I just signed a groundbreaking new budget for our state.
This budget delivers on our shared priorities. It drives our state forward with urgency and purpose.
Massachusetts is the best place in the world to live, work, raise a family, and grow a business. But we face challenges, so we aren’t resting. We’re going on offense.
We’re investing in the areas where we’re already leading. But we’re not just pushing forward on our #1 ranked schools and our nation-leading childcare policy. We’re also tackling our biggest challenges by lowering more household costs and improving transportation.
And we’re doing all of this responsibly – staying within our means and focusing every taxpayer dollar on making life better for everyone who lives and works in our state.
So why is this budget going to make such a big difference? Let me give some examples.
We’re making strides on education.
This budget funds Literacy Launch, our plan to provide high-quality, evidence-based reading instruction to every student from age 3 to grade 3.
We’re fully funding the Student Opportunity Act, continuing to provide free breakfast and lunch for every public school student in the state, and fully phasing in the tax cuts we passed last year – which for families now means the most generous, universal child and dependent tax credit in the nation, at $440 per child.
We’re funding a historic expansion of college access in our state. Building on the success of MassRecconnect, which eliminated tuition and fees for students over 25, we’re establishing MassEducate.
Massachusetts will now have the most comprehensive free Community College program in the United States.
We’ll save money for students and families. We’ll open the doors of higher education and career opportunity. And at a time when community colleges are critical partners on workforce training, it will help us build the workforce we need in climate technology, healthcare, advanced manufacturing, and more.
This budget also levels up our work to make transportation both more reliable and more affordable in our state.
It doubles our operating support for the MBTA, and funds the T’s reduced fare program for low-income riders. It funds fare-free bus service at our 15 statewide Regional Transit Authorities.
We’re using $250 million of Fair Share funding to leverage $1 billion of investment capacity for transportation infrastructure – including roads, bridges, and rails. That could mean as much as $300 million, right away, for the MBTA Rail Enhancement Program that will accelerate our progress eliminating slow zones.
We’re doubling down on our commitment to lead on climate. Last year we made history by investing a full 1% of our state’s budget into Energy and Environment. This year, we’re doing that again.
Our communities are deeply impacted by climate change already. We saw it in the floods last summer – and this month. So many communities dealt with serious damage. So this budget establishes the permanent Disaster Relief Fund.
These investments make us more competitive for employers to stay and grow here. They make it easier for people to afford to live and work here. And we have so much more coming.
Today’s budget was possible due to our incredible partnership with the Speaker, Senate President, and the work of the entire legislature.
And we’re going to get so much more done together. Right now, the Legislature is working hard to complete more major bills, including on housing costs and economic development.
I know we are going to continue the incredible progress we are making. And we’re going to do it in the way we know how – by coming together and delivering.
In a country that is so divided, that sense of partnership is what makes us so special. It makes us Massachusetts.
-Maura Healey