Governor Healey announced she will be signing an executive order establishing the Governor’s Advisory Council on Black Empowerment. The Advisory Council, formed of 30 individuals and chaired by Tanisha Sullivan, president of the NAACP Boston, and Anthony Richards, vice president of equitable business development for the Massachusetts Housing Finance Agency, is charged with working on “the economic prosperity and wellbeing of Massachusetts’ Black community, including education, health care, housing, and workforce development.”
This week:
On Monday, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey and Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll released their nearly $750 million tax relief package, which includes expanding the apprenticeship tax credit.
State Representatives Jon Santiago and Ed Coppinger are resigning from the Senate effective February 28. Their resignations trigger special elections for two seats in Boston. Special elections for the 9th Suffolk district in the South End, represented by Santiago, and the 10th Suffolk district in West Roxbury, represented by Coppinger, will be May 30, with primary elections on May 2. Santiago departs the House to serve as Massachusetts Secretary of Veterans Services. Coppinger will join MassBio to lead government affairs.
Rare Disease Day is Tuesday, February 28. While the in-person event at the State House is canceled, find resources online to support Rare Disease Day.
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments on President Biden’s student loan forgiveness plan. Two lawsuits come before the Supreme Court on the legality of debt forgiveness, which is expected to impact millions of individuals across the country.
Governor Maura Healey is expected to release her FY24 budget proposal on Wednesday. Last week, the Administration shared preliminary local aid estimates, which increased budgets for each of the 351 cities and towns across the Commonwealth.
The Massachusetts House of Representative is in formal session on Wednesday.