LEGISLATURE

Following cuts to the U.S. Department of Education, Massachusetts lawmakers take testimony from state education officials as FY26 budget-making resumes, following a week off.

Lawmakers face the challenge of addressing the potential loss of $16B in federal funding in next year’s Mass. budget, which may require significant Legislative action.

Massachusetts state Rep. Natalie Blais of Deerfield was named to co-lead the Legislature's Agriculture Committee.

Movement is expected on the mini-budget and shelter program reform bill that has been in play since early last month. The House and Senate passed similar versions.

Mass. Senate lawmakers passed some session rules aiming to make the legislative process a little easier for people in the Commonwealth to understand.

This week, six weeks into the new Legislative session in Massachusetts, state senators are planning to consider setting the rules to govern the two-year session.

Even before Donald Trump became president again and signed several anti-LGBTQ+ orders, more than two dozen states had been building up their policies. Seeking a quality of life with less discrimination, some families with LGBTQ+ children decided to move to states with more protections in place. One family recently arrived in western Massachusetts from South Carolina.

The Trump administration's move to pause trillions of dollars in federal spending triggered an avalanche of uncertainty, panic and outrage, including a lawsuit from Attorney General Andrea Campbell and several of her counterparts.

Massachusetts has reason to both celebrate accomplishments and fret over serious challenges as Gov. Maura Healey gets set to check in with a joint session of the Legislature at 7 p.m. Thursday.

Mass. lawmakers are planning for a 2.2% increase in tax revenue to spend in the fiscal year 2026 budget. There is uncertainty beyond that.