Latest Massachusetts state government News
Harvard professor to announce run for Massachusetts governor
BOSTON (AP) — Harvard University professor Danielle Allen, who has never held elected office, is scheduled to announce a run for the Democratic nomination for governor of Massachusetts. Allen is the first Black woman to run for governor as a member of a major party in...
Use of ride hailing plummeted in Massachusetts in 2020
BOSTON (AP) — The use of ride hailing services plummeted in Massachusetts in 2020 as the pandemic shuttered businesses and forced many to work from home. Ride hailing companies last year provided about 35 million rides that started in Massachusetts — a 62% drop...
Lawmakers, state leaders fight over drawing precinct lines
BOSTON (AP) — A bill approved by the Massachusetts House would upend the process of drawing local precinct lines, setting off a political squabble that pits Democratic lawmakers against the Democratic secretary of state and local city and town leaders. Due to the...
Massachusetts lawmakers push to extend mail-in, early voting
BOSTON (AP) — The Massachusetts Senate approved a bill Thursday extending many of the policies adopted when the pandemic hit last year — including mail-in voting — through Dec. 15 of this year. The bill was approved on a voice vote. Lawmakers are hoping to get the...
State lawmakers send 'millionaire tax' question to voters
BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts lawmakers voted Wednesday to put the fate of a proposed “millionaire tax” constitutional amendment in the hands of voters on next year’s ballot. The proposal passed on a 159-41 vote in a joint session of the Legislature, guaranteeing it...
2022 race for lieutenant governor is beginning to shape up
BOSTON (AP) — The 2022 race for lieutenant governor is beginning to shape up on Beacon Hill. On the Democratic side Acton state Rep. Tami Gouveia and businessman Bret Bero are both stepping into the political waters. Gouveia on Monday formally...
AP Interview: State AG pushes accountability in opioid cases
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey has been a leader in the legal push to hold companies and individuals accountable for the U.S. opioid addiction and overdose epidemic, which has been linked to nearly 500,000 deaths over the last two decades. Healey was the...
State and town at odds over future of historic prison camp
RUTLAND, Mass. (AP) — The Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation and the town of Rutland are at odds over the future of what's left of a century-old prison camp in the community. The state wants to demolish the remaining buildings at the Rutland Prison...
Child care providers offered free pooled coronavirus testing
BOSTON (AP) — A Boston-based nonprofit and the state Department of Early Education and Care have teamed up to protect child care facilities across the state with a free pooled coronavirus testing program. The project, administered by child care advocacy group...
4 hardest-hit communities to receive pandemic aid money
BOSTON (AP) — Four communities that state officials say were short-changed in federal pandemic relief aid will receive a total of $109 million from the federal American Rescue Plan Act, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announced Friday. The communities were among the...
