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Archive of Massachusetts on Tuesday June 30, 2009
MA: Patrick signs sales tax increase, sends back $147M in vetoes
The sales tax in Massachusetts will increase 25 percent on August 1, now that Gov. Patrick has signed a budget bill for the fiscal year that begins Wednesday. Read More
MA: Deval Patrick acts on stars' behalf
Gov. Deval Patrick greenlighted the renewal of a controversial multimillion-dollar taxpayer-funded giveaway to Hollywood stars yesterday, even as he signed a $27.05 billion budget that squeezes the Bay State for another $860 million in new taxes. Read More
MA: Mass. turnpike rescinds major toll increase
FRAMINGHAM, Mass. — The Massachusetts Turnpike Authority has four months to live. Transportation Secretary James Aloisi said Monday that the new Massachusetts Department of Transportation is expected to take over Turnpike operations in November. Read More
Furloughs cut into state services
With states facing a $121 billion shortfall in the next fiscal year, a growing number of them have turned to squeezing their workforce for savings, and effects both great and small will be felt. Read More
MA: Pol unveils elderly driver plan
The state motor vehicle registry could start flagging dangerous elderly drivers, force seniors to re-take road tests and make it easier for families to intervene under a sweeping new crackdown a Beacon Hill leader is vowing to push today, the Herald has learned. Read More
MA: Mass. reports second swine flu death
State health officials say an elderly Boston man died from complications of the swine flu, the second death tied to the H1N1 virus in Massachusetts. Read More
MA: Study - Weak economy bad for public health
A new study is calling for a large-scale public health campaign in Massachusetts to stop unhealthy behaviors that appear to be caused by the weak economy. Read More
MA: Mass. toll hike scrapped; gov. approves budget
Gov. Deval Patrick has approved a new state budget that hikes the Massachusetts sales tax by 25 percent, largely preserves education spending, and makes deep cuts to other state services. Read More
MA: Anticipating state revenue, Pike board kills $100m toll increase
After 18 months of threats, and three votes to raise tolls, the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority rescinded a controversial $100 million toll hike yesterday and will instead depend on money from a higher sales tax to cover its deficit. Read More
MA: State fines National Grid $8m
National Grid, the state's largest utility company, was fined $8 million by state regulators for having a poor performance record in 2006, in what is said to be the largest penalty of its kind in state history. Read More
MA: Patrick hints at hike in gas tax
Governor Deval Patrick signed a budget yesterday that imposes more than $1 billion in additional taxes on Massachusetts residents and visitors, most of it through the first increase in the state sales tax in 33 years, even as he declined to rule out a future boost in the state gas tax. Read More
MA: Firefighters on disability race to retire
Nearly 30 Boston firefighters with pending disability claims filed for retirement yesterday, just two days before a new state law ends a controversial benefit that allows them to significantly enhance their pensions if they claim career-ending injuries occurred while filling in for a superior at a higher pay grade. Read More
US: Ruling adds teeth to state oversight of banks
For years, state governments have had little power to enforce consumer-protection and lending rules at the country's biggest banks. No more. Read More
US: Obama steers health debate out of capital
WASHINGTON — With Democrats deeply divided over health legislation, President Obama is trying to enlist the nation's governors and his own army of grass-roots supporters in a bid to increase pressure on lawmakers without getting himself mired in the messy battle playing out on Capitol Hill. Read More
US: A green way to dump low-tech electronics
Since 2004, 18 states and New York City have approved laws that make manufacturers responsible for recycling electronics, and similar statutes were introduced in 13 other states this year. Read More |
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