Charlie Baker in 2018 MA Governor's race

On Government Reform: Automatic voter registration via RMV and MassHealth

The automatic voter registration law makes Massachusetts the 14th state to adopt such a measure. Under the new law, eligible residents who interact with the Registry of Motor Vehicles or the MassHealth program will have to opt out if they don't want to join the voter rolls, rather than opt in.

The law also allows the secretary of state to reach agreements with state agencies to automatically register voters if they meet certain criteria, potentially further expanding the net the state can cast to reach eligible residents.

Baker previously said he had confidence that the state could install automatic voter registration with a "fairly high degree of integrity" at the Registry of Motor Vehicles.

On Immigration: Revoke MA National Guard on border due to family separation

Baker had previously pledged a UH-72 Lakota helicopter and two military analysts to the border on June 1 and were expected to be deployed at the end of the month. The Massachusetts National Guard has sent personnel and resources to the border in the past under previous administrations, including for Presidents Obama and Bush.

Democrats, who have sought to tie Baker to Trump with little success so far in his reelection campaign, argued that the governor's reversal on National Guard resources doesn't go far enough. "Governor Baker should have never offered our state's resources to enforce Donald Trump's inhumane immigration policy in the first place," said Jay Gonzalez, one of the Democrats seeking the party nomination.

On Technology: My job is to make sure the T works, not to ride it

Baker, who is driven from event to event by his State Police detail and has previously declined to participate in the T-riding challenge, doubled down on his decision: "The governor is not a point-to-point person. It's very rare that I go from one place to the same place more than once, and that makes it extremely hard to think about how to factor that in," Baker said. "And frankly, I really do believe that my job is to make sure that we make the T work for the people who need it to work. Period."

On Drugs: Legal marijuana sales in Massachusetts by 2020

This legislative outcome means that by January 2020, Massachusetts will be the only state in the country where all bans on adult-use marijuana businesses will require approval by local voters.

The compromise bill's most significant changes relate to local control and taxes. The legislation adjusts the local control policy, allowing local government officials in towns that voted "no" on the 2016 ballot initiative to ban marijuana businesses until December 2019. For towns that voted "yes" in 2016, any bans must be placed on a local ballot for voters to approve. The maximum sales tax rate (which depends on whether towns adopt optional local taxes) will increase from 12% to 20%. Under the bill, the state tax will be 17% and the local option will be 3%.

On Immigration: Open to ideas from Latino advisers on sanctuary state

The bill, known as the Safe Communities Act, would prohibit local police from asking about a person's immigration status or arresting someone solely because of their immigration status. "I've said many times that I think that decision should be made at the local level," Baker said at a press conference where he established a new Latino Advisory Committee.

Baker thus far has been consistent in his opposition to the bill, and reiterated that he gets "very nervous" about the idea of taking away the ability for local officials to make decisions on law enforcement for their own communities. "That said, you don't put together a commission like this if you don't expect them to address some difficult issues, and I look forward to their recommendations," Baker said.

On Technology: Lynn ferry service wasn't worth the $700,000 operating cost

The ferry from the Blossom Street Ferry Terminal in Lynn to Boston's Seaport operated a pilot program in 2014 and 2015. But the service was decommissioned last summer by the Baker administration, which argued it didn't generate enough riders to justify the $700,000 in state funds annually to operate it.

On Health Care: Opposed Republican bill to eliminate ObamaCare

Gonzalez, speaking in the days before the House Republican's American Health Care Act of 2017 failed to pass the House of Representatives, said that national Republican efforts to repeal President Barack Obama's healthcare bill pose a serious threat to Massachusetts. Baker's administration released estimates last month showing that the AHCA would have cost the state $1 billion per year by 2020. "We need to be doing everything we can to try to stop that from happening," Gonzalez said.

While major federal health care changes are no longer imminent following the defeat of the ACHA, Trump tweeted last week that he is still dedicated replacing Obama's signature health care law.