Life after tax cuts

Also: 4 takeaways from the historic vote to oust Kevin McCarthy; Reading's nature-based flooding solution [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  October 4, 2023 ☀️ Sunny, with a high near 80. Good Morning Boston, It's Wednesday. While you mull over [your vote]( on how the future Green Line trolleys should be painted (personally, I like [Option 2]( here's what's rolling our way today: - Life after tax cuts: This afternoon, Gov. Maura Healey is [set to sign]( the big $1 billion tax cut bill. The package is aimed at providing relief to lower-income residents from rising costs and making the state a more attractive destination for businesses and wealthy families. The signing is a historic moment — the first tax cuts in Massachusetts in over two decades. It's also somewhat expected news, after House and Senate leaders [finally settled some of their remaining differences last week](. ([Check out our breakdown]( of how much the bill will save parents, renters, seniors and others.) So, with another 10 months left in the current legislative session, what's next on the State House's to-do list? Here's some of the issues leaders are eyeing: - Expanding free community college: For the first time this fall, Massachusetts [made local community college free for adults over 25 and nursing students](. But according to Senate President Karen Spilka, they're not stopping there. [Spilka told NBC Boston]( that the Legislature is laying the groundwork for "free community college for everybody" beginning next fall. - Child care: This year's budget poured [a historic amount of money into the child care sector]( but Spilka wants the Legislature to take a shot at more structural reforms. Last year, the Senate [passed a bill]( to expand direct subsidies for families and grants for child care providers, though it didn't make it through the House. - Tackling prescription drug costs: The Senate also passed a bill last year aimed at limiting out-of-pocket prescription drug costs (which stalled in the House). Spilka told NBC Boston that "the Biden administration did [do something]( which is terrific, but we can do more to lower the costs of prescription drugs." - Pay transparency: Meanwhile, the House is teeing up a vote today on [a new bill that would require businesses with more than 25 workers to include a salary range on all job postings](. Supporters say such a blanket requirement would help even pay disparities among women and people of color. - Guns: House Speaker Ron Mariano originally wanted to pass [a wide-ranging gun reform bill]( this summer, before it got caught up in [procedural squabbles](. Still, both Mariano and Spilka want to get something done on the issue this fall, if not in the first half of next year. State House News Service has more on [the focus of the emerging gun legislation here](. - Sulmasy out: [Kevin McCarthy]( isn't the only man newly out of a job. Glenn Sulmasy, the president of Nichols College in Dudley, stepped down yesterday amid an investigation into sexual misconduct accusations during his time as a department chair at the Coast Guard Academy. - Go deeper: CNN [reported last month]( that Sulmasy exchanged "hundreds of sexually suggestive messages" with a student. He was accused of both sexual harassment and mishandling a rape complaint against a cadet while at the prestigious academy. - Ferry popular: Summer may be over, but the MBTA's seasonal ferries will keep on chugging a bit longer. T officials [announced]( that "due to popular demand" [the weekday Lynn ferry]( will continue until Oct. 31, while [the weekday Winthrop ferry]( and the [seven-days-a-week East Boston ferry]( will keep running through the end of November. (They were [originally]( set to wrap up service within the next week.) - Supporters hope the ferries' popularity will lead officials to make seasonal pilot programs more permanent, like the year-round ferries to Charlestown, Hingham and Hull. Alice Brown, the head of planning and policy for the nonprofit Boston Harbor Now, told WBUR's Andrea Perdomo-Hernandez that robust ridership this fall could empower the T and the legislators who've been fighting for the ferries to start service earlier in the spring. "I think the goal is to get to year round service," she said. P.S.— You can now listen to the [first]( (and [second]( episode of our new podcast, [The Gun Machine]( produced in partnership by WBUR and The Trace. The series introduces the story of how the United States has shaped, and been shaped by, the gun industry, dating back to the creation of an 18th century think tank in Massachusetts. [Listen here](. Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [4 takeaways from the historic ousting of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy]( The House voted to remove Kevin McCarthy as speaker, marking the first time in history that a House speaker has been removed in this way. [Read more.]( [4 takeaways from the historic ousting of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy]( The House voted to remove Kevin McCarthy as speaker, marking the first time in history that a House speaker has been removed in this way. [Read more.]( [MIT professor among winners of Nobel Prize in chemistry]( MIT chemistry professor Moungi Bawendi is among the three winners of the 2023 Nobel Prize in chemistry for their work on quantum dots. [Read more.]( [MIT professor among winners of Nobel Prize in chemistry]( MIT chemistry professor Moungi Bawendi is among the three winners of the 2023 Nobel Prize in chemistry for their work on quantum dots. [Read more.]( [In Reading, a solution for local flooding aims to help the whole watershed]( Massachusetts is funding nature-based solutions to help make communities more resilient to climate change. Reading is using the state grant money to construct a wetland to reduce flood damage and the project could be an showcase for other initiatives [Read more.]( [In Reading, a solution for local flooding aims to help the whole watershed]( Massachusetts is funding nature-based solutions to help make communities more resilient to climate change. Reading is using the state grant money to construct a wetland to reduce flood damage and the project could be an showcase for other initiatives [Read more.]( [Abercrombie & Fitch investigates claims that its ex-CEO exploited men at sex events]( The retailer says it hired an outside firm to look into the claims against Mike Jeffries. It's a major test for a brand that's remaking its image for a socially conscious era. [Read more.]( [Abercrombie & Fitch investigates claims that its ex-CEO exploited men at sex events]( The retailer says it hired an outside firm to look into the claims against Mike Jeffries. It's a major test for a brand that's remaking its image for a socially conscious era. [Read more.]( [Student loans for parents can be a debt trap. But there's a loophole]( Until July 2025, parent PLUS borrowers can paperwork their way into a kinder, gentler repayment plan. [Read more.]( [Student loans for parents can be a debt trap. But there's a loophole]( Until July 2025, parent PLUS borrowers can paperwork their way into a kinder, gentler repayment plan. [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Brace yourself for around 2:20 p.m. today. That's when [everyone's phone will get a text message]( as part of a nationwide test of FEMA's emergency alert system. You'll hear the same message on the radio, too. - More municipal preliminaries: While the Nov. 7 local elections are just over a month away, some cities and towns in Massachusetts are still winnowing down the field of candidates. [Here's a look at yesterday's results in New Bedford]( and the remaining preliminary elections on the schedule. - Northampton native and renowned translator Lydia Davis is out with her first collection of fiction in nearly a decade — gathering up almost 150 wide-ranging pieces of her acclaimed short stories. Davis [talked to book critic Michael Patrick Brady]( about the inspiration for the work and her refusal to allow the e-commerce giant Amazon to sell it. - Between soaring housing costs and a beleaguered public transportation system, there's no shortage of crises facing Massachusetts. Miles Howard [writes in this Cognoscenti commentary]( that there's a crucial first step toward understanding why the state government hasn't acted more urgently: audit the Legislature.  What We're Reading 📚 - How Google Alters Search Queries to Get at Your Wallet ([Wired]( - Restraining a patient is supposed to be a 'last resort.' Why is Massachusetts doing it so often? ([GBH News]( - America’s epidemic of chronic illness is killing us too soon ([Washington Post](  🔎 Field Guide [We asked top chefs where to eat in and around Boston]( Five local chefs shared where they like to dine once they hang up their aprons for the day. We’re talking quick bites, date-night hot spots and dining for special occasions. [Read more.]( [We asked top chefs where to eat in and around Boston]( Five local chefs shared where they like to dine once they hang up their aprons for the day. We’re talking quick bites, date-night hot spots and dining for special occasions. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common takes [a long, slow look at the Green Line Extension.]( Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: [Paging Kevin McCarthy.]( 😎 Forward to a friend. They can sign up [here](. 🔎 Explore [WBUR's Field Guide]( stories, events and more. 📣 Give us your feedback: newsletters@wbur.org 📧 Get more WBUR stories sent to your inbox. [Check out all of our newsletter offerings.]( Support the news   Want to change how you receive these emails? Stop getting this newsletter by [updating your preferences.](  I don't want to hear from WBUR anymore. 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