Efforts to curb super PAC spending stalled in Massachusetts, but Maine voters approved a $5,000 contribution cap. Now, a federal court is set to decide whether that limit passes constitutional muster. buff.ly/GTCqKG4

Appeals Court judges seem open to Maine limits on super PAC contributions

Backers of the Maine law argue that super PAC spending is rapidly ballooning, and becoming so associated with particular candidates and their pet issues that the principle of limiting campaign…

commonwealthbeacon.org

Governor Healey will have to consider a proposal from a major Canadian pipeline company to expand gas in the Bay State as she works to balance energy affordability against ambitious climate goals and efforts to cut fossil fuels – all amid her 2026 reelection bid. buff.ly/Kd1fhct

Healey sounds alarm on energy costs — but a legislative solution remains elusive for now

Healey’s decision to speak specifically on energy policy as the Legislature scrambled elsewhere in the State House to tackle other priorities is the latest sign of urgency from the governor to…

commonwealthbeacon.org

An uptick in youth mental health struggles, staff shortages, and a lack of resources are all cited as contributors to an increase in emergency student removals in Massachusetts schools. buff.ly/ic8vp02

Nearly 15 years after student discipline reform, school suspensions in Mass. are falling. Are emergency removals taking their place?

In 2012, after child advocates spent years trying to reduce punitive suspensions in schools, Massachusetts passed sweeping education reforms, kickstarting a longstanding policy shift away from…

commonwealthbeacon.org

The Massachusetts health care workforce is expected to see a staffing crisis after the federal government revoked Temporary Protected Status for Haitian and Syrian nationals. Iván Espinoza-Madrigal of Lawyers for Civil Rights talks about the impact of new immigration policy on The Codcast.

A consistent increase in emergency student removals in Massachusetts schools has advocates sounding the alarm: Mounting learning loss, they say, is contributing to the state’s staggering racial and socioeconomic achievement gaps. buff.ly/TtbSiZJ

#OPINION Greater Boston proved it can host the world, but regional competitiveness is not won in a single summer. Policymakers can turn this success into a lasting investment and development strategy, writes Ron O’Hanley, chairman and CEO of State Street. buff.ly/GaPZEQB

Boston hosted the world. Let's make it a habit.

Greater Boston can host the world. Now we need to make sure we are willing and able to do it again and again because doing so brings lasting economic and civic benefits to our region.

commonwealthbeacon.org

A coalition of business groups and unions are urging lawmakers to make a deal to lower energy costs for consumers, including by abandoning certain efforts to transition to clean energy sources. buff.ly/Kd1fhct

Healey sounds alarm on energy costs — but a legislative solution remains elusive for now

Healey’s decision to speak specifically on energy policy as the Legislature scrambled elsewhere in the State House to tackle other priorities is the latest sign of urgency from the governor to…

commonwealthbeacon.org

How do you fit nine major policy decisions onto one ballot? And is Question 9, relegated to the bottom of the list, stuck with a steeper climb than Question 1? Chris Lisinski dives into the science — or is it more of an art? — of ballot design on @gbhnews.bsky.social's The Curiosity Desk.

The end of the Legislature's formal work on July 31 was less chaotic than the last few cycles, but introduced some uncertainty. Jennifer Smith and Chris Lisinski explain the new deadlines dictating Beacon Hill’s calendar, and what’s on the table for the rest of the year: buff.ly/ViUo9Tt

A financial crunch and an ongoing statewide drought are raising the stakes for communities around the Quabbin Reservoir, fueling new tensions between the region's towns and state government. Local officials say they're “running out of money.” buff.ly/qeqoBsk

‘It’s like the Hunger Games’: Quabbin Reservoir towns take funding fight to Beacon Hill amid extended drought

A perfect storm of long-held resentments, the well-known story of the financial crunch squeezing small towns across the state, and an act of blameless chance — weather — is raising the stakes and…

commonwealthbeacon.org

Offshore wind has struggled to deliver the boon it was expected to bring to Massachusetts. What needs to happen to unlock its full potential? Jordan Wolman speaks with Dr. Vamsi Chadalavada, president and CEO of ISO New England, about the future of the region’s energy landscape. buff.ly/H6Fwlz2

As out-of-school suspensions decline, emergency removals are rising. Massachusetts educators say the lack of behavioral support staff is a big reason why. buff.ly/vsKzGqY

Only a handful of provisions in a monumental new housing act by the federal government could actually impact Massachusetts, state officials and researchers say. Any substantial unit boost from the legislation would be modest.

Governor Healey will have to consider a proposal from a major Canadian pipeline company to expand gas in the Bay State as she works to balance energy affordability against ambitious climate goals and efforts to cut fossil fuels – all amid her 2026 reelection bid. buff.ly/Kd1fhct

Healey sounds alarm on energy costs — but a legislative solution remains elusive for now

Healey’s decision to speak specifically on energy policy as the Legislature scrambled elsewhere in the State House to tackle other priorities is the latest sign of urgency from the governor to…

commonwealthbeacon.org

Patients in the Boston area had the longest wait times in the country when booking a physical with a new provider, averaging 69 days, according to a survey of 15 cities. Proposed legislation could boost investments in the struggling primary care industry if lawmakers can find common ground.

Three wealthy donors have poured almost $1.4 million into a Massachusetts ballot question that would channel tax revenue to nature conservation. Yet critics are raising questions about how effective the measure would be in practice. commonwealthbeacon.org/ballot-quest...

An effort to boost nature, backed by big-money donors, lands in the middle of Mass. ballot question mania

As the campaign shifts from ballot-qualifying to general election mode, what the end result will be of all the money raised and spent, all the signatures collected and ads likely to come, and all the…

commonwealthbeacon.org

How do you fit up to nine major policy decisions onto one ballot? Massachusetts election officials are wrestling with that question ahead of November. buff.ly/rSIMVvd

The tricky calculus of designing a ballot with nine questions

While law sets clear patterns for most of the ballot, officials need to lean more on the skills used by magazine or newspaper layout editors when it comes to statewide questions.

commonwealthbeacon.org

With electricity prices in Massachusetts reaching double the national average, Governor Healey is pushing aggressive action to lower utility bills. Yet competing priorities and divisions in the Legislature give no indication of when lawmakers will move on the issue. buff.ly/Kd1fhct

Healey sounds alarm on energy costs — but a legislative solution remains elusive for now

Healey’s decision to speak specifically on energy policy as the Legislature scrambled elsewhere in the State House to tackle other priorities is the latest sign of urgency from the governor to…

commonwealthbeacon.org

#OPINION Towns along the Quabbin Reservoir are protecting the drinking water for Greater Boston – yet these same towns are struggling to stay afloat financially, writes Matteo Pangallo, land use clerk for Shutesbury. buff.ly/tOqxoGb

Towns surrounding the Quabbin Reservoir protect the water for 2.7 million people in Eastern Mass. They're getting financially starved in the process.

The state’s payments in lieu of taxes system treats Quabbin land as nearly worthless. In reality, it's the most valuable land in Massachusetts: Without it, more than 2.7 million people across Eastern…

commonwealthbeacon.org

State lawmakers are poised to reform health care in Massachusetts. Proposed legislation would more than double primary care spending in an effort to reshape an industry that doctors, patients, and advocates have warned for years is in a precarious position. buff.ly/Iv092JD

With House vote, Beacon Hill inches closer to landmark primary care reforms

Negotiations on a final compromise could prove arduous, but the House and Senate agree on the fundamental idea of more than doubling the share of health care spending that goes toward primary care to…

commonwealthbeacon.org

Three wealthy donors have poured almost $1.4 million into a Massachusetts ballot question that would channel tax revenue to nature conservation. Yet critics are raising questions about how effective the measure would be in practice. buff.ly/twJiyts

An effort to boost nature, backed by big-money donors, lands in the middle of Mass. ballot question mania

As the campaign shifts from ballot-qualifying to general election mode, what the end result will be of all the money raised and spent, all the signatures collected and ads likely to come, and all the…

commonwealthbeacon.org

As e-bikes, scooters, and mopeds grow in popularity, so do safety concerns. Massachusetts lawmakers are working to replace a patchwork of local regulations with a statewide framework designed to adapt to rapidly evolving transportation technologies. buff.ly/fAUueGE

Mass. lawmakers move to create statewide framework for e-bikes and scooters

The rapid adoption and quickly changing technology of smaller vehicles has outpaced the ability of regulations to keep up, leaving riders, local officials, and law enforcement without a clear…

commonwealthbeacon.org

A campaign finance debate Massachusetts voters never got to settle is now playing out in federal court. Judges are considering whether Maine's voter-approved $5,000 cap on super PAC donations can withstand constitutional scrutiny. buff.ly/fLYm7G4

Appeals Court judges seem open to Maine limits on super PAC contributions

Backers of the Maine law argue that super PAC spending is rapidly ballooning, and becoming so associated with particular candidates and their pet issues that the principle of limiting campaign…

commonwealthbeacon.org

#OPINION Mass. must continue its pioneering efforts to provide health care coverage for all while finding cheaper ways to pay for that coverage. Christopher Koller offers lessons for the state from his time as the country’s first health insurance commissioner in Rhode Island. buff.ly/FN25LyC

As a physician providing abortion care in Maryland, I see Massachusetts families on their hardest days.

I trust my patients—and Massachusetts legislators should, too.

buff.ly

In his more than three decades as mayor of Leominster, Dean Mazzarella has survived challenges and controversies that might have ended other political careers. Local leaders and residents marvel at his staying power.

Massachusetts is facing a collision of rising energy demand and growing affordability concerns. How is New England’s grid operator navigating this moment?

Gov. Healey negotiated a 10.4 percent increase in health insurance premiums for small businesses and some individuals, down from the initially forecast 12.9 percent increase.

One of this election cycle’s largest individual donations is backing a ballot measure to create a nature conversation fund, showing environmental causes can still attract major financial supporters in the Bay State.

An effort to boost nature, backed by big-money donors, lands in the middle of Mass. ballot question mania

As the campaign shifts from ballot-qualifying to general election mode, what the end result will be of all the money raised and spent, all the signatures collected and ads likely to come, and all the…

buff.ly

Does Leominster's mayor hold the secret to electoral longevity? After 32 years in office, Dean Mazzarella has quietly become the longest-serving mayor in Massachusetts history.

Most lots in Massachusetts could become three-unit parcels, at least on paper. State senators say a proposed change to allow more small multi-family housing could ease cost pressures in the Commonwealth as the state works to curb an outflux of young residents. buff.ly/ATmzKoR

Layered over ADU law, Senate duplex bill would allow three units on most residential lots

Lawmakers “could, say, take another 10, 20 years to ask cities and towns to legalize duplexes,” said Amy Dain. “We have learned that is not possible. You could spend 50 years on it and you would only…

commonwealthbeacon.org