With Speaker Mariano, progressives get what they deserve
Progressive activists helped defeat at least one progressive who could have challenged Mariano.
By Joan Vennochi Globe Columnist,Updated December 28, 2020, 3:55 p.m.
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Rep. Ron MarianoLane Turner/Globe Staff/file
So, it looks like leadership of the Massachusetts House will be handed off from one white guy to another.
It also looks like some of the people complaining about the lack of diversity in leadership are the same people who helped make it happen.
If thereâs no progressive alternative to Ronald Mariano â the 74-year-old lawmaker from Quincy who says he has the votes to succeed House Speaker Robert DeLeo, who stepped down Monday to reportedly take a job at Northeastern â itâs because progressive activists helped defeat a progressive who could have challenged him. That would be former state Representative Jeffrey Sánchez, who, as chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means com
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss
We know who the next Massachusetts House speaker will be. Weâve known it for years.
By Yvonne Abraham Globe Columnist,Updated December 19, 2020, 3:45 p.m.
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The more things change, etc.
So say hello to your new, all-powerful speaker of the Massachusetts House! Almost exactly the same as the soon-to-be former, all-powerful speaker of the Massachusetts House! You think 2020 has been a long year? Well, itâs been 1900 in our Legislature forever: old-school, white guy speakers stretching back as far as the eye can see.
Weâre closing out one of the most cataclysmic years in this countryâs history. The pandemic laid bare so much that ails us: massive inequality; crises in housing, child care and health care; the desperate need for long overdue racial justice, and for radical action on climate change. Itâs past time our leaders better reflected the people they serve, which means more women, people of color
December 15, 2020
Massachusetts state lawmakers are moving ahead to change the state’s abortion access laws even in the face of opposition from Gov. Charlie Baker.
House Speaker Bob DeLeo announced Tuesday afternoon that his chamber will vote Wednesday to override Baker’s recent rejection of parts of a budget amendment that would increase access to abortion in Massachusetts.
The amendment, which was approved last month by veto-proof majorities in the House and Senate, included language that would increase access to late-term abortions and lower the age at which minors can obtain an abortion without parental consent in Massachusetts.
Currently, state law only allows abortions after 24 weeks of pregnancy if the mother’s health is at “a substantial risk of grave impairment.” The budget amendment would change that to also allow abortions after 24 weeks if the fetus is diagnosed with a fatal birth defect. It would also lower the age at which a minor can obtain an abortion