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It's been a busy 24 hours of news. But let's begin today with a look ahead to next year: And they're off: Rent control. Jungle primaries. Income tax cuts. A record number of proposed Massachusetts ballot questions are taking a small — but crucial — step toward the 2026 election. Attorney General Andrea Campbell announced Wednesday that her office had certified the constitutionality of 40 proposed laws for the 2026 ballot. The news clears the way for supporters of the questions to begin work on the next step in the process : gathering nearly 75,000 signatures in less than three months, a difficult hurdle that traditionally whittle down the field. So, don't worry; you won't have to vote on 40 questions next year. But it's possible, if not likely, that at least a few of these proposals will make their way to the 2026 ballot. Here's an early look at the wide-ranging group of contenders: Housing- Rent control: A proposed question — backed by a coalition of tenants' advocacy groups — would repeal Massachusetts' ban on local rent control laws and set a statewide limit on annual rent increases of 5% or the rate of inflation, whichever is lower. The new push comes after state lawmakers have declined to act on proposals by individual cities (including Boston) to bring back some form of rent control. The local real estate industry is already gearing up for a fight.
- Minimum lot sizes: Another question aimed at reining in the cost of housing would require cities and towns to allow single-family homes to be built on lot sizes as small as 5,000 square feet — or roughly an eighth of an acre. (As of 2023, more than half of the communities in eastern Massachusetts required lots for single family homes to be at least 1 acre, according to The Boston Globe.)
- Local control: A quartet of proposed ballot questions by a Rockport resident and critic of the state's MBTA Communities Act seek to prevent state involvement in local zoning and make it harder for communities to change their zoning laws.
Taxes- Tax rates and rebates: A coalition of business-backed groups, including the Massachusetts High Technology Council and the Pioneer Institute, are pushing two tax-related ballot proposals. The first would gradually cut the state's baseline income tax from 5% to 4% over the course of three years. The second would tweak the state's Chapter 62F tax revenue cap law (remember that from 2022?) to lower the threshold at which rebates are triggered.
- Gas tax: Veteran signature gatherer Harold Hubschman got nine different ballot proposals certified, including another attempt at phasing out the state's gas tax.
Elections and government- Same-day registration: A proposed ballot question by Secretary of State Bill Galvin would bring Election Day voter registration to Massachusetts — a reform that activists have long sought but failed to get through the State House.
- Jungle primaries: A group called the Coalition for Healthy Democracy is backing ballot proposals to implement all-party primaries (similar to Boston's preliminary election system) for statewide offices in Massachusetts.
- Public records: The same group is also behind a certified ballot proposal to expand the state's public records law to the Legislature and governor's office.
- Lawmaker stipends: Former Massachusetts state representative Jonathan Hecht is leading a bipartisan ballot effort to eliminate or reform the controversial stipends that Beacon Hill lawmakers get for holding leadership positions.
- Voter ID: Meanwhile, the group behind the failed 2023 push to put a voter ID requirement on the ballot is giving that effort another try.
What else?P.S.— Today is the first day of class for most Boston Public Schools students. However, Mayor Michelle Wu told WBUR's Morning Edition yesterday that she expects a dip in attendance because some immigrant families are afraid to bring their kids to school due to President Trump's deportation efforts. Click here for more takeaways from Wu's Morning Edition interview, including on how BPS plans to deal with ICE. |
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| | | Nik DeCosta-Klipa Senior Editor, Newsletters | | |
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Judge Allison Burroughs sided with the Ivy League school in ruling that the cuts amounted to illegal retaliation for Harvard’s rejection of White House demands for changes to its governance and policies. Read more. |
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NPR's Steve Inskeep speaks with Sen. Elizabeth Warren, the top Democrat on the Senate Banking Committee, about Stephen Miran's nomination to the Fed and the central bank's independence. Read more. |
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Democratic lawmakers and more than a thousand current and former HHS staff say Kennedy's actions are endangering America's health. Kennedy says he came to clean house and he's delivering. Read more. |
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For Rachael Rollins, who has been largely out of the spotlight after resigning under pressure as U.S. Attorney, this was a second recent showing that appeared to back Josh Kraft for mayor. Read more. |
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The funding for Salem's port was among $679 million for projects across the country clawed back by the U.S. Department of Transportation, which called the efforts wasteful. Read more. |
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- Josh Kraft parts ways with top advisers, in major shakeup to campaign staff (The Boston Globe)
- ‘We Are All Shocked’: Warming Waters Bring a Stinging Sea Slug to Spain’s Coasts (The New York Times)
- Crime at South Station is minimal, data show. Why does the federal government want to take over? (The Boston Globe)
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From a plant shop to a cat sanctuary, WBUR's Maddie Browning visited unique cafes in the area worth exploring. Read more. |
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Play: WBUR's daily mini crossword. Can you keep your streak going?
Before you go: Someone save him!
Editor's note: We made an update to yesterday's newsletter to clarify that Mayor Michelle Wu's comments about "retaliation" and "complete obedience" to the Trump administration were in reference to the potential deployment of the National Guard in Boston. |
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