Last week:
Massachusetts voters elected the Commonwealth’s first female Governor on Tuesday with Maura Healey winning the gubernatorial race. Rounding out the new constitutional officers are Lieutenant Governor-elect Kim Driscoll, Attorney General-Elect Andrea Campbell, the first Black woman Attorney General in Massachusetts, and Auditor-Elect Diana DiZoglio. Secretary of State Bill Galvin and Treasurer and Receiver General Deb Goldberg were re-elected on Tuesday.
Three of the four statewide ballot questions were passed by Massachusetts voters. Residents approved Question 1 creating a new income tax level for those who earn over $1 million, Question 2 requiring spending policies by dental insurers, and Question 4 maintaining Massachusetts law allowing undocumented immigrants to apply for a driver’s license. Read MassBio’s recent blog to get an understanding of the ballot questions.
The Democratic super-majority in the Massachusetts State Legislature has grown with three seats in the House of Representatives flipping from Republican to Democratic Representative. In the Senate, party representation remains the same where three of the 40 Senators are Republicans.
At the national level, Democrats are expected to maintain Senate control, and party control of U.S. Congress is still up in the air. Democrats are poised to continue holding narrow control of the Senate by winning in key states, voters re-elected Senators Catherine Cortez Masto in Nevado and Mark Kelly in Arizona. John Fetterman was elected to serve as U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania. The Senate now stands at 50 Democratic Senators and 49 Republican Senators. The Georgia U.S. Senate race will go to a run-off election with neither incumbent Senator Rafael Warnock (D), nor Herschel Walker winning a majority of votes. This run-off election is planned for December 6.
Massachusetts taxpayers have started receiving tax refunds under Chapter 62F law, requiring the state the state to reimburse surplus tax revenue to taxpayers. An estimated $1 billion has been sent to Massachusetts taxpayers already.
Governor Charlie Baker plans to appoint an interim MBTA leader when current General Manager Steve Poftak resigns on January 3.
This week:
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission hosts a roundtable on sports wagering advertising on Monday.
The Federal Reserve Bank hosts their annual conference on “Labor Markets During and After the Pandemic” on Friday.