Greater Boston Municipal Leaders Call for Regional Ballot Initiatives, Value Capture For immediate release: Wednesday, July 29 Three broad coalitions of municipal officials from throughout Greater Boston called on legislators to allow municipal revenue-raising tools that are heavily used in other states. The leaders of the Metropolitan Mayors Coalition, North Shore Coalition and Commuter Rail […]
MAPC Endorses Work and Family Mobility Act On Wednesday, Feb. 12, the MAPC Executive and Legislative Committees voted to endorse An Act relative to work and family mobility (S.2061/H.3012). Filed by Senator Brendan Crighton (Lynn) and Representatives Tricia Farley-Bouvier (Pittsfield) and Christine Barber (Somerville), the legislation would allow Massachusetts to issue state identification to any […]
Please Advocate for MAPC’s Budget Priorities! The Massachusetts House of Representatives finalized their version of the FY2020 state budget on Thursday, April 25 and the Senate finalized their version on Thursday, May 23. The state budget now has to be reconciled between both chambers and sent to the Governor’s desk for approval by June 30. […]
Massachusetts House Ways and Means Committee Releases FY2020 State Budget Proposal The House Ways and Means Committee released their FY2020 state budget proposal on Wednesday, April 10. The proposal provides funding for two of MAPC’s top priorities, but funds those priorities at levels below the amount MAPC is seeking. The District Local Technical Assistance program […]
The deadline to file bills for the 2019-2020 Massachusetts legislative session was Friday, Jan. 19. Over 5,000 bills were filed before that date – including several smart growth priorities from MAPC. Our proposals were crafted to address the transportation, climate, and housing challenges in the 101 cities and towns of our region. If enacted, these […]
As Massachusetts’ legislative session drew to a close early Wednesday morning, many of MAPC’s legislative priorities were up for consideration. We wanted to give you a sense of how they fared. Short Term Rentals: The legislature’s bill regulating short term rentals would tax short term rentals at the hotel rate of 5.7 percent. City and […]
What’s the Problem? Massachusetts is in the midst of a housing crisis that threatens our communities, our economic success, and our quality of life. For years now, advocates have been calling for an update to the Commonwealth’s outdated zoning and housing rules. Businesses are debating whether to locate in Massachusetts because the high cost of […]
In 15 days, on July 31, the formal session for the Massachusetts Legislature will end – meaning that the House and Senate have two short weeks to approve the FY2019 State Budget and pass important legislation. The Legislature continues to work on completing the FY2019 State Budget and is contemplating several pieces of legislation that […]
Every year, each of MAPC’s eight subregions convenes a legislative breakfast, inviting local officials and municipal staff to hear from and ask questions of their state representatives and senators over breakfast food and coffee. The South West Advisory Planning Committee (SWAP) congregated for its annual breakfast on the morning of Friday, Feb. 2 […]
In the video above, MAPC Government Affairs Specialist Steve Byrne discusses MAPC’s legislative priorities. Every legislative session, the government affairs team monitors legislative action on Beacon Hill, identifying, following and advocating for bills and budget items likely to affect MAPC and those living and working in the MAPC region. The team compiles a list […]