This spring, the legislature will consider a voter initiative to raise the income tax on people earning over one million dollars. A hearing is scheduled on Tuesday, 1/19, from 10:30 AM-1:00 PM in room B-1 in the State House. I am fully committed to vote to put the proposal on the ballot and ultimately, you the voters will decide its fate. I’m very interested in your thoughts.
Longfellow Bridge construction impact.
Representative Livingstone and Senator Brownsberger have been getting a number of emails about bike travel on the redesigned Longfellow Bridge. Here are Mass DOT’s responses about both inbound and outbound bike travel on the bridge.
Proposed legislation adds visibility to issue of cyclist safety
The Belmont Citizen-Herald reports on Senator Brownsberger’s efforts to pass bike safety legislation. “I have been working on this issue as long as I have been in the Legislature,” said State Sen. Will Brownsberger, D-Belmont, who is sponsoring four of the key bills. “Several currently pending bills have been filed in the past couple of years, but we have reached the point where the issue has the necessary visibility.”
Side guards and the trucking industry
To learn more about the complexities of the highly regulated trucking industry and how bill S1810 would impact tanker truck drivers, Senator Brownsberger did a site visit to Houghton Chemical in Allston on January 14. He met with owner Bruce Houghton to discuss the engineering and safety obstacles to adaptation of side guards to the tanker trucks operated by Houghton.
Criminal Justice Reform Seen As Major Goal For Baker And Beacon Hill Democrats
WGBH reports, “A new working group lead by Gov. Charlie Baker’s top legal aide and the Legislature’s two Judicial Committee Chairs is bringing the state’s court, law enforcement, public safety and reentry stakeholders to the table to establish comprehensive criminal justice reform goals and the means to execute them.”
New Review Of Mass. Criminal Justice System Prompts Deeper Look Into Recidivism
WBUR reports on the initial finds presented by the Council of State Government’s Justice Center to the state’s new Working Group reviewing the criminal justice system. “So far, the center’s researchers have analyzed publicly-available data and decided to further its review of three areas: incarceration, recidivism and supervision.” The presentation given by the Council at the meeting can be found at this post.