Tag Archive for: Massachusetts

Virtual Policy Briefing: Exploring the Intersection of Vocational-Technical Education and the Life Sciences Sector

Massachusetts is the nation’s leader in vocational-technical schooling and home to the most dynamic life sciences sector in America. We invite you to join us for a webinar on the nexus between the Bay State’s educational, life science, and competitive human capital needs in the 21st-century global economy.

Pioneer Institute Objects to Ballot Petitions on Rent Control and MCAS

Pioneer Institute today filed with Attorney General Andrea Campbell letters expressing opposition to certification of two ballot initiative petitions, one relating to rent control and the other proposing the elimination of MCAS testing as a condition for graduation from a public high school, because both initiative petitions, as drafted, are unconstitutional.

Black Box Budget: Late, Loaded, and Lacking Transparency

Joe Selvaggi talks with Pioneer Institute’s Senior Fellow in Economic Opportunity Eileen McAnneny about the features and flaws of the recently passed 2024 Massachusetts state budget now waiting for Governor Healey’s approval.

A History of Massachusetts’ Peculiar Beach Access Laws

Massachusetts rivals Maine for the lowest percentage of publicly owned and accessible coastal land. What seems a geographic coincidence is actually the product of contentious property rights disputes going back nearly 400 years, to the days of Puritan law.

Can Massachusetts Reverse the Decline in U.S. History and Civics Performance?

Massachusetts — home to so much history, including seminal events such as the Boston Tea Party — has much to be proud of in its own students’ history and civics performance. Even as policymakers have supplanted typical curricular standards with “engagement” mandates that students participate in progressive activism, national attitudes towards Massachusetts’ civic education have remained envious.

PFML v. FMLA: To Pay or Not to Pay Leave-Takers

Congress passed the Family and Medical Leave Act in 1993 to ensure citizens’ job security should they need to take an extended leave, but it did not require any replacement wages to be paid for that time period. Then, Massachusetts passed their Paid Family and Medical Leave law in 2018 which set out requirements for employer and employee contributions to a PFML fund so that employees could get paid in addition to keeping their jobs should they need to take leave for certain reasons.

Online Sports Betting as a Form of Tax Revenue

The legalization of sports betting in Massachusetts has been successful so far in terms of bringing in tax revenue. Although there's a chance for a dip in volume this summer, it will continue to be a strong source of revenue for the commonwealth.

Massachusetts is Losing Taxpayers to More Tax-Friendly States

This post explores the difference among tax policies in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Florida in order to explain the increasing amount of Massachusetts residents who are migrating from the state. Tax-friendly policies are very alluring to Massachusetts residents, seeing as the state is actually increasing the personal income tax rate rather than try to lower taxes, as both New Hampshire and Florida have done.

Healthcare: Suffolk County’s Biggest Driver for Labor and Employment

Suffolk County employment and labor trends have seen steady growth over the past 15 years. The rise of establishments and employment in the health care sector has directly contributed to these trends. Suffolk County has now surpassed Worcester and Essex counties in labor force and employment numbers.

The Confounding Massachusetts Estate Tax

The estate tax has become an increasingly significant source of revenue for the Bay State in recent years. Why is this: and is it a good thing?

Study: Net Out-Migration of Wealth from Massachusetts Nearly Quintupled from 2012-2021

IRS data reveals that net out-migration from Massachusetts is accelerating rapidly and is greatest among affluent residents who pay the most in state taxes, according to a Pioneer Institute analysis. Between 2019 and 2021, Massachusetts rose from ninth to fourth among all states in net out-migration of wealth, behind only California, New York, and Illinois.

Massachusetts’ Misguided Middle-Class Health Insurance Subsidy Expansion

A proposal on Beacon Hill to expand insurance subsidies up to 500 percent of the federal poverty level, could push the small business insurance market into a death spiral, without reducing the number of uninsured and hurting those with preexisting conditions.

Study Finds Massachusetts Workforce Has Become More Female, Older, More Diverse

The Massachusetts labor force has transformed in recent decades, with some of the biggest changes being the advancement of women, workers getting older and more diverse, and a divergence in labor force participation rates based on levels of educational achievement, according to “At a Glance: The Massachusetts Labor Force,” a white paper written by Pioneer's Economic Research Associate Aidan Enright.

New IRS Data Shows Out-Migration Worsening, Underscoring the Need for Massachusetts Leaders to Focus on State’s Competitiveness

Massachusetts’ net loss of adjusted gross income (AGI) to other states grew from $2.5 billion in 2020 to $4.3 billion in 2021, according to recently released IRS data. Over 67 percent of the loss was to Florida and New Hampshire, both states with no income tax.

Poll Finds Charter Schools Widely and Broadly Popular in Massachusetts

More than six years after the failure of a statewide ballot initiative that would have increased the number of charter public schools in Massachusetts, a poll shows that 62 percent either strongly or somewhat favor them, with only 16 percent opposed.

Study Finds COVID Led to Significant Declines in Massachusetts School Enrollments

After a decade of relative stability, COVID has wreaked havoc with Massachusetts public school enrollments, and the U.S. Department of Education projects more declines by 2030, according to a new study published by Pioneer Institute. The figures should serve as a warning to vulnerable districts that they must be prepared for the financial, staffing, and facilities impacts that may accompany substantial drops in public school enrollments.

Public Statement on the House’s Proposed Tax Reform and Budget

Pioneer Institute applauds key tax reform provisions advanced by the Speaker and House leadership, including a reduced short-term capital gains tax rate and implementation of a single sales factor apportionment. But leadership must do more to bolster the state’s economic competitiveness and slow out-migration of wealth and business owners that endangers the commonwealth’s economic future.

Bay State Budget Breakdown: New Administration Offers Something for Everyone

Joe Selvaggi talks with Pioneer Institute's Senior Fellow in Economic Opportunity Eileen McAnneny about the contours of Governor Healey’s $55.5 billion budget and tax relief plan, and whether they serve to make Massachusetts more livable and economically competitive.

Room to Grow: Study Identifies Opportunity for New Charter Schools in State’s Gateway Cities

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The Commonwealth’s 26 Gateway Cities represent a strong opportunity for the establishment of new charters and/or expansion of existing schools, according to our new study.

Massachusetts Survey Report on US History MCAS

Sixty-two percent of Massachusetts residents support restoring passage of a U.S. history test as a public high school graduation requirement, according to a poll of Massachusetts residents’ attitudes toward education policy commissioned by Pioneer Institute and conducted by the Emerson College Polling Center.

Massachusetts Needs a Comprehensive Performance Management Framework

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Many states have made promoted government efficiency and effectiveness by setting goals and tracking their progress. Massachusetts tried making a performance structure, but in 2014 it was discontinued. Today, the state lacks a comprehensive structure to track progress.

School-Age Population Remains Steady, but Boston Struggles With Declining Enrollment

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Hopefully, new leadership will ensure that the system makes the changes necessary to improve public education in Boston. Otherwise, enrollment declines will continue. 

New Report: Massachusetts Maintains Reasonable Debt Relative to GSP

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Massachusetts has more debt than any New England state. Can we afford to pay it off or will we hand it down to future generations?

New Hampshire Tax Burden Dramatically Less than Massachusetts

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New Hampshire collects less than half the amount of taxes per capita as Massachusetts. How do they do it, and which strategy produces better outcomes?
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Healthcare Employs More on Cape Cod Than Any Other Sector

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Despite being a major tourist destination, the largest employment sector on Cape Cod is not related to tourism: it is healthcare!

With Declining Enrollment, Public Colleges in Massachusetts Cut Back Adjunct Faculty Positions

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The number of adjunct faculty positions is declining at public colleges and universities in Massachusetts.

Massachusetts Tax Revenues Surpass Pre-Pandemic Levels

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Pandemic recovery and then some! Massachusetts revenues are higher than anyone was expecting, but where is all the money coming from? And what does this mean for the Massachusetts economy?

Time for Receivership in Boston

The Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) recently launched its second review of the Boston Public Schools (BPS) in three years. The move has some up in arms because state law requires that officials conduct a review no more than a year before approving state receivership. For BPS, receivership is long overdue. After more than 15 years of consistent and rapid decline, the district has shown no ability—and limited will—to stem the tide

Pioneer Institute Statement on the Commonwealth’s Discontinuance of the COVID-19 Weekly Public Health Report

Useful information about COVID cases or deaths at individual homes has become less available at a time when cases are increasing again, even among vaccinated residents. Pioneer urges Massachusetts to immediately reinstate the so-called Weekly Report, which contains cases and deaths inside individual nursing homes.