Will Brownsberger — State Senator, Democrat, 2d Suffolk and Middlesex District

The conversation about Citizens United continues.

The Patrick administration, in collaboration with the legislature, has been doing a good job focusing on long-term financial issues. Click here for the state’s long-term financial model. In a nutshell, the model says that if we can get health costs under control and the economy continues to recover, we will be able to sustain our [...]

The Senate Ways and Means budget is out. Get the SWM press release and links to budget details here.

The single payer amendment came to a vote this afternoon during the first day of debate on the Senate health care bill. After a vigorous debate, the Senate voted it down in a roll call with 15 voting yes (including me) and 22 voting no. This was a much stronger showing than had previously been [...]

A very positive element in the Senate health care cost control legislation is the creation of a Prevention and Wellness Trust Fund. I strongly support the creation of this fund because it will support cost-effective community-based prevention.

During the health care debate, there will be an important conversation on Single Payer health care reform. I do broadly support Single Payer health care and I am cautiously optimistic that the legislation before the Senate will move us in the right direction.

After over a year of hearings and discussions, the House and Senate have both released global health care cost control bills. The highest level institutions in Boston – government, business, major hospitals and insurers – are all deeply engaged in the conversation about the options.

The Senate President’s Office released S. 2660, the Health Care Reform Bill.

The conversation about Citizens United continues.

Follow the link here to sign up for electronic notification of license renewals from the Registry of Motor Vehicles. They no longer send hard copies.

MassDOT is looking for input on transportation investment priorities.

The consensus revenue estimate underlying the budget appears slightly optimistic and is more uncertain than in some years.

The House Ways and Means Committee has released its draft budget. The draft increases both General Government and Chapter 70 aid. If we are able to hold these increases on the Senate side, all of my communities will benefit.

The House and Senate are still conferencing their conflicting versions of a crime bill for this session. The Senate version of the bill included a number of positive elements that merit study.

Last August, I rode a bicycle across the country from Belmont to Anacortes, Washington on the Pacific Coast. It was a big experience and I’ll be talking about it on Saturday, April 14 from 3-5PM at the First Church in Belmont, 404 Concord Avenue.

Senate President Therese Murray addressed the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce and laid out elements of the Senate’s approach to economic growth, sounding familiar themes, but also starting a conversation about work force training.

The Senate passed a bill that generally forces greater accountability on utilities for keeping costs down. At the same time, it extends our commitment to transition to more use of renewables in electric power generation.

A recent analysis released by the Massachusetts Sentencing Commission reinforces concerns about the prison population impacts of the habitual offender bill.

I’m still answering a lot of emails about the MBTA. Here’s an example and my reply.

We’ve been in touch with the MBTA about frequency reductions that constituents have reported to us on these routes. This is the written response that we have received as to the 78 and we received verbally similar explanations regarding the 74 and the 75. Thank you for letting me know about your concerns with recent [...]