State House News Service

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Too Many White Teachers Teaching Children of Color, State Education Commissioner Says

By Katie Lannan STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE FALL RIVER — Forty percent of students in public K-12 schools in Massachusetts are children of color, but only 6 percent of teachers in those same schools are people of color, Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Jeff Riley told lawmakers Monday.

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UMass President Proposes New ‘Online College’

By Matt Murphy STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE University of Massachusetts President Marty Meehan laid out a plan on Monday to create a new "online college" for adult students that he said could become the system's bulwark against increasing financial pressures on college campuses caused by competition

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No More Life Sentences, Some Massachusetts Legislators Say

By Michael P. Norton STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE Now that the landmark 2018 criminal justice reform law is on the books, lawmakers are exploring additional ideas and "even harder work," as state Senator Jamie Eldridge (D-Acton) put it Thursday, including the possibility of releasing prisoners serving life-without-parole sentences

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Millionaires’ Tax Supporters Think They’re On Their Way With Legislators Approach on Beacon Hill

By Katie Lannan STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE As lawmakers and advocates try again to impose a surtax on incomes over $1 million, they're confident a new attempt can survive a potential legal challenge and meet constitutional requirements.

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A Thousand Million Dollars For Climate Change –‘Green Shockwave’ Predicted for Massachusetts

By Chris Lisinski STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE SOMERVILLE — Massachusetts House Speaker Robert DeLeo proposed a sweeping $1 billion environmental grant program Friday that, over the next decade, would fund municipal efforts to build renewable-energy infrastructure and invest in climate resiliency programs.

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Rules To Work By, and Newcomers Throwing Down — Weekly Roundup of Beacon Hill

Recap and analysis of the week in state government By Matt Murphy STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE

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Taxes, Taxes, Taxes:  Governor Charlie Baker’s New $42.7 Billion Budget

By Matt Murphy STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker filed a $42.7 billion budget on Wednesday that features the biggest overhaul to public education funding in decades and proposes new taxes on electronic nicotine products and on pharmaceutical manufacturers to help pay for opioid addiction services.

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AG Healey Endorses Version of ‘Green New Deal’ — 100 Percent ‘Renewable’ Energy

Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey committed herself on Wednesday to an ambitious new clean energy goal and promised to fight gun violence, reduce barriers to mental health treatment, and support increased funding for education as many Democrats continue to look to her as the future of the party. Healey, who