Happy Friday! Did this week fly by or is it just us? We're now only a few short days away from the State House reopening to the public for the first time in roughly two years. And like a lot of people in the state, we still have a lot of questions about how Tuesday will play out. Count House Minority Leader Brad Jones among the lawmakers who are anxious "because I still don't have some of the details on how it's going to be." The North Reading Republican said he hopes whatever plan Democratic leadership puts into place "will be brief so that we can get to a more traditional open State House." Jones pointed to indications from Boston Mayor Michelle Wu that a proof-of-vaccination requirement could soon be lifted in the city as COVID-19 metrics trend in the right direction. "Hopefully, we can follow suit and get back to some sense of normalcy, even with some precautions still in place," he told MASSterList, while walking around the halls of the State House. "I don't know if it'll be that busy next week, obviously, because it's school vacation week." As far as staffing his office, Jones said he wants "to be smart about it." "I'd rather have everybody in on those days when we're in session and we're actually doing something," he said. Legislative leaders announced Monday when they throw the doors to the "People's House" back open to the open to the public on Tuesday those seeking to enter will need to show proof of vaccination and wear a mask while in the building. But outside of that, specific logistical details have been slow to arrive and answers to a list of questions were not forthcoming from leaders on Thursday. Who will check vaccination status? What entrance will be open to the public? Who will enforce mask wearing while people are inside the State House? How will officials deal with protestors or those who refuse to show proof of vaccination? If at-home tests count, how can you prove when they were taken? Spokespeople for Senate President Karen Spilka and Speaker Ron Mariano said "we can confirm that discussions and meetings have continued throughout this week to finalize preparations and logistics ahead of Tuesday’s opening to the public." Sen. Diana DiZoglio, who is running for state auditor, told MASSterList she is "thrilled" the State House is reopening to the public after more than 700 days since its closure. "I have for months been calling for a safe reopening and am so excited that the communities we serve will again have full access to their building, including the legislative sessions where we set the policies that impact them," she said. "An open State House is critical to inclusivity, transparency, and accessibility in our state government." | Baker: No immediate plans to lift masking in hospitals | | | The Baker administration indicated they do not have immediate plans to lift masking mandates at hospitals, nursing homes, or other settings where they are "standard operating procedure." Boston Globe's Matt Stout and Emma Platoff report Gov. Charlie Baker doesn't see masking in these locations occurring "in perpetuity" but will remain "until people are really comfortable" that the virus isn't a threat. Boston Globe | | | |
| | | | Party of one: Baker promises to support moderate candidate | | | He won’t be on the ballot in November, but Gov. Charlie Baker says he stands ready to lift up candidates who share his moderate approach to politics and governing. Boston Globe’s Emma Platoff reports Baker’s PAC has $2 million ready to be put to work and will try to provide the type of support the state’s Republican party would provide if it weren’t in the grips of leadership and fundraising crises. Boston Globe | | | |
| | | | DiZoglio releases social justice plan | | | Sen. Diana DiZoglio unveiled a new social justice plan that seeks to shake up the status quo on Beacon Hill. MassLive's Alison Kuznitz reports the plan includes a series of audits like diving into "equitable implementation" of legal cannabis, taking a look at the Department of Early Education and Care, as well as setting up implicit bias training for police in the state. MassLive
| Can you do the committee shuffle? | | | Senate Democrats reorganized the leadership of a few committees and assigned a new senator to lead the Community Development and Small Business Committee. State House News Service's Colin A. Young reports Sen. Lydia Edwards will co-chair that committee. More from Young: "The changes affect six committees and six senators, though it is unclear exactly how much sway the new committee chairs will have this session given that public hearing season is over and most committees had to either wrap up their work or seek extensions for specific bills by early this month." State House News Service | | | |
| | | | Former Quincy resident arrested overseas on terrorism charges | | | A former resident of Quincy was arrested in Sweden, officials said, in connection to a series of fires at Jewish-related sites. Patriot Ledger's Mary Whitfill reports Swedish police arrested Alexander Giannakakis near Stockholm though the U.S. plans to seek extradition so he can be tried in Boston. Patriot Ledger | | | |
| | | | Curry College goes virtual after racial threats | | | Curry College said it would go entirely virtual, not because of coronavirus but because of a spate of hate incidents, including a note with a specific threat against Black students and graffiti that includes a swastika, Laura Krantz and Charlie McKenna of the Boston Globe report. A $10,000 reward for information on the perpetrators is also being offered. Boston Globe | | | |
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