Latest news with #MauraHealey
CBS News
3 hours ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Massachusetts lawmakers pass raise for bar advocates, but some say they won't budge
Massachusetts lawmakers in the House and Senate passed a bill raising wages for bar advocates. Bar advocates are contracted by the state to represent defendants who cannot afford a lawyer, and some have stopped their work since Memorial Day, demanding better wages. The deal would raise bar advocate wages by $10 an hour starting immediately with a promise to raise their wages another $10 an hour next fiscal year. Currently, bar advocates in Massachusetts make $65 an hour, compared to more than $100 an hour for advocates in other New England states. A group of advocates gathered at the State House Thursday to protest the deal, which they say, was constructed in a back room without their input. "The right to counsel is only words to them. They don't understand. They don't understand the Constitution and they certainly don't understand the hard work that bar advocates do day in and day out throughout this Commonwealth," said defense attorney Sean Delaney. Bar advocates walked off the job after Memorial Day, demanding better wages. The move left thousands of defendants without representation and caused judges in Suffolk County to dismiss over 100 cases. Now, the Legislature's plan would put $40 million towards hiring 320 more public defenders, a separate group of attorneys who work full time for the state. Governor Maura Healey says she is prepared to sign the deal. "It's really a function of how much money there is in the budget right now and the legislature, I know, worked very hard to provide what they could with what we have for a budget right now," Healey said. Bar advocates say their grief remains over the secrecy of the process. "We are going nowhere. You're strengthening our cause and our resolve. Personally, I am not taking another case until they do what is right," Delaney said. What passed also included language aimed at preventing a standoff in the future. It says bar advocates who refuse to accept new clients because of their pay may constitute a violation of the state's antitrust laws.
New York Times
9 hours ago
- Health
- New York Times
Massachusetts governor proposes $400 million for colleges, citing federal ‘uncertainty.'
Gov. Maura Healey of Massachusetts announced on Thursday a plan to provide $400 million to support research projects at universities and colleges in the state, in what appeared to be a response to the Trump administration's moves to cut federal funding in higher education. The money, which must be approved by the State Legislature, would be aimed at retaining and creating jobs in research and development. In the Boston area especially, colleges and teaching hospitals that have fueled technological and biomedical advances over decades are cornerstones to the city's economy and identity. The governor's office cited a report by the Donahue Institute at the University of Massachusetts that found that federal research funding in the state supported more than 81,000 jobs. Massachusetts is also home to one of every 10 jobs in research and development in the country, the governor's office said. The Trump administration has sought to strip billions in research funding from schools in the state and around the country, including Harvard, in Cambridge, Mass., as part of what it says is a campaign against antisemitism. The White House has also sought to withhold federal money as a way to correct what it sees as a higher education system that is hostile to conservatives. Harvard has fought back on funding cuts in court, with a decision still pending, while some other schools have joined lawsuits brought by separate groups or reached deals with the administration that would free up the money. Ms. Healey, a Democrat, did not mention Harvard by name in a statement announcing the plan but made a reference to what prompted it. 'In the face of uncertainty from the federal government, this is about protecting one of the things that makes Massachusetts so special,' she said, adding that the state was a global leader in 'innovative research and the discovery of lifesaving cures.' Under Ms. Healey's plan, $200 million would go directly toward supporting research projects at hospitals, universities and independent research institutions. The other $200 million would help cover the costs of research, partnerships and joint ventures at public universities. Jenna Russell contributed reporting.
Bloomberg
9 hours ago
- Health
- Bloomberg
Massachusetts Governor Seeks $400 Million to Counter Trump Funding Cuts
Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey is proposing to spend $400 million to offset some of the Trump administration's massive cuts to scientific research funding at Boston's prestigious hospitals and at schools like Harvard University. The plan would direct $200 million to the University of Massachusetts and other public colleges, funded through the state's millionaire's tax, according to an announcement by Healey's office on Thursday. The remaining half would go into a fund administered by the state Development Finance Agency that would back research at hospitals, universities and other institutions.
CBS News
a day ago
- Politics
- CBS News
Massachusetts court-appointed attorneys could end work stoppage after pay agreement reached
Court-appointed attorneys could end a work stoppage in Massachusetts that resulted in more than 120 cases being dismissed by a judge. Attorneys are urging Gov. Maura Healey to sign off on a budget deal with state lawmakers that would increase pay rates in the state. A statement from House Speaker Ron Mariano said the agreement, as part of the mid-year supplemental budget, provides pay increases for bar advocates, who are private attorneys that take on 80% of court-appointed work. "The right to legal representation is a crucial element of the Constitutional guarantee to a fair trial, which is why I urge the bar advocates to return to work so that they can resume upholding that right and put an end to this public safety crisis," said Mariano in a statement. Bar advocates will see their rates go up by $20 per hour over the next two years if the agreement is approved. District Court lawyers currently make $65 an hour and could see that go up to $75 an hour starting August 1 of this year and $85 an hour starting August 1, 2026. "The proposed increases to private counsel compensation represent the most significant progress ever made toward improving Bar Advocate pay and strengthening the statewide right to counsel," said a spokesperson for the Committee for Public Counsel Services, the state's public defender organization, in a statement. "This proposal is a critical starting point, and we will work to build on this momentum in future budgets to ensure that Bar Advocate compensation continues to reflect the value of their work and the essential role they play in protecting the rights of our clients." The CPCS is calling on Gov. Maura Healey to now sign the budget. The agreement also shifts more of the work burden to state public defenders by providing increased resources of about $40 million to hire more than 300 public defenders by the end of the fiscal year in 2027. The statement from the House said this would increase the proportion of clients represented by public defenders instead of bar advocates. The agreement comes after a work stoppage by the bar advocates began back in May, with the lawyers calling for better pay. As a result, a judge dismissed more than 100 cases last week because defendants had been without a lawyer for 45 days. They had already been released from custody after not having a lawyer for seven days. The judge did this by invoking the Lavallee Protocol. Most of the dismissed cases were for minor crimes like shoplifting, drug possession and motor vehicle violations but also included men and women charged with assault and battery and drug dealing.
CBS News
2 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
New law ending broker fees for Massachusetts renters takes effect Aug. 1. Here's what to know.
Renter-paid broker fees are about to become a thing of the past in Massachusetts. On Aug. 1, a new law takes effect that requires broker fees to be paid by the person who hired the broker, which is typically the landlord. When someone moves in to a new apartment in Massachusetts, the up-front costs can total four months' rent if they have to pay first and last month's rent, a security deposit and a broker fee. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey put forward the plan in January to eliminate broker fees for renters. The budget she signed into law recently says "Any fee shall only be paid by the party, lessor or tenant who originally engaged and entered into a contract with the licensed broker or salesperson." "This is about saving you money, thousands of dollars that you can now spend on whatever you need or put it away for the future," Healey said in a social media video touting the new law. "And this is just one way we're lowering costs and getting after high housing prices." According to the average rents for an apartment in Massachusetts are $2,556 for a one-bedroom and $2,966 for a two-bedroom. It's much more expensive in Boston, averaging $3,540 a month for a one-bedroom and $4,466 for a two-bedroom. Last week, real estate brokers gathered on Boston Common to protest the impending law. Demetrios Salpoglou, CEO of previously told WBZ-TV that forcing landlords to cover the broker fee will likely raise rent prices and said the real problem is a lack of rental apartments on the market. "If a landlord's forced to pay commission, they'll probably just raise their rent to cover that difference," he said. "It's misguided in a sense. I think more effort should be put on supply side, like focusing on zoning reform and other measure that bring ample supply to cities that need housing that have low vacancy rates." A similar law took effect in New York City in June, and violators could face fines of up to $2,000 for breaking the law. The new law in Massachusetts does not detail any consequences for violators.
