This is the earliest the rules have been adopted by the Senate since they moved to a two year session in 1995. The new rules reflect the priorities of openness and transparency for Senate business that Senate President Stanley Rosenberg (D-Amherst) promised in his inaugural Senate address on January 7th.
Government Reform
children and families, election laws, ethics rules, insider jobs, pensions & benefits, structure and operations, transparency
Health Benefits for Public Retirees
At a recent town financial forum in Belmont, a number of residents questioned whether we should continue to promise subsidized health plans for retirees from state and local government jobs. In this post I’d like to sketch a possible response to the problem and get some feedback.
Pension Fund Transparency Update
Last week, the MBTA reached agreement with its largest union, Local 589, on a new collective bargaining agreement which includes commitments to increase transparency of the union’s pension fund. Concerns about the issue aren’t fully settled, but this is real progress and I commend the MBTA, the union’s leadership and the fund itself for these major steps towards transparency.
Health Connector Report
Ed Lyons shares a link to a new report on problems with the health connector. He sees the report as a good occasion to discuss issues of transparency, procurement reform, and public-private partnerships.
Disclosure of Independent Campaign Spending
The Senate passed legislation requiring timely disclosure of “independent” spending in political campaigns. This is the most significant practical response that Massachusetts can make to the Citizens United case and I had long supported it.
MayDay PAC
A link to Nayla Rathle’s guest commentary in the Belmont Citizen-Herald on MayDay PAC (an attempt to counter the corrupting influence of special-interest “superPACs”) and Will’s reactions on the issue at the state level.