#MASOTC: Priorities for 2020
Read the Baker-Polito Administration’s “Corner Office Connect” update for February 2020
State of the Commonwealth 2020
On January 21, Governor Baker delivered his 2020 State of the Commonwealth address, outlining the administration’s ongoing agenda and priorities for the coming year. Joined by Lt. Governor Polito, members of the Cabinet, local officials, legislators and others, the Governor recapped recent progress on issues like education reform and economic growth. As the governor noted, this progress has been achieved thanks to a bipartisan, collaborative approach.
He also laid out how the administration will tackle continuing priorities. He committed the Commonwealth to achieving an ambitious climate goal: net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. He detailed ongoing improvements to our transportation system, including a new proposal for $135 million more in operating funds for the MBTA to help implement historic upgrades taking place across the system. And he outlined a new Career Technical Initiative to help connect thousands of workers to crucial skill-building programming.
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#CareerTech: Training 20,000 new skilled workers, building on vocational investments
After the Governor announced the new Career Technical Initiative in his State of the Commonwealth address, administration leaders traveled to Greater Lawrence Technical School to officially launch the program and spotlight success stories from this approach.
Joined by dozens of students, Lawrence Mayor Dan Rivera and Secretaries Peyser, Kennealy and Acosta, the Governor and Lt. Governor toured the school and spoke about the value of this new initiative. The Career Tech Initiative aims to train an additional 20,000 skilled trades workers over the next four years to help close skills gaps and meet the needs of businesses across the Commonwealth. The administration will work with school administrators, employers and leaders in cities and towns to provide additional career training opportunities for both young people and adults by operating three teaching shifts a day at vocational schools, and anticipates making a multi-year investment to expand enrollment in vocational schools during the day and build out evening programs for adults seeking skills for high-demand industries.
Governor Baker speaks at the “Black Excellence On The Hill” event marking Black History Month, joined by Lt. Governor Polito, Speaker DeLeo, Senate President Spilka and members of the Black & Latino Caucus.
Building support for comprehensive health reform
The administration’s health care legislation makes significant reforms that will improve outcomes for patients, increase access to care and bring down costs. At the bill’s hearing before the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing, Governor Baker and Secretary Sudders outlined ways that the legislation prioritizes investments in primary and behavioral care services and makes changes to protect consumers from hidden costs. The legislation also holds drug companies accountable for excessive prices and unjustified price increases, and supports distressed community hospitals and community health centers.
The Boston Business Journal noted that “legislators largely applauded” the governor’s bill, and the legislation is earning support from The Boston Globe and others.
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Budget plan implements education reform, invests in MBTA
On January 22, Governor Baker and Lt. Governor Polito joined Administration and Finance Secretary Mike Heffernan and Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack to announce the administration’s Fiscal Year 2021 budget proposal. The budget fully funds the first year of the historic Student Opportunity Act, increases funding for the MBTA and the Commonwealth’s transportation system and sustains the administration’s commitment to ensure local aid to cities and towns increases at the same rate as revenue growth.
The proposal also makes another major investment in the Rainy Day Fund, which would reach a historic balance of $4 billion under the proposal. And to mark the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, it includes a new tax credit to support individuals with disabilities seeking employment.
📈 FULL BUDGET | 📝 PRESS RELEASE | 📸 PHOTOS
Accelerating MBTA investments
At Reservoir Station on the Green Line, Governor Baker, Transportation Secretary Stephanie Pollack and MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak launched the T’s 2020 Infrastructure Acceleration Plan. The T will accelerate several key projects to improve service, safety, and reliability on a faster timeline. These projects will include additional diversions of weekend service on all rapid transit lines and several Commuter Rail lines.
The 2020 Infrastructure Acceleration Plan will deliver these projects eight years faster than originally planned, and will result in track replacement, upgraded intersections, and station improvements. The acceleration program builds on the administration’s commitment to deliver major upgrades for the MBTA through its $8 billion, five-year investment plan.
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“Our administration is dedicated to building a better MBTA for our riders that is safer and more reliable, and the 2020 Infrastructure Acceleration Plan will help to achieve this goal faster. The MBTA started these projects in 2019 and will continue a vigorous schedule of construction and repairs aimed to build a system that will move more people from point to point in less time.”
-Governor Charlie Baker
Making investments in affordable homes, advocating for #HousingChoice
Governor Baker and Lt. Governor Polito joined Housing & Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy, legislators and local officials from across the Commonwealth to announce affordable housing awards for projects across the Commonwealth. These awards will advance the development of 587 new rental units, including 443 rental units affordable for low- and extremely low-income households. The event was held at East Boston Community Health Center, close to the site of one of the funded projects, to highlight the connection between quality housing and positive health outcomes. Mayors from Boston, Newton and Lawrence were on hand to speak to the importance of these projects in providing affordable housing for low-income populations in their communities.
At the event, speakers also underscored the need to give communities more tools to approve housing development by passing the Governor’s Housing Choice legislation. The bill would support the creation of 135,000 new units by 2025, helping to ease the housing crisis faced by so many communities across the Commonwealth.
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Evidence kit tracking system gives new tools to survivors, health & law enforcement professionals
At last month’s meeting of the Governor’s Council to Address Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, Lt. Governor Polito announced that the Commonwealth’s new sexual assault evidence collection kit tracking system has been successfully launched in several Massachusetts counties, with the remaining counties to be covered in the next several weeks. The tracking system was established in accordance with the criminal justice legislation signed by Governor Baker in 2018.
Known as Track-Kit, the confidential, mobile-friendly, web-based tracking system allows survivors to follow an evidence kit from the point of collection through the testing process. The system also makes tracking information available to the medical personnel, investigators, crime labs and prosecutors responsible for each kit along the way.
