legislation - NewBostonPost (Page 6)

Massachusetts

Baker calls again for charter expansion, opioid abuse solution

BOSTON – Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker used his first State of the State speech to appeal for bipartisanship in solving ongoing challenges in agencies such as the MBTA and the Department of Children and Families, while reiterating a call for the expansion of charter schools. "Giving parents in underperforming districts

Massachusetts legislature

Hands-free phone bill seen missing mark on safety

BOSTON – Even those supporting legislation that would ban the use of handheld mobile devices while behind the wheel agree that the measure won't eliminate the scourge of distracted driving. Up for debate at the State House on Thursday, the bill (S 2093) would harden Massachusetts' stance against

Massachusetts

Pot legalization backers remind lawmakers clock is ticking

STATE HOUSE — Buoyed by recent wins at the ballot box and confidence that voters will approve yet another major law in November, marijuana activists on Wednesday told lawmakers that their opportunity to craft legislation to legalize marijuana on their own terms is now. "The issue facing lawmakers today is

Massachusetts legislature

Groups ratchet up push for transgender bill

BOSTON – Gov. Charlie Baker and some lawmakers are refusing to budge on a bill that would give transgender people access to public restrooms and locker rooms based on their sexual identity rather than their physical gender, despite increased pressure from activists. Nicknamed by conservatives as the "bathroom bill,"

guns

Obama initiative on gun control shows limits of acting alone

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama's do-it-himself plan for keeping guns away from those who shouldn't have them falls far short of what he'd hoped to accomplish through legislation after a massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School shook the country to attention in 2012. Yet

Massachusetts

Patients who overdose on opioids get them again, study shows

BOSTON – Most patients who receive drugs to treat chronic pain and overdose on opioid medications still get the addictive synthetic opiates through their doctors, a new study shows. The 12-year study released Monday by the Boston Medical Center tracked almost 3,000 people who were treated in an emergency room

Massachusetts

Opioid abuse measure removes major elements sought by Baker

BOSTON – Patients prescribed opioids for the first time would be limited to a seven-day supply and any individual admitted to an emergency room because of an apparent drug overdose would be required to undergo a substance-abuse evaluation within 24 hours, under a redrafted House bill made public Monday. The bill

legislation

No Child Left Behind rewrite heads toward final approval

WASHINGTON (AP) — A long-awaited rewrite of federal education law appears headed toward final congressional approval. The Senate voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to end debate on a widely criticized No Child Left Behind Act, setting up a final vote Wednesday. The sweeping legislation would give the states greater control over the nation&