THE MASS BRIEFMonday, July 27, 2026 |
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| Good morning. Karen Spilka just made Beacon Hill history, the Millionaires' Tax keeps printing money nobody can quite agree on how to spend, and the Lottery finally figured out the internet exists. Let's get into it. | |||||||||||
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The Lead |
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Karen Spilka enters her ninth year as Senate president — a feat no one's pulled off since Bulger When the Massachusetts Senate gavels back in this week, Karen Spilka will be doing something that hasn't happened since the mid-1990s: leading the chamber into a ninth consecutive year as president. The last person to do it was William Bulger, whose multi-decade reign over the Senate became such a cautionary tale about entrenched power that lawmakers later imposed term limits on the job specifically to prevent a repeat. Spilka has now outlasted that guardrail — the deadline that would have forced her out simply came and went, and enough of her colleagues were fine with that. Why does this matter beyond State House trivia? Because Senate presidents shape everything from housing policy to how the state spends its now-enormous Millionaires' Tax windfall — $3.38 billion and counting, a record haul that's fueling education and transportation spending while reigniting fights over whether high earners are being taxed into leaving the state. Spilka's continued grip on the gavel means continuity on priorities like childcare investment and climate spending, but it also raises real questions about power concentration in a Legislature already criticized for opaque, top-down decision-making. Longtime Senate watchers will be looking at who benefited from committee assignments and who got sidelined to keep her there. The bigger question is what comes next: does an unprecedented ninth-year presidency embolden Spilka to go bigger on her legacy items, or does it just entrench the status quo further? Expect more scrutiny of how "temporary" leadership rules keep getting quietly erased on Beacon Hill. |
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What Else You Should Know |
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New Hampshire's primary demotion could hit Massachusetts wallets. The DNC's plan to bump New Hampshire from first-in-the-nation status to third behind South Carolina and Nevada isn't just a Granite State ego bruise — it threatens a whole ecosystem of Massachusetts political consultants, ad revenue, and career-building opportunities that depend on candidates flooding the neighboring state every four years. "It's an industry of its own," says Democratic strategist Mary Anne Marsh. Boston Globe → Teen arrested after firing shots at Puerto Rican Festival in Franklin Park. A 15-year-old allegedly fired four shots into the air near a crowd of festivalgoers Saturday night, including one round after locking eyes with police — sending families fleeing the park. He faces eight charges and is due in Boston Juvenile Court. Boston Globe → A Hingham road rage shooting started over a thrown napkin. Steven License, 60, allegedly fired two shots at a truck driver outside a Hingham library after a dispute that began when his wife tossed a napkin out the car window and the driver — who "cannot tolerate littering" — followed them. License is held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing Wednesday. Boston.com → Belmont teacher arrested on child pornography charges. Leon Dyer, 45, taught at Belmont Middle School and also worked at a Middleborough summer camp. The district says there's no indication of misconduct involving students but has suspended his access and banned him from school property. Boston.com → Mass. Lottery finally goes online. After years of hand-wringing about staying relevant, the Lottery launched Mass. Lottery Online on Monday, letting people buy tickets and play digitally for the first time. The agency brings in more than $1 billion a year for the state, and officials say the digital pivot is about survival, not just convenience. WWLP → Federal appeals court keeps Boston judge's block on Trump mail ballot restrictions. A weekend ruling upheld a Massachusetts federal judge's decision blocking the administration's proposed voter list and mail ballot rules, a win for voting rights advocates ahead of the midterms. MassLive → Cape Cod is trying to bring back the wild oyster — and it's about more than seafood. In Mashpee, shellfish technicians are dumping thousands of live oysters onto man-made reefs to help restore habitat that once protected the coast naturally. Advocates say oyster reefs, salt marshes, and seagrass could do the storm-protection work of seawalls while cleaning water and rebuilding fish habitat — a cheaper, greener bet as climate-fueled storms intensify. WBUR → |
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Worth Your Attention |
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Hanson Select Board's school governance deal — a proposed trade-off giving Hanson a two-thirds veto on Whitman-Hanson Regional School Committee decisions in exchange for absorbing busing costs — heads toward finalization after last week's conceptual vote. South Shore News → Belmont teacher Leon Dyer is expected to be arraigned Monday in Cambridge District Court on child pornography charges. Boston.com → Duxbury's Powder Point Bridge rehabilitation remains stalled, with the Selectboard also weighing new e-bike enforcement rules and PFAS notification requirements — worth watching if you're on the water or the road down there. South Shore News → |
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FY2027 Budget Tracker
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Current stage: Governor signs budget
Governor's Budget (H2) — filed House Budget (H5500) | 1744 amendments filed — house_floor Senate Budget (H5501) | 1 amendments filed — conference Conference Budget (H5555) — signed
📋 No notable actions in the last few days. |
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💰 Money Watch
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Big Spending This Week
Data from the MA Office of Campaign & Political Finance |
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This Week on Beacon Hill
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Monday, July 27, 4:00 PM Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight (3 bills) Topic: Matters concerning late files Location: B-1 , Boston
Thursday, July 30, 2:00 PM Massachusetts Data Privacy Act Topic: Data Privacy Conference Committee Meeting Location: A-2 , Boston Friday, July 31, 10:00 AM Joint Committee on the Judiciary (1 bills) Topic: Hearing 16: Late File Hearing II Location: A-2 , Boston
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New on the Ballot
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Recent filings with the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance: PACs
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One More Thing |
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| The Mass Brief publishes every morning. Send tips, corrections, and napkin-related grievances to your local editor. | |||||||||||
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