The state’s finances are looking up as the economy picks up — that was the main message at the annual “Revenue Hearing” today. At the same time, all who spoke cautioned against over-confidence. Every December, lead budget writers for the Governor, the House and the Senate convene to hear presentations from leading experts on the …
S577, An Act regarding higher education opportunities for high school graduates in the Commonwealth
Senator Brownsberger submitted the following written testimony to the Joint Committee on Higher Education. TO: Joint Committee on Higher Education FROM: Senator William N. Brownsberger RE: Senate Bill 577, An Act regarding higher education opportunities for high school graduates in the Commonwealth, and House Bill 1078, An Act regarding tuition equity for …
Letter regarding process of government web site development
Senator Brownsberger passed on the ideas of a constituent for improving the process by whicvh government enters into contracts for web site development. December 9, 2013 John Letchford Chief Information Officer and Assistant Secretary Administration & Finance 1 Ashburton Place, Room 804 Boston, MA 02108 Dear Mr. Letchford, I have recently met …
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Charles River Basin Connectivity Study
On Tuesday night, I attended a community meeting hosted by DCR and MassDOT to present the Charles River Basin Bike and Pedestrian Connectivity Study. This study was commissioned as part of Governor Patrick’s Accelerated Bridge Program to identify connectivity gaps that place constraints on bike and pedestrian traffic throughout the Charles River Basin and make …
Video games and violence
About this time last year, after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School, a constituent from Watertown approached me with concern about the role that “first person shooter” games play in training people to commit acts of violence. We developed and, with the support of Representatives Hecht and Lawn from Watertown, filed legislation to study …
Natural gas: cost of extending service
Natural gas is getting cheaper and is projected to stay cheaper than oil for the foreseeable future, due to reserves discovered in New England and new techniques for extraction (the infamous ‘fracking’). Looking around in my town, Lexington, there are thousands of houses heated with oil and propane. The snug is that extension of gas …