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By Credit search: State House News Service

By SAM DRYSDALE

Students with cognitive disabilities and English language learners could stand to benefit the most from a ballot initiative that would “greatly diminish the state’s role as a gatekeeper to high school graduation,” and lower the stakes of statewide...

By CHRIS LISINSKI

Opponents of a major new gun law say they have collected a bit less than half of the signatures they need by early next month to suspend the measure until voters would potentially get a chance to decide its fate in 2026.A group of gun owners and...

By COLIN A. YOUNG

Treasurer Deborah Goldberg fired Cannabis Control Commission Chair Shannon O’Brien on Monday, her office confirmed, a removal that seems likely to kick the yearlong drama back into the courts.In a statement, Goldberg said she decided to fire O’Brien...

By SAM DORAN

The Department of Public Health this week celebrated the 50th anniversary of a program for mothers and children that boosts childhood nutrition and, in the words of one state representative, serves as a “buffer against hardship.”Known as WIC, the...

By COLIN A. YOUNG

BOSTON — The Department of Public Health is moving on multiple fronts to address the elevated risks of mosquito-borne illnesses this year, including spraying pesticides from trucks in southern Worcester County and from planes in Plymouth County...

By MICHAEL P. NORTON

Gun owners have taken the first step toward putting before Massachusetts voters a proposal to repeal the firearms law signed on July 25 by Gov. Maura Healey, a statute the governor called the “most significant gun safety legislation in a decade.”A...

By CHRIS LISINSKI

Legislative leaders have few specifics ironed out for a potential return to formal business after they failed to find agreement last week on a major jobs bill and several other popular proposals.With Beacon Hill now fully ensconced in summer vacation...

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 — 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 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 ALISON KUZNITZ

BOSTON — Health officials are urging residents to use insect repellent when outdoors this summer, after mosquito samples tested positive for two viruses.The Department of Public Health said the Eastern equine encephalitis (EEE) virus was detected in...

By COLIN A. YOUNG

The federal government has proposed the first national safety standard meant to keep workers safe from excessive heat in the workplace and has made $1 billion available to hundreds of projects — including 30 in Massachusetts — that try to mitigate...

By COLIN A. YOUNG

BOSTON — Before voting late Thursday night to pass a housing policy and borrowing bill that many say could turn the tides of the housing market, senators adopted an amendment that would prohibit most home purchase offers that are conditioned on the...

By CHRIS LISINSKI

BOSTON — A pair of potential ballot questions reshaping the work landscape for app-based drivers will be permitted to advance, the state’s highest court ruled Thursday, clearing the way for voters to make decisions with national implications.The...

By SAM DRYSDALE

BOSTON — Two powerful lawmakers are trying to push a widely supported bill to ban toxic “forever chemicals” over the finish line before the looming end of session, but neither said Tuesday that the issue is a priority for their branch.House Speaker...

By ALISON KUZNITZ

BOSTON — Gov. Maura Healey issued an executive order Monday meant to safeguard access to emergency abortions as her administration girds for U.S. Supreme Court rulings this week that could further unravel reproductive care options across the...

By SAM DRYSDALE

BOSTON — Massachusetts is now the 49th state to prohibit revenge pornography, with Gov. Maura Healey signing a bill late last week that also cracks down on sexual harassment and coercive control by domestic abusers.The bill closes a legal loophole to...

By SAM DRYSDALE

BOSTON — Musicians hauling three drums, two trombones, a saxophone and a tuba played their way up Park Street to the corner of Beacon Street on Tuesday, blocking traffic and leading dozens of rally attendees to celebrate that app-based drivers who...