Governor Healey and Lieutenant Governor Driscoll Promote BRIGHT Act Job Creation at UMass Dartmouth and Worcester State

Governor Healey and Lieutenant Governor Driscoll Promote BRIGHT Act Job Creation at UMass Dartmouth and Worcester State  

Governor Healey’s bill to modernize public higher education campuses would create 20,000 construction jobs 

BOSTON — Today, Governor Maura Healey and Lieutenant Governor Driscoll visited UMass Dartmouth and Worcester State University, respectively, to promote Governor Healey's proposed higher education bond bill, An Act to Build Resilient Infrastructure to Generate Higher Education Transformation or the BRIGHT Act. The bill includes a historic $2.5 billion investment to transform and modernize Massachusetts’ public higher education infrastructure while creating nearly 20,000 construction-related jobs. 

“The BRIGHT Act will modernize our public higher education campuses to make sure that our students have the best labs, classrooms and other facilities that they need to succeed, while also creating 20,000 good paying construction jobs and driving business growth in every region,” said Governor Maura Healey. “It was great to be with our incredible university and labor leaders today to showcase how this bill is a win for our students, workers, employers and economy.” 

“No state turns education into economic growth like Massachusetts does, and the BRIGHT Act is our historic opportunity to modernize higher education, create tens of thousands of jobs, and strengthen our state’s economy for decades to come,” said Lieutenant Governor Driscoll. "As a Massachusetts public higher ed graduate myself, I know how impactful this investment is toward the infrastructure of our institutions. The BRIGHT Act provides a brighter future for our students and our economy.” 

At UMass Dartmouth, Governor Healey was joined by Administration and Finance Secretary Matthew Gorzkowicz, Labor and Workforce Secretary Lauren Jones, Division of Capital Asset Management and Maintenance (DCAMM) Commissioner Adam Baacke, Representative Chris Markey, Dartmouth Town Administrator Cody Haddad, UMass President Marty Meehan, UMass Dartmouth Chancellor Mark Fuller and President of Massachusetts Building Trades Unions Frank Callahan to highlight the nearly 20,000 jobs that the BRIGHT Act is projected to create and the investment in capital improvements for the UMass system. The group toured the construction site for the UMass Dartmouth’s Liberal Arts and Sciences, or LARTS building, and met with union workers from the MA Building Trades and the Southeastern MA Building Trades working on the project. 

At Worcester State, Lieutenant Governor Driscoll held a roundtable with University Presidents to discuss how BRIGHT Act funding would impact their modernization and improvement projects. Attendees included Assistant Secretary for Career Education Bob LePage, DCAMM Deputy Commissioner of Planning Peter Brigham, Administration and Finance Undersecretary Jen Sullivan, Worcester State University President Barry Maloney, UMass Chan Medical School Chancellor Dr. Michael Collins, Westfield State University President Dr. Linda Thompson, Bridgewater State President Fred Clark, Fitchburg State President Donna Hodge, Framingham State President Nancy Niemi, Mass College of Art and Design President Mary Grant, MassMaritime Academy President Admiral Francis McDonald, Mount Wachusett Community College President James Vander Hooven, President of the Worcester-Fitchburg Building Trades Council Jorge Rivera and Worcester State University Student Trustee Brandol Ogando Saladin.  

Using funding from the Fair Share surtax, the BRIGHT Act would unlock $2.5 billion in new capital funding to improve UMass, state university, and community college campuses across the state. These investments would be geared toward modernizing facilities, including new labs, classrooms and mental health spaces, and for addressing deferred maintenance and enable major capital projects. As a result, it’s estimated that the BRIGHT Act would create 20,000 new construction jobs.  

“The BRIGHT Act is about more than bricks and mortar—it’s about ensuring that every student in Massachusetts has access to modern classrooms, labs, and spaces that match the excellence of our educators and the talent of our learners,” said Education Secretary Dr. Patrick Tutwiler. “By investing in our campuses, we are ensuring that every student, regardless of background, has equitable access to the opportunities and resources they deserve—now and for generations to come.” 

"The funding proposal we put forth in the BRIGHT Act -- leveraging Fair Share revenues to create new bonding capacity -- is sustainable and thoughtful, and it has already proven effective at enabling long-overdue investments in Massachusetts's transportation sector," said Administration and Finance Secretary Matthew J. Gorzkowicz. "The BRIGHT Act would finally allow us to give students the modern campuses they deserve, create thousands of new jobs and help the state meet its decarbonization requirements. We are grateful to our partners in the Legislature for their engagement on this bill so far, and we look forward to seeing it pass." 

“The BRIGHT Act provides a significant infusion of resources for both major capital investments, including decarbonization projects, and nimble lab modernization projects to address the physical needs of our higher education facilities while also creating 3,000-5,000 jobs annually,” said DCAMM Commissioner Adam Baacke. “As our public colleges and universities face challenges from demographic trends and rapidly evolving pedagogical needs, their facilities need to be modernized and decarbonized to effectively and efficiently serve their students and prepare them as the Commonwealth’s future workforce to sustain our economy.”    

Additionally, investments proposed in the BRIGHT Act would also: 

• Encourage regional secondary and higher education partnerships that strengthen our workforce. 
• Incentivize technology capital projects, such as improvements in online or hybrid workspaces.  
• Continue the successful Workforce Skills Capital Grants program. 
• Support housing development by providing for higher education institutions’ costs associated with the disposition of land and buildings. 

"In addition to being a welcome investment in Massachusetts’ world class universities and colleges, the BRIGHT Act is also a statewide jobs bill for the more than 75,000 men and women of Massachusetts Building Trades Unions,” said Frank Callahan, President of Massachusetts Building Trades Unions. “We applaud Governor Healey for this initiative and look forward to working with President Meehan, the presidents of our state universities and community  colleges putting our members back to work while building and expanding Massachusetts’ Higher Education System."  

"I’m gratified to know that the revenues generated from the Fair Share amendment, which Labor worked very hard as part of a broad coalition to get passed, will be leveraged through the BRIGHT Act,” said Jim Pimental, President, SE Mass Building Trades Council. “This legislation would put so many of our members in the Building Trades to work on state university & college projects." 

“The Healey-Driscoll Administration’s BRIGHT Act is a generational investment in public higher education which will benefit students, faculty, and staff for decades,” said UMass President Marty Meehan. “This visionary proposal will enable the university to accelerate our capital plan, modernizing our campuses and bringing a new generation of world-class facilities to meet the needs of a 21st century research university.” 

“The entire UMass Dartmouth community and I are deeply grateful to the Healey-Driscoll Administration, the Legislature, and our partners across Massachusetts for their continued support of public higher education,” said UMass Dartmouth Chancellor Mark A. Fuller. “Investments in renovating buildings like LARTS provide students with the modern spaces they need to learn, help us reduce our energy costs, and create much-needed jobs across our region.” 

“The BRIGHT Act is about more than renovating buildings — it’s about giving local residents pathways to good jobs and strengthening our communities,” said Jorge Rivera, President of the Worcester Building Trades. “On projects like Worcester’s Curtis Apartments, apprentices are gaining hands-on experience, earning a living, and helping build housing for families in the city.  Thanks to Governor Healey’s leadership, we can replicate that model in higher education construction, developing modern campuses, more housing and a skilled local workforce across the Commonwealth.”  

“As one of the most significant investments in public higher education in decades, the BRIGHT Act will benefit generations of students in the Commonwealth. At Worcester State, this capital investment will be a game changer,” said Worcester State President Barry Maloney. “Modern, thoughtfully designed facilities like the new Student Center we are seeking are transformational for the student experience, enabling greater learning and collaboration, mental health support, leadership development, and career readiness. The entire Worcester State community was pleased to host Lt. Governor Driscoll and the state university presidents on campus today to bring attention to this critically important bill.”