MAYOR WALSH ANNOUNCES 2019 HOUSING SECURITY AND ECONOMIC MOBILITY LEGISLATIVE AGENDA

MAYOR WALSH ANNOUNCES 2019 HOUSING SECURITY AND ECONOMIC MOBILITY LEGISLATIVE AGENDA

BOSTON - Monday, January 7, 2019 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced his comprehensive housing security and economic mobility legislative package, the first of four legislative packages the City of Boston will be submitting to the Massachusetts Legislature. Mayor Walsh's legislative agenda continues his administration's work to create greater opportunity for all residents, and serves all people of Massachusetts through its focus on equity and opportunity, ensuring Boston and Massachusetts' growth benefits all communities in the Commonwealth. The 14-bill housing security and economic mobility package promotes equity, opportunity, and resilience through preserving neighborhoods, stabilizing vulnerable households, supporting small businesses, removing barriers that keep people in poverty, providing new pathways to good jobs, and continuing to leverage Boston's prosperity to build a more inclusive and equitable city. "Boston and the Commonwealth succeed when everyone has a chance to move forward," said Mayor Walsh. "Housing and economic mobility are linked: a stable home allows residents to pursue opportunities. In Boston, we've increased our affordable housing goals and worked to ensure everyone has a home in our city. We are doubling down on economic mobility by supporting small businesses, many of them owned by women, immigrants and people of color, reforming parts of the system that create barriers that keep people in poverty, and providing new pathways to good jobs. I look forward to advancing these bills in the Legislature, and creating more opportunity for all." Housing Security Mayor Walsh's first legislative package of the year focuses on housing security and economic mobility, expanding the work that Boston has done to address the region's affordable housing crisis and proposing new and existing tools to leverage Boston's prosperity and create sustainable wealth opportunities for a more inclusive and equitable city. The housing security bills proposed seek to help existing tenants, particularly older adults, remain in their homes, and create additional funding for affordable housing. This work builds off Boston's commitment to ensuring all communities have affordable and equitable housing options. Currently, one in five housing units in Boston is income restricted to people with none to moderate incomes. Boston has secured funding to build affordable housing by utilizing a range of tools, including leveraging market-rate development, collecting linkage and Inclusionary Development Policy (IDP) payments from real estate developers, and by supporting passage of the Community Preservation Act (CPA). In 2018, Mayor Walsh increased the City's overall housing targets from 53,000 to 69,000 new units by 2030, including 15,820 income-restricted units, to meet Boston's population growth. These income-restricted units will include purchasing 1,000 rental housing units from the speculative market and income-restricting them through an expanded Acquisition Opportunity Program. In addition, the City announced awardees of an affordable housing funding round that included more than $16 million in city affordable housing funds, and the first awards of Community Preservation Act (CPA) funding for affordable housing development projects. As the City continues to make strides towards creating more affordable housing, it is also working with regional partners to ensure affordable housing is a reality throughout the region through the Metro Mayor's Regional Housing Task Force. Mayor Walsh helped spearhead the execution of a recently-released regional housing production goal, which aims to create 185,000 new units of housing across the region by the year 2030. The proposed bills will enhance the work of the Metro Mayors Coalition.  "We're very pleased with the interlocking package of Housing Security bills that Mayor Walsh is submitting to the legislature," said Joe Kreisberg, President and CEO of the MA Association of Community Development Corporations. "Strengthening tools like the Inclusionary Development Program and Linkage to ensure that Boston will be able to build income-restricted housing in the future represents great forward-thinking. We'd like to see more cities and towns utilize these tools to build more affordable housing in their communities, and to adopt the needed tenant protections the package offers to the Commonwealth's most vulnerable households." The housing security bills in the Mayor's legislative package include: An Act to Further Leverage Commercial Development to Build Housing and Create Jobs: would allow the City of Boston to adjust the Linkage Program, which was created as a way for commercial development to contribute to Boston's needs for affordable housing and workforce development. Current legislation mandates that a fee per square foot would be directed to the Neighborhood Housing Trust Fund and The Neighborhood Jobs Trust, with the City being allowed to take a Consumer Price Index (CPI) adjustment every three years. However, given the cyclical nature of building booms, greater flexibility has proven necessary to share the benefits of current economic growth with more residents. In order to provide Boston with the ability to make responsible adjustments to the Linkage formula as needed, the bill would eliminate the restriction on making adjustments only once every three years. The home rule petition will be filed today. An Act to Preserve Inclusionary Development: would memorialize Boston's Inclusionary Development Program (IDP) into the Zoning Code. Currently, IDP applies to any proposed residential project of 10 or more units that is either financed by or built on property owned by the City of Boston or the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA), or that requires zoning relief. To fulfill IDP requirements, developers may create income-restricted affordable units within their developments on-site, create income-restricted affordable housing in an off-site location, make a cash contribution towards the creation or preservation of income-restricted affordable housing, or a combination of these options. This Act would require IDP obligations from all projects of 10 or more units, regardless of the need for zoning relief, supporting Boston's present and future needs for income-restricted housing. The home rule petition will be filed today. To be filed by the Community Preservation Coalition, an Act to Sustain Community Preservation Act Revenue would protect the Community Preservation Act (CPA) revenue that more than 170 cities and towns depend on for the creation of affordable housing, open space, and historic preservation. It would increase the fees for recording deeds to return the state match to closer to 50 percent. In 2018, after Boston joined the coalition of cities and towns that receive CPA funds, the match was just 19 percent. An Act to Ensure Right to Counsel in Eviction Proceedings: would provide certain low-income tenants facing eviction with a court-appointed attorney for representation, increasing  housing and economic stability for vulnerable households. The bill also creates a public task force to create an implementation plan. An Act to Protect Elderly Tenants: would prohibit no-fault eviction of persons over 75 years of age. Landlords would be required to provide notice to the local community at the same time the eviction notice is served to the elderly tenant. Eviction would only be permitted for good cause such as failure to pay rent, damage to the property, or use of the premises for illegal activities. Rent increases would be limited to five percent per year for tenants aged 75 or older to prevent landlords from using large rent increases to get around just cause protections. This would apply to all properties with six or more rental units. An Act to Guarantee a Tenant's Right to Purchase: this local option bill would provide tenant associations of residential rental properties with more than five rental units with the right of first refusal to collectively purchase the properties at fair market value. The Act would allow the tenants match any bona fide offer to sell the property or to assign their right to purchase to a non-profit acting on their behalf. For more information on the City's work to create more affordable housing, please visit: Housing A Changing City: Boston 2030. Economic Mobility As Boston continues to grow at an incredible rate, Mayor Walsh has prioritized economic equity to ensure all Bostonians benefit from Boston's booming economy. In 2014, Mayor Walsh created the Economic Development Cabinet to make Boston an appealing and accessible place for families and businesses to grow and thrive in a way that fosters inclusion, broadens opportunity, and shares prosperity, thereby enhancing the quality of life for all Bostonians. Milestones include the development of the city's first ever Economic Inclusion and Equity Agenda, publication of the city's first Small Business Report, launch of the Small Business Resource Center, and passage of an updated Boston Residents Job Policy with elevated develop standard for hiring and building in Boston. The economic mobility bills in the Mayor's legislative package include: An Act to Increase Access to Affordable Community College: would replicate Boston's Tuition-Free Community College (TFCC) Initiative launched in June 2016, making it available statewide. TFCC was launched by Mayor Walsh and currently serves 295 students attending Bunker Hill Community College, Roxbury Community College and MassBay Community College. Students enrolled through the program have an average graduation rate of 70 percent over three years, significantly higher than national averages.   Katherine Hernandez, Dorchester resident and a sociology major at Bunker Hill Community College, credits the city's Tuition-Free Community College program with helping her succeed in getting her degree. "I wouldn't be able to go to college if it wasn't for this program," said Hernandez. An Act to Create Economic Vitality in Boston Neighborhoods: would expand the number of liquor licenses in Boston and target them to neighborhoods that would greatly benefit with an influx of restaurants to drive economic activity. Restaurants are the lifeblood of neighborhood business districts, providing jobs and gathering spaces, and spurring other businesses to locate nearby, and this balanced approach to licensing ensures neighborhoods historically disadvantaged by the liquor license process will receive their fair share. An Act to Ensure Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces: would require state contracting officers to consider an employer's record of workplace law compliance, including health and safety standards, wage laws and civil rights laws, before awarding a contract. The goal is to protect workers from wage abuse, workplace discrimination, and unsafe working conditions while ensuring a fair public contracting system that makes sure companies are following the law. An Opportunity to Achieve Equal Pay: Massachusetts Pay Transparency and Pipeline Advancement Act: would require all companies with more than 100 employees to report the gender and race of employees holding specific management titles, and require the Office of Labor and Workforce Development to post data. This legislation would also establish a fund to provide professional development services to employees who observe a disparity between the overall and their employer's ratio, in order to help improve their employer's rating. An Act to Promote Asset Building for Low-Income Residents: would remove the cap on assets for families receiving temporary cash assistance. The current policy disincentivizes families to accumulate even moderate savings and makes it more difficult for them to access resources. Eight other states have enacted similar changes with positive results. An Act to Lift the Cap on Kids: would repeal a policy that denies critical resources to children conceived while, or soon after, a family is receiving benefits. Massachusetts is one of only 17 states that have a Cap on Kids or similar policy. An Act to Help Working Families: which seeks to raise the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) to 50 percent, would return money directly to more than 400,000 eligible low- and moderate-income individuals and families. The EITC is almost universally seen as one of the most effective anti-poverty programs, and an increase of the state EITC would offer a significant economic boost for low-income workers. Finally, Boston understands the importance of supporting industries that drive growth, create jobs and generate tax revenue for the Commonwealth. Tourism, bolstered by arts and culture, is one of the state's largest industries. Investment in Tourism, Arts and Culture, used to promote the state, support institutions and build a more resilient workforce in the hospitality and creative industries would yield impressive dividends. To that end An Act to Create a Statewide Commission on Tourism and Arts and Culture Investment would explore ways to raise money for sustained investment in this sector.

波克萊台商年會 捐資購龍舟 贈書僑教中心

波克萊台灣商會代表世界台商聯合總會贈送海外台商企業家專輯。38位企業家獲選列入專輯，其中的"從貧寒到富貴的傳奇一生"，描述的就是波克萊台商會顧問游勝雄(左一)。右起，波克萊台商財政郭競儒，台商副會長徐小玲，鄭建盛，蘇鴻昌，經文處處長徐佑典，波克萊台商會長楊羅東。(主辦單位提供)

            (Boston Orange 周菊子波士頓報導) 麻州波克萊台灣商會1月5日晚在聚福軒舉行年會，歡喜匯報過去一年成果豐碩，顧問游勝雄訪談獲選入海外台商專輯，前副會長蘇鴻昌獲選為世界台商會理事，捐款5000元贊助買龍舟，3月將赴南非參加世台商理監事聯席會。

波克萊台灣商會顧問游勝雄(左起)，會長楊羅東代表世台商
贈送海外台商企業家專輯給波士頓僑教中心主任歐宏偉。
(主辦單位提供)

             在年會上，會長楊羅東，財務長郭競儒，顧問游勝雄等一一報告，駐波士頓經濟文化辦事處處長徐佑典，組長洪麗玲，波士頓僑教中心主任歐宏偉，紐英崙中華公所主席陳家驊等嘉賓一一致詞。

波克萊台商會和紐約台商會捐款助購龍舟。

             楊羅東總結報告，波克萊台商會現有180個商家會員，19名理事，定期開會外，例行活動包括參加元旦升旗，新春揮毫，接待波士頓馬拉松賽來自台灣跑者團，牛頓台灣日，支持台商海產展，夏日海釣，雙十遊行，舉行年會等，去年還有顧問郭競儒接待”台灣青年搭橋計畫”成員，理事們赴舊金山，鳳凰城。台北等地參加北美及世界台商理監事會議。

波士頓經文處處長徐佑典(右)透露他在台灣時就經辦
買龍舟這案子。左為司儀陳玉瑛。(周菊子攝)

             楊羅東特地指出，該會個別會員積極和主流正要交流，包括支持台灣人後裔劉醇逸當選為紐約州第11選區州參議員，成為紐約州參議會第一位亞裔議員，支持麻州的黃子安，陳德基兩名眾議員，越南裔的阮嬋(Tram Nguyen)新當選為代表安多福鎮的第18區眾議員等。

             游勝雄在會上闡述台商會的組織架構，指出波克萊台商會是北美洲台商會中諮詢委員最多的一個協會。而共有39個商會會員的北美洲台商會，但只有26個世界台灣商會的理事名額，扣除連任者，只有6個名額，競爭頗為激烈，該會前會長蘇鴻昌今年榮幸當選為是台商理事。

波士頓僑教中心主任歐宏偉(右)再報告僑胞卡。(周菊子攝)

            游勝雄表示，他還具有世界及北美洲台商會選務委員身分。由於有北美洲，世界，青年等台商會多項選舉待辦，波克萊台商會會長楊羅東也被邀入選務委員會。

游勝雄說明台商會組織架構。(主辦單位提供)

             波克萊台商會顧問兼財政郭競儒在會上報告了該會年度募款概況，並說明世界台灣商會聯合總會第24屆總會長林貴香送給該會五冊海外台商企業家專輯，其中兩冊交給波士頓華僑文教中心圖書館，另外三冊分別送給該會會長楊羅東，副會長徐小玲及鄭建盛。該專輯甄選了包括該會顧問游勝雄的38名海外台商做報導，描述游勝雄的這篇，名為”從貧寒到富貴的傳奇一生”。

游勝雄舉起"海外台商企業家專輯"，供出席者參考。
(周菊子攝)

             在嘉賓致詞時，經文處處長徐佑典指出，他到任沒多久，就遇上波士頓馬拉松賽這大活動，親身體會到波克萊台商會對台灣，對經文處的大力支持，現在又和紐約台商會分別捐款，一起買龍舟，大力支持將慶祝20週年的羅德島龍舟賽台灣日，他十分感恩。

             經文處組長洪麗玲稍後進一步說明，購買龍舟是為羅德島州龍舟賽台灣日將慶祝20週年，由不同機構及組織贊助，總共要買六艘龍舟。

            波士頓僑教中心主任歐宏偉在會上再次宣傳僑胞卡，呼籲年滿20歲的台灣僑民，都可帶美國護照正本或中華民國護照加綠卡，到僑教中心申辦僑胞卡，5分鐘就可辦妥。特約商已超過2500家。

波士頓地區僑胞卡特約商，在新增豐田汽車和奇亞(Kia)汽車後，原本已增至15家，經歐宏偉當場邀約，在鱈魚角開餐廳的波克萊台商會副會長徐小玲含笑點頭，立刻增至16家。

麻州波克萊台灣商會今年的年會有近百人參加，餘興節目由蘇鴻昌，陳玉瑛主持”愛我故鄉叫台灣”的故鄉城市有獎徵答，後續活動預定為1月30日的歲末感恩，將組團拜訪波克萊安養院。(僑教中心提供)

2019羅德島華協獎學金2/15前接受申請

查理貝克二度就任麻州州長 慶祝晚宴逾2000人參加

Governor Charlie Baker Delivers Inaugural Address for Second Term

麻州州長查理貝克(Charlie Baker)第二度就任麻州州長。
(周菊子攝)

麻州州長查理貝克(Charlie Baker)在科學博物館的慶祝晚會
上與妻子聯袂謝支持者。(周菊子攝)

BOSTON – Today, Governor Charlie Baker delivered his second inaugural address from the House Chamber of the Massachusetts State House. Remarks as prepared for delivery:

“Mr. Speaker. Madam President. Members of the House and Senate. Fellow Constitutional Officers. Members of the Governor's Council. Mr. Chief Justice and Members of the Judiciary. Members of the Cabinet and my Administration. Sheriffs. District Attorneys. Mayors. Local Officials. Reverend Clergy. Distinguished Guests.

麻州州長查理貝克(Charlie Baker)請二，三樓的圍觀群眾
發聲。(周菊子攝)

“To our Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito, my partner in leading this administration. I want to take a moment to extend gratitude, on behalf of all of us here today for your commitment to this endeavor and the sacrifices your family has made.

“Members of my family who are here this afternoon, my brothers, Jonathan and Sandy. Our Dad, the best and smartest guy we’ve ever known, thanks for being an incredible role model for us.

“Our wonderful children, Charlie, AJ and Caroline. 

麻州副州長白莉朵(Karyn Polito)與夫婿聯袂謝支持者。

“And my wife Lauren, the first lady of the Commonwealth, the love of my life for the past 31 years.

“And to my Fellow Citizens.

“Let me begin by thanking the people of the Commonwealth for giving the Lieutenant Governor and me four more years to serve them. We remember election night in 2014. It was so close, it ended the next day. 

波士頓市長馬丁華殊(Martin Walsh)(中)是麻州州長
就職典禮的當然嘉賓。(周菊子攝)

“We had a lot to prove to the people of Massachusetts. About our vision for the Commonwealth. Our approach to governing. Our priorities. Our work ethic. And our capacity to get things done.

“We said we’d work to build a state government that was as thrifty, hard-working and creative as the people of this great state.  And we’re grateful for your continued faith in us.

“To the lawmakers returning to this chamber, we say welcome back. And we look forward to building on the partnership we’ve established and the progress that we’ve made. 

麻州州務卿威廉蓋文(William Galvin，左起)，總檢察長奚莉
(Maura Healey)，財政廳廳長高伯珂(Deb Goldberg)等內閣
高官列隊出席州長就職典禮。(周菊子攝)

“And a special welcome to those of you who are embarking on a new journey here on Beacon Hill. I’m quite sure you’ve heard about the good work that goes on here, as well as those areas in which we fall short. We all strive to build a Commonwealth of hope, opportunity and possibility. 

“And we seek to do so in a way that ensures people are heard.

有亞裔血統的麻州參議員陳翟蘇妮(Sonia Chang Diaz，
中)。(周菊子攝)

“My advice? Spend time outside of the State House. Listen to your constituents. Lead with your head and your heart. And make the best decisions you can for those you serve.

“And in this era of snapchats, tweets, Facebook and Instagram posts, putdowns and smack-downs, I’d ask you all to remember that good public policy is about perseverance and collaboration. 

“Many times, it is a story written frame by frame by many players who write it over time, relentlessly pursuing an objective.

麻州長就職典禮在眾議會議事廳舉行。廳內擠滿了人。
(周菊子攝)

“Think about the Commonwealth’s leadership on national issues.

“We have the highest rate of health care coverage in the nation. But the story was written across two decades, ten legislative sessions, five governors and four Presidents.

“We have best in the nation gun laws, a story that was written across multiple legislative sessions and several Governors and was almost always bipartisan.

“We have a K-12 education system that, despite its limitations, is the envy of the country. 

麻州州長查理貝克在第一個任期內指派的亞裔高官，當然
也都出席了慶祝晚會。左二為麻州住宅及社區發展廳
副廳長陳潔瀅(Janelle Chan)，國際貿易及企業發展助理
廳長范文南(Nam Pham)。(周菊子攝)

“This story was written by a large cast of leaders and contributors across decades of deliberation and action.

“As we approach the third decade of the 21st century, we’re engaged in a number of difficult policy issues. Some will be with us long after our time on Beacon Hill is done.

波士頓僑領陳毓禮是麻州長就職慶祝的當然嘉賓，和麻州長
有著同樣的帶領麻州向前心願。(周菊子攝)

“But it’s incumbent on us to pursue these tasks with foresight, intelligence and commitment, so that we can rest assured that when our time is done, those who come after us will be able to build on the foundation we’ve established.

“As I look forward, I’m grateful that we’re taking on difficult policy issues from a position of strength.

陳毓禮與波士頓內為查理貝克助選的華人聯袂出席
慶賀晚會。(周菊子攝)

“Massachusetts no longer has a structural budget deficit. In fact, we ended last year with a major budget surplus. Deposited over $650 million into our Stabilization Fund. And anticipate making another major deposit to that Fund at the end of this fiscal year. And we did it without raising taxes.

“When we took office the annual growth rate in Medicaid spending was in the double digits, drastically reducing what funds were available to support other important programs. 

“Today, it’s growing at a rate that is more in line with the increase in overall state spending.

“We added 4,000 seats to our superb vocational and technical schools. And we invested $50 million in capital grants to upgrade equipment and expand programs in high demand fields.

“With your help, the Department of Children and Families has made tremendous progress serving some of the Commonwealth’s most at risk children and families. Caseloads are at historic lows and virtually all of our social workers are licensed.

“The Registry of Motor Vehicles implemented a new technology platform and the federal Real ID program at the same time. This was a big lift, and there were some bumps along the way. 

“But this past fall, the Registry served 90 % of its customers in under 30 minutes and virtually everyone else in less than an hour.

“We enacted the BRAVE Act and broke ground on a $200 million rebuild of the Soldier’s Home in Chelsea, proving once again that no state is more committed to delivering for its veterans than Massachusetts.

“We doubled the earned income tax credit for 450,000 low income working families, invested over $100 million in new funding into our early education system and reduced the use of hotels and motels to shelter homeless families by over 95%.

“We also worked with the Legislature on two procurements that will lead to 50% of our electricity being generated by clean resources. And then delivered a bid process that came in far below the prices people anticipated.

“Think about that!

“We delivered huge environmental benefits and lower energy prices. And now everybody wants to duplicate our process.

“Our regulatory reform project reduced the complexity of state government across the board, allowing our small businesses to become more competitive in a dynamic economy. 

“And our ‘get stuff done’ approach with public private partnerships in economic development, advanced manufacturing, robotics and smart materials has created jobs and opportunity across the Commonwealth.

“As a result, our economy is booming.

“We have more people working than at any time in state history. Over 200,000 jobs have been created since we took office. Our labor force participation rate is at an all-time high. And people are moving to Massachusetts because we offer good jobs and opportunity.

“Thanks to the hard work of so many, the state of our Commonwealth is strong!

“By putting the public interest ahead of partisan politics, we’ve made our Commonwealth a better place to live for our residents. But there’s always much left to do.

“Twenty-five years ago, Massachusetts wasn’t a national leader in public education. 

“Since then, we’ve achieved remarkable success by working together on a series of education reforms. As a result, Massachusetts students have scored number one on the National Assessment of Educational Progress exams in English and math for much of the past decade. And last year finished first on the Advanced Placement exams as well.

“But when it comes to the difference in performance between urban and suburban school districts, we can and must do better.

“The Foundation Formula needs to be updated and we’ll propose updates when our budget is filed later this month. 

“But progress isn’t just about money. 

“Education Commissioner Jeff Riley proved during his time as Receiver in Lawrence that significant progress can be made in improving school and student performance by changing the way our schools operate. 

“Before that, he transformed the Clarence Edwards Middle School in Boston from the lowest performing middle school in the city into one of the best.

“With that success in mind, our budget will also include opportunities for underperforming school districts to invest jointly with the Department of Education in proven best practices like acceleration academies, professional development, after school enrichment and leadership development programs.

“We all have an opportunity to give our kids their best chance to succeed in a 21st century economy. It’s up to us to come together and seize this opportunity and lay the groundwork for their success.

“There’s also much to do in transportation.

“I’ll begin with a quick shout out to our Transportation Futures Commission. Predicting a future where there is so much possibility is difficult. They did great work and I want to highlight some of their recommendations.

“First, continue to invest in public transportation.

“This is an area in which the Commonwealth sat on its hands for far too many years and we’re all paying the price for it. 

“Over the course of the next five years, the T plans to spend over $8 billion on infrastructure, much of which will be invested in its core system. This is more than twice what has ever been spent in any 5-year period.

“This will be no small task.

“One of the reasons previous administrations didn’t invest in the core system is the complexity of upgrading and modernizing a system that operates 20 hours a day, seven days a week.

“The constant tug between getting people where they need to go and disrupting that system to make it better is a big challenge. But it’s one that must be identified, scoped and overcome.

“The T also needs to leverage its automated fare system once it’s in place in 2020. For the first time, that system will give the T real time data on how its riders use the system. That creates huge opportunities to improve service. To think differently about fares, routes and pricing. And to modernize operations to better serve customers.

“Second, we must make the investments in public infrastructure that will enable the next generation of zero emission and autonomous vehicles to thrive here in the Commonwealth. 

“Getting this right will require unprecedented collaboration with local government and our New England neighbors, as well as innovative partnerships with the private sector.

“Third, reduce greenhouse gas emissions within the transportation system.

“The work we’re poised to do with other Northeast and Mid-Atlantic states should produce a cap and investment system for transportation that mirrors our successful model for energy.  

“It will create the largest program of its kind in US history.

“Finally, we need to more fully appreciate the relationship between where people live and where they work and how state and local government policies affect their ability to get from one to the other.

“I’ve spoken before about this housing crisis. 

“For over 20 years, we’ve produced less than half the new units of housing that we produced like clockwork in the previous forty years. 

“As a result, we have limited inventory. And the inventory we have gets priced out of sight, forcing people to live farther and farther away from where they work.

“I believe that our housing bill was a strong step in the right direction to deal with this. It respected the need for communities to plan for themselves, but created incentives to tie development more closely to overarching strategies concerning transportation and land use generally. In the end, it failed because it was too much for some and not enough for others.

“We shouldn’t let the perfect become the enemy of the good.

“Building a stronger, more equitable, more resilient and more successful Commonwealth rests on several pillars. But one of the most important ones is delivering a big increase in housing production. We need to get this done.

“We have also made progress on criminal justice.

“Three years ago we enacted legislation that prohibited sending women who’d been civilly committed due to an addiction to prison. 

“And two years ago we brought the curtain down on 30 years of shame and reformed the operations of Bridgewater State Hospital.

“Last year, we worked together on an ambitious, comprehensive criminal justice reform package. One that among other things, gives us more tools to help the men and women who’ll someday return to our communities get the training, life skills and support they need to succeed upon their release.

“But our work here is not done.

“In deciding whether or not it makes sense to hold a dangerousness hearing, current law requires a judge to ignore any previous criminal history and to focus only on the crime before the court. Moreover, the list of crimes for which a prosecutor is allowed to make that request is quite narrow.

“Too often, dangerous career criminals are arrested only to be released as soon as they appear in court. This sort of revolving door serves to undermine people’s faith in law enforcement and the courts. And it’s a threat to public safety.

“Nobody wants to see someone’s life ruined over a small-time lapse in judgment. The law we worked on together last year addresses many of those issues.

“But, we still need a common sense approach that provides the system with the ability to schedule a dangerousness hearing when individuals with violent histories come before the court.

“Yarmouth Police Sergeant Sean Gannon, Weymouth Police Sergeant Michael Chesna, Auburn Police Officer Ron Tarentino and State Trooper Thomas Clardy all gave their lives carrying out their sworn duty, protecting the people of this Commonwealth.   

“Here with us today are Yarmouth Police Chief Frank Frederickson, Weymouth Police Chief Richard Grimes, Auburn Police Chief Andrew Sluckis and Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police Colonel Kerry Gilpin.

“We owe it to them, to their brothers and sisters in law enforcement and to our citizens to ensure that we’re doing all we can to keep dangerous people off of our streets.

“Massachusetts is also a national leader in health care. We’re one of the healthiest states in the nation. And we have the highest rate of health care coverage. 

“Our health care cluster is a wonder, economically and clinically. It’s constantly delivering solutions to some of the most urgent and challenging problems facing patients and their families.

“The flip side is the price we pay.

“Small businesses in Massachusetts have among the highest health insurance costs in the country. The price for the same medical service can vary by as much as 300% depending on where it’s provided.  

“Our community hospitals continue to struggle. And, ironically, some of the Commonwealth’s rules make it tough to practice modern medicine.

“Later this year, we will file legislation to address these issues. By expanding the use of telemedicine, rethinking some of our scope of practice guidelines and dealing with the parity issues that have negatively affected individuals and families dealing with mental health issues.

“On opioid addiction we’ve made great progress. But we didn’t get into this crisis overnight and we won’t get out of it overnight either. 

“The members of this Legislature have been true partners on this issue, enacting two major bills that build on our four pillars of reform: prevention, education, treatment and recovery.

“Not all that long ago, families, providers and first responders had virtually no hope. Today, we’re one of a handful of states that can say that overdose deaths have dropped since 2017. 

“There are interventions and policy changes that have worked and others that show promise. 

“We also added initiatives like credentialed recovery coaches that will be coming online throughout 2019 and beyond.

“Dealing with opioid addiction is enormously difficult. Relapse is an inevitable part of the story. Helping people avoid becoming addicted in the first place remains a challenge.

“And defusing the presence of fentanyl, which is now present in 90% of all drug overdose deaths, is an enormous challenge.

“On behalf of the people of this Commonwealth and especially the families and family members who deal with this addiction every single day, thank you for your support as the Commonwealth battles this deadly disease.

“On the afternoon of September 13th, a series of explosions rocked Greater Lawrence resulting in one of the biggest disasters in the history of the Merrimack Valley. Dozens of house fires broke out across the region and one young man tragically lost his life.

“Fire and police teams from across Massachusetts and New Hampshire raced to and spread out across Lawrence, North Andover and Andover, putting out fires and directing and re-directing traffic. They worked closely with the Red Cross, local non-profits, state officials and the leadership of the three communities to get people safely out of their homes and if they had no place to go, into a shelter.

“For the next 90 days there was an army of operators, tradespeople, first responders, inspectors and state and local officials working throughout the three affected communities: to lay down 50 miles of new mainline pipe, replace thousands of service lines into houses, businesses and apartment buildings and repair or replace thousands of hot water heaters, stoves, dryers and boilers. 

“It was an enormous and complex undertaking.

“Throughout this ordeal, homeowners, families and businesses affected by this disaster showed a tremendous amount of patience, resilience, flexibility and fortitude. 

“There were hundreds of local officials and elected leaders who went above and beyond the call on this one. 

“But I want to give special mention and thanks to several local officials that are here with us today, Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera, Fire Chief Brian Moriarty and Police Chief Roy Vasque. Andover Town Manager Andrew Flanagan, Fire Chief Michael Mansfield and Police Chief Patrick Keefe. And North Andover Town Manager Andrew Maylor, Fire Chief William McCarthy and Police Chief Charles Gray. 

“These leaders really delivered and we’re honored to have them here with us today. 

“It’s in moments like this that everyone remembers why committed and creative public service matters. 

“At the same time, the day to day work often goes on without much notice. 

“The fact that 351 cities and towns in this Commonwealth have worked with state government on over 800 best practices and now use that program to spread the word on other smarter ways to deliver services doesn’t make much news.

“The work we’ve done together to invest billions of dollars in housing, downtown and regional economic development and public/private partnerships in communities across the Commonwealth are stories that come and go.

“The 16,000 trees we’ve planted and thousands of LED lights we’ve installed with our colleagues in local government is just doing our job.

“Each day, the wheels turn, and when they turn well they build strong communities. Support great schools. Grow the economy. Clean up the environment. Promote justice. And give people a chance.

“Those wheels create hope, opportunity and possibility.

“Sure, there’s noise. Tons of it. Most of the time that back and forth is positive. It’s people offering a point of view with heart and intelligence in a democracy designed to encourage it. 

“But these days, too much of what pretends to be debate is just rhetoric or character assassination. And every time someone joins that chorus they steal time, attention and focus away from finding common ground, creating solutions and doing the work that matters.

“Whether it’s the grind of the day to day, or a crisis, we all need to work together because that’s what great public service is all about.

“During the winter of 2015, I saw firsthand during the snowstorms how amazing this nation’s mutual aid programs between states can be. Other states bailed us out as the snow kept falling with no end in sight. 

“And during the first chaotic and terrifying 24 hours of the Merrimack Valley disaster, the number of first responders who just dropped whatever they were doing and headed there was amazing.

“That’s public service and people appreciate it.

“Over the past four years, the Lieutenant Governor and I have heard time and time again that the way we all work together is a model for the nation.

“People like our collaborative approach to governing. And they say they’re proud to be from Massachusetts!

“And so am I!

“This state is bursting with talent, humor and decency. Boldness and common sense. Our abiding sense of patriotism, belonging and community has made us strong and has carried us forward for almost 400 years.

“Let others engage in cheap shots and low blows. Let’s make our brand of politics positive and optimistic, instead of cruel and dark.

“And instead of the bickering and name calling that dominates much of today’s public debate, let’s build on the work of those who came before us. 

“And make our work about how we can make this great state better for the people who call this glorious place ‘home.’

“God Bless This Commonwealth.

“God Bless the United States of America.”