Gov. Maura Healey announced a massive increase in spending on MBTA operations during her first State of the Commonwealth address Wednesday night alongside several new spending proposals that come as Massachusetts’ financial picture continues to cloud.
Healey offered up an optimistic view of a state grappling with multiple difficult challenges to a crowded House Chamber. The first-term Democrat’s first year in office was marked by persistent troubles at the MBTA, an influx of migrants that pushed the state’s shelter system to the brink, and a massive revenue slowdown that has prompted concerns on Beacon Hill.
Still, Healey said Massachusetts “is more affordable, more competitive, and more equitable than it was a year ago,” a stark contrast to the Massachusetts Republican Party’s rebuttal Sen. Peter Durant planned to offer later in the evening.
“The state of our commonwealth, like the spirit of our people, is stronger than ever,” Healey said, according to a copy of her speech as prepared for delivery.
Healey pledged to make a series of investments across a variety of sectors only a week after her administration slashed $375 million from the fiscal year 2024 budget in the face of a $1 billion revenue shortfall.
Healey outlined a fiscal year 2025 budget that will direct state dollars to proposals on mental health and education initiatives but did not touch on whether she planned to increase broad-based taxes to account for additional spending.
The governor did offer a rosy view of the state’s fiscal standing, touting a “strong” Massachusetts economy, “more jobs than ever before, and low unemployment.
“But we also know prices are high, and too many families have a hard time making ends meet,” she said.
At one point, Healey criticized former Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration for running an “underfunded, poorly managed, and badly staffed” MBTA with 1,100 vacant positions, a strong rebuke of the Republican whose administration managed the agency for eight years.
“No wonder the trains weren’t running on time,” Healey said of Baker’s management. “So we pledged to make 1,000 new hires in our first year. We got a good new labor contract, to help recruit and retain workers. And last year, the MBTA hired 1,500 new employees, the best year of hiring the T has ever had.”
The governor said the budget she plans to unveil next week will “offer transformative investments to improve all the ways we get around in Massachusetts,” including “record levels” of money for local roads and bridges.”
“We’ll double our support for MBTA operations, and tackle deferred maintenance, to build a system worthy of our economy,” she said. “And we will establish a permanent, reduced fare for low-income T riders; and continue affordable options at regional transit authorities.”
The first-term Democrat said her administration will appoint a “task force of public and private leaders to chart a course for transportation financing in the clean energy era.”
A surge of migrants arriving in Massachusetts last year, which pushed Healey to declare a state of emergency in August and cap the number of families in state-run shelters months later, featured only briefly in the governor’s remarks.
Healey, like she has many times in the past, called on Congress to “fix the border and get us funding to cover our costs” and plugged a work authorization clinic her administration hosted for migrants.
“Every day, we’re connecting them with businesses who need workers. Like Salem Hospital – that recently hired migrants, and now, for the first time in years, is fully staffed in their housekeeping department,” she said. “We’re going to do that around this state.”
Healey also announced new education-related investments aside from the proposals she publicized Tuesday.
Pointing to a majority of third-graders not meeting expectations on the English Language Arts section of the MCAS, Healey said her administration plans to kick off “Literacy Launch,” a five-year program that will make more reading materials available to school districts.
Healey said the five-year program will be backed “by budget investments.”
“Schools using the right materials are seeing major gains. We can bring that impact to every classroom. We will also mandate that educator training programs teach evidence-based instruction. And we’ll support our teachers in adopting best practices every step of the way,” she said.
Healey said her fiscal year 2025 budget will call for $10 million to develop “service models” to help young people struggling with mental health issues.
“Let’s be a state where every young person knows that they are not alone, that they can ask for help, and that they will get help,” she said.
Healey said the administration plans to fund “no-cost HVAC training” at schools across the state to train more than 400 students to install and maintain heat pumps in an effort to decarbonize buildings in Massachusetts.
“Clean energy will power not only our homes and cars – it will power opportunity and equity for workers in every part of this state,” she said.
Healey also proposed a “Disaster Resiliency Fund” to help cities and towns grapple with worsening storms like the ones seen last year that destroyed farms and ravaged municipalities.
“Severe weather isn’t going away anytime soon,” she said. “Let’s future-proof our communities and be ready when help is needed.”