State House Takeout

State House Takeout, the News Service's weekly podcast, is back! On this week's edition, Chris Lisinski talks transportation funding with a trio of advocates: Chris Dempsey of Transportation for Massachusetts, Stacy Thompson of LivableStreets, and Jarred Johnson of TransitMatters. Catching up on the last few months, the Takeout kicks off with analysis from Matt Murphy and Sam Doran on what's been happening atop Beacon Hill, and what remains on the Legislature's plate as the scheduled end of formal lawmaking approaches.

State House Takeout is the News Service's podcast offering bite-sized insights from the reporters on top of Beacon Hill, available on SoundCloud, iTunes, Google Play, and Stitcher. The podcast is produced by Chris Van Buskirk.

It's all coronavirus news this week on the Takeout because the pandemic has touched all aspects of daily life for state government and Massachusetts residents. An emergency declaration and $15 million in preparedness funding were part of the government's response, and the SHNS crew looks ahead to what else we might see coming up next week.

The crew tackles dual House transportation sessions, Super Tuesday results, and the very latest updates on coronavirus cases in Massachusetts and the state's response.

The SHNS crew has a three-course Takeout this week: reporter Katie Lannan talks COVID-19, Matt Murphy and Chris Lisinski discuss the House transportation funding bill, and Colin Young touches on recent developments with Columbia Gas ... that and more on this week's State House Takeout!

On this week's episode, the Takeout crew dives into the federal charges against Lowell Rep. David Nangle, along with analysis of the Markey-Kennedy debate and a rundown of the new safe driving law that takes effect this Sunday. Stick around for an informed discussion on the best places to get takeout in Lowell from several former Lowell Sun reporters.

The Takeout crew filed into the studio this week for another episode of your favorite podcast. With Matt Murphy sitting in for Sam Doran (don't worry, he's just feeling under the weather), the gang talked about a mental health bill the Senate unanimously passed Thursday, updates to the state's various wind projects, and the unofficial holiday on Beacon Hill -- nomination paper pulling day. Stick around to hear about the exciting plans these reporters have for Valentine's Day.

Some were favorable... some died... some lived to be reported on another day. Many bills' fates were decided Wednesday, and new deadlines were set for scores of others. The SHNS crew looks at where the high-profile issues fall in the wake of "Joint Rule 10 Day," and talks about the effectiveness of deadlines.

This week's Takeout is all about the Senate's climate policy debate. Why did the Senate choose this "dramatic" three-bill approach? How far do senators' proposed climate measures go, and could they go farther? What are Speaker DeLeo and Gov. Baker going to make of what Sen. Barrett called a "radical" bill? And, hey, let's step back and ask, to quote the posterboard Sen. Bruce Tarr held aloft during Thursday's session... "What Does This Do?" The Takeout is hosted by Sam Doran and produced by Chris Van Buskirk.

On this week's Takeout, the reporters dig into Gov. Baker's State of the Commonwealth speech: what he said, what he didn't say, and what effect it may have on Beacon Hill action in 2020. Also: education and transportation themes in Baker's budget proposal, and takeaways from the Senate's climate package up for debate next week. And, a little talk about what's going on in Washington.

The Takeout team digs into packed hearings about the housing crisis and carbon emissions, along with further challenges to the Transportation and Climate Initiative and mounting pressure on next year's budget, then steps back to talk about the crowded, often chaotic nature of State House committee hearings. Jan. 17, 2020.