Tagged: Governor Deval Patrick

BOSTON (AP) — Gov. Deval Patrick has asked the Legislature for a $1.9 billion in new taxes to support major new spending on transportation and education.

In his annual state of the state address to a joint session of the Legislature, Patrick called for hiking the state income tax from 5.25 percent to 6.25 percent, while doubling the personal exemption for all taxpayers and eliminating dozens of itemized deductions.

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick is expected to call for higher taxes in his State of the Commonwealth address tonight.

Governor Deval Patrick started making the case for higher taxes Monday when he endorsed a plan from the state department of transportation to increase spending by more than $1 billion a year on the highway system, commuter rail and regional transit authorities.

A new law signed by Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick will require all school employees in the Commonwealth to undergo both a state and federal background check. WAMC’s Berkshire Bureau Chief Lucas Willard reports…

The law signed by Gov. Patrick titled An Act Relative to Background Checks would require teachers and other school employees to submit to a national fingerprint supported background review. Prior to the passage of the bill, school employees in the Commonwealth had only needed to submit to a background check on the state level.

Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick says four cabinet secretaries departing his administration all left on their own and would have been welcome to stay for the final two years of his term.

Patrick officially announced Thursday that Health and Human Services Secretary JudyAnn Bigby, Public Safety Secretary Mary Beth Heffernan, Administration and Finance Secretary Jay Gonzalez and Education Secretary Paul Reville, will leave next month.

Amid the uncertainty of the fiscal cliff and declining state revenues, this week Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick proposed a series of mid-year budget cuts to close a half-billion dollar gap in state funding. WAMC’s Berkshire Bureau Chief Lucas Willard spoke to some that are concerned about the cuts.

Governor Patrick used his authority to propose emergency cuts in the state’s budget to close a $540 million gap in funding. And many are hoping that some of the governor’s planned cuts can be avoided.