The Sacred Cod hangs overhead in the gallery while Gov. Maura Healey gives her State of the Commonwealth speech on the House floor on Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2024. Photo by Sam Doran | State House News Service
Massachusetts has reason to both celebrate accomplishments and fret over serious challenges as Gov. Maura Healey gets set to check in with a joint session of the Legislature and the roughly 7 million residents from Pittsfield to Provincetown at 7 p.m. Thursday, setting the course for what many expect will be an eventful year ahead.
The Democratic governor’s second State of the Commonwealth address comes at roughly the halfway point of her term in the Corner Office, when she has to follow through on the work of the last two years while also assuring Bay Staters that she has a plan to successfully steer the state through the next two. Hanging over it all is Donald Trump’s return to the White House next week, ratcheting up uncertainty around federal actions to new heights and pitting a federal government run by Republicans with a state that’s controlled by Democrats.
The governor’s speech will not just highlight what got done last year as her first legislative term as governor concluded. A spokesperson for the governor’s office said Healey will reflect on her first two years in office, including the tax cut package that became law before her last State of the State speech. She will also focus on non-legislative accomplishments like eliminating slow zones on the MBTA’s subway system and hauling in more than $9 billion in federal funding, the spokesperson said.
In addition to a focus on affordability and addressing cost burdens on residents and businesses, Healey is likely to spend some time emphasizing how her administration now plans to implement last session’s headlining laws, including major housing, energy and economic development packages.
“I think meaningful stuff got done in terms of making Massachusetts more affordable, competitive, equitable. And also, there’s a lot we’ve got to do coming up. But the focus, the principles, aren’t going to change. I think those need to be the North Star: making Massachusetts more affordable and competitive and equitable,” Healey told the News Service in December. “I’ve told the team, like, make it go as quick as we can. We worked hard to get this legislation done, right, and now we’ve got to make good use of it as quickly as possible. That’s what taxpayers and the people of Massachusetts deserve and want.”
Cost of Living Still a Worry
Christopher Anderson, president of the Massachusetts High Technology Council, said polling conducted by the Mass Opportunity Alliance, a coalition formed by the High Tech Council, Massachusetts Competitive Partnership and Pioneer Institute, backs up the notion that Bay Staters are concerned about costs.
“Our polling data shows that residents are concerned about the state’s high tax burden and cost of living, which is fueling our outmigration crisis. We hope Governor Healey offers solutions to improve Massachusetts’ competitiveness, which will lead to a better quality of life for all,” Anderson said Wednesday.
The address will feature a pledge to file an efficient annual spending plan next week, one that maximizes the impact of spending in a tight budget, the spokesperson said. The governor will also address the need to make sure all high schools have a high — and statewide — graduation standard, her plans to shore up funding for the MBTA, and a focus on cutting red tape to lower the cost and speed up the process of starting a business in Massachusetts, the spokesperson said.
Healey may also talk about stabilizing the health care system in the wake of the Steward Health Care bankruptcy, a renewed focus on primary care investments, and the state’s enduring interest in safeguarding access to reproductive health care.
Healey’s Already Previewed Big Topics
The steady stream of announcements in the last week also provides a good idea of the topics and themes Healey will address upon once the applause dies down in the House Chamber on Thursday night.
On Monday, Healey announced that her budget will include language to eliminate renter-paid broker’s fees, a policy that could save renters a few thousand dollars when they move. On Tuesday, the governor rolled out her long-awaited transportation financing plan, which calls for $8 billion in state investments over a decade with a heavy reliance on wealth surtax revenues and long-term borrowing. On Wednesday, she fully backed imposing more restrictive residency requirements for the maxed-out emergency shelter system, thereby blunting a thread of growing discontent among the public and Republican lawmakers. Her administration also highlighted Wednesday increases to state reimbursements for child care providers and the creation of a new Clean Energy and Resilience Engineering Division focused on the state’s transition from natural gas to electric alternatives.
The governor could also spend some time talking about the second administration of Republican President-elect Donald Trump, a foil to Healey during her time as attorney general. Since Trump won a second term in November, Healey has generally softened her rhetoric towards him. The state’s relationship with the White House will be key to a number of Healey’s priorities, from offshore wind development to rebuilding the Cape Cod bridges.
“My philosophy as governor is, I’m here to work for the people of Massachusetts, to support our residents, to grow our economy, and I’ll work with the administration where we can work together, and I’ll certainly be prepared to stand up and defend Massachusetts interests as we need to going forward,” Healey said earlier this month.
When she strides atop the rostrum in the House to give her address, Healey will be closer to the end of her term than the start of it. Thursday is 742 days since Healey was inaugurated, and 721 days before either she is sworn in for a second term or a successor takes the oath, likely in the exact same spot, on Jan. 7, 2027.
Healey said last month that she had not even yet considered the idea of reelection, and that it would be a topic for her to begin to ponder at some point in 2025.
Whether she writes into her speech any signals or hints as to which way she is leaning or not, the assembled political class will surely be looking for them Thursday night.
