Why doesn’t the legislature just cut to the chase and write a law that states that if the governor is a Democrat he can appoint a Senator, but if the governor is a Republican, an election must be held. Seriously, when the writing of law becomes this political (we all live in this state and …
Government Reform
children and families, election laws, ethics rules, insider jobs, pensions & benefits, structure and operations, transparency
Summary of the Legislature’s Work this Season
Speaker Deleo published today this summary of the legislature’s work this season. The focus for the whole spring and early summer was on reform — ethics, pension and transportation — and the budget. See also, my series of posts on the reform and budget issues.
Contract buyout for Grabauskas … Can we stop it?
Hi Will, Was wondering if there is anything we can do to prevent the buyout of Grabauskas’s contract for the ridiculous $300K+ value yet still see him depart? I do not understand why the state must digest this payoff.
More state administrative consolidation — the Sheriffs
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.
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.