state senate

A bill that could expand the amount of lobster processing done in New Bedford and elsewhere in Massachusetts has been approved by the State Senate. The measure was initially filed by Senator Bruce Tarr and is supported by State Senator Mark Montigny of New Bedford...

A bill that would require drivers in Massachusetts to put down their cellphones while behind the wheel has won approval in the state Senate. The legislation says motorists could still have cellphone conversations but only while using hands-free technology, with exceptions for certain emergency situations...

The top budget writer in the Massachusetts House says lawmakers in that chamber won't be looking at new taxes as they begin to craft a spending plan for the next fiscal year. House Ways and Means Committee chairman Brian Dempsey said Wednesday that new taxes ``are not on the table'' for the 2017 fiscal year budget...

(Associated Press) - The Massachusetts House has approved a bill designed to crack down on a powerful narcotic often added to heroin. Lawmakers passed the legislation targeting fentanyl Wednesday as part of an effort to fight the state's opioid abuse epidemic...

Massachusetts appears on track for another sales tax holiday. The House on Wednesday voted 136-20 and the Senate 27-11 to suspend the state's 6.25 percent sales tax on most items during the weekend of Aug. 15-16. Gov. Charlie Baker has indicated his willingness to sign the bill when it reaches his desk, noting the holiday is something consumers have come to expect...

Legislation has cleared the State Senate that would create more financial incentives for the use of solar power.  On Tuesday, a citizens environmental group, Environment Massachusetts, was in Fall River urging passage of the bill in the Mass...

Partisan politics did not surface in the Mass. House on Wednesday, when lawmakers, mostly all Democrats, gave near-unanimous support to a budget shortfall plan offered by Republican Governor Charlie Baker. Baker's financial team says this year's state budget is about $768-million in the red...

Budget negotiators in Gov. Charlie Baker's office and the Massachusetts House and Senate have estimated how much the state is expected to collect in revenue during the next fiscal year that begins July 1. They've pegged the number at just under $25...

Republican Gov. Charlie Baker is praising Massachusetts Senate President Stanley Rosenberg for trying to gather more information ahead of a potential effort to legalize marijuana.

The state Senate is considering a proposed set of rules for the 2015-2016 session that includes efforts to improve transparency. The new rules, set for a vote on Wednesday, would require the Senate to make a list of bills available to the public two days before any meeting scheduled to consider those bills...