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As Massachusetts lawmakers consider proposals that would make it more difficult for citizens to place questions before voters, Pioneer Institute is urging caution. Pioneer Institute believes that policy change should occur primarily through the legislative process. However, the initiative petition process remains an important safety valve when citizens believe elected officials are not addressing their concerns.

This edition of The House Call explores new Census Bureau data showing how building permit activity declined in Massachusetts between 2024 and 2025. It also highlights a court case in Somerville over whether, in at least some contexts, prevailing wage standards should apply to off-site modular construction.

As invisible as it is devastating, internet crime cost Americans almost $21 billion last year. Massachusetts, once a moderately targeted state, is now among the six most targeted in the country. Phishing and spoofing work to trick people through fake media—from texts to emails—to get sensitive information, gain access to a user’s device, or install harmful software. This is one of the most prevalent cybercrimes, especially because it requires no technical breach, only deception.

As states decide whether to participate in the new federal scholarship tax credit program, Pioneer Institute is urging Governor Healey to ensure Massachusetts families are not left behind. In a letter to the governor, Executive Director Jim Stergios notes that governors from blue states, including most recently New York Governor Kathy Hochul, have already moved to participate in the program. Massachusetts students and families should not be denied the same opportunity.

Pioneer Institute applauds the Healey Administration’s proposal to reduce the LLC filing fee from $500 to $100 and discount annual LLC fees during the early years of a new business. These changes remove two unnecessary barriers facing entrepreneurs and small business owners looking to launch and grow in Massachusetts. We believe that it is crucial that state leaders build on these proposals to address the Commonwealth’s economic malaise, which started with the pandemic.

BOSTON – The size of the state workforce reached an all-time high in 2025, and a new Pioneer Institute study recommends implementing an attrition program that would reduce the number of positions under the governor’s authority by 5,000 and save taxpayers $1.5 billion over five years by backfilling three of every four positions that are vacated.

Last week, the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation (MTF) released a “Bulletin” announcing its opposition to the tax cut ballot initiative. Odd for a taxpayers foundation to oppose a reduction in taxes. Even odder, however, was the Bulletin’s lack of concern about the Commonwealth’s current economic climate: dismal business formation, job losses, and weakening economic growth across the state. 

Pioneer Institute study finds grads are fleeing to states with more economic freedom, better employment opportunities  

Pioneer New England Legal Foundation and Sullivan & Worcester are pleased with today’s decision, which allows this case to move forward and get to the truth. This case is about restoring fairness and accountability to the City of Boston’s tax system. The...

Welcome to the May edition of The House Call. This edition breaks down results from the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce Young Residents Survey, including the appetite for legislative action on housing costs, and previews our new AI-enabled local land use regulation...