Healey kicks off the budget season while proposing measures to rein in ICE capades

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Just like the winter storm that walloped Massachusetts, this week on Beacon Hill was a doozy.

For those looking for exact numbers like snowfall tallies, Gov. Maura Healey released a fiscal year 2027 budget proposal that comes out to $63.36 billion.

But like the slush obscuring crosswalks, the true number was hard to discern at a press conference as Healey and her team boasted the bill represents only 1.1% spending growth. Plow a little more — and that's only true if you set aside $2.7 billion in surtax revenue spending and a $548 million transfer to the Medical Assistance Trust Fund, and then compare it to the administration's calculation of all projected spending this year."

While Healey accused President Donald Trump of taking a "hatchet" to federal funding, she said her administration couldn't "bankrupt" the state to fill in the gaps and keep up with surging health care pressures. The governor also opted against proposing tax or fee increases to keep more services off the chopping block.

Her election year budget doesn't offer the same drama as last year's proposed hospital closures and case manager layoffs. Modest cuts and a rate freeze are coming for MassHealth, the state agency suffering from unsustainable growth that still makes up more than a third of the budget.

MassHealth covers "several billion dollars worth of services that are technically optional," said Undersecretary Michael Levine. The agency's "targeted reductions" include scrapping coverage for GLP-1 weight loss drugs and capping dental benefits for adult members.

"But no one in this room, I think, would argue that we should take a step back from rebalancing long-term care out of nursing homes because that's just going to be the wrong thing for families and also the wrong thing for your inpatient floors that don't have extra beds," Levine said at the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association conference Thursday. "No one would say that we should entirely eliminate wholesale benefits, like the dental program we have at MassHealth, because those patients are going to show up in your ED when they need emergency dental surgery."

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Healey drew applause from health care leaders in the Back Bay when she said she was off to the State House to announce protections "against cruel and abusive, unlawful, unconstitutional practices of ICE right now."

The governor issued an executive order prohibiting the state from entering into new 287(g) immigration enforcement agreements — unless there's a vetted "public safety need" — and blocking Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from making civil arrests within non-public areas of state facilities.

She also filed legislation to prevent ICE agents from accessing places like schools, hospitals and churches, and enabling parents to make guardianship pre-arrangements in case they're detained or deported. Senate President Karen Spilka vowed to move quickly on the bill; House Speaker Ron Mariano said his branch will hash out immigration policies in meetings next week.

The Black and Latino Legislative Caucus laid the foundation Wednesday, unveiling the PROTECT Act that would bar law enforcement agents from inquiring about a person's immigration status except if required by law. Officers could also not share private information with federal immigration agents or give them advanced warning about a person's release date.

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Like the snow piles that just won't go away, neither will the MBTA Communities Law. Attorney General Andrea Campbell sued nine municipalities Thursday for not complying with the law's requirement for multi-family zoning by right.

The 2021 law has resulted in "modest benefits," namely spurring 7,000 housing units into the permitting, construction or occupancy pipeline across 34 eastern Massachusetts communities, according to a new Boston Indicators report. A not insignificant number of residents may be keen to see Campbell also enforce the popular 2024 voter law that's meant to let Auditor Diana DiZoglio scrutinize the Legislature.

Sen. Will Brownsberger said the Senate is deliberating "bold" policies to spur additional housing production, and popular bills pushed by housing advocates are awaiting action in the Ways and Means Committee.

That includes redrafted "Yes in My Back Yard" legislation — which looks to accomplish a similar aim of the starter home ballot initiative — augmented by "Yes in God's Back Yard" provisions to galvanize multi-family developments on property owned by faith communities. Still, "zoning fatigue" from MBTA Communities could get in Beacon Hill's way.

Headwinds were cleared for Vineyard Wind Tuesday, as a judge ruled the offshore wind project could resume "full activities" and stayed the Trump administration's project suspension order. Meanwhile, the New England grid received federal clearance over the weekend to lean more heavily on oil to keep up with sharp demand fueled by freezing temperatures and the winter storm.

The House on Wednesday held its first formal session since mid-November, passing bills that mandate the use of apprentices on certain public construction projects and expanding requirements for automated external defibrillators at athletic or sporting events.

After blasts of cold air from two State House evacuations Thursday, the Senate unanimously passed an early literacy reform bill that earmarks $25 million to support school districts in implementing new practices and curricula.

MBTA and Commuter Rail riders were stranded in the frigid temperatures far longer than lawmakers this week amid a flurry of delays and cancellations — and later contended with sluggishly moving, jam-packed train cars.

"I hope that people don't judge us on one storm," MBTA General Manager Phil Eng told The Boston Globe ahead of another possible nor'easter this weekend. A week earlier, lawmakers applauded Eng during Healey's State of the Commonwealth address when she talked about turning the T around and saving commuters time.

Mass General Brigham is committed to world-class care backed by the latest advances in medical research. Innovation across our system delivers the best possible outcomes and enhances the patient experience.

@ ISSUE SIT DOWN: NBC 10. The show starts a one-month hiatus due to NBC’s coverage of the Super Bowl and the Olympics.

ON THE RECORD: WCVB. The show will be preempted by weather this week and next week due to the weather and New England Patriots coverage. The next show is due to air Feb. 15.

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Senior Investigator, ISAU, Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General

Controller, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth

Director of Preliminary Investigations, Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination

Chief Planner, City of Newton

Director of Policy and Program Operations, Massachusetts Association for Mental Health

Program Officer for American Institutions, Society, and the Public Good, American Academy of Arts & Sciences

Procurement Officer, Town of Amherst

Hotline Counsel Fellowship, Reproductive Equity Now

Senior Account Executive, Denterlein

Director of Communities and Toxics, Conservation Law Foundation

Regional Field Organizer, Taxpayers for an Affordable Massachusetts

Campaign Operations & Fundraising Assistant, Rick Jakious for Congress

Fiscal Coordinator, Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance

Lending Associate, Massachusetts Housing Partnership

Director, Bureau of Program Integrity, Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General

Executive Director, Massachusetts Land Trust Coalition

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