‘Tale of two cities:’ Cambridge faces challenges in reducing youth homelessness
By Diane McLaughlin / Cambridge@wickedlocal.com During a panel discussion about youth homelessness, moderator and Cambridge Mayor Marc McGovern asked state Rep. Marjorie Decker, D-Cambridge, to talk about her work in the Legislature. Decker declined, saying she would rather talk about what it meant to have people involved with homelessness gathered…
Lawmakers express disappointment after Gov. Baker vetoes ‘cap on kids’ repeal
https://www.wwlp.com/news/state-politics/lawmakers-express-disappointment-after-gov-baker-vetoes-cap-on-kids-repeal/1366293229 BOSTON (WWLP) – As part of this year’s state budget, The House and Senate sent Governor Charlie Baker a proposal to lift the so-called “cap on kids.” But lawmakers last month rejected Baker’s amendment to tag additional welfare reforms onto the repeal. And while Baker said he does not…
Baker’s welfare reform proposal rejected by House
By Matt Murphy State House News Service HOUSE REJECTS BAKER’S WELFARE REFORM PROPOSAL BOSTON – The House rejected Gov. Charlie Baker’s proposal to tag additional welfare reforms onto a repeal of the state’s cap on welfare benefits for children born to families already receiving public assistance, challenging the Republican in an…
Critics call Gov. Charlie Baker’s welfare family cap move ‘devious,’ ‘disturbing’
By Shira Schoenberg sschoenberg@repub.com Devious. Disturbing. Underhanded. Sneaky. These are among the adjectives that advocates for welfare recipients are using to describe Gov. Charlie Baker’s decision to reject a change that would expand welfare benefits for children unless the Legislature agrees to another change that would cut thousands of children…
Gov Baker Signs Bill Strengthening Commonwealth Gun Laws:Provides Pathway to Keep Guns Away from Dangerous Individuals
Gov. Charlie Baker signed H.4670, An Act Relative to Firearms, which will allow household members, or others in close relationships, and local law enforcement to file an extreme risk protection order (ERPO) petition with the court to remove firearms from dangerous individuals. “Massachusetts’ gun laws are a model for the nation,…
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker signs ‘red flag’ gun bill into law
By Shira Schoenberg, Mass Live BOSTON — Massachusetts on Tuesday became the 11th state to adopt a “red flag” law, allowing someone’s gun to be confiscated if they pose a risk of harming themselves or someone else. Gov. Charlie Baker signed a law establishing a process for judges to issue…
Massachusetts police chiefs back ‘red flag’ gun access bill
By Katie Lannan, State House News Service BOSTON — The Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association is now urging lawmakers to pass a so-called “red flag” bill aimed at reducing gun violence, describing it as another tool for public safety and a way of closing “dangerous loopholes.” Dudley Police Chief Steven…
In defense of recess
Legislature should mandate 20 minutes of play each day By MARJORIE DECKER WHEN YOU WERE YOUNG, could you spend six or seven hours in a classroom without going outside? Could you sit still for hours at a time, without a chance to run around and get your energy out? Today,…
Bill to Mandate Recess Picks Up Steam in Mass.
A Massachusetts representative has introduced a bill that would mandate a 20-minute recess for Massachusetts schools, but some schools are already ahead of the game. Eliot Elementary in Boston’s North End implemented two 25-minute recesses for their students 11 years ago. “Recess is important because it lets all the stuff…
Advocates Balk at Stay-On-Street Rule to Qualify for Shelter
Advocates for homeless families in Massachusetts are pushing legislation that would remove a state requirement that they spend at least one night on the streets before being eligible for emergency shelter. BOSTON (AP) — Advocates for homeless families in Massachusetts are pushing legislation that would remove a state requirement that…
Mass Lawmakers Aim To Lift Welfare ‘Cap On Kids’
By NANCY EVE COHEN Massachusetts lawmakers are considering a bill Tuesday that would lift a restriction on welfare benefits –the so-called “Cap on Kids.” In Massachusetts, a parent with one child on transitional aidreceives $478 per month if the family has no income that is counted against the grant. If…
The welfare cap is laughable — and cruel
By Yvonne Abraham, GLOBE COLUMNIST A generation ago, our legislators did something cruel, and not very smart, and now is the time to undo it. In the early 1990s, even more than today, welfare recipients were widely viewed as irresponsible and immoral. Poor people on public assistance were seen by…