⚕️ Health care legislation earns broad support
Read the Baker-Polito Administration’s latest “Corner Office Connect” update
New health care legislation earns praise from wide range of advocates and medical leaders
Governor Baker last month unveiled comprehensive health care legislation that aims to address major challenges in the system by increasing access to care, improving outcomes for patients, and bringing down costs. The bill would boost spending on and improve access to primary and behavioral care services, manage health care cost drivers to protect consumers, support community hospitals and health centers, and promote reforms in the insurance market.
Since then, the legislation has earned broad support, from advocacy groups like Health Care for All, the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association, and many more. The bill has also earned praise from newspaper editorial boards across the Commonwealth. Governor Baker testified about the legislation’s importance before the Health Policy Commission’s Cost Trends hearing, and joined Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders to discuss the bill on WGBH’s Morning Edition.
VIDEO:
Last month, Governor Baker testified before the Health Policy Commission’s 7th Annual Cost Trends Hearing on the Baker-Polito Administration’s recently-filed health care legislation, which aims to at improve outcomes for patients, increase access to care and bring down costs for the Commonwealth’s residents and families.
🔊 LISTEN: GOV. BAKER & SEC. SUDDERS ON “MORNING EDITION”
📰 EDITORIALS: BOSTON GLOBE | LOWELL SUN | BERKSHIRE EAGLE
#MassSTEMWeek 2019: Programming across Mass. encourages students to see themselves in STEM
The Commonwealth’s second annual STEM Week was held October 21–25, an effort to encourage more young people to explore science, technology, engineering and math studies and careers. More than 400 schools engaged in applied-learning lessons planned throughout the week, and nearly 1,000 events took place across the Commonwealth to engage students in STEM activities. The theme of this year’s STEM Week was “See Yourself In STEM.”
As co-chair of the STEM Advisory Council, Lt. Governor Karyn Polito continues to lead the administration’s focus on expanding STEM education and career pathways. Throughout the week, she connected with students and educators across the state, while maintaining a special focus on encouraging young girls to explore STEM pathways, as discussed in her op-ed, “The need for women in STEM is ever growing, and it continues to be one of the Commonwealth’s strongest growing economic sectors.”
READ: LT. GOVERNOR’S OP-ED
STEM WEEK COVERAGE: WESTFIELD | FITCHBURG | GLOUCESTER
Sustaining Massachusetts’ offshore wind leadership
Under the Baker-Polito Administration, the Commonwealth continues to lead on offshore wind production and in recent weeks, the administration expanded its commitment to this emerging clean energy industry. Last month, Governor Baker and Lt. Governor Polito joined administration officials and leaders from the Massachusetts Maritime Academy to launch the first-in-the-nation offshore wind crew transfer training facility. The training facility, which received a total of $1.73 million in support from the administration, will provide education, training and certification to thousands of residents, including Mass Maritime cadets, enabling them to work in the emerging offshore wind industry.
The administration has also announced that Mayflower Wind was selected to move forward to contract negotiations to provide 804 megawatts of offshore wind to Massachusetts as part of the energy procurement authorized by legislation signed by Governor Baker in 2016. The announcement will bring the amount of offshore wind procured since 2016 to approximately 1,600 MW, and further highlights the Commonwealth’s progress towards securing offshore wind economic development while providing Massachusetts ratepayers with clean, affordable and resilient energy.
TRAINING FACILITY: PHOTOS | PRESS RELEASE | CAPE COD TIMES COVERAGE
NEW WIND PROJECT: PRESS RELEASE | SOUTH COAST COVERAGE
MBTA advances system upgrades for key infrastructure
The Baker-Polito Administration’s plan to invest $8 billion in infrastructure upgrades for the MBTA over 5 years continues to translate into tangible improvements that benefit riders. This fall, the T has been completing significant upgrades to signals, switches and tracks on the Green and Orange Lines, with additional work planned on the Red Line. Through necessary weekend diversions, crews have been allowed the opportunity to significantly increase the volume of work that is completed each weekend.
Governor Baker has visited several of these work sites, spotlighting this ongoing work that is part of the administration’s historic investment in the MBTA’s capital program.
Investing in school safety infrastructure
The administration remains committed to providing school districts with the resources needed to keep students and educators safe. Last month, Governor Baker and Lt. Governor Polito hosted a roundtable discussion on school safety at Walsh Middle School in Framingham, and announced $7.2 million in grants awarded to more than 140 school districts across the Commonwealth to upgrade school security equipment and technology to bolster public safety resources for students and staff.
The grant funds will enable schools to upgrade and install crucial security infrastructure, including exterior door locks, surveillance video cameras, school site alarms, interoperable communications systems and active shooter detection systems. The funding was included in a Fiscal Year 2018 supplemental budget proposed by the Governor and passed by the Legislature, and builds on the administration’s continuing committment to boost safety resouces for school districts across the Commonwealth.
Strengthening support for youth survivors of human trafficking
The Baker-Polito Administration is strengthening support for survivors of human trafficking through a new $1.5 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Justice. Lt. Governor Polito announced the grant at an event at the Massachusetts Children’s Alliance, as part of Domestic Violence Awareness Month. The Lt. Governor was joined by Secretary of Health and Human Services MaryLou Sudders, state officials, members of the law enforcement community, members of the Governor’s Council to Address Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence and local organizations who support survivors of human trafficking and exploitation.
Under the Lt. Governor’s leadership, the Governor’s Council to Address Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence has worked to improve protections for survivors of sexual assault and domestic violence. The administration continues to partner with law enforcement and community organizations to continue to build the Commonwealth’s statewide, integrated approach to combating human trafficking and exploitation.
