Massachusetts lawmakers are debating their transparency procedures â behind closed doors
By Emma Platoff Globe Staff,Updated April 7, 2021, 9:46 a.m.
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Could this be the year Massachusetts state representatives open themselves up to more scrutiny?
Constituents seeking an early hint could look to a recent meeting of the legislative committee debating just that â when lawmakers voted to conduct discussions about their internal transparency rules out of the view of the press and public.
Itâs that instinct toward secrecy that advocates are targeting this year in a renewed push for transparency on Beacon Hill.
For years, voters have been left to wonder why some popular, common-sense proposals donât pass in the Massachusetts House â even when a majority of the chamberâs members sign on publicly in support. Thatâs because the vast majority of bills never get a formal vote; instead, they die in the obscure committee process, where vote
Cape Cod leaders frustrated with shift of doses from local to large-scale COVID vaccine sites
Updated Feb 18, 2021;
Posted Feb 18, 2021
In Falmouth, a sign in the Walgreens window on Friday told customers that the COVID-19 vaccine was not yet available at that location.
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By Chris Lisinski | State House News Service
On the day that more than 1 million Massachusetts residents gained eligibility for COVID-19 vaccines, lawmakers and local officials from Cape Cod slammed Gov. Charlie Baker’s decision to shift the administration of doses away from many municipalities.
Speakers on a Cape Cod COVID-19 Response Task Force call launched a new volley of criticism at Baker’s vaccine management, arguing that the region will struggle to balance the needs of adults 75 and older who have not yet received doses with the many people adults 65 and older, those with two or more medical issues creating a greater COVID risk, and residents of low-income and affordable senior ho