the MGM casino there laid out their plan for the gambling empire to fulfill the requirement that residential units be part of its development by partnering with the city to help fund the redevelopment of a former downtown hotel.
House Session Summary - Thursday Feb. 13, 2020
2/13/20 1:46 PM
The House advanced a bills Thursday dealing with statewide grand juries and the transparency of land records. The House also gave initial approval to a bill that would ban duck hunting on tidelands or within 1,500 feet of the shoreline at Revere Beach or the Point of Pines beach in Revere as a matter of public safety.
Price, Sales Increases Continue in Housing Market
2/13/20 11:14 AM
Median prices for homes and condos put under sales agreements in January both eclipsed $400,000, and agreements for both property types were up more than 10 percent compared to January 2019, the Massachusetts Association of Realtors reported.
CLF Demands Temporary Ban on Cod Fishing
2/13/20 10:59 AM
The U.S. Commerce Department and the National Marine Fisheries Service should ban commercial and recreational Atlantic cod fishing until the populations are "out of crisis," according to a local conservation group, which warned it may go to court.
New Research Center to Focus on Policy, Ballot Questions
2/13/20 5:00 AM
A new nonpartisan research center, with a pair of former governors on its advisory council, is setting out to provide lawmakers and voters with "real-time" analysis of key topics, including projected impacts of ballot questions. Tufts University's Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life announced the launch of the Center for State Policy Analysis on Thursday.
New Baker Admin Hire Tapped After Dracut Controversy
2/12/20 8:29 PM
The former town manager of Dracut, who resigned from his job in October amid tense relations with the Board of Selectmen over town contracting, has been hired by the Baker administration to help oversee its office of consumer affairs and business regulation.
Opioid Overdose Deaths Flat Despite Surge in Fentanyl
2/12/20 5:24 PM
New data indicate Massachusetts has made some progress in beating back the tide of opioid overdose deaths, according to the state's public health commissioner. Commissioner Monica Bharel said the state nonetheless continues to lose too many people to overdoses.
Personnel File - Wednesday, Feb. 12
2/12/20 5:24 PM
A former aide to Jennifer Benson is following his boss to the Alliance for Business Leadership ... U.S. Sen. Edward Markey's Senate campaign has added several organizers ... the former town manager of Dracut has found a new home at the Office of Consumer Affairs and Business Regulation ... and EnBW North America, a utility involved in offshore wind, has made a new hire to bolster its East Coast operations. Enjoy the latest Personnel File.
ADL Reports Surge of White Supremacist Propoganda in Mass.
2/12/20 5:04 PM
White supremacist propaganda distribution rose by more than 300 percent in Massachusetts last year and the state saw the fourth highest level of that kind of activity of any state in the country, according to new data released Wednesday by the Anti-Defamation League.
National Gatherings to Explore Climate Impacts on Health
2/12/20 5:02 PM
Officials from Boston-area teaching hospital officials plan to gather Thursday to learn how climate change will affect their practices, a symposium that coincides with the launch of seven sites around the country where industry officials plan to tackle the same subject.
DeLeo Turns Out to Support Head Start Programs
2/12/20 4:54 PM
House Speaker Robert DeLeo offered encouraging words of support Wednesday to advocates seeking a funding increase for early education programming, but stopped short of promising to deliver the requested funds.
Ayer, Nantucket Judicial Nominees Confirmed
2/12/20 4:40 PM
The Governor's Council on Wednesday minted two new clerk magistrates, a position that comes with a lifetime appointment, for the Ayer and Nantucket courts.
![Activists hopped across Tremont Street on Thursday on a drizzly march to the State House bearing candy and Valentine's Day cards to lobby lawmakers on a bill to make driver's licenses available to undocumented immigrants. [Photo: Sam Doran/SHNS]](https://www.statehousenews.com/content/frontpage_photo/2020/02-13_undocumented_immigrant_licenses_march_Tremont.jpg "Activists hopped across Tremont Street on Thursday on a drizzly march to the State House bearing candy and Valentine's Day cards to lobby lawmakers on a bill to make driver's licenses available to undocumented immigrants. [Photo: Sam Doran/SHNS]")
Weekly Roundup - Impractical Winds
2/14/20 4:26 PM
Massachusetts pols eager to get in the ring against President Donald Trump this summer took a punch from their New Hampshire neighbors this week, while Gov. Charlie Baker continues to be content with his ring-side seat.
![Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa and Sen. Eric Lesser found fault with MassDOT's approach to its East-West Rail study. [Photos: Sam Doran/SHNS/File]](https://www.statehousenews.com/content/frontpage_photo/2020/02-14_Sabadosa_Lesser.jpg "Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa and Sen. Eric Lesser found fault with MassDOT's approach to its East-West Rail study. [Photos: Sam Doran/SHNS/File]")
East-West Rail Backers Knock Study’s Modeling
2/14/20 3:15 PM
The long push to expand passenger rail service to western Massachusetts hit a key milestone last week when a still-in-progress state study put initial numbers on the projected impact.
Alarm Sounded Over Absence of Canal Bridge Project Funds
2/14/20 10:57 AM
Worried the lack of funding in the president's budget is a sign of the administration's disinterest in the project, Massachusetts Congressional delegation members this week called on federal officials to get behind the full replacement of the Bourne and Sagamore bridges over the Cape Cod Canal.
![The Senate hadn't yet debated or voted on its mental health reform bill, but at noon Thursday during a break from their session, a majority of senators - including sponsor Sen. Julian Cyr (at podium) - stood in support of the legislation at a State House rally. [Photo: Sam Doran/SHNS]](https://www.statehousenews.com/content/frontpage_photo/2020/02-13_Senate_mental_health_bill_rally_Cyr.jpg "The Senate hadn't yet debated or voted on its mental health reform bill, but at noon Thursday during a break from their session, a majority of senators - including sponsor Sen. Julian Cyr (at podium) - stood in support of the legislation at a State House rally. [Photo: Sam Doran/SHNS]")
Senate Passes Bill to Boost Mental Health Care Access
2/13/20 8:50 PM
Massachusetts would move closer to fulfilling the vision of a 20-year-old state law requiring parity in care for mental health under a bill the Senate unanimously adopted Thursday.
![Bruno Moreira was among the marchers carting Valentine's Day cards, candy, and cupcakes up to the State House on Thursday from 32BJ SEIU's downtown headquarters to ask or thank lawmakers for support of a bill to make driver's licenses available to undocumented immigrants. [Photo: Sam Doran/SHNS]](https://www.statehousenews.com/content/frontpage_photo/2020/02-13_undocumented_immigrant_licenses_march_Common.jpg "Bruno Moreira was among the marchers carting Valentine's Day cards, candy, and cupcakes up to the State House on Thursday from 32BJ SEIU's downtown headquarters to ask or thank lawmakers for support of a bill to make driver's licenses available to undocumented immigrants. [Photo: Sam Doran/SHNS]")
Grateful Immigrants Arrive on Hill With Sweets
2/13/20 5:17 PM
In a span of two weeks, lobbying efforts around a bill that would make it possible for undocumented immigrants to receive standard Massachustts driver's licenses transformed from a hunger strike to Hershey's kisses.
![Encore Casino as seen from Ashburton Park [Photo: Sam Doran/SHNS/File 2019]](https://www.statehousenews.com/content/frontpage_photo/2019/04-05_Encore_from_Ashburton_Park.jpg "Encore Casino as seen from Ashburton Park [Photo: Sam Doran/SHNS/File 2019]")
Machines Replacing Bartenders to Speed Drinks at Casino
2/13/20 1:56 PM
Encore Boston Harbor will replace some bartenders with automatic drink-dispensing machines in hopes of speeding up alcohol beverage service for gamblers under a set of alcohol license amendments approved by regulators Thursday.
![Attorney General Maura Healey said Juul internal documents show the company intentionally targeted "young people" with advertising material. [Photo: Chris Van Buskirk/SHNS]](https://www.statehousenews.com/content/frontpage_photo/2020/02-12_Healey_Juul_2.jpg "Attorney General Maura Healey said Juul internal documents show the company intentionally targeted \"young people\" with advertising material. [Photo: Chris Van Buskirk/SHNS]")
Healey on Juul: “We Are Going to Make Them Pay”
2/12/20 5:21 PM
In February 2018, vaping and e-cigarette giant Juul canceled an order that was to be shipped to Milton because of an issue that came up in verifying that the recipient was at least 21 years old, the minimum age to buy tobacco products in the town.
![Rep. Paul McMurtry, who emceed a "Right to Repair" briefing on Wednesday, greeted former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis, a paid consultant to the campaign. [Photo: Sam Doran/SHNS]](https://www.statehousenews.com/content/frontpage_photo/2020/02-12_Davis_McMurtry.jpg "Rep. Paul McMurtry, who emceed a \"Right to Repair\" briefing on Wednesday, greeted former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis, a paid consultant to the campaign. [Photo: Sam Doran/SHNS]")
“Fear Campaign” Alleged in Vehicle Repair Battle
2/12/20 4:15 PM
Opponents of a proposed ballot question that would require vehicle manufacturers to allow repair shops to access digital information are running a "fear campaign" by alleging that the suggested law would create privacy risks, consultant and former Boston Police Commissioner Ed Davis said Wednesday.
State Finalizes Rules Governing Vaping Industry
2/12/20 3:45 PM
After a momentous 2019 from a policy perspective, regulations restricting the sale of vaping products in Massachusetts were unanimously approved by the state Public Health Council on Wednesday.