Back from Iraq, on Tuesday Governor Patrick signed the municipal relief bill which will allow cities and towns to implement certain revenue saving policies. He also adopted an emergency preamble, which allows for the law to be effective immediately. This is important when it comes to the early retirement section. Communities can opt into the program, which would call for retirements to take place before year end. The law also allows pension funding to be extended to 2040 from 2030. This will result in decreased annual appropriations and revenue retention for communities, as well as the opportunity to address the local COLA base.

Still no word on gambling or CORI reform. Most observers see gambling as the roadblock on the legislative highway. Negotiations continue, with hundreds of millions of dollars in the balance.