The Massachusetts Senate has advanced a bill to permanently keep the Commonwealth on Daylight Savings Time (DST), citing health and economic benefits.
The legislation, An Act Relative to Massachusetts Time Zones and Sunshine Protection (S. 2157), would stop semi-annual clock change and establish a consistent time system in the state, predicting an extra hour of evening daylight for residents during the winter months.
But the move would only take effect if at least two neighboring states agree to join in a permanent move to the Atlantic Time Zone, which is an hour ahead of the Eastern Time Zone.
“Here we are again, setting our clocks back an hour. It’s a ridiculous seasonal dance that upends our sleep schedules and scrambles our lives twice a year. I hear about this often from constituents who are tired of this outdated relic of the 20th century,” said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). “Permanently establishing a single time system would improve our health and even make our roads safer.”
The full Senate voted during its October 29 session to give the legislation a form of initial approval and prepare it for final debate.
The bill, filed by state Sen. John Keenan (D-Quincy), would implement recommendations from the Special Commission on the Commonwealth’s Time Zones that found a switch to the Atlantic Time Zone would result in increased economic growth, reductions in energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions, public health benefits and even a reduction in crime.
The legislation will go back to the Senate for further consideration after a third reading.
Another longtime Massachusetts potato chip manufacturer closes shop
As the hit Queen song goes: ‘Another one bites the dust.” Or is it ‘crumbs’?
Another longtime Massachusetts potato chip manufacturer is closing up shop, just six months since the famed Cape Cod Potato Chips shut down its historic Hyannis production facility in April.
Wachusett Potato Chips, which has operated in Fitchburg since 1939, will be shutting down operations in Massachusetts by the end of the year, with 62 layoffs expected by December 15, according to an update by parent company Powered by FTGU, Inc. on the state’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) database.
The announcement comes six months after Campbell’s Company shut down the Cape Cod Chips facility in Hyannis, moving production to facilities in North Carolina, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania. The closure of that facility resulted in the elimination of 49 jobs after over 40 years of operations on Cape Cod.
Severe outmigration of working-age residents and businesses have been a critical re-election hurdle for Gov. Maura Healey, something experts attribute to high energy costs, high taxes and a state government that continues to facilitate a poor business climate.
Fiscal, government watchdogs endorse Yes on Question 5
The Pioneer Institute for Public Policy Research, the Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance, NFIB and the Massachusetts High Technology Council are endorsing a ‘Yes’ vote on Ballot Question 5, which would place a limit on how much revenue the state can collect in a given year with any excess collections given back to taxpayers in the form of a rebate.
The fiscal and government watchdog organizations held a press conference outside the State House on Friday calling for voters to vote in favor of the ballot question in Tuesday’s general election alongside the ballot question committee Taxpayers for an Affordable Massachusetts.
“We’re here today to remind the public that ‘Yes on 5’ is to protect them from the building behind us. ‘Yes on 5’ is to give every taxpayer anywhere from $200 t0 $250 back in their pocket every year,” added Mass Fiscal Executive Director Paul Craney. “It’s built on a history of protecting the taxpayers and we are happy to support them.”
Added Pioneer Institute Executive Director Jim Stergios: “This is not a drastic measure. You’ve heard a lot of misinformation by people trying to make it sound like it’s complex. It’s not.”
If passed by voters, question 5 would include all revenue from the surtax on incomes over $1 million when calculating the revenue limit and when determining whether state revenue exceeds the limit.