Innovate, Educate, Elevate

On June 25, 2026, the Supreme Court ruled to end Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Haitian and Syrian immigrants, heightening concerns in immigrant communities and sparking the possibility of protections for other immigrant populations being ended as well. Not only is this directly affecting the everyday lives of about 356,000 people nationwide, but also the businesses who employ them. For example, in Massachusetts, about 2,000 direct care workers — which are professionals who provide hands-on assistance in everyday activities for individuals like the disabled — in Massachusetts are at risk of losing work authorization. There is even already a shortage of direct care workers in Massachusetts.

BOSTON – A proposal to cut the state income tax rate from 5 percent to 4 percent over three years would have provided the median Massachusetts household with $1,095 in annual tax savings, grown the state economy by $14.5 billion, created 43,000 new jobs, increased total wages by nearly 2 percent and reduced the state unemployment rate by 0.3 percent, according to a new study published by Pioneer Institute.

On June 26, Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey announced a three-year bachelor’s degree pilot program at Suffolk University and Merrimack College, aiming to cut tuition without sacrificing academic quality. As discussed in my previous blog, tuition costs have soared, and it may be due to the way universities fundamentally operate. In 2023, Massachusetts’ average annual tuition neared $54,000 (Figure 1), with elite institutions costing even more.  

Public reporting of state finances that is transparent, reliable, and timely is what the International Monetary Fund defines as fiscal transparency. Not only can the transparency of this information help governments respond appropriately to the ever-changing economy, but it can also help the public hold them accountable.