State House Spotlight: Bills to pay the bills

Local lawmakers spent their week in bill hearings and formal sessions as the governor signed bills and visited the Big E. 22 News Statehouse reporter Olivia Ray has the policies lawmakers focused on including a Chapter 90 bill and funding for the state's hospital system. This week lawmakers worked on funding bills, improving the Bay State's economy and setting themselves up for bill passages this fall. Just in time for the end of hospitals fiscal year later this month the House and Senate both approved a 234 million dollar spending plan sending it to the governor's desk. The Healy-Driscoll administration held a ceremony to sign another bill into law sending Chapter 90 funding to cities and towns to spend on upgrading and repairing roads and bridges. We ensure no neighborhood is left behind and every community is connected and has the opportunity to make sure they've got the safest roads possible. Another gubernatorial priority the drive initiative held their first team meeting. This group of stakeholders is working to protect and improve the Bay State's research and innovation industries ensuring jobs stay here. And you look at the ways in which this federal administration has defunded funding for science, for research, for discovery and and we just can't afford to sit on our hands here in Massachusetts. Also this week the Massachusetts Caucus of Women Legislators celebrated 50 years of working for women's equality in state government. They're working to pass priority bills this session and protect women and families from harmful policies. We're going to continue to push that legislation forward as well as stand guard to protect our residents against what's coming down from the federal government. Late in the week Treasurer Deb Goldberg dropped her appeal of a court decision reinstating Shannon O'Brien as the head of the Cannabis Control Commission. This development could very well signal the end of a year's long political and court battle over the state's cannabis industry leadership. Working for you from the Statehouse in Boston, I'm Olivia Ray 22 News.