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New from CommonWealth Beacon |
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LAW AND DISORDER: Former state senator Dean Tran’s ethics violation case went before the Supreme Judicial Court, which is tasked with considering just how broad “legislative immunity” protections are for lawmakers who run afoul of conflict of interest rules. Jennifer Smith breaks down the arguments.
MEDICAID PREVIEW: US House Speaker Mike Johnson said that the chamber’s budget bill, expected to seek $1.5 trillion in savings, will not change the portion of state Medicaid costs paid by the federal government for states that have expanded Medicaid, like Massachusetts. Colin Young of the State House News Service has the story.
SALARY INQUIRY: A former state senator is defending her position at a financially strapped nursing home after a judge questioned her salary. Gintautas Dumcius has the details.
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May 9, 2025 |
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By Bhaamati Borkhetaria |
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As Massachusetts lawmakers work to craft a budget, facing an ever-shrinking pile of money coming from the federal government and rattled by economic uncertainty, the leaders of one of the state's most troubled agencies – the Cannabis Control Commission – are saying that they cannot make crucial improvements without more money from the Legislature. But legislators, so far, aren’t buying it.
According to Travis Ahern, the CCC’s new executive director, the agency needs more money to make key IT infrastructure updates that will fix some of the issues that the agency has come under fire for, like failing to collect $550,000 in licensing fees.
The commission has asked the Legislature for over $30 million for Fiscal Year 2026, with $2 million allocated towards the IT upgrades.
Just a few months out from the often-stretched deadline to finalize the budget, the CCC’s ask looks unlikely to come through. Budget proposals from the governor, the House, and the Senate have all capped the commission’s budget at $19.88 million.
From his perch at the CCC, Ahern describes the roughly $9 million gap as a roadblock to needed upgrades.
“The best way to optimize operations of this regulatory body is by investing in IT infrastructure,” he said. “We are looking to do the procurement to replace or enhance those systems, but as of right now, especially with [how] the FY26 budget looks, we don't have the funding to do that. ... When people ask [me] how can I reorganize or how can I create efficiencies within the organization, without the proper [IT] tools, it's really difficult to say.” |
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More from CommonWealth Beacon |
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INTOXICATING HEMP: With an uneven crackdown on hemp-derived products, which contain the same active ingredient as cannabis but are not regulated the same way, legislators are looking to put the Cannabis Control Commission in charge. Bhaamati Borkhetaria reports.
PARALLEL PLAYS: A three-dimensional chess match is playing out over vocational school admission policies, Michael Jonas reports, with the state education board poised to adopt sweeping reforms to the system at the same time that the issue has been inserted into the Legislature’s 2026 budget debate.
MAYORAL MOVES: A dozen people have expressed interest in taking on Boston Mayor Michelle Wu as she runs for a second term. An attorney who works for her is among them. Gintautas Dumcius has more.
OPINION: The personal needs allowance, or PNA, for nursing home residents on Medicaid has not budged in Massachusetts for almost 20 years despite spiking costs of living, writes Paul Shafer, an associate professor at the Boston University School of Public Health, and Monica Aswani, an assistant professor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Health Professions. Increasing the PNA lets nursing and rest home residents keep more of their own money, like a mini tax cut for our most vulnerable seniors.
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What We're Reading |
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TECHNOLOGY: Sabrina Mansur will now be leading a $100 million initiative, the Massachusetts AI Hub, intended to help build the state’s strength in the rapidly evolving sector. One of her goals, she said, is “kids coming up through Massachusetts being able to use AI and be acclimated to that.” (MassLive – paywall)
CRIMINAL JUSTICE: Some housing advocates and Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission members argue housing court constables should have additional training, similar to what police officers must go through, in case post-eviction or foreclosure move-outs escalate and become unsafe. But the Massachusetts Trial Court says the board is overstepping its authority in asking for that change. (GBH News)
POLITICS: Weeks after local climate activists were visited at their Boston-area homes by people claiming to be FBI agents, the motivations behind these visits remain a mystery. Some legal experts worry the visits could have a chilling effect on free speech, especially following the recent high-profile detentions of several pro-Palestinian activists. (WBUR)
IMMIGRATION: An immigration judge found the Department of Homeland Security did not file charges against a New Bedford man detained after federal agents smashed in his car window, Judge Donald Ostrom declared a failure to prosecute Juan Francisco Méndez, who is now set to be released. (New Bedford Light)
MICHELIN GUIDE: Boston’s board of tourism bureau has voted to work in partnership with the Michelin Guide, whose star reviews are the most sought after in restaurants across the world. The move is meant to be a boost to restaurants and tourism in the city. (Boston Business Journal - paywall)
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The Codcast: The collective climate challenge of coastal Massachusetts |
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This episode of the Codcast is a recording of a live event that took place April 30 in Provincetown, co-moderated by CWB's Jennifer Smith and Eve Zuckoff of CAI, the Cape and Islands NPR station.
Together with a panel of conservation, planning, and community development experts, they discussed what it means to live and plan responsibly on the Cape and Islands, understanding the realities of climate change and the housing crunch as a collective crisis. |
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