Tagged: massachusetts

BOSTON (AP) — Former Republican Sen. Scott Brown won't be running in a Massachusetts special election to fill Democrat John Kerry's seat.

A person familiar with the decision who spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't authorized to discuss it says Brown will not run.

Brown was defeated in November by Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren. He had won the seat in a special election in 2010.

BOSTON (AP) — Mayors from across Massachusetts are calling on Congress to take action to reduce gun-related violence.

More than a dozen mayors from Massachusetts cities met with Boston Mayor Thomas Menino on Thursday to renew their push for tighter gun laws.

A recent report released by the Inspector General of Massachusetts claims that the state’s welfare system could be paying out up to $25 million in fraudulent benefits.

A document released this week by state Inspector General Glenn Cunha studied eligibility information from those benefitting from the state and federally funded Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children program. The cash assistance program is overseen by the state Department of Transitional Assistance.

BOSTON (AP) — The highest court in Massachusetts has rejected challenges to a state law that requires gun owners to keep their weapons in a locked container or equipped with a safety device.

The announcement of the U.S. Senate’s bipartisan plan to immigration reform was welcomed among advocacy groups in Massachusetts. A central pillar of the plan introduced by the so-called “Gang of Eight” is the Path to Citizenship, which would in part make undocumented immigrants to register with the Federal government, undergo background checks, and pay back taxes among other requirements.

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick has unveiled a series of sentencing reforms, including efforts to curb sentencing on youth offenders convicted of first-degree murder. 

Governor Patrick released a bill titled “An Act to Reform the Juvenile Justice System in the Commonwealth.” Two primary focuses of the bill would extended juvenile court jurisdiction from 17 years old to 18 years old, and would also prohibit mandatory life-sentences without parole for those convicted of first degree murder between ages 14 and 18.