Massachusetts
Carlozzi: Are Massachusetts lawmakers serious about competing?
It seems evident that Governor Maura Healey recognizes Massachusetts is at an inflection point and must act to prevent a mass exodus of residents from leaving the Commonwealth and heading to lower-cost states. This is undoubtedly why her first major legislative package was a tax reform bill designed to help make living and working in Massachusetts more affordable. But once state legislators are done putting their stamp on tax relief, will it be enough to stop the hemorrhaging and keep residents and businesses, along with their tax dollars, in the Bay State?
From a small business perspective, there is not enough meaningful relief in the Legislature’s version of the tax package to effectively move the needle on competitiveness.
Gov. Healey proposed raising the exemption for the onerous estate tax to $3 million, but the House and Senate lowered it to $2 million. Therefore, instead of being worst among the handful of states that still levy an estate tax, Massachusetts will be third worst – take that Oregon and Rhode Island! Making matters worse, the Senate opted to include in the long-awaited tax reform bill a tax increase for married couples subjected to the newly imposed 4% income tax surcharge. When it comes to over-taxation, these are hardly great strides towards improving small business competitiveness.
Indeed, Massachusetts’ Main Street businesses face an ever-increasing number of challenges following the pandemic. Anecdotally, we’ve all spent more time in store checkout lines or sat longer at a restaurant waiting for our food because businesses are short-staffed. In fact, the May 2023 National Federation of Independent Business Small Business Optimism Index shows 44% of small business owners reporting positions they cannot fill. Even when employers attempt to hire for a job opening, 89% find no, or too few qualified applicants. Now, factor in prolonged inflation and supply chain disruptions, and the last thing small businesses need are additional hurdles caused by the policies emanating from Beacon Hill.
The cost of doing business here is already too high compared to other states. Massachusetts was ranked worst in the nation for unemployment insurance taxes, something all employers pay. This problem only became more pronounced when other states used billions of dollars in federal aid to cover the cost of layoffs resulting from state mandated shutdowns and Massachusetts only allocated a fraction of what was required. Now, employers are charged with repaying $2.7 billion in COVID assessments on top of their UI taxes. Even scarier is the prospect that business owners may be on the hook to refund another $2.5 billion in UI funds to the federal government due to a billing error the state made during the pandemic.
Further, the cost of hiring and retaining employees is also elevated compared to other states. Massachusetts has one of the highest state minimum wages in the nation at $15 per hour. Legislation was filed this year to elevate that base wage by 33% to a whopping $20 per hour. And when energy bills skyrocketed for Massachusetts residents this past winter, they shot up for small businesses as well. Businesses require affordable energy to run machinery and heat or cool facilities in order to compete with parts of the nation that enjoy far lower energy expenses. Offering affordable health insurance coverage is also a longtime challenge for small businesses who experience some of the highest expenses in the nation. Smaller employers and their workers continue to be at a disadvantage with limited options, annual premium hikes, and higher deductibles.
So, with all of these challenges and disadvantages, what are the solutions being presented by lawmakers to actually make the state more competitive, strengthen the economy, and encourage job creation? Sadly, few. What we instead witness are energy policies that result in higher utility bills, healthcare proposals that never address rising premiums for small businesses, tax relief that falls short of substantive reforms, and labor mandates that make it more expensive to run a small business. And in the end, those costs are all passed along to Massachusetts consumers, making the state all the more unaffordable. If legislators are honestly serious about making Massachusetts a real contender against lower cost states, it’s time to consider broad-based tax relief, eliminate impediments to operating a business, and tackle energy and healthcare affordability.
Christopher Carlozzi is state director of the National Federation of Independent Business
There were first-time state champions, repeat winners – and some of the craziest games you will ever seen played anywhere on a football field this fall.
And now it is time for High School On SI Massachusetts to release its individual award winners, including the player and coach of the year honorees.
The Boston College commitment played for Division 2’s top team, which Catholic Memorial defeated King Philip Regional 39-21 for the Super Bowl. Dodd was the workhorse for the team, rushing for 1,362 yards on 115 attempts and scoring 20 touchdowns. The senior also added seven catches for 139 yards through the air.
Whether it was through the air or on the ground, Attaway compiled over 1,000 yards either way. The senior led the way to the Hawks winning the Division 6 Super Bowl state title. Attaway finished completing 76-of-113 passes for 1,329 yards and 20 touchdowns. On the ground, Attaway rushed for 1,008 yards on 65 carries and 12 scores.
Frisch stood out on both sides of the ball, but especially on the defensive side at middle linebacker. The 6-foot, 210-pound linebacker racked up 59 tackles, eight going for a loss, 12 sacks, an interception and forced a fumble. On offense at tight end, Frisch caught 14 passes for 301 yards and five touchdowns.
Playing for the Division 7 Super Bowl state champions, the junior running back was phenomenal out of the backfield. The Spartans’ tailback carried the rock 201 times for 1,772 yards and scored 26 touchdowns. LaChapelle caught five passes for 100 yards and two scores.
Despite losing multiple games during the regular season and many throughout the state wondering if Xaverian Brothers could repeat as Division I state champions. The Hawks pulled it off under the guidance of Fornaro as he guided the team to the Division I Super Bowl, defeating Needham, 14-7.
Follow High School On SI throughout the 2024 high school football season for Live Updates, the most up to date Schedules & Scores and complete coverage from the preseason through the state championships!
Be sure to Bookmark High School on SI for all of the latest high school football news.
High School On SI will serve as the premier destination for high school sports fans, delivering unparalleled coverage of high school athletics nationwide through in-depth stories, recruiting coverage, rankings, highlights and much more. The launch of a dedicated high school experience expands Sports Illustrated’s reach to even more local communities as fans can now truly follow athletes from “preps to the pros” on a single platform, bringing them closer to the action than ever before. For more information, visit si.com/high-school.
To get live updates on your phone – as well as follow your favorite teams and top games – you can download the SBLive Sports app: Download iPhone App| Download Android App
— Andy Villamarzo | villamarzo@scorebooklive.com | @highschoolonsi
Hardly had Kelly Ayotte, the new governor of New Hampshire unloaded on Massachusetts over its immigration policy, than another illegal immigrant was charged with rape in the Bay State.
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Massachusetts
Disciplinary hearing for suspended Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor continued to 2nd day
Suspended Massachusetts State Police Trooper Michael Proctor’s Trial Board disciplinary proceedings will go on to a second day.
Proctor’s trouble publicly began when he testified during the murder trial of Karen Read last summer. During a tense examination by the prosecution and even more intense cross examination, Proctor admitted to inappropriate private texts that he made as the case officer investigating Read.
“She’s a whack job (expletive),” Proctor read from compilations of text messages he sent to friends as he looked at Read’s phone. The last word was a derogatory term for women that he at first tried to spell out before Judge Beverly Cannone told him to read it the way he wrote it.
“Yes she’s a babe. Weird Fall River accent, though. No (butt),” he continued under oath on June 10, 2024.
He also texted them “no nudes so far” as an update on the search through her phone. He also testified that he told his sister that he hoped that Read would kill herself.
On Wednesday, Proctor sat through a full day of trial board proceedings at MSP general headquarters in Framingham. When that concluded in the late afternoon, the board decided to continue for a second day on Feb. 10. Neither Wednesday’s proceeding nor the second day is open to the public.
Proctor was relieved of duty on July 1 of last year, which was the day the Read trial concluded in mistrial. He was suspended without pay a week later. The State Police finished its internal affairs investigation last week and convened the trial board to determine the next step in the disciplinary process.
The trial board makes disciplinary recommendations to the superintendent, who determines the final outcome.
“A State Police Trial Board shall hear cases regarding violations of Rules, Regulations, Policies, Procedures, Orders, or Directives,” states the Department’s Rules and Regulations.
“In the event that the Trial Board finds guilt by a preponderance of the evidence on one or more of the charges, the Trial Board shall consider the evidence presented by the Department prosecutor pertaining to the accused member’s prior offenses/disciplinary history, and shall make recommendations for administrative action,” the rules and regulations state.
Read, 44, of Mansfield, faces charges of second-degree murder, motor vehicle manslaughter and leaving the scene of a collision causing the death of O’Keefe, a 16-year Boston Police officer when he died at age 46 on Jan. 29, 2022. Read’s second trial is scheduled to begin April 16.
Originally Published:
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