Charlie Baker News

Massachusetts’ Governor Baker Announces $10M Small Business Recovery Fund

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has announced a $10 million small business recovery loan fund to help companies struggling because of efforts to slow the coronavirus pandemic. Baker said Monday the fund will provide emergency capital up to $75,000 to Massachusetts-based …

Report Says Boston Public Transit System Needs to Improve Safety

The public transportation system in metropolitan Boston needs to step up efforts to improve safety along its network of subways, buses and commuter rail trains. That’s the finding of a panel of transit experts hired in June by the Massachusetts …

Massachusetts Adopts Tough Ban on Flavored Vaping, Tobacco Products

Massachusetts on Wednesday adopted the country’s toughest ban on the sale of flavored tobacco and vaping products, including menthol cigarettes, in response to a rise in youth vaping and an outbreak of vaping-related serious lung injuries. Governor Charlie Baker, a …

Massachusetts Lawmakers Pass Ban on Flavored Vaping, Tobacco Products

Massachusetts lawmakers passed a groundbreaking ban Thursday on the sale of flavored tobacco and vaping products, including menthol cigarettes. The bill would also place a 75% excise tax on vaping products and require health insurers, including the state’s Medicaid program, …

Ban on Vaping Product Sales in Massachusetts Allowed to Stand

A state judge has allowed Massachusetts’ four-month ban on the sale of all vaping products to stand as a legal challenge makes its way through the courts. Suffolk Superior Court Judge Douglas Wilkins in a decision Monday said lifting the …

Judge Upholds Massachusetts’ Vaping Products Ban for Now

A federal judge upheld Massachusetts’ four-month ban on the sale of vaping products on Friday, at least for now. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani denied the vaping industry’s request for a temporary reprieve from the ban while their legal challenge …

Massachusetts Hearing into RMV Lapses Exposed by Deadly Crash Resumes

Massachusetts lawmakers will again attempt to hold a hearing into lapses at the state motor vehicle department exposed by a New Hampshire crash that killed seven motorcyclists. The Legislature’s Joint Committee on Transportation will reconvene its hearing into the Registry …

Massachusetts Governor to Seek Disaster Declaration for Cape Cod Tornado

Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker says he’ll seek a federal disaster declaration to support cleanup and recovery efforts on Cape Cod after a tornado and high winds caused extensive damage and knocked out power to tens of thousands. The Republican on …

Massachusetts Bill Aims to Strengthen Natural Gas Pipeline Safety

Members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation unveiled a bill Monday aimed at strengthening pipeline safety in the U.S. in response to September’s natural gas explosions and fires in the Merrimack Valley. Sen. Edward Markey and Rep. Lori Trahan say the …

Massachusetts Lawmakers Grill Natural Gas Execs After September Explosions

Natural gas companies in Massachusetts are compromising safety by increasingly turning to outside contractors for pipeline work while cutting back on staff that would oversee these projects, state lawmakers said Tuesday at a hearing following September’s natural gas explosions in …