Beacon Hill in 5

More than four months into the Legislative session, lawmakers on Beacon Hill have not agreed on a rules package, and that's beginning to affect western Mass. residents.

A western Massachusetts family practice doctor has testified at seven hearings on Beacon Hill. Meanwhile, lawmakers have not enacted meaningful changes to enable her to keep from laying off staff.

There are days when the demand for electricity falls at midday and then rises through the evening and into the night. Grid operator, ISO New England, points out that when you look at charts of those days, it sort of looks like the profile of a duck. So, they call these days "duck curve days."

The Mass. House Ways and Means Committee released its $61.4 billion fiscal 2026 budget. Floor deliberations are planned for the week of April 28.

The Mass. House budget will be released this week. Many are hoping it continues to fund children's mental health, unlike the budget proposed by Gov. Maura Healey.

Some western Mass. lawmakers object to the T — the Boston area subway — receiving the bulk of revenues collected from high wage earners.

The slow start of the new term in the Judicial Nominating Commission and Governor's Council could be the cause of the delayed appointments.

Following cuts to the U.S. Department of Education, Massachusetts lawmakers take testimony from state education officials as FY26 budget-making resumes, following a week off.

Affordability is top of mind for Massachusetts residents. A new report showed that health care costs in Massachusetts surged last year strained household budgets.

Lawmakers face the challenge of addressing the potential loss of $16B in federal funding in next year's Mass. budget, which may require significant Legislative action.

Massachusetts state Rep. Natalie Blais of Deerfield was named to co-lead the Legislature's Agriculture Committee.

Movement is expected on the mini-budget and shelter program reform bill that has been in play since early last month. The House and Senate passed similar versions.

Mass. Senate lawmakers passed some session rules aiming to make the legislative process a little easier for people in the Commonwealth to understand.

This week, six weeks into the new Legislative session in Massachusetts, state senators are planning to consider setting the rules to govern the two-year session.

With the New Year, there are a few changes coming for Massachusetts residents. There are new laws, some taking effect Jan. 1, others later this year.

On the shelter front, Mass. lawmakers have requested information about the impact of change on the state's shelter system, before they authorize necessary, requested funding.

A number of Democrats representing Massachusetts have opted to mark Martin Luther King Jr. day, rather than attend the presidential inauguration.

Mass. lawmakers are planning for a 2.2% increase in tax revenue to spend in the fiscal year 2026 budget. There is uncertainty beyond that.

The new Mass. Legislative session opened on January 1, 2025. Top lawmakers signals changes were ahead, and bemoaned unspecified negative press coverage.

With the New Year, there are a few changes coming for Massachusetts residents. There are new laws, some taking effect Jan. 1, others later this year.

We take a look at the biggest political and government stories of the year.

The UMass Board of Trustees meets this week. Among the agenda items — discussion of a five-year financial forecast.

Six options for passenger rail service along the Route 2 corridor were considered; options come at a cost of as much as $3 billion dollars.

State lawmakers are supposed to only take up non-controversial matters during this informal session period.

Gov. Maura Healey got her top priorities in a climate bill — namely, language to reform the siting and permitting of clean energy.

Massachusetts House Speaker Ron Mariano, Aaron Michlewitz, and other House leaders are sharing the successes of Mass. healthcare and life science industries, and learning about Cuban healthcare.

The Massachusetts business climate, immigration, and reproductive policies likely to re-emerge as priorities for lawmakers, as Donald Trump assumes the Presidency again.

Some Hampshire County Town Clerks say that despite a lot of early votes, they expect record-breaking voter turnout.

Senate President Karen Spilka and Speaker of the House Ron Mariano haven't ruled out changes to laws coming from potential voter-approved ballot questions.

With sitting Mass. lawmakers working in a pre-election mode at the Statehouse, local election offices collect mailed in ballots, as we near election day.

Democratic U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Republican attorney John Deaton will debate Tuesday in eastern Mass. and Thursday in western Mass.

Campaigns are making the most of their opportunities to garner support from Massachusetts voters.

Administration and Finance Secretary Matthew Gorzkowicz says he expects lackluster tax collections to continue with "unavoidable deficiencies" on the horizon.

Massachusetts cannabis regulators last week were led by Commissioner Bruce Stebbins as the commission's acting chair. At that meeting, they also identified a nearly $3 million budget shortfall for this year.

Opponents of the new gun law in Massachusetts are deep into their campaign to get it repealed, but they have a lot of work ahead.

Campaigns for and against statewide ballot questions have begun running advertising campaigns to educate voters.

The Massachusetts presidential primary in March attracted about 1.2 million voters. But on Tuesday, voters will pick nominees for state- and county-level offices. And it's been a sleepy political season so far in many parts of the state.

Massachusetts House and Senate members largely vacated the Statehouse after their underwhelming finish to formal sessions on Aug. 1, saying they'd continue working on the bills they couldn't agree on.

The Massachusetts Legislature has begun a five-month stretch of informal sessions following the end of formal sessions last week.

Vice President Kamala Harris's campaign paid a visit to western Massachusetts this weekend, raised a bunch of Berkshire bucks and rallied the state's Democrats.

It's now 14 years that Massachusetts lawmakers have not agreed on a full-year budget before the start of the state's fiscal year. But that doesn't mean state office buildings are shut down.

Bills dealing with the climate, and guns only have until July 31st to be dealt with by Mass. legislators. The end of formal sessions of the two-year General Court are just weeks away.

Housing is the number one issue on the minds of Mass. residents. Can lawmakers pass a measure before the end of this session that will turnaround the current housing crunch driving so many people away?

The felony conviction of former President Donald Trump is expected to cause little to no reverberations in Massachusetts, a dependably blue state, where state house lawmakers have a mountain of bills to tackle before the end of the Legislative session.

Experts say road congestion is back to pre-pandemic levels in Massachusetts. Will state lawmakers be more receptive to adding tolls?

About two months remain in the calendar for the Massachusetts Legislature. The state House last week passed a major hospital oversight proposal. This week, state senators will debate their proposed spending plan.

Employers and the economy in Massachusetts are being affected by too few workers. We take a look at the Senate's proposed spending plan through the lens of the workforce.

Alcohol oversight has traditionally all been done by the Massachusetts Gaming Commission, until the House's spending plan re-assigned oversight at casino restaurants last month.

Legislators in the Massachusetts House passed a bill, among hundreds attached in amendments to the budget, aimed at disclosing the use of artificial intelligence in political messages.

Deliberations on hundreds of amendments to the $57.9 billion Mass. House Ways and Means committee budget for fiscal 2025 are set to consume attention this week.

The Massachusetts House budget makes $500 million available to cover emergency assistance shelter costs for FY'25. The House budget debate is set for Wednesday, April 24.