Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Governor Patrick unveils an online tool detailing budget effects on communities across the Commonwealth. The tool includes maps for transportation funding and educational funding for each legislative district.
In an effort to promote his $34.8 billion budget proposal, Gov. Deval Patrick unveiled an online tool with 400 maps that shows what each legislative district would receive in education funding. “This tool will help people see exactly what to expect in their own backyard as part of the investments we’ve proposed,” Patrick said. “Meaningful investments in education and transportation today will significantly improve our economic future both in the short term and for generations to come.” There are two maps per district – one displaying transportation investments and one displaying education investments in each community. For example, according to the maps, the 2nd Barnstable District, which includes precints 2 through 10 and 13, would…
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
While specific deductions would end, personal exemptions would double under the Patrick budget.
A recent analysis of Gov. Deval Patrick's proposed budget finds that it eliminates 44 tax breaks that benefit a large slice of Massachusetts taxpayers. Patrick's $34.8 billion FY2014 budget includes not only a 1 percentage point hike in the income tax – from 5.25 percent to 6.25 percent – but the end of such deductions such as the capital gains from the sale of a person's primary home, college tuition, and contributions to a health savings account. The analysis, by the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, found that the eliminations would raise an additional $1 billion for the commonwealth. But Patrick's assistant secretary for fiscal policy, Gregory R. Mennis, told The Republican that that amount would be offset by the doubling of …
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
The fingerprint background checks would also apply to everyone seeking to adopt children or become foster parents.
The Associated Press is reporting Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick is considering signing legislation that would require teachers, workers at child care centers, school bus drivers and others to submit fingerprints for criminal background checks. The fingerprint background checks would also apply to everyone seeking to adopt children or become foster parents, as the legislation is written. Fingerprints would be submitted to the Massachusetts State Police for a state criminal history check and forwarded to the Federal Bureau of Investigation for a national criminal history check, reported the Associated Press. What do you think? Tell us in the comments.
Friday, September 28, 2012
Asked about toll fairness during a Patch live chat, Governor Deval Patrick asked a reader whether he'd support high-speed tolls. Are these a good way to share the transportation funding pain, or another money grab?
Are high-speed tolls along Interstate 93 and other highways a smart way to help fund transportation in the state? Governor Deval Patrick mentioned such a system during a Patch live chat on Thursday. If you've taken Interstate 95 into New Hampshire, you've seen high-speed tolling in action. The system is designed to read your EZ-Pass (new Fast Lane) transponder while you breeze by at 65 miles per hour. There's no need to slow down or squeeze though a booth, as EZ-Pass users currently do on the Mass Pike, Tobin Bridge and harbor tunnels. The chat moved on to other topics, so no details about implementation were offered. What do you think? Would tolls along I-93 be fair, a pay as you drive strategy? Or are tolls in general a bad way to fund …
Gov. Deval Patrick told Patch during a live chat on Thursday that he approves of releasing to defense attorneys tje State Police interviews with alleged "rogue chemist" Annie Dookhan.
Gov. Deval Patrick addressed the scandal concerning the State Drug Lab in Jamaica Plain, during a live chat with Patch on Thursday. barnstable That's where so-called "rogue chemist" Annie Dookhan is alleged to have tainted the evidence in as many as 34,000 cases. Thousands of drug dealers behind bars could go free (and some have already been released). Asked by Patch for a progress report on the mammoth task of dealing with the fallout, here's what the governor typed: The criminal investigation is ongoing. Yesterday, in a very unusual move, prosecutors gave defense attorneys all the notes of State Police interviews of witnesses to date, including the notes of the interview of Annie Dookhan, the chemist at the center of this. Given the …
Thursday, September 27, 2012
The governor will take your questions Thursday at 1:30 p.m.
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Thursday, September 27, 2012
Governor Deval Patrick will answer your questions during our live chat at 1:30 p.m. Thursday. To join the chat, enter your name and question in the widget above. We will try to get to as many questions as we can within the allotted 45 minutes, but can't guarantee every question will make it into the chat.
Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Ask Governor Deval Patrick about any topic you like during our live chat at 1:30 p.m. Thursday.
Governor Deval Patrick will take your questions live on Patch this Thursday. The governor will spend 45 minutes fielding your questions as they come. Head on over to our homepage from 1:30 p.m. to 2:15 p.m. on Thursday to join our chat. You'll simply have to provide your name, and you'll be able to ask your questions immediately. If you can't make the live chat, leave your questions as comments to this article, and we'll do our best to add them to the queue. We will publish the live chat transcript immediately and a recap first thing on Friday morning. Questions submitted will be subject to moderator approval. No vulgar or libelous comments will be allowed. Because we expect a high volume of questions for the chat session, we will keep …
Mel Cross
9:16 pm on Thursday, February 28, 2013
One clown for another........both out of touch.............   more ›