General Massachusetts Politics Discussion

themissinglink

themissinglink

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www.bostonglobe.com

Trump administration withholds more than $100 million from Mass. schools - The Boston Globe

The state’s $108 million is part of more than $6 billion in funds the Trump administration is withholding from states across the country for education programs, including summer and after school services.
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The Trump administration is denying Massachusetts schools and nonprofits $108 million of federal education funding that was already appropriated by Congress, state leaders said Monday.
[...]
The missing funds pose the most immediate threat to the summer learning programs, with many camps and other activities set to begin this week. Massachusetts was set to receive more than $20 million in summer and after school funding, according to the Learning Policy Institute, of about $1.3 billion being withheld nationwide.
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commonwealthbeacon.org

Galvin pursuing ballot question on same-day voter registration - CommonWealth Beacon

Galvin understands the ideal often put forth that lawmaking is best done through the give and take of legislative deliberation. But he also knows the difference between thoughtful deliberation and bill-killing delay tactics.
commonwealthbeacon.org commonwealthbeacon.org

That’s why, after years of inaction on Beacon Hill on legislation that would allow same-day voter registration, Galvin filed an initiative petition last week to put the issue on the 2026 statewide ballot so that voters can decide on the question directly.
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www.bostonglobe.com

Eight states, including Mass., met this week in a step toward public health independence from the federal government - The Boston Globe

Northeast states are seeking closer collaboration amid Trump's public health policies.
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A gathering in Providence of public health officials from eight states this week could lead to a new regional collaboration positioned to supplant the Trump administration’s oversight of some major public health services.
Massachusetts health officials had already discussed the possibility of coordinating vaccine recommendations with neighboring states, rather than relying on federal health agencies for guidance. But in the wake of the meeting in Providence, officials said, participating states also considered how they could work collectively to maintain effective disease tracking and emergency response services in the face of the Trump administration’s damaging funding cuts and changing health priorities.
[...]
The states have not made any vaccination policy changes based on the discussions so far, nor have they decided on a coordinated plan. But, the meeting itself marks a step toward independence from federal health agencies that a few years ago would have seemed unthinkable. Simply gathering each state’s public health leadership in one place is unusual.
Leaders of the public health departments of every New England state except New Hampshire, as well as New Jersey, New York, and Pennsylvania, attended the meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday, Rhode Island’s Department of Health confirmed.
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Milton is trying to change the definition of what "rapid transit" is to avoid being an MBTA Rapid Transit Community.

Bill H.3813

malegislature.gov malegislature.gov
https://malegislature.gov/Bills/194/S2378

Hearing Details - Joint Committee on Transportation

malegislature.gov malegislature.gov

“Rapid transit community” means an MBTA community that has within its borders at least 100 acres of developable station area associated with one or more subway stations, or MBTA Silver Line bus rapid transit stations.

“Subway station” means a Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority station with uninterrupted service running inbound-to or outbound-from either Park Street Station, Government Center Station, Downtown Crossing Station, or State Street Station as part of the Red, Blue, Orange, or Green Lines.

“Trolley Station” means an MBTA station providing connecting service to a subway station but does not provide direct service either inbound-to or outbound-from Park Street Station, Government Center Station, Downtown Crossing Station, or State Street Station.
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The paper exercise of modestly increasing your zoning capacity near a freeway to conform with a simple state law? ABSOLUTELY NOT, WE WILL HAVE A VOTE ON THIS AND THEN STILL LOSE, WASTING TONS OF MONEY FOR NOTHING.

The paper exercise of literally changing a different state law so that you are semantically excluded from a plain language definition of what a "train" is? GREAT USE OF PUBLIC TIME AND MONEY!
 
This is a great idea.
www.bostonglobe.com

Healey hopes to give towns more power to take on the ‘double-pole problem’ - The Boston Globe

Proposal would, for the first time, let communities fine utilities that don’t take down their obsolete poles.
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Double poles have been a thorn in the side of Massachusetts municipal officials for decades, but top officials from the Healey administration think there is momentum behind ongoing talks and a realistic chance to address the perennial problem with a provision tucked into the governor’s municipal reforms bill.
The double pole problem emerges when an older utility pole needs to be replaced. Utility companies often install a new pole next to the old one and then transfer everything attached to the old pole to the new one. But despite state law that says the old poles must be removed within 90 days they often remain in place, causing headaches for municipal officials who try to get pole owners to take them down, sometimes for years.
Critics of double poles say they are unsightly, force drivers and pedestrians to contend with unnecessary visual obstacles, and create situations where high voltage wires could be attached to poles that are not set in the ground. Utilities have argued that crackdown efforts do not account for the coordination required when multiple companies have equipment on the same pole.
[...]
Gov. Maura Healey’s so-called Municipal Empowerment Act takes the latest swing at the problem (the first clear reference in the News Service archives to attempts to address double poles is from 2003) by proposing to double the length of time utilities have to remove the old poles to 180 days while giving municipalities, for the first time, the authority to enforce the deadline with $1,000 penalties for utilities that fail to comply.
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mass.streetsblog.org

Conceding to Trump, State House Democrats Fast-Track Legislation to Repeal State Climate Laws - Streetsblog Massachusetts

House Democrats are poised to embrace the Trump administration's energy policies by repealing key science-based provisions in the state's climate laws.
mass.streetsblog.org mass.streetsblog.org
House bill 4744, "An Act relative to energy affordability, clean power and economic competitiveness," would make the Commonwealth's short-term pollution reduction targets for 2030 "non-binding, and non-enforceable."
Current state law requires Massachusetts to halve climate-heating pollutants compared to 1990 levels by 2030, in alignment with scientific guidance from the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The bill would also slash the budget for the state's energy efficiency program, Mass Save.
Finally, the Democrats' bill would impose a requirement for "an affordability and competitiveness assessment" with consultation from business groups and utilities before any state agency takes any future action to regulate air pollution.
The legislation's lead sponsor, Rep. Mark Cusack of Braintree, introduced the 98-page bill on Monday, just before Veteran's Day.
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www.bostonglobe.com

New Suffolk/Globe poll finds Mass. voters are eager for change in rent control, income tax, and more - The Boston Globe

The survey found a majority of voters would support at least five different initiatives proposed for the 2026 ballot.
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Three out of five Massachusetts registered voters said they would back a measure capping annual rent increases in most rental units statewide, according to a new Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll, underscoring that housing affordability remains a top concern around the state.

[...]

More than 60 percent of 500 poll respondents also indicated they would back measures that would slice Massachusetts’ income tax rate and allow voters to register on Election Day. Most of those surveyed said they would support changing the state Legislature’s payment structure, too.

The measure that gained the most support in the poll — with more than 80 percent backing it — would subject the Massachusetts Legislature and the governor’s office to the state’s public records law.

[...]

Another set of proposed questions, sponsored by the bipartisan Coalition to Reform our Legislature, could change how the Legislature’s leadership gets paid by reducing the stipends on offer to legislators and linking pay to performance. About 30 percent said they would support ending extra stipends offered to legislators, and another 48 percent said they would back changing the stipend system.
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Rent control is short-sighted if not paired with aggressive measures to induce supply but I cannot fathom a single argument for lopping off 20% of the state's income tax revenue.
 
The roads and the T are just too good.

If you give people the option they will want to pay less tax, consequences be damned.

This rent control question needs to be beaten though…
 
5% a year seems like a pretty good compromise all things considered as compared to a rent freeze or a rule that's below inflation. Buildings are not valued based on their maintenance costs, they're valued based on rent increasing forever. Buildings will have to take a haircut in value (and thus land will as well) which is probably what we want anyway.
 
KCasiglio said:
I cannot fathom a single argument for lopping off 20% of the state's income tax revenue.
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Obviously there are still major hurdles like the high capital gains tax and totally bullshit estate tax but anything that helps to kill off the Taxachusetts moniker is a step in the right direction toward attracting and retaining business owners/investors/high income professionals.
 
kmp1284 said:
Obviously there are still major hurdles like the high capital gains tax and totally bullshit estate tax but anything that helps to kill off the Taxachusetts moniker is a step in the right direction toward attracting and retaining business owners/investors/high income professionals.
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This presupposes the state is struggling with retaining business owners/investors/high income professionals. My read of the situation is that demand is outpacing supply.
 
KCasiglio said:
This presupposes the state is struggling with retaining business owners/investors/high income professionals. My read of the situation is that demand is outpacing supply.
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It also presupposes that Massachusetts is a high tax state, which isn't really true. Massachusetts ranks in the third quintile, behind such supposedly low tax red states like Nebraska, Indiana, and Kansas. We shouldn't assume high income people can't research and validate the inaccurate rumors.

www.cpapracticeadvisor.com

How the 50 States Rank By Tax Burden (2024)

Residents of New York state are burdened by taxes the most, while Alaska residents have the lowest tax burden, a WalletHub study found.
www.cpapracticeadvisor.com www.cpapracticeadvisor.com
 
I understand the point but it also must be noted that over 100,000 NH residents are willing to sit in traffic every day and hand us 5% of their pay just for the privilege of working in our state.
 
kmp1284 said:
This deals more with the tax policies driving the exodus of higher income/business owners but a reduction in the state income tax would be a great first step and everyone benefits across the board.

https://www.masscpas.org/storage/files/80fa250a87ab3d385dd27dc81a71645a.pdf
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CPAs and their ultra-rich clients have a vested incentive to want lower taxes and this survey is from a trade group - it's not objective evidence. Reducing the state income tax would take funding away from critical services as a cruelty-is-the-point regime in Washington is cutting state aid. It definitely does not "benefit everyone". In fact, it probably hurts most people who aren't these CPAs' clients (which is the vast majority of us).

(not to be pedantic, but income taxes are progressive taxes - reducing them definitionally benefits you more the higher your income)
 
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