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By Credit search: State House News Service

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 Colin A. Young

BOSTON — Without a single Republican vote, the Massachusetts House and Senate sent the governor a massive overhaul of the state’s gun laws late last week, crossing one of the most significant items off of the Legislature’s rest-of-July to-do list.The...

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 ALISON KUZNITZ

The House chair of the Elder Affairs Committee has lambasted the Senate’s months-long delay in taking up a long-term care reform bill, but his Senate co-chair expressed optimism about the legislation reaching Gov. Maura Healey’s desk this session.“We...

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 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 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...

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 CHRIS LISINSKI

BOSTON – Voters are on track to get the final say over whether Massachusetts businesses should pay a higher minimum wage to tipped employees after the state’s highest court on Thursday concluded that a proposed ballot question is properly drafted.The...

By SAM DRYSDALE

BOSTON — The base of a late-session climate bill that has been promised by top Democrats in both branches is being drafted by Gov. Maura Healey’s administration, which says that reform to the siting and permitting of clean energy infrastructure is...

By CHRIS LISINSKI

Nearly 18 months after legislative leaders kicked off the two-year term by identifying sky-high housing costs as one of their chief areas of focus, the Massachusetts House stamped its approval on a $6.5 billion plan that top Democrats believe will...