The Senate's $150 million outlay, according to a spokesperson for Senate President Karen Spilka, includes dollars for the municipal pavement program, focused on state-numbered routes owned by municipalities; the municipal small bridge program; complete streets funding program, aimed at expanding options for pedestrians, cyclists and public transit as well as vehicles; municipal bus enhancement program; mass transit access grant program, which provides grants for improvements to commuter rail stations and other mass transit stations; and the municipal RTA/EV grant program, providing grants to Regional Transit Authorities and municipalities for electric vehicles and charging equipment.
Read MoreThe Senate last Thursday passed a “compromise” version of legislation affecting debt collection practices in Massachusetts, and according to its sponsor, the bill has a shot at final passage thanks to industry representatives collaborating on the rewrite.
Read MoreSenators moved as a unit on Thursday, unanimously passing a trio of bills early in the busy seven-month stretch at the end of the legislative session. The Senate unanimously approved bills to prohibit inhumane cat declawing (S 2552), require real estate appraisers licensed (S 2550), and remove so-called “archaic laws” from state statute (S 2551).
Read MoreAs the state pursues federal funds, the legislation could make $750 million in state funding available over the next three years, as well as $50 million in matching funds for local and regional government-led projects seeking federal funding.
Read MoreSenators on Tuesday teed up the three bills to debate at their Thursday session: to protect people who administer or use fentanyl test strips from criminal liability (S 2458), expand wheelchair warranty protections for people with disabilities (S 152), and require new guidance on how police officers should interact with people with autism (S 2204).
Read MoreThis time around, the legislation will feature new language aimed at reducing or eliminating cost burdens for Bay Staters with conditions like heart disease, asthma and diabetes, a push Senate President Karen Spilka forecast when she signaled plans to bring the bill to the floor before Thanksgiving.
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