Latest Charlie Baker News
Massachusetts House approves bill to protect abortion access
BOSTON (AP) — The Democrat-controlled Massachusetts House of Representatives approved a bill Wednesday that aims to protect abortion providers and people seeking abortions from actions taken by other states. The action is part of a wider effort by officials to build a firewall to...
Abortion ruling prompts variety of reactions from states
The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday overturned Roe v. Wade, the 1973 decision that had provided a constitutional right to abortion. The ruling is expected to lead to abortion bans in roughly half the states, although the timing of those laws taking effect varies. Some Republican-led...
Supreme Court's abortion ruling sets off new court fights
NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Judges temporarily blocked abortion bans Monday in Louisiana and Utah, while a federal court in South Carolina said a law sharply restricting the procedure would take effect there immediately as the battle over whether women may end pregnancies shifted from the nation’s...
Live updates | Supreme Court overturns Roe v. Wade
WASHINGTON (AP) — PHOENIX — Police fired tear gas from the windows of the Arizona Capitol building to disperse hundreds of people demonstrating outside, as lawmakers briefly huddled in a basement. The lawmakers were working to complete their 2022 session as thousands of...
Legal battles likely as divided states grapple with abortion
The Supreme Court’s decision Friday to overturn the constitutional right to abortion has only further fractured an already deep division between the states, where contentious legal battles are almost certain to erupt as legislatures and attorneys general grapple with the new landscape of abortion...
Democrat Chang-Díaz ends campaign for Massachusetts governor
BOSTON (AP) — State Sen. Sonia Chang-Díaz said Thursday that she is ending her campaign for governor of Massachusetts, leaving state Attorney General Maura Healey as the only viable Democrat still in the running. Chang-Díaz, in her announcement that came one year to the day after...
Gov. Baker, lawmakers at odds over suspending state gas tax
BOSTON (AP) — Republican Gov. Charlie Baker and Democratic leaders in the Massachusetts House and Senate are at odds over temporarily suspending the state’s gas tax. Senate President Karen Spilka and House Speaker Ronald Mariano issued a statement Wednesday in response to...
Gov. Baker signs bill ensuring mail-in ballots, early voting
BOSTON (AP) — A voting rights bill designed to ensure that mail-in ballots and early voting become permanent fixtures in future Massachusetts elections was signed into law Wednesday by Republican Gov. Charlie Baker. The new law, which had passed the Democrat-controlled...
Critics of new immigrant driver's license law seek repeal
BOSTON (AP) — A just-passed state law allowing immigrants in the country illegally to obtain driver’s licenses in Massachusetts is now the subject of a repeal effort. Critics, including members of the Massachusetts Republican Party, are supporting the push to put the repeal...
Massachusetts House OKs bill to expand mental health access
BOSTON (AP) — The Massachusetts House approved a bill Thursday designed to expand access to mental health services. Democratic House leaders said the proposal addresses a variety of pressing needs including acute psychiatric care, the behavioral health of young people,...
