Search Results

By Credit search: State House News Service

By ALISON KUZNITZ

BOSTON — Massachusetts drivers could be banned from FaceTiming their friends and livestreaming onto social media platforms while they’re on the road under legislation the House quietly passed last week.Lawmakers approved a distracting driving bill (H...

By CHRIS LISINSKI

Lawmakers from both parties signaled Tuesday they share a government watchdog’s concerns about upheaval at the Cannabis Control Commission, but Democrats who wield decision-making power stopped short of indicating what kind of response they might...

By COLIN A. YOUNG

Massachusetts joined nine other states Tuesday in an agreement to coordinate their efforts to increase the transmission of electricity between three different regions of the grid and get a better handle on offshore wind infrastructure needs and...

By COLIN A. YOUNG

University of Massachusetts President Marty Meehan has been closely watching the spate of higher education closures, and said in an interview over the weekend that UMass has a strategy he hopes will spare it from the same concerning demographic shift...

By COLIN A. YOUNG

The federal government has proposed the first national safety standard meant to keep workers safe from excessive heat in the workplace and made $1 billion available to hundreds of projects – including 30 in Massachusetts – that try to mitigate climate...

By ALISON KUZNITZ

BOSTON — The House chair of the Elder Affairs Committee lambasted the Senate’s monthslong delay in taking up a long-term care reform bill this week, but his Senate co-chair later expressed optimism about the legislation reaching Gov. Maura Healey’s...

By ALISON KUZNITZ

BOSTON — Health officials urged Bay Staters last week to use bug spray outdoors this summer, after mosquito samples tested positive for two viruses.The Department of Public Health said the Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus was detected in...

By SAM DRYSDALE

BOSTON — Leyla Connolly’s battery-powered wheelchair has been broken for more than a year. As she waits for it to be fixed, she is consigned to her Dorchester apartment, where she feels trapped without a safe way to leave to get groceries, go to...

By ALISON KUZNITZ

BOSTON — Some Massachusetts patients seeking physical and behavioral health care services could receive treatment in the form of arts and culture activities under a new model being embraced by state officials.The Massachusetts Cultural Council, the...

By SAM DRYSDALE

BOSTON — Two powerful lawmakers are trying to push a widely supported bill to ban toxic “forever chemicals” over the finish line before the looming end of session, but neither said Tuesday that the issue is a priority for their branch.House Speaker...

By SAM DRYSDALE

BOSTON – Massachusetts is now the 49th state to prohibit revenge pornography, with Gov. Maura Healey signing a bill late last week that also cracks down on sexual harassment and coercive control by domestic abusers.The bill closes a legal loophole to...

By SAM DRYSDALE

BOSTON — Musicians hauling three drums, two trombones, a saxophone and and a tuba played their way up Park Street to the corner of Beacon Street on Tuesday afternoon — blocking traffic and leading dozens of ralliers in the day’s 90-degree heat to...

By COLIN A. YOUNG

The major housing policy and bond bill expected to pass the House this week includes ideas that have the support of a majority of Massachusetts residents across demographic and political groups, like allowing people to build accessory dwellings on...

By ALISON KUZNITZ

BOSTON — Citing escalating attacks against LGBTQ youth in Massachusetts and across the country, a commission released recommendations Tuesday for the Legislature, Gov. Maura Healey and state agencies to bolster child welfare, public health, education,...

By COLIN A. YOUNG

BOSTON — There were 3,100 single-family homes sold in Massachusetts last month, and while that number alone may not mean much to those still looking for an affordable home, it may represent a glimmer of hope — it was the largest year-over-year...

By Sam Doran

BOSTON — As bike lanes have expanded across Massachusetts, Transportation Secretary Monica Tibbits-Nutt said safety concerns are cropping up along the new public ways — but, perhaps surprisingly, not just with cars.Cyclists moving quickly are...

By ALISON KUZNITZ and SAM DRYSDALE

BOSTON — Senate Democrats unveiled plans Monday to make community college free for all students in Massachusetts, starting in the coming fall semester.The “MassEducate” plan, which will be part of the Senate’s fiscal 2025 budget that was to be fully...

By COLIN A. YOUNG

BOSTON – Hoping to accelerate the switch to clean energy technologies, the climate bank at MassHousing recently announced a new financing product that aims to make $20 million in loans available over the next two years to help homeowners cover the...

By CHRIS LISINSKI

BOSTON — The next phase in the fight over half a dozen major and pressing policy proposals kicked off Wednesday with a common feature on Beacon Hill: lawmakers recommending that the Legislature not take action.A special committee tasked with...

By SAM DORAN

BOSTON — After a state judge ruled this month that Massachusetts law governing municipal home equity takings “requires legislative correction,” a state senator who has filed a related bill for years said Monday that he is ready to start demanding roll...