This group's not happy about Healey's budget

Also: Why cops support the Senate's gun bill; Massachusetts' Steward scramble [Donate ❤️]( [View in Browser](  January 26, 2024 ☔ Rainy this morning, with a high around 41. Good Morning Boston, Want to brighten up this dreary Friday? Take a look at [all the local restaurants that made the James Beard semifinals]( (and maybe check to see if any still have reservations open this weekend). Now, to the news: - PCA pushback: Gov. Maura Healey's [new budget proposal]( includes a mix of new investments and belt-tightening, amid projections of little-to-no tax revenue growth in the coming fiscal year. However, some of the subjects of that belt tightening are speaking out. As WBUR's David Faneuf reports, Healey's plan would keep spending flat for MassHealth's [personal care attendant program](. And the union that represents PCAs is "very concerned" it will mean cuts to service. - What is the PCA program? The MassHealth initiative serves about 40,000 disabled or elderly residents who need help with daily tasks, according to Becca Gutman, the vice president for home care for Local 1199 SEIU. The program gives beneficiaries money to hire an attendant — or PCA — to help them with anything from house chores to shopping to transportation. - How could PCAs be affected? First, the proposed budget aims to control costs by capping the number of hours authorized for meal prep. And second, it would change PCA eligibility for people who get less than 10 hours of services per week, Gutman said. - What does that mean? Gutman says the changes could end up kicking "thousands" of people out of the program and diminish the quality of care for those who remain. "One of the amazing things about this program is it allows people with disabilities and elders to live with real dignity and independence," she said. "But if you're limiting the number of hours that people have, like the support hours they have to prepare meals, what does that mean in terms of the quality of meals?" - What's next: Healey's budget still needs State House approval, and Gutman says the union is working with advocacy groups to lobby lawmakers to oppose the PCA changes. "When elder advocates, disability advocates and worker advocates get together, that's when we're able to really resist and make real change," she said. - Heads up: Healey will be live on Radio Boston today at 11 a.m. to talk more about the budget and [answer your questions](. [Tune in]( - Drumroll, please: The Massachusetts Senate unveiled their [long-awaited gun bill]( yesterday. There's a lot to go over, but overall it's pretty similar to [the bill the House passed in October](. For example, the Senate bill includes measures to crack down on privately made ghost guns, update Massachusetts' assault weapons ban and expand the state's red flag law. - One big difference: [Unlike the House bill]( the Senate's bill has the support of local police chiefs. That's because — from its conception — the Senate's proposed ban on carrying guns in government buildings includes a carveout for police (as well as any city or town that votes to opt out). Eric Gillis, the head of the Massachusetts Chiefs of Police Association, said they also appreciated the Senate's outreach. "What brought us on board were all the conversations — the ability to collaborate with Senate leadership about how a bill should be crafted [and] what would be effective," Gilles said yesterday. - Next steps: The Senate plans to debate their bill next Thursday. - Maybe next week: Schools remain closed in Newton for a sixth straight day, as [the teachers strike]( continues. The teachers union could also be in court today at noon, as they face escalating fines for the illegal strike. (The latest fine — which has [doubled]( every day the strike continues — was $200,000.) - PSA: The T is planning to finish a host of Green Line track work this weekend. That includes wrapping up [the current downtown closure]( as well as repairs to [those too-narrow tracks]( on the Green Line Extension (there will still be [shuttles all day]( Saturday and Sunday). Fingers crossed for that Monday commute! - Don't let the door hit you on the way out: The MBTA is also reminding subway operators to look out for passengers when closing their doors, after [several recent incidents]( on the Green and Red lines where people's hands, legs and bags got caught. T staff plan to give passengers more reminders, via in-station announcements and signage, too. P.S.— There's a new public art installation that has got people talking. Where is it? If you think you know, [take our Boston News Quiz]( and see how well your knowledge of this week's stories compares to other WBUR readers! Nik DeCosta-Klipa Editor, Newsletters [Follow](  Support the news  The Rundown [Mass. leaders scramble to plan for potential Steward hospital closures]( The ripples of financial difficulties at Steward have been felt by its employees, vendors, state officials and patients for years, but the state is now scrambling to prepare for what could become a tsunami if the for-profit company shutters some, or all, of its Massachusetts hospitals. [Read more.]( [Mass. leaders scramble to plan for potential Steward hospital closures]( The ripples of financial difficulties at Steward have been felt by its employees, vendors, state officials and patients for years, but the state is now scrambling to prepare for what could become a tsunami if the for-profit company shutters some, or all, of its Massachusetts hospitals. [Read more.]( [Boston city councilor Flynn took 'fact-finding' trip to Israel]( The trip was sponsored by a nonprofit affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobbying group in Washington D.C. [Read more.]( [Boston city councilor Flynn took 'fact-finding' trip to Israel]( The trip was sponsored by a nonprofit affiliated with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, a pro-Israel lobbying group in Washington D.C. [Read more.]( [Environmentalists demand Northeast governors oppose gas pipeline expansion project]( Environmental activists want the governors of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York and Connecticut to take a strong stance against a proposed natural gas pipeline expansion project in the region. [Read more.]( [Environmentalists demand Northeast governors oppose gas pipeline expansion project]( Environmental activists want the governors of Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York and Connecticut to take a strong stance against a proposed natural gas pipeline expansion project in the region. [Read more.]( [Some parents say Mass. needs overdose prevention centers]( Some grieving parents who’ve become leaders in the drug overdose crisis called on Massachusetts lawmakers to allow overdose prevention or supervised consumption sites in the state. They are angry that lawmakers aren’t acting on legislation these parents say might have saved their children. [Read more.]( [Some parents say Mass. needs overdose prevention centers]( Some grieving parents who’ve become leaders in the drug overdose crisis called on Massachusetts lawmakers to allow overdose prevention or supervised consumption sites in the state. They are angry that lawmakers aren’t acting on legislation these parents say might have saved their children. [Read more.]( [Massachusetts state agencies to scrap minimum education level for hiring]( Gov. Maura Healey, who signed the executive order Thursday, says the state needs to shift to a “skills-based economy,” and that hiring practices just based on a degree “reduces people to a line on a resume.” [Read more.]( [Massachusetts state agencies to scrap minimum education level for hiring]( Gov. Maura Healey, who signed the executive order Thursday, says the state needs to shift to a “skills-based economy,” and that hiring practices just based on a degree “reduces people to a line on a resume.” [Read more.]( Anything Else? - Jim Sullivan has been a Red Sox season ticket holder for more than 30 years. But [as he writes in this Cognoscenti essay]( he's grappling with a question this year: Should I stay or should I go? - It doesn't just feel like New England is getting less snow in the winter. [A new study out of Dartmouth College]( found the region is one of the most sensitive areas in North America to climate change's impact on snow. Researchers told NHPR that winter will look like "vacillations between being briefly snow covered and a prolonged stick season.” - A Holyoke native killed in Pearl Harbor is getting [a proper burial in his hometown this weekend]( after the Navy used DNA technology to identify his remains. The discovery led family members to learn more about the life and death of "Uncle Merle Hillman." - Two emotionally resonant Boston shows — "Moby Dick" at ArtsEmerson and "Stand Up If You're Here Tonight" at the Huntington Theatre — mine the human condition in moving ways, theater critic Jacquinn Sinclair writes in [this double-feature review](.  What We're Reading 📚 - Congratulations, You’re the Oldest Person in Town! Please Accept This Cane. ([The New York Times]( - Graphic images of the Vietnam War helped shape public opinion. Is social media doing the same for Gaza? ([The Boston Globe]( - Ayo Edebiri Keeps Shouting Out Ireland — and the Country Is Embracing It ([The Hollywood Reporter](  Tell Me Something Good [Mass. sisters write bilingual book 'Sister Detectives' in English and Chinese]( "The Sister Detectives" is a bilingual storybook, in Chinese and English, penned and illustrated by two sisters from Orange, Massachusetts, with guidance from their elders. [Read more.]( [Mass. sisters write bilingual book 'Sister Detectives' in English and Chinese]( "The Sister Detectives" is a bilingual storybook, in Chinese and English, penned and illustrated by two sisters from Orange, Massachusetts, with guidance from their elders. [Read more.]( Listen: The Common takes [a closer look at the factors driving the recent book-banning movement in Massachusetts]( and how school districts and lawmakers have responded to these challenges. Play: [WBUR's daily mini crossword.]( Can you keep your streak going? Before you go: ["Rudeness would require actually interacting with other people."]( 😎 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? 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