Massachusetts
Many people in Massachusetts will pay less in taxes in 2024. Here’s a look at new laws this year. – The Boston Globe
For now, here are the new laws — and expiring ones — to watch:
More money (to come)
Come 2024 tax season, residents can start taking advantage of many of the cuts and beefed-up tax credits included in the state’s $1 billion tax package. That includes a bigger tax credit for low-income workers, a sizable tax cut for day traders who made short-term capital gains, and a bigger deduction for renters that translates into modest (about $50) savings.
But some parts of the law technically didn’t take effect until Monday, meaning residents can’t realize their full benefits until they file their 2024 taxes, likely in spring 2025. That includes an enhanced tax credit for parents of children or caretakers for disabled adults or seniors.
The law increased credits for child and dependent care from $180 to $310 per dependent claimed on an individual’s 2023 taxes, while also lifting the cap on how many dependents a caretaker can claim. In 2024, the tax credit then jumps $440 per dependent. That means a family with four children could eventually claim $1,760; before the changes, that same family would have been able to claim $360.
Another change going into effect will require all married couples who file joint federal returns to also file jointly at the state level, rather than individually. Some business leaders opposed the measure, but the goal, proponents say, is to prevent wealthy couples from avoiding the so-called millionaires tax, a 4 percent surtax on annual incomes over $1 million, by filing separately.
With the new year, the cap on credits awarded to developers through the Housing Development Incentive Program, or HDIP, also resets to $30 million — up from the $10 million allowed before the bill passed but a drop from the temporary $57 million cap the law set for 2023.
The credit aims to spur more market-rate housing in midsize and smaller cities, and the changes marked one of the first times state House and Senate leaders were in alignment on a major housing policy initiative in 2023. The increase chafed some Democratic lawmakers, who argued that the program’s focus on creating more market-rate housing does little to address a desperate need for more affordable units, too.
Pandemic policies
COVID-19 has not gone away. In some cases, neither have the laws it inspired, at least until early 2024.
The Legislature last March extended several pandemic-era policies, passing language allowing restaurants to sell cocktails to go with takeout meals and for expanded outdoor dining. But those laws — first passed during the depths of the public health emergency as a lifeline to restaurants — are currently slated to end April 1.
That is, of course, unless lawmakers move to extend them again. In the case of cocktails to go, an extension would be the fourth in as many years.
That measure was at a center of a fight between restaurant owners and liquor stores in 2023. Some lawmakers also hesitated, at least initially, to keep the law in place, particularly in the Senate, which greeted the prospect of another extension coolly before the chamber’s leaders ultimately agreed to it.
Steve Clark, president and CEO of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association, said his group is already lobbying to extend both policies. Some restaurants, as well as the cities and towns where they operate, need more time to make permanent their plans to create outdoor dining spaces, particularly those in public spaces, such as sidewalks, he said.
Some restaurants, typically ones serving Asian or Mexican food, have also embedded specialty to-go drinks into their offerings, Clark said, arguing that an extension to the rule — or a permanent change — would benefit many establishments still struggling to catch up to pre-pandemic sales.
“If there was more of a sign that it’s going to last forever, people would be more inclined to utilize it,” he said.
Package stores, however, are likely to push back hard on any effort. Rob Mellion, executive director of the Massachusetts Package Stores Association, said that the advantage of selling to-go alcohol “must end” and argued that third-party delivery services are ripe for abuse by underage drinkers.
He pointed to the Alcoholic Beverages Control Commission’s most recent annual report from 2021, which said in December of that year alone, every one of the more than two dozens deliveries it investigated went to someone underage.
Sticking with the minimum
One of the more notable developments of the calendar flip is what’s not happening: Those earning the minimum wage in Massachusetts won’t see a pay raise in January.
For years, hundreds of thousands low-income workers — who made $8 an hour a decade ago — could bank on earning more in the new year thanks to legislative changes, including a 2018 law known as the grand bargain. Under that measure, the state’s minimum wage rose each year starting in 2019, gradually increasing to $15 from $11. Minimum wages for tipped employees also steadily rose to $6.75 from $3.75, and the law also gradually phased out mandatory time-and-a-half pay on Sundays and holidays.
Those changes, however, took their final steps in January 2023. When the law passed more than five years ago, the eventual $15 wage floor matched the highest in the country. It still ranks among them, but Connecticut ($15.69), California and parts of New York ($16), Washington state ($16.28), and Washington, D.C., (which hit $17 in July) all have higher minimums.
All told, workers in nearly half of US states were slated to see some type of increase in the new year.
That Massachusetts isn’t among them has prompted calls from labor leaders and advocates to pursue another increase to keep up with the state’s escalating living and housing costs.
“We have an affordability crisis in Massachusetts, and it’s hitting low-wage workers the hardest,” said Chrissy Lynch, president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO.
Whether Beacon Hill is prepared to pursue another increase is a different matter. Democratic lawmakers have filed legislation that would gradually raise the wage floor to $20 and then tie future increases to inflation.
But legislative leaders have not signaled they have an appetite to pursue it. In a statement, a spokesperson for Senate President Karen Spilka noted she would review any proposals to increase the wage floor “should they move forward in the legislative process.” Aides to House Speaker Ronald Mariano did not respond to a request for comment.
Healey has said the wage floor should be adjusted “over time” to keep up with the cost of living, but she did not advocate for raising it before the legislative session ends in July.
“Governor Healey is a strong supporter of paying workers a fair wage and will review any legislation that reaches her desk,” said Karissa Hand, a Healey spokesperson.
Matt Stout can be reached at matt.stout@globe.com. Follow him @mattpstout.
Massachusetts
Two stranded dolphins rescued from Massachusetts marsh
It swims in the family.
A mother and calf wandered off the beaten path and got stranded in a Massachusetts marsh, forcing an emergency mammal rescue crew to save the wayward dolphin pair.
On Dec. 8, the Wareham Department of Natural Resources responded to a report of two stranded dolphins in the area of Beaverdam Creek off of the Weweantic River, a 17-mile tributary that drains into Buzzards Bay, which directly connects to the Atlantic Ocean.
When crews arrived, two common dolphins were located alive and active, but partially out of the water stranded in the marsh, according to the Wareham Department of Natural Resources.
Responding authorities alerted the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) Marine Mammal Stranding Response Team, based in Cape Cod.
IFAW team members put the dolphins on stretchers and brought them to safety, where they conducted preliminary tests on the wayward dolphins.
“Our teams were easily able to extract the animals and transport them via our custom-built rescue vehicle,” Stacey Hedman, senior director of communications for IFAW, said.
The dolphins were weighed; the smaller of the two weighed approximately 90 lbs, and the larger mammal around 150 lbs.
Upon further analysis, it was revealed that the dolphins were an adult female and a socially-dependent juvenile female, a mother and calf pair.
According to Hedman, IFAW had some concerns over the mother’s decreased responsiveness and abnormal blood work, though it was deemed the pair was healthy enough to release back into the ocean at West Dennis Beach in Dennis, Mass.
“By releasing them into an area with many other dolphins around, this would hopefully increase their chances of socialization and survival. Both animals have satellite tags that are still successfully tracking,” Hedman said.
Massachusetts
Man seriously injured after being thrown from moving vehicle during domestic dispute
A 19-year-old Massachusetts man was seriously injured after he was thrown from a moving vehicle he had grabbed onto during a domestic dispute Thursday morning.
Duxbury police said they responded to a report of an injured male who might have been struck by a vehicle on Chandler Street around 5:22 a.m. and found a 19-year-old Pembroke man lying in the roadway with serious injuries.
Through interviews with witnesses, officers learned that the man had gone to his ex-girlfriend’s residence on Chandler Street to confront her current boyfriend. An altercation ensued, during which police said the 19-year-old appears to have jumped on the hood of a vehicle and was then thrown from the moving vehicle.
The incident remains under investigation, police said. At this time, they said no charges have been filed.
Massachusetts
Massachusetts man dies from deadly lung disease linked to popular kitchen countertops
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Massachusetts health officials announced Tuesday that the state has confirmed its first case of an incurable lung disease linked to exposure to certain countertop stones.
The disease is particularly associated with quartz, which has become increasingly popular in recent years for its practicality and aesthetic, according to health officials.
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) said a 40-year-old man, who has worked in the stone countertop industry for 14 years, was recently diagnosed with silicosis, a condition that can cause death.
“The confirmation of this case in Massachusetts is a tragic reminder that silicosis is not just a distant threat. It is here, and it is seriously impacting the health of workers in Massachusetts,” Emily H. Sparer-Fine, a director at DPH, said in a statement.
MICHIGAN MAN DIES OF RABIES AFTER RECEIVING KIDNEY FROM INFECTED DONOR WHO SAVED KITTEN FROM SKUNK: CDC
Kitchen with a quartz countertop Nov. 15, 2017, in Ballston Lake, N.Y. (John Carl D’Annibale/Albany Times Union)
The unnamed patient reportedly performed activities such as cutting, grinding and polishing, which can generate crystalline silica dust. When inhaled, this dust scars lung tissue and can lead to silicosis, DPH said.
The disease is preventable but irreversible and progressive, officials said. Symptoms include a persistent cough, shortness of breath, fatigue and chest pain. Because there is often a long latency period between exposure and symptom onset, diagnoses are frequently delayed, according to DPH.
As the disease progresses, it can result in serious complications, including lung cancer, tuberculosis and even death, the department added.
Officials added that “most cases of silicosis are work-related – it is very rare for silicosis to occur outside of workplace exposure.”
CDC REPORTS 19TH CRUISE SHIP NOROVIRUS OUTBREAK THIS YEAR AFFECTING PASSENGERS AND CREW
A father and son set up a quartz countertop at a booth in Albany Sept. 15, 2011. (John Carl D’Annibale/Albany Times Union)
Officials said the risk exists when handling natural stones, such as granite, but is especially high when working with engineered stone, such as quartz. While natural granite typically contains less than 45% silica, engineered stone can contain more than 90%, DPH reported.
“In recent years, the disease has become more prevalent among stone fabrication workers due to the rise in popularity of countertops made from engineered stone (also known as quartz or artificial stone),” DPH reported.
BOTULISM DEATHS RAISE FOOD TRUCK SAFETY CONCERNS AS DOCTOR PREACHES ‘AWARENESS’
An employee applies a sealant to sheets for countertops May 14, 2014. (Craig Warga/Bloomberg)
The department noted that, while this is the first confirmed case in Massachusetts within this industry, more cases are expected due to the disease’s long latency period and the rising popularity of engineered stone.
Other states have also reported cases of silicosis. In a 2023 study, California researchers identified 52 quartz countertop workers with silicosis. Twenty of them had advanced disease and 10 died.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
Despite the disease’s potential severity, there has not been an outright ban on quartz in U.S. kitchens. By contrast, all work involving engineered stone has already been banned in Australia due to the severe risks it poses to workers. Other countries are also pushing for more regulations.
The DPH emphasizes that silicosis is “absolutely preventable” through proper workplace controls. The alert urges employers in the stone countertop fabrication industry to implement effective safety measures, such as wet cutting and proper ventilation, to minimize silica exposure and protect workers.
“Silicosis is a devastating, life-altering disease and one that is also absolutely preventable,” Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein said in a statement.
-
Alaska6 days agoHowling Mat-Su winds leave thousands without power
-
Politics1 week agoTrump rips Somali community as federal agents reportedly eye Minnesota enforcement sweep
-
Ohio1 week ago
Who do the Ohio State Buckeyes hire as the next offensive coordinator?
-
Texas6 days agoTexas Tech football vs BYU live updates, start time, TV channel for Big 12 title
-
News1 week agoTrump threatens strikes on any country he claims makes drugs for US
-
World1 week agoHonduras election council member accuses colleague of ‘intimidation’
-
Washington3 days agoLIVE UPDATES: Mudslide, road closures across Western Washington
-
Iowa5 days agoMatt Campbell reportedly bringing longtime Iowa State staffer to Penn State as 1st hire