HAPPENING TODAY:
12:00 | Young activists supporting "Raise the Age" legislation (H 1710 / S 942) to gradually extend the juvenile justice system to include ages 18 through 20 rally outside the State House | State House steps (Room 428 rain location)
12:00 | MBTA GM Phil Eng hosts more than 20 young people and their families at the T's Operations Control Center to mark the agency's inaugural involvement in the Autism Transit Project | 45 High St., Boston
Gov. Maura Healey‘s team will huddle today with health care providers about the hottest topic on Beacon Hill — but if you’re looking for much more information than that, don’t hold your breath.
The talks about uncertainty around patient care at Steward Health Care hospitals will be held privately and virtually. The first forum will take place today, focusing on regional approaches to access and care for patients.
Meanwhile, rumors are swirling about the health care system possibly pulling out of the state — though officials have said the “business” side of those transactions is not what these meetings are to discuss. Instead, they’ll plan for possible transitions of patients and providers.
Asked by the News Service what her message will be for providers during these closed meetings, Secretary of Health and Human Services Kate Walsh said the goal is preparation.
“I think there’s something very reassuring about preparation. Our goal is to really think about making sure we have a plan to make sure patients and staff, remember, lots of staff are working in hospitals that they know are financially troubled. We want to support them through that journey,” Walsh replied.
The secretary went on to compare uncertainty around a Steward collapse to Y2K. Maybe she hopes in this case too, panic and uncertainty will wind up with a smooth transition that will cause people to look back and laugh at their hysteria.
But as for what the public knows about the unfolding crisis (which could, of course, exacerbate or calm that hysteria), a veil will remain over the talks that could shed some light. — Sam Drysdale
Will the Quabbin see MWRA expansion?
The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority is beginning a preliminary study to direct water from the Quabbin Reservoir to the western Mass. towns that surround and protect it. The reservoir has provided Boston and other eastern Mass. areas with drinking water for years, though the towns surrounding the Quabbin haven’t actually reaped the benefits.
Northampton and Belchertown lawmakers have introduced a bill that would impose a 5 cent per 1,000 gallon excise on Quabbin water, reports the News Service’s Sam Drysdale. The tax would produce an estimated $3.5M that could then be directed to watershed communities and local nonprofits. The bill would also ensure the MWRA explores expansion into new communities in the watershed areas. — State House News Service
Worth it? Healey tax break for renters offers up to $50 a year
A provision of the 2023 tax relief package that increased the cap on how much rent Bay State residents can deduct from their state income tax bill likely meant an extra $50 for the average renter, Nik DeCosta-Klipa of WBUR reports. The Healey tax bill boosted the maximum deduction from $3,000 to $4,000, which increased the most a taxpayer could receive back from $150 to $200. Some advocates note that many of the state’s lowest-income residents — for whom the cash would make the most difference — cannot benefit from the rental deduction because they don’t earn enough to file tax returns. — WBUR
Boston gets its first chief climate officer
In June, Brian Swett will become Boston’s first chief climate officer, a move aimed to boost support for Mayor Michelle Wu‘s climate initiatives. Swett has a long history in the sustainable development and environment world with past positions under former Mayors Thomas Menino and Marty Walsh, and in his newest role he’ll oversee Boston’s environment and energy offices, working cross-departmentally to further execute the mayor’s climate agenda. — Boston Globe
MGH, Cape Cod Hospital cleared to add beds
Boston’s Mass. General Hospital won regulatory approval Wednesday to add 94 beds onto its license, while Cape Cod Hospital won approval for 32 additional beds. The state Public Health Council approved the additions after the facilities and their health care systems pointed to challenges pushing their occupancy levels above industry standards. MGH’s addition links to an expansion regulators approved two years ago, when the PHC said it didn’t find a need for the hospital to add more licensed beds. CCH officials said the additional 32 beds will help manage an uptick in demand. — State House News Service
Amherst police alternative not seeing high use
Members of the Community Safety and Social Justice Committee are concerned about the very small number of emergency dispatch calls directed to Amherst’s unarmed police response alternative since it began taking calls in mid-December. The town’s DEI department is asking for clarification and for more accurate data, and is also not on board with the fact that some unarmed responders are being brought in as lunch monitors at Amherst Regional Middle School due to school staffing issues — work that is not the “original mission-vision” of the program and that could be detracting from other responsibilities. — Daily Hampshire Gazette
Karen Read supporters ask full SJC to take up protest buffer zone case
As jury selection in the murder trial of Karen Read continues, supporters and free speech advocates are asking the Supreme Judicial Court to hear their arguments that a judge’s order barring protests within 200 feet of the Norfolk County Superior Court in Dedham is unconstitutional. A single justice of the SJC has already declined to hear the appeal, but WCVB reports that a group of Read supporters and the Freedom to Protest Coalition are among those petitioning the full court to step into the case. — WCVB
Union sounds alarm after Philadelphia cancels train-car contract with Springfield plant
A union representing nearly 200 workers at the CCRC factory in Springfield is warning that the recent decision by the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority to cancel an order for 45 commuter train cars could lead to job losses, Adam Frenier of New England Public Media reports. While CCRC, which is based in China, says it is working to retain the $185M contract, the local chapter of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers says many of the workers it represents are new hires brought on board and trained specifically to help fulfill the Pennsylvania contract. — WBUR
MASSGrant deadline extended
Mass. students get another two months to apply for guaranteed financial aid for in-state higher education, as the Dept. of Higher Education pushed the “priority deadline” to apply for MASSGrant funds to July 1. The move occurred after significant delays impacted the revised FAFSA program launch. Students who apply by the deadline and are eligible will receive at least some aid from the program, which covers some expenses at state public and private colleges and universities for Bay State residents. — State House News Service
Brookline police department begins body camera rollout
The Brookline Police Dept. purchased 140 body cameras and in the coming weeks, Brookline officers are set to begin putting them to use. Officers will be required to turn the cameras on when they’re dealing with members of the public; when officers hit the start button, the camera will automatically save the previous 30 seconds without audio before continuing to record the interaction with audio. The department will test the cameras on 10 to 15 officers before expanding use to the entire force, and the move is seen as a way to hold the officers more accountable. — Brookline.News
Poll says half of Mass. residents support legalizing teacher strikes
Despite it being illegal for teachers to strike in Massachusetts, a new GBH News/CommonWealth Beacon poll found that about half of Massachusetts thinks teachers strikes should be legal compared to a bit more than a third polled who think strikes should remain illegal. A bill that stalled in the committee on Labor and Workforce Development in February would make teacher strikes legal, and bill advocates say they aren’t surprised that poll results show such community support for the strikes. Opponents still say the measure will create more common strikes and therefore impose more learning loss. — GBH
Lowell budget forecast: More City Hall staffers
Amid budget-tightening and hiring freezes at the state and local level, the city of Lowell is bucking the trend, having added 60 positions over the last three years, Melanie Gilbert of the Sun reports. As the city assembles its fiscal year 2025 budget, that trend is likely to continue, at least in some key departments such as information management. Lowell continues to claw its way back from a cyberattack that crippled many of its computer systems starting early in 2023. — Lowell Sun
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