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The Mass Brief
Friday, June 19, 2026
Your morning guide to what’s happening in Massachusetts — published every morning.
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The Lead
The $5 Billion Question That Won’t Be on Your Ballot
Massachusetts voters won’t get to weigh in on slashing the state income tax this November — and the reason is almost painfully mundane. The Supreme Judicial Court unanimously tossed the ballot question Thursday, not because of a grand philosophical dispute over tax policy, but because Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s office wrote a misleading summary. Specifically, Justice Serge Georges Jr. found that the AG’s summary incorrectly told voters that long-term capital gains income wouldn’t be affected by a cut from 5% to 4% — when, in fact, most of it would be. “The summary does not merely leave something unsaid,” Georges wrote. “It affirmatively tells voters, in ordinary language, that capital gain income is outside the proposed tax reduction.” That’s not a technicality — that’s a significant misstatement about a significant amount of money. So where does this land? Business groups and the coalition behind the measure — led by the Massachusetts High Technology Council and the Pioneer Institute — are furious but have few good options. They’d need to restart the whole initiative petition process to try again. Meanwhile, Democrats in the House, Senate, and corner office are breathing a sigh of relief: independent analysts had estimated the full cut would drain more than $5 billion annually from state coffers. House Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz and Senate budget chief Doug Howgate had both publicly opposed the measure. The MassGOP is calling it a rigged process — Chair Amy Carnevale compared Beacon Hill Democrats to the British in 1775, which is a take — but the ruling came from a court, not a legislature. The real story underneath all of this is that the cost-of-living debate isn’t going anywhere. The pressure that drove 100,000+ people to sign those petitions doesn’t disappear just because a court ruling did. |
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What Else You Should Know
The Karen Read case keeps producing new fallout. The state’s Police Officer Standards and Training Commission suspended the certification of former Canton Sergeant Sean Goode on Thursday — the cop who responded to the crime scene and testified at Read’s first trial. Goode had resigned in late May, just days before Read’s lawsuit revealed years of bigoted text messages he’d exchanged with disgraced former State Police Trooper Michael Proctor. He can request a hearing before the commission makes a final call, but without certification, he can’t work in Massachusetts law enforcement. The Legislature wants to fix how your kids learn to read. Both chambers passed a landmark early literacy bill Thursday that mandates evidence-based reading instruction — including phonics — statewide, requires consistent literacy screening for K-3 students, and overhauls how teachers are trained. The bill now heads to Governor Healey’s desk. House Speaker Ronald Mariano of Quincy, himself a former public school teacher, called the drop in Massachusetts reading scores “simply unacceptable.” The Senate also took a swing at the primary care crisis. Forty-three percent of Massachusetts residents currently have trouble getting a primary care appointment — and the Senate passed a bill Thursday aimed at changing that. The legislation would require insurers and providers to invest more in primary care, reduce administrative burdens on doctors, and ensure fairer pay for community health centers. The kicker: 40% of ER visits in the state could theoretically be avoided if people could just see a primary care doctor first. Boston is getting 763 new homes — some of them affordable. The city’s Planning Department approved five new development projects Thursday spanning Allston, Dorchester, Downtown, and South Boston. The projects will create 763 new housing units total, with 104 designated income-restricted. They’ll also support roughly 1,255 construction jobs. Progress — though the city’s housing shortage will require a lot more of it. Cannabis retailers can now hold more licenses — starting now. The Cannabis Control Commission adopted emergency regulations Thursday to meet a state-mandated deadline, raising the cap on retail licenses from three to six. Social equity businesses get a one-year head start on the higher limit; everyone else caps out at five for now. Separately, the purchase limit for consumers doubled from one ounce to two. The CCC will gather public input over the next three months before finalizing the rules. Former Emmanuel College admissions director gets 12 years. Jacob Tyler Henriques, 27, was sentenced Thursday in federal court after pleading guilty to attempting to sex-traffic a minor and cyberstalking. Prosecutors said Henriques used his position in admissions to access the personal information of prospective and admitted students — some as young as 12 — and solicited them for paid sex. U.S. Attorney Leah Foley said flatly: “When applying to colleges, the last thing on an applicant’s mind should be their safety.” |
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Worth Your Attention
Starting today through July 31, Boston has two new “social districts” — at the Blackstone Block Historic District and Downtown Crossing’s Temple Place — where you can legally sip a drink while strolling outside. Liquor license hours also extend to 3 a.m. for the World Cup summer rush. A federal challenge to Trump’s mail-in voting restrictions got the green light to proceed in court Thursday, just as states are gearing up for the 2026 midterm primaries — worth watching for Massachusetts voters. AJ Dybantsa, the Brockton-raised BYU star and projected top NBA Draft pick, speaks Tuesday — keep an eye on draft night coverage as Massachusetts may be sending its most electrifying basketball prospect ever to the pros. |
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FY2027 Budget Tracker
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Current stage: Conference committee reconciles
Governor's Budget (H2) — filed House Budget (H5500) | 1744 amendments filed — house_floor Senate Budget (H5501) | 1 amendments filed — conference
📋 No notable actions in the last few days. |
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💰 Money Watch
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Yesterday's Biggest Contributions
Data from the MA Office of Campaign & Political Finance |
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This Week on Beacon Hill
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Monday, June 22, 10:30 AM Joint Committee on Financial Services (2 bills) Topic: The Joint Committee on Financial Services will hold a public hearing on the following late-filed matters: Location: A-1 , Boston
Tuesday, June 23, 10:00 AM Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure (8 bills) Topic: Late-filed Matters Location: B-1 , Boston
Tuesday, June 23, 11:00 AM Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies (1 bills) Topic: H.5436-An Act establishing MassQuantum Location: Written Testimony Only, Boston
Tuesday, June 23, 1:00 PM Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government (14 bills) Topic: Late files Location: A-1 , Boston
Thursday, June 25, 9:00 AM Joint Committee on Revenue (4 bills) Topic: Miscellaneous & Late Files III Location: Written Testimony Only, Boston
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New on the Ballot
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Recent filings with the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance: Candidates
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One More Thing
Governor Maura Healey signed what appeared to be an executive order legalizing haggis in Massachusetts with a group of Scottish World Cup fans — the video racked up 600,000 Instagram views — before clarifying Thursday that “this was, in fact, a joke.” Haggis remains illegal. The sheep of Massachusetts can rest easy. |
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