The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe’s Editorial Board weighs in on my committee’s recent report on “fine time” in Massachusetts — the practice by district court judges of incarcerating defendants solely for failure to pay fines, fees or court costs.
News Clips
Committee considers impact of court fees on poor defendants
MassLive
Deeply troubling: “In a minute-long appearance before a judge, James tells the Dudley District Court, ‘I’m poor.’ Without inquiring further or offering him a lawyer, the judge orders James incarcerated for as long as it takes to pay off the fine, at a rate of $30 a day.”
Lexington High School Quiz Show team honored at Statehouse
Lexington Minuteman
The Lexington High School Quiz Show team, which won both the WGBH Quiz Show State Championship this year and the Governor’s Cup vs. New Hampshire, was celebrated at the Statehouse on June 15.
Senate panel wants homeowners insurance clarity
The Boston Globe
“In a time of profound public mistrust of both governmental and financial elites, the Committee finds no justification for a regulatory process marked by a no-exceptions rejection of public notice, informational access, and consumer input.”
Bedford High School students go to Beacon Hill to represent METCO
Bedford Minuteman
“These kids are really the heroes of their own education,” Barrett said. “They get up much earlier than their peers at a time when research shows students should be sleeping in. I am blown away by the quiet passion of these students.”
Bill would allow more review of homeowners insurance rate increases
The Boston Globe
I want these rate increases discussed in an open forum. I don’t want million-dollar propositions handled in private, where only industry is heard.
More insurers raise homeowner rates
The Boston Globe
“State Senator Michael J. Barrett, chairman of the Senate’s Post Audit and Oversight Committee, said he isn’t surprised that other companies have followed Mapfre and Safety, given a regulatory system that allows little public scrutiny and comment on rate proposals. Barrett has called on the insurance division to reconsider the increases granted Mapfre and Safety and open hearings on whether they are justified.”
Labor Committee approves $15 an hour minimum wage for fast food and big box retail workers
MassLive News
The Massachusetts Legislature’s labor committee has voted to approve a bill setting a $15 an hour minimum wage for fast food and big box retail workers.
“People have got to make a living if they work full time,” Barrett said.
Lawmaker wants officials to reconsider insurance rate hikes
The Boston Globe
“The chairman of a powerful state Senate committee on Wednesday called on the Division of Insurance to reconsider the substantial rate increases granted to two of the state’s largest home insurance companies and open hearings on whether increases are justified.
“Barrett, chairman of the Senate’s Post Audit and Oversight Committee, said the rates deserve further scrutiny and public hearings, something consumers have urged, but the Division of Insurance has rarely held.”
Read the article on Sen. Barrett’s work on homeowners insurance rates
MBTA postpones schedule changes on commuter rail
The Concord Journal
Victory — if not forever, then for now. The T will delay cuts in train stops in Concord and Lincoln until May of 2016. It has committed to reconsidering its planned changes and will entertain “robust public engagement” before making further decisions. New scheduling proposals will likely come out next month, following which there will be the kind of opportunity for comment that was lacking this time around.