OPEN FOR A FORTUNE — Massachusetts state law currently keeps fortune-tellers from practicing outside of the city or town they live in.
But for psychics hoping to set up shop out of town: Your future could be looking bright.
One of the thousands of bills lawmakers filed by last Friday’s deadline would eliminate the mandate, which also requires fortune-tellers to have lived in the community they're telling fortunes in for at least a year before they can practice.
Rep. Susannah Whipps first filed the bill last session, after a city employee in Greenfield was fielding an application for an event permit and stumbled into the state law. Cities and towns are responsible for licensing psychics, and aside from residency requirements, what that process looks like is left to local discretion (though another law bans “pretended fortune telling.”)
Greenfield currently has no licensed fortune-tellers, a city spokesperson confirmed. Boston has five, while Worcester hasn’t had anyone apply for a license in at least five years. About a dozen people are currently licensed in Salem, and 12 establishments there have store licenses that allow the owner and up to five others to practice at the location.
Why the residency requirement was added is something of a mystery.
“In Massachusetts, the roots of this go way back, at least over concerns over fortune telling,” Emerson Baker, a history professor at Salem State University, told Playbook.
“In the 17th century, in New England, trying to tell someone’s fortune was considered witchcraft,” said Baker, who has authored books on the subject.
But this law isn’t ancient — it first passed in 1963. “I believe it was probably put into place to protect communities from grifters, or people who were stopping through and maybe scamming locals,” Whipps told Playbook, though she also had questions about its origins.
A similar bill advanced in the Senate in late July 1997, according to the State House News Service archives, but apparently never made it across the finish line. Playbook reached out to former Senate President Stan Rosenberg, who spoke in favor of the bill at the time, but he said via email he didn’t recall the legislation or its origins.
There’s no crystal ball to tell us whether we’ll see the bill make it across the finish line this session. A House spokesperson didn’t weigh in, and an aide to Senate President Karen Spilka declined to comment on the topic.
It doesn’t take a psychic to predict this: Gov. Maura Healey’s office said she’ll review anything that comes across her desk. But maybe her pledge in her State of the Commonwealth speech to cut “red tape” and make it easier to do business in the Bay State bodes well for the bill.
GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.Tips? Scoops? Birthdays? Fortunes? Email me: kgarrity@politico.com
TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey speaks at the Massachusetts Municipal Association annual conference at 11 a.m. in Boston; Auditor Diana DiZoglio attends. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll speaks at MassBay Community College’s human trafficking awareness breakfast at 9:30 a.m. in Wellesley.
THIS WEEKEND — Former GOP Senate nominee John Deaton is on WBZ’s “Keller @ Large” at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. State Sen. Bruce Tarr is on WCVB’s “On the Record” at 11 a.m. Sunday. DiZoglio speaks at the Boston Lunar New Year Gala at 2 p.m. at City Hall.
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DATELINE BEACON HILL
— “‘Terrible’ for the Mass. economy: Healey says Trump tariffs could spike electricity costs here by $200 million,” by Samantha J. Gross, The Boston Globe: “Governor Maura Healey told business leaders Thursday that President Trump’s plan to put tariffs on products from Canada and Mexico could spike electricity costs by as much as $200 million a year. ‘It’s terrible,’ Healey said during her speech at an Associated Industries of Massachusetts gathering in Waltham. ‘It’s terrible for Massachusetts' economy.’”
— “Gov. Healey eyes tax increases for Massachusetts in her fiscal year 2026 budget proposal,” by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: “Gov. Maura Healey slipped a series of tax increases into her fiscal year 2026 budget like applying the sales tax to candy, slapping the tobacco tax on synthetic nicotine products, and imposing an excise tax on complimentary hotel rooms. The proposals drew quick scrutiny from conservatives and business organizations who argued the climate for companies in Massachusetts is already less than ideal and customers are being lost to other states in New England like New Hampshire.”
— “Lights. Camera. Ticket? Healey wants to allow Mass. cities, towns to deploy speed cameras,” by Matt Stout, The Boston Globe: “Arguing it could make Massachusetts’ roads safer, Governor Maura Healey is asking state lawmakers to allow cities and towns to deploy speed cameras to help catch and ticket heavy-footed motorists. Healey folded her proposal for a state-run ‘speed camera enforcement program’ into the $62 billion state budget proposal she unveiled Wednesday. Her proposal is a more narrow version of legislation that’s died on Beacon Hill before, but if adopted by the Legislature, it could dramatically expand how local officials enforce traffic laws.”
— “Unanswered Questions Leave Healey Shelter Plan On Hold,” by Sam Doran, State House News Service (paywall): “House Ways and Means Chairman Aaron Michlewitz asked for answers to more than two pages of questions by Monday, Jan. 27. … The Boston Democrat's questions cover impacts on school systems, safety and security of the Emergency Assistance program, citizenship and residency requirements, and general background. Some inquiries try to get a handle on ongoing costs related to the family shelter system.”
Asked if he had similar questions for the administration, a spokesperson for Senate Ways and Means Chair Michael Rodrigues told Playbook in a statement that the Rodrigues and the Senate Ways and Means Committee “are constantly engaged with the Administration on all aspects of the state’s finances, including the emergency shelter system. Substantive discussions around shelters have centered around responsibly stewarding taxpayer dollars while also supporting families in crisis.”
“The Chair looks forward to a continued dialogue as members review the Administration’s supplemental budget,” the statement read.
STOPPING BY — Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison swung through the State House yesterday to meet with legislators, civil rights leaders and Gov. Maura Healey, per the State House News Service, in a trip organized by Black Lion Strategies CEO Samuel Gebru.
Ellison is in Boston again today for the firm’s New Year’s reception, where he’ll be honored as one its “2024 Good Troublemaker of the Year” awardees.
FROM THE HUB
— “Indicted Boston city councilor no longer due in court next week, appearance delayed until March,” by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: “Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson won’t have to appear in federal court again until March, after a judge granted a request from both sides to cancel next week’s status conference in the public corruption case. Fernandes Anderson was due back in court next Wednesday, for the first time since her arrest and arraignment early last month. A requested delay granted by a federal judge this week pushed back the status conference to March 5, court records show.”
PARTY POLITICS
WHO HEALEY WANTS — Gov. Maura Healey endorsed Wisconsin Democratic Party Chair Ben Wikler in the race to the lead the Democratic National Committee last night, alongside a handful of other Democratic governors (including: Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham, Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, Oregon Gov. Tina Kotek, and Maine Gov. Janet Mills.)
“In 2025, Democrats need innovative strategy and an organizing machine,” Healey wrote on X, calling on other Democrats in Massachusetts to join her in backing Wikler for DNC chair. “Above all, we need to deliver real change for working people in every city and town across America.”
Wikler appears to be one of the front-runners in the race, alongside Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party Chair Ken Martin. DNC members will vote for the party’s new leader on Feb. 1 — the first look at what direction party insiders think Democrats need to go as they rebuild post-election.
— “AGs pledge to resist Trump's immigration crackdown,” by Christian M. Wade, The Eagle-Tribune: “Attorney General Andrea Campbell is joining other Democrats in declaring that local law enforcement in Massachusetts and other deep-blue states won't be helping President Donald Trump round up undocumented immigrants. In a joint statement, Campbell and 10 other Democratic AGs cited recent U.S. Supreme Court rulings that the federal government can't force local police to assist them with immigration crackdowns.”
WHAT'S ON CAMPBELL'S DOCKET
— “Sacklers agree to pay $7.4B to settle opioid lawsuits,” by Christian M. Wade, Gloucester Daily Times: “Massachusetts and other states have reached a tentative $7.4 billion settlement with the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma over their alleged role in fueling the nation’s opioid crisis. The agreement, announced Thursday by Attorney General Andrea Campbell, will require members of the Sackler family who own Purdue to contribute up to $7.4 billion over 15 years and give up ownership of the company and its assets. A portion of the money will go to victims of the opioid crisis or their survivors.”
PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES
— “Cape Cod bridge replacement in 'critical environmental phase.' What does that mean?” by Susan Vaughn, The Cape Cod Times: “The state's new director in charge of the $4 billion Cape Cod bridges replacement project made her public debut Tuesday night. The replacement project is now in a ‘critical environmental phase,’ Luisa Paiewonsky told the Cape Cod and Islands Sierra Club in a virtual meeting Tuesday night attended by about 30 people.”
— “MBTA official says Red Line speed could soon increase to 50 mph, citing quality of track repair work,” by Nick Stoico, The Boston Globe: “After more than a year of work to remove speed restrictions across the MBTA’s subway system, a transit official on Thursday said part of the Red Line that runs south of Boston could see its speed limit raised to 50 miles per hour for the first time in a couple of decades."
FROM THE DELEGATION
— “Elizabeth Warren’s Plan for How Musk Can Cut $2 Trillion in U.S. Spending,” by Eric Cortellessa, TIME: “If Elon Musk is serious about cutting government waste, fraud, and abuse, he may find help in an unusual place: Elizabeth Warren. ... In a letter she sent him Thursday morning, Warren proposed 30 recommendations for eliminating $2 trillion in federal spending over the next decade, according to a copy of the letter obtained by TIME.”
— “Rep. Lynch defends backing Laken Riley Act, saying U.S. immigration system is 'out of control',” by Amanda Beland and Tiziana Dearing, WBUR: “In a WBUR interview, [Rep. Stephen] Lynch called the bill ‘imperfect,’ but said it's meaningful effort to discuss America's immigration system and how it is, he said, ‘completely out of control.’ Over multiple trips he's taken to the nation's southern border, Lynch said he found a ‘narrative’ existed, sometimes promoted by ‘cartels’ or others, that anyone will receive benefits and services here, regardless of how they enter the country.”
— “Methuen City Council backs audit of Legislature,” by Teddy Tauscher, The Eagle-Tribune: “City Council this week called on local state lawmakers and other Massachusetts politicians to support the implementation of Question 1 — the audit of the state Legislature. On Tuesday, the council gave preliminary approval to a resolution asking the state Legislature to permit the audit — which was approved by 75% of Methuen and nearly 72% of Massachusetts voters during the presidential election on Nov. 5.”
HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH
HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Roberto Jiménez-Rivera, DJ Napolitano, principal at Dewey Square Group, and Andrew Friendly.
HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND — to Ted Chambers, Heather Bellow, David Newman and Amy Sokolow, who celebrate Saturday; and to Sunday birthday-ers Matt Kaye and state Sen. John Velis.
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