Chris Van Buskirk

NEW: Kate Walsh, the state's health and human services secretary, is stepping down. Undersecretary Kiame Mahaniah will take over the top job Monday at an inflection point as Massachusetts braces for major Medicaid cuts. #mapoli statehousenews.com/news/executive…

New: GBH to lay off 13 employees from American Experience due to "severe cuts in federal funding for public media," CEO Susan Goldberg said. The layoffs are among the first cuts in public media after Congress rescinded $1.1 billion for public broadcasters. bostonglobe.com/2025/07/22/bus…

NEW: Despite plummeting shelter populations and ahead-of-schedule closing of hotel shelters, state officials extended a 2023 declaration asserting that the state still can’t keep up with the demand and that it must keep in place current limitations.bostonglobe.com/2025/07/17/met… #mapoli

JOHN LAWN: Rep. John Lawn, a Watertown Democrat who co-chairs the Health Care Financing Committee, was charged with drunken driving after he was arrested by police early Wednesday morning, WCVB reported. #mapoli wcvb.com/article/state-…

QUASI STATE OF MIND: Gov. Healey said she is seeking expanded emergency budget-cutting powers in part to target quasi-public agencies, or organizations that are part of state government but operate with some independence from Beacon Hill. #mapoli bostonherald.com/2025/07/14/gov…

BIZ CASH: The two Republicans running for governor of Mass. have tapped their business connections for thousands of dollars since launching their campaigns in attempts to shore up their bank accounts ahead of the 2026 election, state data shows. #mapoli bostonherald.com/2025/07/13/rep…

Top Beacon Hill Dems focused on the judiciary accused attorneys on a more than month-long work stoppage of not talking to lawmakers about the hourly rate they’re paid to take on the criminal cases of people who are unable to afford representation. #mapoli bostonherald.com/2025/07/09/mas…

We are delighted to share that Gintautas Dumcius (@gintautasd) is returning to MASSterList as Editor. massterlist.com/2025/07/10/gin…

FUNDRAISING FIGHT: Mike Kennealy, a Republican running for governor of MA, accused Brian Shortsleeve, another conservative gubernatorial candidate, of inflating his fundraising numbers in a pair of public announcements over the past two months. #mapoli bostonherald.com/2025/07/09/rep…

NEW: Health care can dominate debate on Beacon Hill, most notably in how taxpayer money gets spent. The Globe found that no one lobbies lawmakers more than the industry’s leaders and few, if any, cut more campaign checks. w/@MattPStout @neena_hagen bostonglobe.com/2025/07/08/met… #mapoli

MASS. CELL PHONE BAN? Senate Democrats were preparing to advance legislation Tuesday that requires all public schools to implement a “bell-to-bell” ban on student access to personal electronic devices like cell phones during the school day. #mapoli bostonherald.com/2025/07/08/mas…

DIRE WARNING: Gov. Healey said she is ready to slash earmarks for local projects and will seek the extraordinary power to cut spending across all state gov in an effort to prep for potential federal funding cuts that could spell disaster for MA. #mapoli bostonherald.com/2025/07/04/mau…

HEALEY OUTRAISES GOP CHALLENGERS: Gov. Maura Healey, a first-term Democrat running for reelection, outraised her two potential Republican opponents in June, according to fundraising data provided by the three campaigns Wednesday. #mapoli bostonherald.com/2025/07/02/mau…

SHELTER $$: Gov. Maura Healey estimates the final tally for how much the state spent on shelters over the last year will come in less than originally anticipated, but costs for the fiscal year that ended Monday are still on track to approach $1B. #mapoli bostonherald.com/2025/07/02/gov…