At Mass General Brigham Heart and Vascular Institute, we’re ensuring the best quality of care for every one of our patients, from Boston to Northampton. Mobile van services and community partnerships are helping our experts reach people who might otherwise face barriers to preventive care. Learn more.
It might be a stretch to rewrite a colonial protest slogan 250-odd years later, but regardless: in the Massachusetts of 2026, there can be no tax holiday without representatives.
The next chapter for Gov. Maura Healey’s proposed two-month gas tax holiday lies in the hands of the Massachusetts House and, more specifically, of Speaker Ron Mariano, who holds the power over what comes to the floor for a vote, what passes and what withers away.
So when Healey announced her plan Tuesday, 17 hours after Mariano panned Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Minogue’s version of the idea, it seemed like it might be running on fumes right out of the gate.
But while Mariano called the Minogue-backed tax suspension a “fiscally irresponsible” bid to distract voters, he said the proposal Healey officially filed Wednesday is not dead on arrival.
"I'll take a look at it. She supposedly has a new way of funding this," the Quincy Democrat said Thursday, adding that he hadn't read the specifics of Healey's bill.
The governor’s legislation, part of a $2.24 billion supplemental budget, would put a 60-day pause on the state's 24-cent per gallon tax on gasoline, with gas stations required to lower their prices the same amount. Surplus millionaire's tax money, collected in an education and transportation trust fund, would be used to make up for the estimated $120 million in lost state revenue.
Under the plan Minogue called for in his "Blueprint for a Better Future" campaign platform earlier this month — and has been amplifying in a TV ad campaign — a gas tax holiday would be triggered when prices surpass $4 a gallon. Minogue calls his approach a common-sense solution and has said the Legislature "must put the people first and get this done."
Legislative rules newly in effect this year clear a path for the House to have a full debate on the bill, even after their scheduled July 31 end of formal sessions.
That could create potential for some interesting election-season dynamics. If top House Democrats advance a bill without the tax holiday language, GOP representatives could try to amend it to revive an idea that could be cast as a win for both their party's nominee for governor and the incumbent Democrat.
Of course, that's speculation at this point. Whether the tank is half-full or half-empty for the gas tax holiday depends on what happens when Mariano and House budget chief Aaron Michlewitz take their look at it.
How do you see the outlook for a gas tax holiday — and do you also have deja vu for the time Gov. Charlie Baker wanted a two-month sales tax holiday, or is that just me? Let’s chat: [email protected].
MA voters support stronger AI safety: AI safety requires transparency and accountability. A new poll shows that 75% of Massachusetts voters support requiring the largest AI companies to publish safety plans, report serious incidents, and face penalties for non-compliance. See the poll.
HAPPENING TODAY
9:00 | Massachusetts Health Council hosts the Human-Centric AI Summit: Shaping the Future of Equitable Healthcare as "AI technology is rapidly accelerating across health care, and 63% of healthcare organizations are operating WITHOUT an AI governance policy in place," MHC said. The summit is part of Boston AI Week | MIT Media Lab, 75 Amherst St., Cambridge | Register
9:00 | Joint Committee on Transportation accepts written testimony on a Rep. Soter proposal designating an Uxbridge roundabout in honor of Stephen LaPorta, the Uxbridge police officer killed in the line of duty in January | More Info
9:30 | The Caring Force, the grassroots advocacy branch of the Providers' Council, hosts a Metro Boston rally where human services workers and advocates will gather to support the council's "pro-human services workforce agenda and spotlight the sector's ongoing workforce crisis" and "demand increased funding and fair wages for human services workers," according to the council. Sen. Nick Collins and Reps. Christopher Worrell, Jay Livingstone, John Moran and Brandy Fluker-Reid will join a legislative panel | WORK Inc. Headquarters, 25 Beach St., Dorchester | RSVP
9:30 | Fiscal Alliance Foundation holds a virtual press conference to unveil a study examining the potential costs of project labor agreements under an executive order from Gov. Healey | Media RSVP to [email protected] for Zoom link
10:00 | South Shore Regional Vocational Technical High School breaks ground on its new school. Treasurer Goldberg plans to attend | 476 Webster St., Hanover
12:00 | Attorney General Campbell joins Boston Public Radio for an "Ask the AG" segment | NEPM or GBH 89.7 | Livestream
2:30 | Gov. Healey hosts Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration with the Governor's Latino Empowerment Advisory Council, featuring performances by TUNALTIT or Sun of Fire a Salvadoran Dance group, and Dance Realm a Colombian Dance group. Healey will unveil a temporary art exhibition by Maya Erdelyi | Grand Staircase, State House
JOB BOARD
Lead Organizer / Civic Engagement Coordinator — NEW, Mass Alliance of HUD Tenants
Deputy General Counsel — NEW, Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities
Vice President of Membership and Engagement, Association of Developmental Disabilities Providers
Staff Attorney, Disability Law Center
Chief Financial Officer, Boston Public Health Commission
Financial Investigations Manager, Mass Gaming Commission
Deputy General Counsel and Clerk of the Commission, Civil Service Commission
Job board continues below the fold — post a job
The Massachusetts nonprofit sector is composed of a wide variety of subsectors, from education and health to human rights & services, arts & culture, philanthropy, and more. With many of these nonprofits now struggling in the face of federal threats, it’s more critical than ever to support these organizations whose work touches every resident of the Commonwealth. Learn more.
ON BEACON HILL
BUSTED: The MBTA next week will start sending notices to drivers who park at bus stops or in bus lanes on two Silver Line routes, before fully launching an automated camera enforcement program in 2027. The agency captured 26,000 violations during a 30-day pilot program with cameras on four buses. | State House News Service (gift link)
SNAP JUDGEMENT: A class action suit filed by the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute alleges that thousands of Bay Staters had their SNAP benefits cut off or decreased because their calls to the Department of Transitional Assistance were disconnected. The state says it's doing "everything we can" to help people stay on SNAP despite federal changes. | Boston Globe
AI IN THE GAME: The Gaming Commission plans to look at how DraftKings and other betting companies use artificial intelligence, in the wake of a report that DraftKings used AI technology to target promotions to losing gamblers. The Boston-based company denied the suggestion it does anything "to make our offerings addictive." | New York Times
RENT COMES DUE: The Housing Committee sent a package of rent control bills to study this week. Advocates say they're ready to renew their push when the new session starts in January and are eyeing a 2028 ballot bid after the Supreme Judicial Court blocked a rent control referendum from going before voters this year. | Gloucester Times
NEWS NEXT DOOR
NEW CHARGES RECORDED: Lawrence Mayor Brian DePeña, already facing federal COVID-19 loan fraud charges, has now also been indicted on state-level wiretapping and witness intimidation charges. Attorney General Andrea Campbell's office alleges he used secret cameras in his office to record and then distribute copies of a conversation between two city workers. | WBUR
IN RELATED NEWS: Lawrence residents who last month floated a potential recall effort against DePeña filed campaign-finance paperwork yesterday setting up a political action committee to support a recall. | OCPF
BOILING OVER: Tensions are rising in the Quabbin region as the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority seeks to draw an extra 20 million gallons a day from the reservoir, while watershed communities are already asking for more state recognition of what they describe as their sacrifices to protect eastern Massachusetts' water. | CommonWealth Beacon
UP THE WALLS: Towns including Scituate, Marshfield and Rockport had funds for seawall repair projects frozen this summer by FEMA, which said the communities were taking too long to repair storm damage from years ago. | CBS Boston
HITTING THE RAT WALK: As part of the National Urban Rat Summit, Boston officials hosted an evening walk to showcase the rodent mitigation strategies it's piloting, from unleashing terriers to pumping carbon monoxide into the ground to deploying AI. | Boston Herald
Massachusetts is a national leader in healthcare, but soaring costs are putting immense pressure on families, employers, and providers. With spending outpacing the state’s cost-growth benchmark, how can we realistically contain costs while maintaining high-quality care? Join MASSterList and key healthcare leaders on Thursday, October 8, for an urgent, data-driven conversation about the forces driving healthcare costs on Beacon Hill and the critical policy choices facing the Commonwealth. Register.
MORE HEADLINES
THE SUNDAY SHOWS
KELLER AT LARGE: 8:30 a.m., WBZ-TV. Political analyst Jon Keller hosts a mini-debate on Question 3, the all-party primaries ballot measure, with Danielle Allen of the Coalition for Healthy Democracy arguing for a "yes" vote and Steve Kerrigan of Voter Rights MA advocating for a "no" vote.
@ ISSUE: 9:30 a.m., NBC 10. Reporter Matt Prichard’s guest is Dan Koh, Democratic candidate in the Sixth Congressional District.
ON THE RECORD: 11 a.m., WCVB. NewsCenter 5’s Ed Harding and Sharman Sacchetti talk with Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Minogue.
JOB BOARD
Behavioral Health Coordinator, For Kids Only Afterschool
Assistant Secretary / MEPA Director, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
Director, Finance & Accounting, AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod
Director of Grants Development, Boston Public Health Commission
Chief Procurement Officer, Barnstable County
Deputy Comptroller, City of Newton
Associate General Counsel-MRSB, Office of the State Treasurer and Receiver General
Utilities Program Manager, MassDevelopment
Climate Action Coordinator, City of Newton
Project Manager, District Services, Longwood Collective
Chief Financial Officer, Bristol County Sheriff's Office
Housing and Human Services Policy Analyst, Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center
Government and Community Affairs Division Chief, Mass Gaming Commission
Senior Legal Counsel, Office of the Child Advocate
