Mass. gov. calls on Legislature to pass key bills

BOSTON -- Gov. Deval Patrick is calling on the Massachusetts House and Senate to come back into formal session to pass key pieces of legislation, including a crime bill and education overhaul.

Patrick made the unusually blunt appeal in comments to reporters late Thursday.

Patrick faulted lawmakers for ending their formal session for the year without acting on the bills.

He also criticized lawmakers for not giving him expanded powers to make additional budget cuts across state government, including the budgets of the Legislature and courts, saying the state is still in the midst of a fiscal crisis.

An aide to Democratic House Speaker Robert DeLeo said the House's commitment is to the state's schoolchildren, not to Patrick's "political calendar."

Lawmakers wrapped up their formal session on Wednesday. They are in informal session until January.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)