It was a news-filled year on Beacon Hill, the record-low level of legislative activity notwithstanding. At year’s end, here’s a look at the stories that made the top of the Weekly Roundup each Friday in 2023. 
Jan. 6: Healey sworn in with tough issues waiting after the pomp
Jan. 13: Nine of Healey’s Cabinet members named
Jan. 20: Legislative session’s beginning lacks the urgency leaders claimed they felt
Jan. 27: Cascading problems at the T show the state: it’s Healey’s MBTA now
Feb. 3: House rejects process-transparency reforms favored by voters, taking roll call
Feb. 10: Senate repeals term limits for President
Feb. 17: House Speaker, Senate President name committee chairs and membership
Feb. 24: Snowstorm the highlight of quiet school-vacation week
March 3: Healey rolls out budget based on affordability
March 10: T rolls out system-wide slow-zone plan, to public outcry
March 17: Silicon Valley, other bank collapses bring reassurance from state leaders
March 24: Public outrage mounts in wake of never-ending MBTA debacles
March 31: Phillip Eng named MBTA general manager
April 7: DraftKings runs afoul of Gaming Commission with intention to take Marathon bets
April 14: Jack Teixeira arrested for leaking documents as House passes tax relief
April 21: Standard and Poor’s raises state’s bond rating
April 28: House passes $56.2 billion FY ’24 budget, mostly in secret
May 5: April revenues come in $1.44 billion less than 2022
May 12: Spilka says Senate will pass “progressive’ tax relief in some form this year
May 19: Rachael Rollins resigns as U.S. Attorney
May 26: Senate passes its budget, setting up conference committee over iLottery, in-state tuition for immigrants
June 2: Ed Augustus named Housing Secretary
June 9: Senate tax relief package unveiled, setting tone for Healey’s competitiveness theme
June 16: Senate passes tax relief after hours of debate; climate protesters moon the chamber
June 23: Sex ed regulations will take the place of long-moribund legislative update
June 30: Healey diverging to the left from Baker on sex-ed update, LBGTQ-friendliness, prison-construction moratorium
July 7: Sumner Tunnel closure brings fears of traffic nightmare
July 14: House passes surprise $693M supplemental budget, as main budget languishes
July 21: Flames from State House electrical fire contrast with flooding in Western, Northeastern Mass.
July 28: House announces budget “agreement in principle”
Aug. 4: Budget shipped to governor’s desk amidst House-Senate rancor
Aug. 11: Healey signs budget with free school meals, free community college,
Aug. 18: Expansion of ConnectorCare highlight of sleepy summer week
Aug. 25: Wu announces new strategy for cleaning up Mass. and Cass; wind project developers wrangle new contracts
Sep. 1: No sign of back-to-business in Legislature as districts go back to school; Fiandaca departs
Sep. 8: Tensions and questions rising over the number of migrant families coming to Massachusetts
Sep. 15: Healey declares tax relief-passage her only “must” for the last two months of session
Sep. 22: Tax relief agreement announced, passage expected next week
Sep. 29: Tax relief sent to the governor as T announces new Green Line tracks are installed improperly
Oct. 6: Gov. signs tax relief bill as questions and concerns mount about migrant shelter crisis
Oct. 13: Beacon Hill responds to Hamas attack on Israel
Oct. 20: Healey announces cap and waiting list on migrant-family emergency shelter
Oct. 27: Hoffer releases climate change action plan as shelter system nears capacity
Nov. 3: State revisiting concerns that attended launch of emergency shelter program in the 1980s
Nov. 10: Voters choose migrant-shelter critic Durant over Democrat in purple-district special election as shelter limit reached
Nov. 17: Formal sessions end without agreement on or passage of shelter-funding closeout budget
Nov. 24: Impasse and inaction continue on closeout bill as state workers protest
Dec. 1: Saturday session produces no results in House as Republicans continue demanding formal session on migrant-funding closeout
Dec. 8: Democrats call in quorum and pass closeout bill, with Senate close behind
Dec. 15: Healey files required economic development plan and says spending cuts won’t be needed as revenue shortfall passes $800 million