Over the last two years, the federal government has spent trillions of dollars to combat the COVID-19 pandemic and spur an equitable economic recovery. The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), Coronavirus Response and...

The spending itself is mostly concentrated on health care ($964 million), housing ($624 million), infrastructure ($414 million), education ($389 million) and economic development ($267 million), as well as on specific workforce issues ($500 million...

The bill the Legislature sent Baker was packed with earmarks — 843 in total, according to the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, a business-backed budget watchdog. They funded everything from $500,000 for a rail trail in Lawrence to $300,000 for...

After the 2019 ban went into effect, reports of “black market” flavored tobacco sales increased, and consumers left the state to make purchases, according to Kyle Feldman, vice president of National Convenience Distributors. The Massachusetts...

While the final earmarked total was not immediately available, the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation previously counted 415 earmarks added by the Senate worth $122.9 million in new spending, while the House spread $154.4 million in new spending...

The Legislature took final votes Friday on a $4 billion American Rescue Plan Act spending package (H 4629) that grew beyond the governor's original $2.8 billion proposal he filed in June. Baker had originally separated federal relief funding and...

The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation said the most notable difference between the House and Senate versions of the ARPA spending proposal was the proposed timeline and process for providing premium pay to essential workers. “Like the Senate version...

According to a Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation analysis that highlights some of the bill's pressure points, the biggest buckets of money in the bill are for health care ($964 million), housing ($624 million), and $500 million allotments for both...

The Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation said the ARPA bill contains 843 earmarks for local projects and organizations, totaling $304.4 million, or 7.6 percent of the bill’s total spending. By contrast, earmarks account for 60 percent of arts funding...

Now, with a bill delegating how to spend nearly $4 billion in American Rescue Plan Act and state surplus funding sitting on his desk, Baker must put his signature on it quickly. He received the legislation Dec. 3 after it languished for months amid...