Local officials regulate dogs and kennels.

Because Belmont has been considering a new animal control law, I’ve been receiving some state law questions. State law vests authority for regulation of animals with local officials. General Laws, Chapter 140, sections 136A through 172 defines local authority over both kennels and individual dogs. Here are a few relevant sections. Section 136A defines terms, …

Congestion near Fresh Pond Parkway

The following statement was released jointly by State Senator Will Brownsberger, State Senator Pat Jehlen, Representative Jon Hecht and Representative Dave Rogers. Update 2/11/2016: Contract Awarded If you commute inbound from Belmont, Watertown or West Cambridge, there is one problem you always have to solve — how to get past the congestion on Fresh Pond …

Waverley Square Bus Service During Construction

From the Belmont Town Engineer, Glenn Clancy, in response to the question of where to get on the bus during the next couple of months of construction in Waverley Square. Church Street will be temporarily a one way from Trapelo Road to Lexington Street. Buses will enter Church from Trapelo Road, pull down Church Street …

Remote Participation for Disability Commissions

Last week the Senate passed legislation, which I sponsored, to allow disability commissions to authorize remote participation by their members. This required a modification to the open meeting law. The text of the bill was modified by the Committee on State Administration before passage by the Senate. The key language appears below: A local commission …

Non-competition Updates

There appears to be some movement on the effort to cut back on the use of non-competition agreements in Massachusetts. This has been a long-term priority of mine. These agreements restrict employee mobility, hampering new venture formation and contributing to unemployment. They are bad for the innovation climate. At the same time, employers feel them …

Rising Health Insurance Premiums

I received this troubling report about the health insurance market from a small business owner: I thought to share one data point on the cost of healthcare in Massachusetts. We just got our renewal for our Blue Cross Blue Shield policy. The premium increase was about 35%. The insurance broker tells us that the cost …