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Massachusetts

As legislative session winds to a close, Mass. lawmakers still have big policymaking to do. Here’s what they have left. – The Boston Globe

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As legislative session winds to a close, Mass. lawmakers still have big policymaking to do. Here’s what they have left. – The Boston Globe


The Senate approved six new significant bills Monday — covering issues as diverse as domestic violence and sexual assault awareness, liquor licenses in Boston, and legal parentage for families that have children through means such as in-vitro fertilization or surrogacy — voted on three others Tuesday. Representatives also pursued their own batch of late-session legislation. On Thursday, the House teed up and approved nine bills, including a string of proposals related to the welfare of animals.

Here are some of the larger bills left to be hammered out between the chambers if a compromise is to land on Governor Maura Healey’s desk before the formal session comes to an end.

Housing policy

Healey’s first big swing on housing policy, a multibillion dollar bond bill, is coming down to the wire as well. Bond bills for housing come up every five years, typically for the Legislature to reauthorize bond spending for housing programs and development. Healey however, has turned this bill into a vehicle for wide-ranging housing policy legislation, which has complicated its path and drawn intense lobbying from real estate interests and housing advocates.

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While the House and Senate are in agreement on most of the major policies and spending commitments — such as legalizing Accessory Dwelling Units and rejecting the prospect of a new fee on high-dollar real estate transactions — there are a few major sticking points.

The House, for example, proposed spending $6.2 billion on housing programs, while the Senate only proposed $5.2 billion. The $1 billion difference between the two versions is a proposal in the House that is a priority of Speaker Ron Mariano to help expand the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority’s water service area, making housing production easier in some municipalities.

The Senate version of the bill proposes to reduce a fund to jumpstart paused mixed-income developments from the House’s proposed $250 million to $50 million, and removes a clause from the House version that would give renters the opportunity to buy their unit if their landlord wants to sell.

The Senate bill favors a provision from Healey’s initial proposal that would allow for the sealing of renters’ past eviction records in some cases. The House did not include that policy.

The two chambers also differ over a policy that would allow cities and towns to pass rules that mandate certain ratios of affordable housing in new market rate developments by simple majority instead of a two-thirds vote.

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Liquor licenses

The Legislature is weighing plans to add more than 200 liquor licenses to Boston, where permits to serve alcohol are expensive, in short supply, and especially rare in communities of color.

In May, the House recommended creating 205 permits in total. That would include 180 restricted liquor licenses for 12 ZIP codes (Roxbury, Roslindale, Mattapan, Hyde Park, West Roxbury, East Boston, Dorchester, Jamaica Plain, Charlestown). Those permits cannot be bought and sold to other businesses, as Boston licenses typically are, and they must be returned to the city after a business closes. In the House plan, six licenses would be distributed annually to each neighborhood for three years. The House version also created 15 restricted licenses for nonprofit agencies, such as zoos and small theaters; three restricted license for Oak Square in Brighton; and seven unrestricted licenses to be used anywhere in the city.

The Senate came back with an expanded plan on Monday, looking to add more licenses to Boston than the City Council asked for in its original home-rule petition.

In that version, lawmakers created 264 restricted permits for the same areas the House identified, plus parts of the South End, with the same rollout schedule. The additional 15 licenses for nonprofits would also be made available to quasi-government and government agencies. The Senate also chose to create 12, rather than seven, unrestricted permits citywide. Another three restricted licenses would remain for Oak Square.

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Both versions would mark the largest effort to expand licenses in Boston since Prohibition. Advocates hope that introducing more permits will aid disadvantaged restauranteurs, enliven quiet neighborhoods, and help narrow the racial wealth gap.

Economic development

Both chambers have also passed sweeping economic development bills that tuck in hundreds of millions for the life sciences industry, though they vary drastically in funding levels.

The Senate’s $2.8 billion economic development package dramatically scaled back what Healey and the House sought for life sciences. Senate lawmakers propose to borrow $225 million over five years for the sector — less than half of the $500 million over a decade that Healey and House lawmakers sought.

In its version of the economic development bill, the House also sought to increase tax incentives for life sciences companies by $200 million.

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Senate leaders skipped that measure in their proposal, instead proposing to keep the tax incentives at their current level.

The Senate also includes language that would allow the Kraft Group to build a new soccer stadium for the New England Revolution near the Encore Boston Harbor casino in Everett — a key provision left out of the House’s version.

The House, on the other hand, included a proposal to rename the Seaport convention center after late Boston mayor Thomas M. Menino while the Senate did not.

Climate bill

Negotiators from the House and Senate are still at work on a climate bill. The main thrust of bills passed in both houses would reform the process for approving new energy infrastructure in the state — cutting the time to less than half of the current rate, while adding in assurances to consider the needs of environmental justice communities and the environment.

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But the rest of the bill has proven harder to nail down. The Senate is seeking a broader bill that would rein in natural gas infrastructure, ban the ability of third party competitive electric suppliers to sell directly to residents, update the state’s bottle bill, and more.

The House, meanwhile, has pushed for a bill that would call for the procurement of additional clean energy, including long-duration battery storage, and introduce measures to boost the availability of electric vehicle chargers in the state.

At stake is the state’s ability to pass its third successive major climate bill, and continue its momentum on slashing emissions and greening the electricity supply.

Opioid bill

Massachusetts senators approved a bill that would allow cities or towns to approve sites that could offer supervised consumption of drugs, marking an 11th-hour push for a provision that surprised House leaders who passed their own opioid-related bill earlier this summer.

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The provision allowing for so-called overdose prevention centers, more commonly known as safe consumption sites, is part of a larger package released by the Senate on Monday aimed at treating substance abuse. Senate leaders had supported a measure six years ago to create a supervised consumption site pilot program before they stripped it from a bill amid opposition from then-governor Charlie Baker, a Republican, and the Massachusetts US attorney’s office.

Members of the House did not make a push for the idea this session. Neither did Healey, though late last year her administration signaled its support for the concept.


Samantha J. Gross can be reached at samantha.gross@globe.com. Follow her @samanthajgross. Diti Kohli can be reached at diti.kohli@globe.com. Follow her @ditikohli_. Andrew Brinker can be reached at andrew.brinker@globe.com. Follow him @andrewnbrinker. Sabrina Shankman can be reached at sabrina.shankman@globe.com. Follow her @shankman.





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Massachusetts

See top 50 highest-paid state workers in Massachusetts in 2025

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See top 50 highest-paid state workers in Massachusetts in 2025


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In 2025, University of Massachusetts employees earned some of the largest salaries among state workers.

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For example, Francisco Martin, head basketball coach at UMass Amherst, made $2.18 million last year, according to the Office of the Comptroller’s statewide payroll database. Dr. Michael Collins, chancellor of UMass Chan Medical School, made $1.57 million.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts paid a total of $10.89 billion to state employees in 2025, including $1.82 billion to UMass employees, $955.4 million to MBTA employees, $680.68 million to trial court employees and $486.19 million to Department of Developmental Services employees.

The public payroll also lists the 2025 salaries for Gov. Maura Healey, Attorney General Andrea Campbell and other public officials. They didn’t make the top 50, but their pay is listed below.

Check out the 50 highest-paid Massachusetts state workers in 2025.

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50 highest-paid state workers in MA in 2025

Here were the 50 highest-paid Massachusetts state workers in 2025, according to the statewide payroll:

  1. Francisco Martin – UMass Head Basketball Coach ($2.18 million)
  2. Michael Collins – UMass Chan Medical School Chancellor, Senior Vice President of Health Sciences ($1.57 million)
  3. Joseph Harasymiak – UMass Head Football Coach ($1.41 million)
  4. Terence Flotte – UMass Chan Medical School Executive Deputy Chancellor & Provost, T.H. Chan School of Medicine Dean ($1.18 million)
  5. Partha Chakrabarti – UMass Chan Medical School Executive Vice Chancellor for Innovation & Business Development ($1.01 million)
  6. Ryan Bamford – UMass Athletic Director ($912,226)
  7. Martin Meehan – UMass President ($879,454)
  8. Lisa Colombo – UMass Chan Medical School Executive Vice Chancellor of ForHealth Consulting ($821,872)
  9. Javier Reyes – UMass Amherst Chancellor ($731,684)
  10. Donald Brown – Former UMass Head Football Coach ($705,440)
  11. Gregory Carvel – UMass Hockey Coach ($701,048)
  12. Marcelo Suarez-Orozco – UMass Boston Chancellor ($699,908)
  13. John Lindstedt – UMass Chan Medical School Executive Vice Chancellor for Administration & Finance ($699,175)
  14. Kenneth Rock – UMass Chan Medical School Chair in Biomedical Research ($692,780)
  15. Katherine Fitzgerald – UMass Chan Medical School Department of Medicine Vice Chair ($676,959)
  16. Gregory Volturo – UMass Chan Medical School Chair in Emergency Medicine ($644,380)
  17. Mark Fuller – UMass Dartmouth Chancellor ($626,750)
  18. Anne Massey – UMass Isenberg School of Management Dean ($599,242)
  19. Peter Reinhart – UMass Institute for Applied Life Sciences Founding Director ($574,265)
  20. Julie Chen – UMass Lowell Chancellor ($549,614)
  21. Andrew McCallum – UMass Center for Data Science & Artificial Intelligence Director ($544,451)
  22. David Flanagan – UMass Chan Medical School Deputy Executive Vice Chancellor for Facilities Management ($533,562)
  23. Donald Towsley – UMass Quantum Information Systems Institute Director ($528,922)
  24. Fouad Abd-El-Khalick – UMass Provost, Senior Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs ($515,870)
  25. Lisa Calise – UMass Senior Vice President for Administration & Finance, Treasurer ($511,275)
  26. Phillip Eng – MBTA General Manager ($509,114)
  27. James Healy – UMass Chan Deputy Vice Chancellor for Management ($496,647)
  28. Adam Wise – UMass Boston Vice Chancellor for University Advancement ($491,793)
  29. Mindy Hull – Massachusetts Chief Medical Examiner ($491,017)
  30. Roger Davis – UMass Chan Medical School Program in Molecular Medicine Chair ($486,238)
  31. Celia Schiffer – UMass Institute for Applied Life Sciences Chair of Biochemistry & Molecular Biotechnology ($478,484)
  32. Jeroan Allison – UMass Chan Medical School Department of Population and Quantitative Health Sciences Chair ($477,782)
  33. Craig Mello – UMass Chan Medical School Chair in Molecular Medicine ($476,992)
  34. Mary Ahn – UMass Chan Medical School Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs ($475,597)
  35. James Watkins – UMass Associate Vice Chancellor for Research & Engagement, Strategic Research Initiatives ($474,133)
  36. David McManus – UMass Chan Professor and Chair of Medicine ($471,586)
  37. Richard Gregory – UMass Chan Medical School Department of Molecular, Cell & Cancer Biology Chair ($469,918)
  38. Maxwell Mayer – UMass Chan Medical School Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences ($469,843)
  39. Sanjay Raman – UMass Dean of Engineering ($468,972)
  40. Nefertiti Walker – UMass Senior Vice President for Academic & Student Affairs & Equity ($462,152)
  41. Fousseni Chabi-Yo – UMass Isenberg School of Management Finance Department Chair ($461,411)
  42. Murugappan Muthukumar – UMass Wilmer D. Barrett Professor ($460,783)
  43. Mark Johnson – UMass Chan Medical School Chair in Neurosurgery ($458,421)
  44. Hong Yu – UMass Lowell Center of Biomedical and Health Research in Data Sciences Director ($458,025)
  45. Sheldon Zhang – UMass Lowell School of Criminology and Justice Studies Professor ($453,950)
  46. Albertha Walhout – UMass Chan Medical School Department of Systems Biology Chair, Chair in Biomedical Research ($450,591)
  47. Zhiping Weng – UMass Chan Medical School Chair in Biomedical Research ($450,591)
  48. Beth McCormick – UMass Chan Medical School Department of Microbiology Chair ($450,591)
  49. Shlomo Zilberstein – UMass Amherst Professor of Computer Science ($450,108)
  50. Abdallah Georges Assaf – UMass Isenberg School of Management Professor ($447,486)

How much did Gov. Maura Healey make in 2025?

Gov. Maura Healey did not break the top 50, making $242,509 as a state employee in 2025, according to the payroll.

Her salary increased from $222,185 in 2024 and $220,288 in 2023.

How much did Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll make in 2025?

Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll made $216,292 in 2025, according to the state payroll.

Her salary increased from $198,165 in 2024 and $187,952 in 2023.

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How much did Attorney General Andrea Campbell make in 2025?

Attorney General Andrea Campbell made $223,495 as a state employee in 2025, according to the official payroll.

This salary is up from $222,639 in 2024 and $203,401 in 2023.

How much did Massachusetts State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble make in 2025?

Massachusetts State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble made $292,711 in 2025, according to the state payroll. Noble was named colonel in October 2024.

How much did Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin make in 2025?

Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin made $202,427 as a state employee in 2025, according to the payroll.

In 2024, he made $201,850, and in 2023, he made $187,433.

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How much did State Treasurer and Receiver General Deborah B. Goldberg make in 2025?

State Treasurer and Receiver General Deborah B. Goldberg made $260,637 in 2025, according to the state payroll.

Goldberg made $238,794 in 2024 and $236,901 in 2023.

How much did State Auditor Diana DiZoglio make in 2025?

State Auditor Diana DiZoglio made $253,494 in 2025, according to the state payroll.

Her salary increased from $229,377 in 2024 and $213,224 in 2023.

How much did former State Police Trooper Michael Proctor make in 2025?

Now-former State Police Trooper Michael Proctor made $3,617 in 2025, according to the state payroll.

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Proctor, who served as the lead investigator in the Karen Read case, was put on unpaid leave in July 2024 and then fired in March, accused of violating four department policies.

In 2024, Proctor was paid $79,266, and in 2023, he was paid $146,053.



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Update: Prepare for snow squall in 4 Massachusetts counties Sunday evening

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Update: Prepare for snow squall in 4 Massachusetts counties Sunday evening


An updated report was issued from the National Weather Service on Sunday at 6:14 p.m. for a snow squall until 7 p.m. for Franklin, Worcester, Hampshire and Hampden counties.

“At 6:13 p.m., a snow squall was along a line extending from near Goshen to Granby to near Burlington to near Woodbury Center and moving southeast at 45 MPH,” says the weather service.

Expect a snow squall in the following locations:

  • New Britain, West Hartford, Bristol, Chicopee, Southington, Westfield, Holyoke, Windsor, Northampton, and Agawam around 6:20 p.m.
  • Springfield, Hartford, Enfield, Amherst, Newington, Wethersfield, South Windsor, Berlin, Longmeadow, and East Windsor around 6:25 p.m.
  • Manchester, East Hartford, Glastonbury, Ludlow, Rocky Hill, East Longmeadow, Belchertown, and Pelham around 6:30 p.m.
  • Vernon, Ellington, Wilbraham, Somers, and Hampden around 6:35 p.m.
  • Tolland, Palmer, Stafford, Monson, and Bolton around 6:40 p.m.
  • Coventry, Ware, Hebron, Marlborough, and Andover around 6:45 p.m.
  • Warren and Brimfield around 6:50 p.m.

The weather service adds, “Use extra caution if you must travel into or through this squall. Rapid changes in visibility and potentially slick roads may lead to accidents.”

Snow squalls: Risks, differences, and safety seasures

What are snow squalls?

Snow squalls are brief but intense winter weather events often linked to strong cold fronts. They can cause sudden white-out conditions and icy roads within minutes, even if there’s no major winter storm happening. While they usually last less than an hour and might only result in minor snow accumulation, they pose significant risks to drivers due to reduced visibility, gusty winds, and rapidly falling temperatures. These conditions have historically led to deadly traffic accidents.

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Understanding snow squalls vs. snowstorms

The main distinction between a snow squall and a snowstorm lies in their duration and intensity. Snow squalls are typically brief but intense, lasting around 30-60 minutes. In contrast, a snowstorm can stretch over several hours or even days

Snow squall warnings

Snow squall warnings are rapidly issued for specific areas, much like tornado or severe thunderstorm warnings. They offer crucial, localized information aimed at saving lives. If an alert for a snow squall is issued in your area, it’s best to postpone or avoid driving until the squall moves on.

Actions during a snow squall warning

In response to a snow squall warning, individuals should follow the guidelines provided by the weather service, which encompass the following key actions:

Avoid or delay travel: If a snow squall warning is issued for your vicinity, it’s advisable to postpone or refrain from motor travel until the squall has passed through your area. Highways and roads are particularly hazardous during snow squalls.

Reduce speed and increase visibility: If you are already in transit and cannot exit the road in time, reduce your speed, turn on your headlights and hazard lights.

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Maintain safe distance: Allow plenty of distance between you and the car in front of you.

Avoid abrupt braking: It’s also best not to slam on your brakes. With slick/icy roads, this could contribute to the loss of vehicle control and also increase the risk of a chain reaction crash.

Winter weather safety tips: For comprehensive guidelines on how to stay safe before, during, and after encountering winter weather conditions, visit the weather service Winter Weather Safety page. This resource offers valuable insights and precautions to help you navigate the challenges posed by winter weather effectively.

Prepare your vehicle: Before setting out on your journey, take proactive measures to prepare your vehicle for winter conditions. This includes checking your tires, brakes, and lights, and ensuring your vehicle’s fluids are topped up. A well-maintained vehicle is better equipped to handle the challenges of winter driving.

Emergency kit essentials: Ensure your vehicle is equipped with a comprehensive emergency kit, featuring essentials such as blankets, non-perishable food, water, a flashlight, and a first-aid kit. Don’t forget to add jumper cables, flares or a reflective triangle, an ice scraper, a car cell phone charger, a map, and cat litter or sand to enhance tire traction. These provisions can prove invaluable in the event of an unforeseen breakdown or emergency during your journey.

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In conclusion, when faced with a snow squall warning, prioritizing personal safety and adhering to the weather service recommendations can significantly mitigate risks. By understanding, preparing, and staying vigilant, individuals can navigate these winter hazards with greater confidence and security.



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Massachusetts gas prices slightly declined from last week. Here’s how much.

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Massachusetts gas prices slightly declined from last week. Here’s how much.


State gas prices slightly declined for the second consecutive week and reached an average of $2.86 per gallon of regular fuel on Monday, down from last week’s price of $2.88 per gallon, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

The average fuel price in state declined about 8 cents since last month. According to the EIA, gas prices across the state in the last year have been as low as $2.86 on Jan. 5, 2026, and as high as $3.11 on Sep. 8, 2025.

A year ago, the average gas price in Massachusetts was 3% higher at $2.95 per gallon.

>> INTERACTIVE: See how your area’s gas prices have changed over the years at data.southcoasttoday.com.

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The average gas price in the United States last week was $2.80, making prices in the state about 2.3% higher than the nation’s average. The average national gas price is slightly lower than last week’s average of $2.81 per gallon.

USA TODAY Co. is publishing localized versions of this story on its news sites across the country, generated with data from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Please leave any feedback or corrections for this story here. This story was written by Ozge Terzioglu. Our News Automation and AI team would like to hear from you. Take this survey and share your thoughts with us.



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