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The Week Ahead On Beacon Hill

This week, a state commission in Massachusetts will meet to set the official health care cost benchmark. This system was put into place a number of years ago to keep a close watch on rising health care costs. For more, we checked in with State House News Service reporter Matt Murphy, as we do most Mondays.

Also this week:

  • The legislature’s transportation committee takes up road construction funds.
  • Governor Charlie Baker’s $40.5 billion state budget proposal gets its first public hearing on Thursday.

Click the audio player above to hear Carrie Healy’s conversation with Matt Murphy about the week ahead on Beacon Hill.

The Week Ahead On Beacon Hill: Baker Meets Trump, SJC Nomination Up For Hearing

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker met with President Donald Trump Monday morning in Washington D.C., along with other governors who are in the nation’s capital for the winter meeting of the National Governor’s Association. Governor Baker and President Trump are both Republicans, but Baker has kept his political distance from Trump. He’s spoken out against some of the Trump Administration’s early actions, including the controversial travel ban.

For more, we spoke with Matt Murphy, reporter with the State House News Service. He’s been covering the Governor’s Association meetings in Washington.

Click the audio player above to hear New England Public Radio’s Henry Epp interview Matt Murphy of the State House News Service.

 

Conn. Legislature Starts New Session With A Senate Tie And A Big Budget Deficit

New legislative sessions begin Wednesday in both Massachusetts and Connecticut. In Connecticut, the action begins with the State of the State address from Democratic Governor Dannel Malloy.

The session will likely be dominated by a steep budget deficit for the next fiscal year — more than $1 billion.

For more, we spoke to Chris Keating, the Capitol Bureau Chief for the Hartford Courant. He said legislative leaders and Governor Malloy are likely to fix the budget problem through cuts, not taxes.

Click the audio player above to listen to Henry Epp’s interview with Chris Keating of the Hartford Courant.

Springfield’s Bud Williams Weighs Dual Role As State Rep. And City Councilor

A Springfield city councilor is on track to juggle two elected positions in the new year, as he begins a term in the Massachusetts state legislature.

Councilor Bud Williams, a Democrat, will be sworn in as a state representative next week, but he’ll still be an at-large city councilor in Springfield.

Williams did not respond to a request for comment for this story, but he told the Springfield Republican newspaper this week that he hasn’t yet decided whether to give up his council seat.

Holyoke State Representative Aaron Vega was in a similar spot in 2013, and kept both positions. Vega said being a City Councilor is a part-time job.

“Every city councilor has another job, right? A full-time job,” Vega said. “In essence, you could say, ‘Listen, state rep. is my full-time job, and just like you, City Council’s my part-time job.'”

Vega said he was busy that year, but believed he fully represented his constituents in both roles.

If Bud Williams chooses to stay on the Springfield City Council, his current term will end in January of 2018. If he steps down, the next highest vote-getter from the 2015 election would take his place. According to Springfield Election Commissioner Gladys Oyola, that would be Jesse Lederman.

The Week Ahead On Beacon Hill

The Massachusetts unemployment rate is at its lowest level in 15 years according to the latest state numbers. Yet in the past few weeks, we’ve seen Governor Charlie Baker cut nearly $100 million from the current budget, and 900 state employees take early retirement offers.

All of that is due to under-whelming revenue coming into state government, according to Matt Murphy of the State House News Service. In our weekly check in with Murphy on all things Beacon Hill, he said revenue growth is expected to remain slow. Democrats in the legislature are not counting out tax increases in the new year. Murphy says Governor Baker is not particularly interested in doing that, but could be open to some tax changes.

Also, a look at the legislature’s priorities in the new year. Murphy said lawmakers could pursue criminal justice reform and changes to the new marijuana legalization law. Plus, three outgoing state Senators say goodbye this week.

Click the audio player above to hear Henry Epp’s conversation with State House reporter Matt Murphy about the week ahead on Beacon Hill.

 

The Week Ahead On Beacon Hill

Monday is a big day for anyone with a stake in the Massachusetts state budget. On Beacon Hill, lawmakers in charge of writing the next budget hear how much revenue they’ll likely have to work with.

For more, we turned to Matt Murphy, a reporter with the State House News Service. Murphy said state revenue estimates have been on the optimistic side in recent years.

Click the audio player above to hear NEPR’s Henry Epp speak with Matt Murphy of the State House News Service.