Beacon Hill

The dust has settled on Beacon Hill, with multiple priorities were left on the table after a 23-hour formal session.

Democrats who control Massachusetts’ House and Senate failed to reach deadline-day agreements on popular efforts to impose new oversight on hospitals, supercharge business and job growth, reform clean energy infrastructure, and more. Lawmakers completed work on bills modernizing parentage definitions, reforming veterans services, and borrowing money for housing affordability efforts, but abandoned — for now — work on a whole host…

Billions of dollars in spending are up for debate this week on Beacon Hill, impacting everything from Massachusetts’ migrant shelter crisis to transportation. 

With another Massachusetts legislative session came another attempt to cement the Healthy Youth Act into law. Senate leadership brought the sexual education revamp to the floor on Thursday, aiming to create new teaching guidelines encompassing human anatomy, reproduction, the benefits of abstinence and information on LGBTQ+ identities and experiences. “We’ve been fighting this battle to get it across the...

A bill aims to make sex education more inclusive, but the issue is proving to be contentious.

A busy spring is beginning to take shape on Beacon Hill. Massachusetts lawmakers met Monday to outline their priorities before the calendar shifts to March. Questions quickly centered on budget talks, specifically a $700 million surplus fund to shore up the state’s migrant shelter system. “We wanted to see the numbers that came out today, see what this looks like….

Legislators in Massachusetts have a laundry list of priorities to address.

[This story first appeared on Boston Restaurant Talk.] It looks like a brand new Mexican dining spot is on its way to the Beacon Hill section of Boston. According to an article from Boston Magazine, Taco Azul is planning to open somewhere in the neighborhood, and that Dan Leyva–who is behind the Wings Over chain, will be running the place. The...

After weeks of legislative procrastination, parliamentary delays and finger-pointing, a $3.1 billion spending bill packed with money for the stretched-thin emergency shelter system and public worker raises was passed and signed into law on Monday. House Democrats were able to get a quorum of members together to push through a compromise on a long-overdue package they failed to wrap up…

A deal has been reached on a supplemental budget for Massachusetts.

When it comes to the most expensive zip codes in the United States, 94027, in Atherton, California, takes home the gold medal this year, according to a RealtyHop report. However, Massachusetts also made it on that top 100 list. According to its website, RealtyHop said it gathered 3.64 million real estate listings advertised in the country so far and then…

The ‘move over’ law has been on the books since 2009, but some say it’s been ineffective and they want stricter penalties.

Lawmakers are pushing for stricter measures and harsher punishments for drivers who don’t move over.

In front of the steps of the Massachusetts State House, a group of first responders voiced their support for the urgent passage of a number of bills that would improve their safety and wellbeing. Among them was former police officer and current Massachusetts State Representative for Barnstable District 5 Steven Xiarhos. “Government should work faster, especially when it comes to…

Some first responders want tougher penalties for drivers who don’t move over.

Currently, there are about 19,000 job vacancies in Massachusetts hospitals, according to the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association.

There are growing concerns among nurses across Massachusetts that a staffing crisis is causing burnout and impacting patient care. The past year and a half has seen more than 12,000 unsafe staffing reports, according to the Massachusetts Nurses Association, which is arguing that nurses are having to care for too many patients at once. Nurses made another pitch Wednesday to…

[This story first appeared on Boston Restaurant Talk.] A new dining spot may be on its way to the Beacon Hill neighborhood of Boston, and its name may be familiar to those who grew up in the North End long ago. According to a licensing hearing page within the city’s website, Nite Lite Cafe is looking to open on...

Even if successful, this petition would not get rid of the English language arts, math, or science, technology, and engineering MCAS tests. Under this proposal, students would still have to take them at least twice to graduate, but wouldn’t be required to pass to get a diploma.

Efforts to subject the Legislature to outside scrutiny, reform the role of standardized MCAS tests, allow cities and towns to regulate rent levels, and reshape rights and benefits for on-demand drivers took steps Wednesday toward potentially being decided by voters in 2024. After months of noncommittal answers and behind-the-scenes whispers, the outer limits of the ballot question universe became clear…