BOSTON ― In her State of the Commonwealth speech before a joint session of the House and Senate on Wednesday, Gov. Maura Healey leaned heavily on her past accomplishments and her future plans to create a more affordable, competitive and equitable Massachusetts.
“Behind every decision we make is a person, a student, a family, a small business owner, a senior, that’s who we work for,” Healey declared in her opening remarks. She highlighted the declaration by introducing Massachusetts residents from throughout the state:
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Deerfield potato farmers Lisa and Jay Savage, who suffered major crop losses in the devastating floods that hit Massachusetts in 2023.
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Danita Mends, a Roxbury mother benefitting from MassReconnect, the governor’s program offering free community college to all residents over 25 who do not have a prior degree.
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Abelardo and Gabriela, Haverhill residents who had despaired of finding affordable housing to purchase in the state until they were connected to state programs that allowed them to realize their dreams.
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Elaine Correia from New Bedford, an 87-year-old grandmother who has faced tough financial decisions such as having to choose between gifts for her nine grandchildren, groceries or paying the heating bill.
Healey thanked the legislature for collaboration in passing tax cuts, for including universal free meals for Massachusetts’ public school students into the annual budget, for funding emergency disaster relief for farmers hard hit by climate emergencies and to help fund the rebuilding of Central Massachusetts communities after flash floods in September washed away roads, bridges and people’s yards.
Discussing the weather-related disasters and climate change, Healey applauded the initiative of legislators Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton, and Rep. Natalie Blais, D-Deerfield, to create a permanent disaster relief fund so that Massachusetts residents, business and municipalities do not have to rely on the federal government.
In her remarks, Healey failed to mention the six months of dismal tax revenue that fell short of expectations and triggered a $350 million cut to the budget, mostly to social service programs and mental health care services.
The state will also seek some $700 million, diverting interest payments from investments, to plug gaps in the budget.
In discussing the influx of migrants and the subsequent strain on the state’s emergency shelter system, Healey did not mention the shortfall in funding, which had been set to support half the current 7,500 families lodged in emergency shelters through June 2024. The legislature has since allocated another $250 million to the system. Healey also plans to dip into a special escrow fund and take $700 million to subsidize the program through the end of the fiscal year.
Instead, she talked about her success working with the federal government in obtaining working papers for 3,000 new Massachusetts residents and finding employment for some of those able to work. Some Massachusetts legislators have suggested the state’s “Right to Shelter” law be revised to limit those eligible for the program to Massachusetts residents, and citizens of the United States.
Sen. Peter Durant gives Republican response
In remarks billed as the Republican response to Healey’s address, newly elected Sen. Peter Durant, R-Spencer, said the Right to Shelter law is being exploited.
“You are bearing the economic burden,” Durant said, speaking to state taxpayers. “We must work together to amend the Right to Shelter law to carry out the mission it was intended to 40 years ago when it was written: To serve residents of the commonwealth with emergency housing when they find themselves in distress.
“Without action, our state will continue to be a magnet for an influx of migrants, with far-reaching consequences that will impact you and future generations.”
Durant called for education reform, expanded investments in vocational education, a streamlined process to build new housing, increased use of natural gas to contain costs during the state’s clean energy push, and strategies to ease burdens on middle-income residents who are forced to leave Massachusetts due affordability woes.
Healey’s priorities for 2024
The governor announced new initiatives: a $4 billion housing bond bill, and Literary Launch, a program to ensure that each of Massachusetts’ 351 school districts has access to the best reading material, incorporating it over the next five years.
She also called for investing in education, lowering child care costs and working with the state’s vocational schools to support apprenticeships, internships and certificate programs offered through community colleges.
On Tuesday, Healey toured a child care center in Malden, taking the opportunity to announce her Gateway to Pre-K program; designed to lower out-of-pocket childcare costs and establish universal pre-K in all 26 of Massachusetts’ Gateway Cities.
Following her remarks, Brad Jones, R-North Reading, ranking House minority leader, pointed out that universal pre-K for the Gateway cities is “aspirational,” and suggested that Massachusetts implement full-day kindergarten statewide before seeking to implement pre-K. “Other residents in the commonwealth may need access to the same programs; maybe they should be income-based,” rather than concentrated in the Gateway communities, he said.
“The ambitious goals laid out by the governor do not jibe with the (recent 9C) cuts to the budget,” Jones said, also pointing out that her proposed spending would come on the heels of the $1 billion in tax cuts offered by the governor and enacted by the legislature.
In her speech, the governor promised continued full funding of the Student Opportunity Act and investments in early college programs and mental health services for the state’s youth. She touted the state’s response to concerns about youth mental health, includig opening 26 community mental health centers and cutting emergency room stays for youth in crisis in half.
“That’s a real impact,” Healey said, adding her next budget will include $10 million to provide services, including residential, for the state’s most vulnerable youth.
The governor touted the creation of the Federal Funds and Infrastructure Office and the use of interest accrued from the $8 billion rainy-day fund to chase every federal dollar available in grants and loans.
That effort, Healey said, has already borne fruit, attracting $3 billion to build projects: $108 million for the West-East Rail through Worcester, $24 million to rebuild Leonard’s Wharf in New Bedford, $33 million for electric school buses, and $372 million to finally start the replacement of the Cape Cod bridges.
Massachusetts will become, Healey vowed, the national leader in life sciences, and a climate change innovator with its investment in offshore wind electricity generation, investment in electric bus fleets and a push to get more motorists in electric vehicles.
‘We set high goals for our first year in office,” Healey said. “And because we came together, and we acted with urgency, we delivered results, and we met every one of our goals. Today, Massachusetts 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.”
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Gov. Maura Healey highlights accomplishments in State of Commonwealth
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