Tag: Isabelle Oss
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How much progress did New Bedford’s legislators make in fall 2025?
New Bedford’s legislators sit across 23 committees. In 2025, 16 of those committees reported bills out with recommendations. Seven held no hearings in the fall. Massachusetts lawmakers are just back from a six-week recess after closing out the first year…
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Advocates hope House follows Senate’s lead in passing menstrual equity bills
The bills would require free products in schools, shelters and correctional facilities, and include an ingredients list on menstrual product packaging. Advocates in Massachusetts want menstrual products to be as easy to find in public places as toilet paper. After…
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Cannabis lounges could soon be legal. Will the South Coast opt in?
Rules for social consumption establishments for marijuana could be approved this month. Cannabis users across the state may soon find that their favorite neighborhood dispensaries or yoga studios have a new feel. In July, the Cannabis Control Commission approved draft rules to…
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Legislature revisits bills to criminalize sexual misconduct by school staff
The state remains one of 11 nationwide that does not prohibit sexual misconduct between staff and students who are 16 and 17 years old. After years of stalled attempts, Massachusetts lawmakers are inching closer to passing a bill that would…
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State activists take transparency fight to the ballot box
Advocates for a more open government in Massachusetts are racing against a quickly approaching deadline. By Nov. 19, they need more than 74,000 signatures to secure a spot for two questions on the 2026 ballot, both aimed at pulling back…
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As Eversource gas bills rise again, legislators target delivery charges and oversight
As frigid winter months approach, so do higher natural-gas bills. Eversource has proposed an average rate hike of 13% for its Southeastern Massachusetts customers. The rate increases come less than a year after the state’s Department of Public Utilities ordered major…
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Corporate tax fight hits home for New Bedford residents as federal cuts loom
NEW BEDFORD — “Disgusting.” “Angry.” “Unfair.” Those were words New Bedford residents scrawled onto notecards Thursday night when asked what corporate tax evasion made them think of. Their responses reflected frustration as Massachusetts braces for the impacts of the Trump…