State House News Service
The State House News Service is a privately-owned, independent wire service based in the Massachusetts State House that provides comprehensive coverage of Massachusetts state government.
Recently published
Anna Maria College to shut down at end of semester
Anna Maria College is the second Massachusetts liberal arts college this month to announce it will close, underscoring the mounting financial strain facing small, tuition-dependent schools.
House proposes slightly tighter budget than Healey, anticipating a 'very, very difficult' year
Budgetwriters had to account for a number of colliding fiscal challenges, including a sluggish economy, eroding federal support and two potential ballot questions that could put dollars back in taxpayers...
Healey packs social media, hunting and shelter proposals into supplemental spending bill
The fiscal year 2026 supplemental budget that Healey filed Tuesday afternoon seeks to make up the deficit left behind by a harsh winter that dumped several feet of snow across...
Anna Maria College in central Mass. at risk of closure, state says
The state's Department of Higher Education posted a notice on Friday declaring the Anna Maria College in Paxton may not have sufficient finances to stay open for the next 18...
Mass. asks federal government for disaster aid for February blizzard
Massachusetts is seeking federal aid programs for numerous Massachusetts counties that were heavily affected by February's blizzard to help cover costs for the state and municipalities. The blizzard led to...
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Ballot question hearings reveal tense divisions between lawmakers and policy advocates
Over weeks of hearings on a wave of potential 2026 ballot questions, exchanges between lawmakers and advocates veered from technical to tense. Lawmakers pushed back on what they described as...
Mass. AG proposes new assisted living regulations focused on safety and cost
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell's office released new draft regulations for assisted living residences, which would require residences to specify to cost of care and when those costs may increase....
Mass. House set to vote on bill to ban cellphones in schools, limit teen social media use
The state Senate passed a bill last July that would ban cellphones for students throughout the school day. The House plans to vote on a bill Wednesday that would go...
Coalition of attorneys general lodges new challenge to EPA decision on greenhouse gas regulation
Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell joined her counterparts in 23 other states to petition a court to review the EPA's move to eliminate the so-called Endangerment Finding, which had concluded...
Lowell Democrat Vanna Howard makes history as first Cambodian-American state senator
A survivor of the Khmer Rouge genocide, Howard fled Cambodia and came to the United States at the age of 11. The Lowell Democrat won a special election for the...