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By ANTHONY CAMMALLERI

BOSTON — After advocacy by Greenfield residents helped get the legislation to her desk, Gov. Maura Healey signed an attachment to the fiscal year 2025 budget banning “home equity theft,” the practice of taking the entire equity of a home in the event...

By ALISON KUZNITZ and SAM DRYSDALE

BOSTON – Aiming to save more Bay Staters from fatal opioid-related overdoses, the Senate passed an addiction and substance use disorder bill Tuesday featuring a controversial policy allowing cities and towns to open safe injection sites.Senate...

By COLIN A. YOUNG

BOSTON – Gov. Maura Healey gave her OK to sweeping statewide policy changes Monday afternoon as part of the overdue fiscal year 2025 budget, signing free community college, online Mass Lottery products, free rides on regional transit authorities and...

By DOMENIC POLI

With the state Department of Public Health having reported an adult case of measles in Worcester County earlier this month following international travel, public health officials are advising there are measures people can take to reduce their...

By ALISON KUZNITZ

Massachusetts cities and towns would be authorized to open overdose prevention centers, under a bill the Senate plans to take up on Tuesday.The legislation’s supporters say the sites could be a powerful way to crack down on the devastating impacts of...

By CHRIS LISINSKI

Representatives went five for five on approval of animal safety and treatment bills Thursday, mounting a late-session push for greater dog kennel oversight and a ban on the use of certain exotic mammals in traveling shows.The House approved the bills,...

By CHRIS LISINSKI

BOSTON — Supporters of medical aid in dying pressed Wednesday for a late-session vote on the proposal, pointing to growing numbers of legislative backers and movement at the committee level as a sign that “anything is possible.”With one week remaining...

By SAM DRYSDALE

BOSTON – Top Senate Democrats ruled that policies with majority support meant to target the toxic and cancer-causing chemicals known as PFAS were outside the scope of a major health care bill that the chamber passed last week, before making a...

By SAM DRYSDALE

BOSTON — The Massachusetts House was split along party lines Wednesday night in voting to support climate and energy legislation that would “help accelerate the green transition,” according to the bill’s lead architect. “The bill before you continues...

By CHRIS LARABEE

After a frantic emergency response to save animals and equipment on July 10, 2023, David Fisher and Maggie Toran assessed their farm field as memories of Hurricane Irene came flooding back.At their horse-powered, community-supported agriculture (CSA)...

By Chris LisinskI

House Democrats will make a push for new clean energy policies Wednesday, bringing forward a late-session bill overhauling how Massachusetts approves new power projects and seeking even more megawatts from green sources.The House teed up a 97-page...

By CHRIS LISINSKI

Senate Democrats will vote Thursday on a voluminous health care oversight reform bill inspired by the crisis at Steward Health Care as well as broader industry trends inflicting pressure on hospitals, providers and patients.Nearly two months after the...

By ALISON KUZNITZ

BOSTON — Massachusetts drivers could be banned from FaceTiming their friends and livestreaming onto social media platforms while they’re on the road under legislation the House quietly passed last week.Lawmakers approved a distracting driving bill (H...

By CHRIS LISINSKI

The national group pursuing a ballot question that would increase what Massachusetts employers must pay tipped workers faces a new 11th-hour obstacle that could imperil its fate.A restaurant industry trade group higher-up filed an objection with state...

By CHRIS LISINSKI

Lawmakers from both parties signaled Tuesday they share a government watchdog’s concerns about upheaval at the Cannabis Control Commission, but Democrats who wield decision-making power stopped short of indicating what kind of response they might...

By SAM DRYSDALE

The Senate will dig into a massive economic development package Thursday after top Democrats on Monday morning released their own vision for how Massachusetts should pursue job and economic growth opportunities.The Senate’s bill (S 2856) authorizes...

By SAIJEL KISHAN

President Joe Biden’s trio of legislative packages designed to revive U.S. manufacturing prowess is already helping regions from upstate New York to West Virginia. To the frustration of its local development agency, one that’s getting left behind is a...

By SAM DRYSDALE

BOSTON — Leyla Connolly’s battery-powered wheelchair has been broken for over a year. As she waits for it to be fixed, she is consigned to her Dorchester apartment, where she feels trapped without a safe way to leave to get groceries, go to doctor’s...

By ALEXA LEWIS

Local policymakers and affordable housing advocates and developers are welcoming a bill that cleared the state Senate unanimously late last week authorizing $5.4 billion in state borrowing to spur housing production amid a mounting housing supply...

By ALISON KUZNITZ

BOSTON — Some Massachusetts patients seeking physical and behavioral health care services could receive treatment in the form of arts and culture activities under a new model being embraced by state officials.The Massachusetts Cultural Council, the...