Editorial Board, “An unfinished piece of criminal justice reform business: Raising the age for juvenile offenders“ (Boston Globe)
“Today, given the state of scientific research on developing brains, the case is even stronger to keep young adults out of a prison system ill-equipped to provide the education and the rehabilitation they need.”
Lydia Edwards, Adam Gomez, and Liz Miranda, “Time to enact new rules for use of facial recognition software” (CommonWealth)
“Three years ago, our Commonwealth started the good work of putting democratic guardrails around police use of this powerful but imperfect technology. Now, it’s time to get the job done. “
Lisa Guisbond, “Time to end the state’s ‘test and punish’ accountability system” (CommonWealth)
“Better ways to improve schools and student learning are grounded in community-based efforts – not state takeovers or private partnerships – using holistic, wraparound services to support schools that face multiple challenges.”
Editorial Board, “It’s time to restore legislative democracy on Beacon Hill” (Boston Globe)
“Why should the public care about any of this? Because as power has flowed upward and rank-and-file legislators have lost any real policy role, constituents have had less opportunity to influence the process.”
Editorial Board, “Give in-state college tuition to undocumented immigrants” (Boston Globe)
“Allowing these young people easier access to a college education would give them a chance at a better life. Currently, schools charge students without legal status the higher international or out-of-state rate, which many immigrants cannot afford to pay. At UMass Boston, a Massachusetts undergraduate faces a bill of $15,535 in tuition and fees next year, while an out-of-state student will be charged $37,211.”
Kara Miller, “Public colleges should be truly public again” (Boston Globe)
“We have been steadily “shifting the cost burden to students and their families,” argues Tom Harnisch, vice president for government relations at the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association. “There’s a real intergenerational equity issue here that I don’t think gets talked about nearly enough.”
Mark Paul, “Economists Hate Rent Control. Here’s Why They’re Wrong.” (The American Prospect)
” Some 67 percent of Americans live in owner-occupied homes—meaning they enjoy de facto rent control in the form of the 30-year mortgage…..It’s high time for the government to extend these benefits—and the economic security that comes with them—by adopting rent control to cover all people in the United States.”
Matt Stout, “Mass. tax revenues for April fell $2.2 billion below what state collected a year ago” (Boston Globe)
“The Raise Up Massachusetts coalition, which successfully pushed a ballot question last year raising taxes on the wealthiest, said in a statement that lawmakers should reconsider the tax cuts, should the state face budget shortfalls in the future.”
Carrie Jung, “Report: Boston’s child care capacity remains below pre-pandemic levels” (WBUR)
“The report also highlighted the increased costs of child care. Between 2018 and 2021, the average tuition for infant care in Boston increased by about $1,300 to $21,269. The tuition hike for toddler care was even steeper, increasing by about $5,600 to reach $19,402 in the same time period.”
“Rally To Make Higher Education More Accessible Held At State House” (WBZ Radio)
“We have underinvested for well over four decades in public higher education, this is unacceptable,” Eldridge said. “This is the session we’re gonna begin to see major investments in public higher education.”
Phineas Baxandall and Stacy Thompson, “Fare debate: Make buses free to all” (CommonWealth)
“Free transit, especially when it comes to buses, isn’t a fringe idea. It is a popular and proven method for increasing transit ridership and improving service. It’s time we start treating it as such.”
Bruce Mohl, “Senate budget embraces in-state tuition for undocumented students” (CommonWealth)
“While Massachusetts leads in so many areas in education,” she said, “we are falling behind other states, including the red states, in offering what is not only the right thing for these immigrant students but good for our atmosphere of inclusion, equity, and overall success. Twenty-three states plus DC already have this. We need to be competitive as well.”
Bruce Mohl, “Senate budget boosts RTA funding, backs fare-free buses” (CommonWealth)
“The $100 million in the Senate proposal includes $56 million for direct operating support, $25 million for innovation grants, $4 million for accessibility grants, and $15 million so each of the RTAs can launch six-month, fare-free pilots on their bus systems.”
Kristina Mensik and Adam Eichen, “It’s time to restore felon voting rights” (CommonWealth)
“As a new Sentencing Project report shows, disenfranchisement is associated with a range of adverse societal consequences that come at the expense of political and racial equality and the public good, ranging from lowered future political participation to roadblocks towards reintegration into society. One study has found that among individuals who had been arrested previously, 27 percent of non-voters were rearrested, versus 12 percent of voters.”