both House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka have managed to get their first dose of vaccine, according to aides to the legislative leaders.
Almost a month after Gov. Charlie Baker returned sweeping climate legislation to lawmakers with a series of recommended amendments, House Speaker Ronald Mariano said he s willing to work with the governor on some technical changes but will not back down on our ambitious emissions reduction targets.
The bill â which the House and Senate passed for the second time in January after Baker rejected a version sent to him in the final days of the last legislative session â proposes to lock the state into its goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, set interim emission reduction targets, establish appliance energy efficiency standards, authorize additional purchases of offshore wind power and codify protections for environmental justice communities, among other measures.
Massachusetts House speaker Ron Mariano seeks to extend mail-in voting through June
Updated Feb 24, 2021;
Massachusetts House Speaker Ron Mariano plans to push for a three-month extension of the COVID-19 vote-by-mail law that contributed to a record-breaking turnout in the 2020 presidential election.
Mariano, a Quincy Democrat, issued a statement Wednesday night confirming the House will seek to extend the mail-in voting law until June 30 so local elections can continue with a vote-by-mail option in the short term. The current mail-in voting law expires in March.
“Since we first enacted vote by mail, it has proven to be secure and even increased voter turnout in many places,” Mariano said in a statement. “The House looks forward to making vote by mail a permanent way for residents to exercise their right to vote during and beyond the pandemic.”
Skepticism, questions mark reaction to education commissionerâs calls for reopening
By Travis Andersen and Felicia Gans Globe Staff,Updated February 23, 2021, 12:50 p.m.
Email to a Friend
Students headed for the school bus after leaving Samuel Adams Elementary School in Boston.Jessica Rinaldi/Globe Staff
A chorus of stakeholders on Tuesday reacted skeptically to the Baker administrationâs call for elementary school students across Massachusetts to have the option of returning to in-person learning five days a week, though at least one prominent Boston lawmaker praised the idea.
Beth Kontos, president of the American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts, said in a statement that the approach will only work if state officials âfinally provide the resources and support local districts have lacked over the past year.â