Beacon Hill Roll Call: July 1 to July 5, 2019
By Bob Katzen | July 9, 2019
Beacon Hill Roll Call records local senators’ votes on roll calls from recent sessions. There were no roll calls in the House or Senate last week.
Read moreGroups want Baker to veto 'union protection' bill
By Christian M. Wade Statehouse Reporter | July 8, 2019
BOSTON — Fiscal watchdogs are urging Gov. Charlie Baker to veto a labor-friendly proposal aimed at softening the blow of a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that curbs the ability of unions to automatically take dues from workers' paychecks.
Read moreOnce Again, Massachusetts Among Last States Without A Budget
By Bob Salsberg ASSOCIATED PRESS | July 2, 2019
BOSTON (AP) — State budget negotiators were continuing closed-door talks Tuesday as Massachusetts again earned the dubious distinction of being among the few U.S. states without a permanent spending plan in place for the new fiscal year.
July 1 came and went without the Democratic-controlled Legislature reaching an agreement on a $42.7 billion budget.
A six-member panel led by Sen. Michael Rodrigues, of Westport, and Aaron Michlewitz, of Boston, are trying to resolve disagreements over the House and Senate versions of the plan.
Read moreSurprise, surprise: Legislature breaks for the holiday with no deal on budget
By The Lowell Sun | July 2, 2019
BOSTON Unable to agree on an annual state budget by the July 1 deadline, House and Senate Democrats are breaking for the Fourth of July holiday and now hoping that a budget deal might come next week.
Unions eye Beacon Hill for relief after Supreme Court ruling
By Steve LeBlanc ASSOCIATED PRESS | June 8, 2019
BOSTON (AP) - The state’s labor unions are turning to Beacon Hill for a little relief from a 2018 Supreme Court ruling that threatened to weaken their finances and political clout.
Read moreBeacon Hill seeks more funds while almost $3B lies uncollected
By Mary Markos, Boston Herald | June 8, 2019
Almost $3 billion in state revenue hasn’t been collected over the years, according to a Herald analysis of state data, while legislators prepare to vote on the “millionaires tax” in an attempt to fatten the state’s wallet.
Read moreHouse Votes to Allow Unions to Charge Non-Members
By Jim Phillips | June 6th, 2019
STATE HOUSE, BOSTON — Labor groups applauded the House's passage Wednesday of a bill allowing unions to charge non-members for costs of services and representation, an action prompted by a U.S. Supreme Court decision last year.
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