Rules of the road

Like many topics in the polarizing present, there are few things that can be discussed in the transportation space without off-roading into controversy.

Witness the perennial debates over funding — or not enough funding — for the MBTA. And as Gov. Maura Healey’s now-former transportation secretary found out, hell hath no fury like an insulted truck driver.

But a coalition of groups that includes the ACLU of Massachusetts may have its hands on the wheel of something that cuts across party lines, the state’s various regions, and multiple demographics: The proposed bill called the “Road to Opportunity Act.”

The bill would end the practice of taking away people’s driver’s licenses for debts unrelated to dangerous driving. The debts can include unpaid parking tickets, tolls, or excise taxes. Suspensions for offenses like drunk or reckless driving would still apply.

Cape and Islands Sen. Julian Cyr and Boston Rep. Brandy Fluker-Reid are among the bill’s sponsors. Weymouth Sen. Patrick O’Connor, a Republican, also supports the measure.

The bill’s coalition also includes Greater Boston Legal Services, the Committee for Public Counsel Services (CPCS), the Jewish Alliance for Law and Social Action, LivableStreets Alliance, the National Consumer Law Center and the Fines and Fees Justice Center. Their renewed push for the bill comes as the Senate side of the Joint Committee on Transportation unanimously voted in late November to move the legislation to the Senate Ways and Means Committee.

The coalition is also pointing to a poll, provided to MASSterList, that showed 78% of Bay State voters supporting its passage.

The support includes 82% of Democrats and 83% of Republicans, as well as 72% of independents, according to the survey of 1,003 Massachusetts voters, conducted by Beacon Research between Nov. 7 and Nov. 14. The polling company’s client list includes Healey’s political campaigns and Fox News.

“Against the backdrop of high concerns about the cost of living (94% say that it is an extremely or very serious problem) and people being trapped in cycles of debt (88%), the poll shows there is little appetite for creating barriers to earning a living,” the memo from Beacon Research said.

“Taking away a driver’s license because a person can’t afford fines or fees is an unfair and regressive policy, and this poll shows Massachusetts voters agree,” said Dianna Williams, legislative policy counsel for CPCS.

The bill, if it becomes law, creates an option for individuals to pay debts over time rather than all at once, and it would require the state RMV to send text and email notices about outstanding fines and fees. “This bill would expand opportunity and equity without in any way compromising the safety of our roads,” Gavi Wolfe, ACLU of Massachusetts legislative director, said in a statement.

For those who answered last week’s trivia question of who was the Massachusetts state rep who became a Bush White House chief of staff, Holbrook’s Andy Card was the correct answer. Back to the topic at hand: What do you think are the “Road to Opportunity” bill’s chances of getting over the finish line before the end of the legislative session? Let me know: gin@massterlist.com.

HAPPENING TODAY

9:00 | The Massachusetts Health Council holds a closed-press panel discussion on advancing health equity. Speakers include Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein, Boston Public Health Commissioner Dr. Bisola Ojikutu, and Eliza Lake, director of health policy and strategic initiatives at the Executive Office of Health and Human Services. | MCLE Conference Center, 10 Winter Place, Boston

10:00 | EdTrust in Massachusetts and The MassINC Polling Group hold a virtual meeting to discuss the opportunities and challenges facing students and schools as artificial intelligence reshapes learning, work and communication. MassINC Polling Group’s Steve Koczela will present poll results and Andréa Coté, assistant director of EdTech at the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, will discuss the AI landscape in Massachusetts. A panel discussion and Q&A follow. | Register

10:00 | Massachusetts Marketing Partnership meets. Agenda includes a welcome from Economic Development Secretary and Chair Eric Paley and an MA250 update. There will also be updates from agencies including Massport, the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority and the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism. | One Ashburton Place, 21st floor, Room 2101, Boston | Agenda and Zoom

11:00 | Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce hosts its virtual Massachusetts Business Outlook 2026. Chamber CEO Jim Rooney will discuss the economy and headwinds, and how they impact businesses, residents and policymakers. | Register

FROM BEACON HILL

ICE LEGISLATION: Sen. Lydia Edwards, co-chair of the Legislature’s Judiciary Committee, has filed a bill that requires Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents to identify themselves to court personnel, mandates judicial warrants or judicial approval for civil arrests, and bans face coverings in courthouses unless medically necessary. Masked ICE agents have been snatching people from cars and courthouses, documented in various videos posted online. – Boston Herald

TOUGH ODDS: Predictions market company Kalshi lost in court to Attorney General Andrea Campbell, after she won a preliminary injunction against it. Her office alleges their “event contracts” are sports bets but Kalshi doesn’t have a sports-betting license top operate in Massachusetts. – Boston Business Journal

BALLOT ROYALE: The ballot question cycle, which started last year, is already running up costs of roughly $10 million, with various interest groups spending $7.2 million on top of $2.5 million reported as in-kind contributions. – Boston Globe

ENERGY BILL: House Ways and Means Chairman Aaron Michlewitz, emerging from meetings with lawmakers on energy affordability legislation, said the particular bill they’re working on will not include changes to 2030 climate goals. – State House News Service

NEWS NEXT DOOR

POWELL PROBE: Sen. Elizabeth Warren joined Illinois’ Dick Durbin in sending a letter to the Trump administration demanding records related to the Justice Department’s probe of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell. The probe comes as President Trump, who is not as popular in public polling as Powell, is demanding lower interest rates and wants to install his own Fed chair sooner rather than later. – Wall Street Journal

BRISTOL DA: Bristol County DA Thomas Quinn III, a Democrat appointed by Gov. Charlie Baker to fill a vacancy in 2015, isn’t running for reelection. Former Fall River city administrator Seth Aitken, a Republican, has been running for the job for months, but is claiming Democratic state Rep. Chris Markey will likely jump in, too. – New Bedford Light

TEACHER CONTRACT: Brookline’s school committee and teachers union are offering up video recordings of their bargaining sessions as they work on new contracts before the current ones expire at the end of August. – Brookline.News

LE FRENCH: The French national soccer team plans to make Boston its home base for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, training at Babson College and staying in the city. – Boston Business Journal

MBTA COMMUNITIES ACT: Opposing the MBTA Communities Act is getting expensive for some towns, as Holden lost grants totaling $25,000, and Middleton missed out on a $2 million grant. – StreetsBlogMass

STEAMSHIP AUTHORITY: The Steamship Authority’s new manager, Alex Kryska, said he will address the issues raised in an inspector general report that accused the agency of wasting millions of dollars on a website redesign. – Nantucket Current

IN MEMORIAM: Two former Quincy mayors, who also served stints as state legislators, died in recent days. Arthur Tobin, who later became a clerk magistrate, was 95. James Sheets, who hailed from Pennsylvania, was 90. – Patriot Ledger