During his annual State of the Commonwealth address, Governor Charlie Baker highlighted the heroic work of frontline workers and first responders throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, while reminding the Commonwealth that though...more
Economists create graphs, charts and projections on the economy daily, crafting commentary to explain the ebbs and flows of market success and failures based on a variety of factors. That is no longer the case as the nation...more
On Friday, May 25, 2018, the Senate unanimously approved a $41.49 billion budget for FY2019. The Senate’s passage of its annual spending plan follows Governor Charlie Baker’s budget proposal made in January and the House...more
On Wednesday, January 24, 2018, Governor Charlie Baker released a $40.9 billion budget proposal for FY2019. The plan, commonly referred to as House 2, is the fourth Baker has proposed since assuming office and increases...more
Massachusetts lawmakers have returned from summer recess and are preparing to tackle a robust legislative agenda this fall. Legislators will meet formally through the third Wednesday in November, at which point formal...more
9/15/2017
/ Clean Energy ,
Criminal Justice Reform ,
Department of Revenue ,
Governor Baker ,
Greenhouse Gas Emissions ,
Healthcare Costs ,
Healthcare Reform ,
Paid Family Leave Law ,
Renewable Energy ,
Sales Tax ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
Wage and Hour
On Monday, July 17th, Governor Charlie Baker signed a budget for FY2018 that includes $39.4 billion in spending. This comes ten days after the Legislature approved a state budget with a $40.2 billion bottom line. The Senate...more
On May 25, 2017, the Massachusetts Senate unanimously approved a $40.84 billion FY2018 budget by a 38-0 roll call vote. Over three days of debate, Senators considered 1,031 amendments to the budget proposed by the Ways and...more
On May 16, 2017, the Massachusetts Senate Ways and Means Committee proposed a $40.791 billion FY2018 budget. The budget, which increases spending by 3.3% over FY2017 levels, spends $280 million more than Governor Charlie...more
On Monday, April 10th, the House Ways and Means Committee proposed a $40.3 billion budget for FY2018 that calls for increasing spending by 3.8 percent, or about $1.47 billion, above FY2017 levels. The spending increase is...more
4/20/2017
/ Economic Development ,
Educational Institutions ,
Employee Benefits ,
Energy Sector ,
Environmental Policies ,
Health Insurance ,
Home Health Agencies ,
Homeless Issues ,
Inpatient Rehab Facilities ,
Medicaid ,
State Budgets ,
Surface Transportation ,
Tax Rates
With the unveiling of Governor Charlie Baker’s FY2018 budget, the commencement of the 2017-2018 legislative session on Beacon Hill, and a new presidential administration underway in Washington D.C., the Massachusetts health...more
On Wednesday, January 25th, Governor Charlie Baker announced a $40.508 billion budget for FY2018 that increases state spending by a projected $1.65 billion, or 4.3 percent, over FY2017 levels. The budget proposal, Baker’s...more
On Tuesday, December 6, Governor Charlie Baker, under his Section 9C authority, ordered $98 million in mid-year cuts from the $39.25 billion FY17 state budget. The administration has warned of budget imbalances for months and...more
After closing the book on the formal sessions in July, Massachusetts lawmakers have turned their attention to the November election. The Senate and House of Representatives convene in informal sessions for the remainder of...more
10/4/2016
/ Clean Energy ,
Energy Sector ,
Gaming ,
Health Care Providers ,
Hospitals ,
PACE ,
Pharmaceutical Industry ,
Presidential Elections ,
Solar Energy ,
State Budgets ,
Tax Exemptions
After a mad scramble to take action before their midnight deadline, Massachusetts lawmakers closed the 20152016 legislative session by passing five of the “Big Six” bills on their agenda. Beacon Hill saw a flurry of activity...more
8/9/2016
/ Background Checks ,
Economic Development ,
EHealth ,
Equal Pay ,
Fantasy Sports ,
Garden Leave ,
Gender-Based Pay Discrimination ,
Governor Baker ,
Infrastructure ,
Innovation ,
Job Creation ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Manufacturing Hubs ,
Municipalities ,
Non-Compete Agreements ,
Offshore Wind ,
Renewable Energy ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
Uber ,
Wage and Hour ,
Wind Power
Governor Charlie Baker signed a budget for FY17 on Friday, July 8, after vetoing $256 million in spending included in the plan approved by the legislature. The budget, which represents the second annual spending plan signed...more
Just before the close of the fiscal year, the House and Senate reached an agreement on a $39.146 billion state budget for FY17. Due to a recently identified $750 million drop in projected state revenue, the budget, which was...more
7/7/2016
/ Fantasy Sports ,
Health and Safety ,
Legislative Agendas ,
Online Gaming ,
Opioid ,
Public Schools ,
Public Transportation ,
State and Local Government ,
State Budgets ,
State Health Plans ,
Substance Abuse
The Massachusetts Senate voted unanimously to pass its FY2017 state budget just before midnight on Thursday, May 26. The spending plan, which totals $39.558 billion, spends $60 million more than Governor Baker’s proposal and...more
In a unanimous vote of 156-0, the Massachusetts House of Representatives approved a $39.56 billion spending plan for FY2017 on April 27. Over three days, the House considered more than 1,300 amendments to pass a final budget...more
With Beacon Hill off and running in the new year, Governor Charlie Baker and House Speaker Robert DeLeo this week unveiled key parts of their policy agendas for 2016. As part of his second budget proposal since assuming...more