The Massachusetts State Senate is voting today on a $3.6 billion environmental bond bill (S.3050) that includes a new ‘paint tax’ on consumers and a statewide plastic bag ban with a 10-cent paper bag tax. These mandates will raise costs for families and small businesses already struggling with high living expenses.

Massachusetts’s welfare system is exploding: nearly $1 in every $4 of the state budget now goes to Medicaid alone. SNAP enrollment has surged 40% in a decade, with a 14.1% error rate—one of the nation’s highest—resulting in over $1 billion in improper payments. Taxpayers deserve real oversight and accountability.