One of the sleeper stories in this year’s season of reform is the consolidation of the remaining seven independent Sheriff’s into the state budget. The main cost benefit of this change is that the employees of the sheriffs will purchase their health insurance through the Group Insurance Commission now as state employees.
Government Reform
children and families, election laws, ethics rules, insider jobs, pensions & benefits, structure and operations, transparency
Suffolk County’s Controversial Holidays
Since Evacuation day and Bunker Hill day have been getting a lot of attention lately, I thought I would post something about the legislative and social history of the two holidays. The first major celebration of Bunker Hill day, by the people of the Commonwealth, was in 1875. The battle was commemorated with a military …
Final Ethics Reform Bill Passed Unanimously
The House voted unanimously in support of far-reaching ethics reform today. The bill included not only core ethics reforms (enhanced penalties for all forms of inappropriate gifts and self-dealing), but also enhanced regulation of lobbying and campaign political finance.
Final Ethics Bill Released — Full Text Available.
House and Senate conferees released the text of the final ethics bill that they have agreed on. The initial read from informed observers is that it is a very strong bill that more or less takes the strongest ideas from the House bill, the Senate bill and the recommendations of the Governor’s task force.
Pending Ethics Legislation
As a constituent, I appreciate the opportunity to comment here on the pending “ethics” legislation.
Ethics Reform Discussions This Week
In Belmont Town Hall, on Wednesday night, June 24, from 7PM to 9PM, two speakers who have been centrally involved in crafting the ethics reform legislation will lead a public discussion about the reforms.