Governor Healey Announces Second Year Agenda to Lower Costs, Improve Quality of Life Through Education, Housing and Infrastructure
Governor
commits to passing Affordable Homes Act, launching
transformative early literacy plan, reauthorizing life sciences
initiative, making new climatetech investments, historic funding for
roads, bridges, MBTA
Builds
on agenda for affordable, accessible child care announced yesterday,
including universal Pre-K access for all four-year-olds in Gateway Cities
BOSTON – Governor Maura T. Healey tonight delivered her first State of the
Commonwealth address since taking office one year ago. Her speech drew on the
strength and resilience of Massachusetts, beginning first and
foremost with its people. She highlighted the work that her administration
has accomplished during its first year to lower costs for people and grow
the economy, from passing the state’s first tax cuts in 20 years to introducing the most comprehensive housing bill in state history. She then laid out an aggressive agenda to
continue addressing high costs, improve quality of life through
education, housing and infrastructure, and drive innovation and job
creation through landmark investments in life sciences and climatetech.
“We set
high goals for our first year in office. I stood here a year ago and made
promises. And because we came together, and we acted with urgency, we delivered
results. We met every one of our goals,” said Governor Healey.
“Today, Massachusetts today is more affordable, more competitive, and more
equitable than it was a year ago. And the state of our Commonwealth, like
the spirit of our people, is stronger than ever.”
The
Governor announced several new initiatives for 2024 that will continue to
build on this progress – including launching a nation-leading early literacy strategy, reauthorizing the Life
Sciences Initiative, initiating a new climatetech initiative,
and increasing roads, bridges and MBTA funding in the state
budget to record levels.
These
commitments build on the Governor’s agenda for affordable, accessible child
care that she announced on Tuesday. Her four-pronged plan includes achieving universal
high-quality Pre-K access for all four-year-olds in Gateway Cities by
2026, expanding child care financial assistance for thousands
more families, continuing her record-levels of state funding for C3
grants to stabilize providers, and signing an Executive Order directing her administration to take a
“whole-of-government" approach to child care.
2023
Accomplishments
Governor
Healey highlighted her administration’s accomplishments in its first year,
particularly their efforts to make life more affordable for residents and
strengthen the state’s economy.
In
reflecting on the past year, the Governor pointed to the $1 billion tax cuts
package she signed with the partnership of the Legislature as a milestone
accomplishment. Starting this spring, families will benefit from the most
generous child and family tax credit in the nation. Seniors will see their
circuit breaker credit double from $1,200 to $2,400, and renters,
commuters, businesses and people dealing with lead paint and septic
systems will save money as well. It also increased the estate tax
threshold so that families are able to pass on more of their hard-earned
money.
Governor
Healey introduced Elaine Correia from New Bedford. She is 87 years
old and has lived in her home for 61 years. Under the new tax cuts,
her senior housing credit will double from
$1,200 to $2,400 because no
one should have to worry if they can afford to stay in the home
they love.
Together
with the Legislature, the administration made breakfast and lunch free for all students, fully funded the Student Opportunity Act, expanded ConnectorCare to
deliver health care savings to 45,000 people, paid off student loans for health care
workers, increased financial aid at state colleges
and universities, and made
community college free for students aged 25 and older through MassReconnect.
Governor
Healey invited Danita Mends and MassBay Community College President David
Podell to the State of the Commonwealth. Ms. Mends is a mom from Roxbury who
couldn’t advance in her career without a college degree. Thanks to
MassReconnect, she is now enrolled in MassBay and says her no-cost degree
is “life-changing” and that she will pass the lesson she’s learned about
the importance of education on to her young son.
The
Governor also highlighted the work that her administration has done, with the
partnership of the Legislature and Congressional delegation, to revitalize
services for veterans in Massachusetts. She appointed the state’s first cabinet-level
Secretary of Veterans Services, U.S.
Army Reserves Major Jon Santiago, broke ground and opened new,
state-of-the-art veterans homes in Holyoke and Chelsea, respectively,
and filed the HERO Act to ensure veterans get the services and resources they need
and deserve.
The
administration also stepped up to host a work authorization clinic in
partnership with the Biden-Harris Administration to help nearly 3,000 new arrivals get work permits
and then connect them with jobs. Salem State Hospital, for example,
recently hired migrants, which enabled them to be fully staffed in their
housekeeping department for the first time in years.
Massachusetts
continued its leadership in standing up for civil rights and freedoms,
including by taking steps to protect access to medication abortion. Governor Healey and the Massachusetts State Police established a new hate crimes unit to help keep all communities safe. The Governor hosted
the first ever Youth and Families Pride event at the State House. They
also successfully implemented the Work and Family Mobility Act and helped issue
100,000 learners permits and 60,000 licenses in just six months.
Governor
Healey also issued new clemency guidelines to center fairness and compassion, and she became the first
Massachusetts governor in 40 years to recommend pardons in her first year – pardoning a total of 13 people.
2024
Priorities
Governor
Healey outlined her administration’s priorities for 2024, beginning with
the FY25 budget proposal she will file next week.
“The
budget I file next week will be balanced, responsible and forward-looking,”
said Governor Healey. “It will build on
our progress, and we will take new steps to lower the cost of
housing and child care, strengthen our schools and help all young
people reach their potential, get our roads and rails moving, help
businesses and workers thrive, and meet the climate challenge by creating
good jobs across our state. This is the work ahead of us, and there’s no
time to wait.”
Housing
That work
starts with housing. Governor Healey highlighted the action her
administration has taken over the past year – establishing a standalone
housing secretariat and appointing the state’s first Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities, tripling support for housing development
in Gateway Cities, funding new rental
vouchers, and identifying surplus state land that could be used for the
development of new housing.
In the
year ahead, the Healey-Driscoll administration will be focused on passing the
Governor’s $4.1 billion Affordable Homes Act.
It will create middle-class housing, make homeownership a reality for
families that have been priced out, build affordable homes at every income
level, repair public housing, create supportive housing for seniors,
veterans and people with disabilities, and support good construction
careers with strong labor standards.
Governor
Healey introduced Abelardo Corona and Gabriela Amezcua from
Haverhill. They have two young children and dreamed of buying their
first home in their community, but they thought they’d have to move out of
state to afford it. Instead, they were connected with a
MassHousing mortgage and MassDreams grant, which enabled them to buy
a home in Haverhill. The Affordable Homes Act would increase funding for
MassDreams and the Commonwealth Builder Fund, which creates housing for
first-time homebuyers, to make these opportunities available to even more
families.
Governor
Healey also emphasized the importance of the MBTA Communities law and the
opportunity that every community has to be a part of the solution and
build more housing to lower costs.
Child
Care and Preschool
After
housing, Governor Healey pointed to child care as one of the most
significant cost burdens facing Massachusetts families. Last year, the
Healey-Driscoll administration delivered nearly half a billion dollars to
stabilize providers through C3 grants and expanded financial
assistance for more families.
Yesterday,
Governor Healey announced that she is going to build on that progress by
setting a goal to achieve universal access to high-quality
pre-kindergarten for every
four-year-old in all 26 Gateway Cities across Massachusetts by the end of
2026. This will help 23,000 more children access an early education
that sets them up for success, while relieving financial pressure on families.
The
Governor also announced that her FY25 budget will include funding to expand
child care financial assistance to reach an additional 4,000
low- and moderate-income households. Under this plan, family costs will be
capped based on what they can afford. It will also raise the cap for receiving
financial assistance from 50 percent to 85 percent of the state
median income. With this change, a single mom with two kids who earns
$100,000 and two parents with three kids who make $143,000 would qualify for
assistance.
Governor
Healey also signed an Executive Order establishing a
whole-of-government approach to advancing new solutions to address the
state’s child care challenges. The administration will convene the
entire cabinet, as well as providers, businesses and advocates to work
together to expand access and lower costs for families.
Education
Governor
Healey outlined efforts to ensure that our K-12 system is delivering the
high-quality education that our students, families and educators deserve. She
pledged to yet again fully fund the Student Opportunity
Act with record levels of local aid.
The
Governor also announced a transformative plan to
improve early literacy education in Massachusetts and reach every young student with the best
possible instruction. Secretary of Education Dr. Patrick Tutwiler and his
team are developing an initiative called Literacy
Launch to help make sure our schools, educators and
students aged three through third grade have access to the
highest quality, evidence-based reading instruction available. The
initiative will accelerate the timeline for school districts and early
education programs to adopt high-quality literacy materials and
provide technical support, coaching, and professional development
to educators. It will also update approval criteria and accelerate
review timelines for teacher education programs to require evidence-based early
literacy training. This will be a five-year initiative, starting with a
proposed $30 million in the FY25 budget.
Last year,
the Healey-Driscoll administration expanded Early College programs to nine new schools, reaching a total of 58
schools and 8,200 students. The Innovation Career
Pathways program is now in a total of 78 schools with 6,900
students participating. The administration also launched a new Clean Energy Innovation
Career Pathway to train the next generation of clean
energy leaders. In the FY25 budget, the Healey-Driscoll administration
will also continue to expand these critical programs to connect students
with hands-on worked-based learning and a head start in higher
education.
Behavioral
Health
To ensure
that young people have the wraparound supports they need, the Healey-Driscoll
administration last year supported implementation of 26 Community
Behavioral Health Centers, which
have served thousands of people, including children and youth. Since
CBHCs opened in January 2023, emergency room stays related to mental health for
all MassHealth members fell by 50 percent, according to Massachusetts
Behavioral Health Access. Governor Healey committed to continue
investing in CBHCs while also increasing investments in social and
emotional education, expanding school-based supports, and delivering $10
million to develop intensive program models, including residential
opportunities, that provide relief to families and ensure that the most
vulnerable young people can get the support they need.
Economic
development
Governor
Healey previewed investments in her administration’s upcoming Economic
Development Bond Bill. Building on the vision laid out in Secretary Yvonne
Hao’s “Leading Future Generations” economic
development plan, the bill will expand
economic opportunity in every region of the state and make it easier for
companies of all size to do business in Massachusetts.
The
Governor applauded the scientists, doctors and community leaders who
positioned Massachusetts to win the ARPA-H national
hub – the nation’s medical innovation
moonshot. She said the administration will set out to reauthorize the Life
Sciences Initiative, building on the success of prior life sciences
authorizations and leveraging ARPA-H to advance innovation,
health equity, and affordability.
And for
the first time, Governor Healey will propose a historic,
multi-year capital investment in climatetech to make Massachusetts the
climate innovation lab for the world. It will help companies open,
stay and grow in Massachusetts, power the state’s efforts to
meet its climate goals, produce cutting-edge technologies, and create
a generation of good, union careers across the state.
Governor
Healey highlighted two Massachusetts businesses that are prime examples of the
opportunities in this industry. Commonwealth Fusion is
a clean-energy innovator that started at M.I.T. and now has 500 employees in
Devens. Sublime Systems is a Somerville startup bringing low-carbon building
materials and 70 manufacturing jobs to Holyoke with the partnership of
the state.
Climate
From day
one, the Healey-Driscoll administration has been focused on leading the
fight against climate change and driving the clean energy economy. On her first
full day in office, Governor Healey appointed Melissa Hoffer as the first
ever cabinet-level Climate Chief in
the country to lead a whole-of-government approach to climate policy. They
later created the first green bank in the country dedicated to decarbonizing affordable housing.
Governor Healey also injected historic levels of funding to the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
and the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center.
The
administration also opened the largest Request for Proposals for wind power in New England history. Just recently,
Vineyard Wind in New Bedford sent power to the grid for the first time – on its
way to being the largest offshore wind farm in North America.
The
transition to clean energy provides enormous workforce opportunities.
Governor Healey committed to working with organized labor, industry leaders,
and higher education on pathways to good, green careers. She pledged to fund
no-cost HVAC training at community colleges across the state. This
investment will train more than 400 students in the first year to install and
maintain heat pumps that help decarbonize our buildings.
Farms and
municipalities across the state experienced major damage from severe flooding
this year. Governor Healey also recalled visiting farmers who had their
livelihoods threatened. Jay and Lisa Savage from Deerfield were in attendance.
Jay is a fourth-generation potato farmer who had hundreds of acres of crops
destroyed by flooding.
Together,
Governor Healey and the Legislature passed $20 million in relief and United Way of Central Massachusetts launched a Farm Resiliency Fund that has distributed millions of dollars in relief.
The administration also issued the state’s first comprehensive plans
for coastal and statewide resilience.
Governor
Healey tonight proposed establishing a permanent Disaster Relief Resiliency Fund, an issue
championed by Senator Jo Comerford and Representative Natalie
Blais. She also pledged to increase funding to
help cities and town shore up riverbanks, fix failing dams and
drainage systems, and plan for the future.
Infrastructure
Governor
Healey has committed to aggressively compete for federal funding
opportunities, particularly those that support critical infrastructure
projects. She created the new Federal Funds and Infrastructure Office,
hired Quentin Palfrey as Director, and filed legislation to unlock $800 million in additional state funding to make applications more
competitive.
The
results are already coming in. MassDOT won $372 million and is competing for another $1 billion to rebuild the
Cape Cod Bridges. MassDOT also won $108 million to advance
West-East Rail, and is moving forward with
additional projects, such as Palmer and Pittsfield, with state
funds. The state has also won $24 million to rebuild Leonard’s Wharf at
the Port of New Bedford and $33 million for electric school buses.
In 2023,
the Healey-Driscoll administration made historic investments in the state’s
transportation system. MassDOT awarded over $2 billion in new construction to
contracts to repair or improve roads, bridges, sidewalks and more in
municipalities. Governor Healey announced that she would be increasing funding
for local roads and bridges to record levels in her FY25 budget proposal, with
special investments dedicated to rural communities. This will support more
transportation projects in communities across the state to improve quality of
life.
Governor
Healey also appointed Phil Eng as General Manager of the MBTA, the first time in years that
the agency has been led by a transportation expert. The T exceeded the
Governor’s hiring goal of 1,000 – they hired nearly 1,500 workers, beating
their hiring target by 50 percent and representing the best year of
hiring the T has ever had. The administration and the T also
negotiated an historic contract with the Carmen’s Union to boost recruitment and
retention.
Under
General Manager Eng’s leadership, the T reduced slow zones and continues
to execute on their plan to eliminate existing speed restrictions by the
end of the year. They opened commuter rail platforms in Lynn and Ashland on or
ahead of schedule, and commuter rail ridership has
exceeded 90 percent of pre-pandemic levels.
Governor
Healey announced that her FY25 budget proposal will double the operational
funding support for the MBTA in the annual state budge. The budget will
also propose to fund a system-wide reduced fare program for low-income
riders.
The
administration will also sustain its new investments in Regional Transit
Authorities statewide and will appoint a Transportation Financing Task Force of
public and private leaders to chart a sustainable financial course for our
transportation system in the clean energy era.
A
full version of Governor Healey’s remarks can be found here and the full video can be found here.
