Matt Stout, “Healey, promising more compassion, overhauls state’s guidelines for pardons, commutations,” Boston Globe, October 31, 2023.
“Healey, the state’s first openly gay governor, saidin weighing a petition for a commutation — or reducing a sentence — she intends to also consider whether a person is LGBTQ+, as well as a survivor of sexual assault, domestic violence, or human trafficking.”
“Investor eyed Boston. Then he considered his workers’ housing costs.,” Boston Globe (Letters), October 29, 2023.
“Wistful for my youth, I looked recently at investing in Boston and building a genetics lab. But what of my employees, whose salary would be consumed by one of the priciest real estate markets in the nation? I couldn’t do that to them or their families.”
Bahar Akmar Imboden, “Tracing the origins of our college affordability crisis,” CommonWealth, October 27, 2023.
“Let’s imagine a future where student loans are the exception, not the rule. Let’s demand a reality where high-quality, debt-free higher education is attainable for every aspiring student in the state.”
Bhaamati Borkhetaria, “Senate passes menstrual period equity bill,” CommonWealth, October 27, 2023.
“We have hundreds of years of stigma to combat to make it a top of mind priority so [that] when legislators are thinking about basic needs, they are thinking of period products,” said Goodfriend, the Mass NOW official.
The Editorial Board, “Statewide zoning could boost accessory dwelling unit construction,” Boston Globe, October 22, 2023.
“But there’s no substitute for a strong statewide policy. Rules for ADUs that are generally the same everywhere in Massachusetts should also attract more builders and lenders to create what is now still largely a bespoke product.”
Ian Rhodewalt, “Student Debt Is Haunting Us,” Daily Hampshire Gazette, October 17, 2023.
“There is currently legislation at the State House — the Cherish Act and the Debt Free Future bill — that will continue to use Fair Share Amendment funds to make high quality public higher education available for all. Call and write your legislators to make sure that they support these.”
Diti Kohli, “The median Uber and Lyft driver in Mass. makes $12.82 an hour, report finds,” Boston Globe, October 17, 2023.
“The study, based on third-party data from one million ride-hail trips in the state from June 2022 to July 2023, found that nearly three of five drivers made less than $15 an hour — the state minimum wage for hourly employees — and that half of ride-hail earnings were taken up by expenses such as gas and vehicle maintenance.”
Max Page and Debt McCarthy, “State needs to end MCAS as a graduation requirement,” Boston Globe, October 2, 2023.
“Educators, parents, students, and community allies have won big gains for school funding and greater economic equality. We need to reclaim real teaching from destructive high-stakes testing so that every child has the opportunity to receive the great public education they deserve.”
