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On January 6th, the Massachsuetts Senate held its first formal
session of 2010. Below is the text of my address to the members
outlining my goals for the body during the next year.
I’d like to wish everyone a Happy New Year and welcome you all back
for the 2010 session. I know we are all looking forward to a busy and
productive year here in the Senate.
2009 proved to be an unprecedented year for us as we faced the worst
of this recession that forced numerous budget revisions and devastating
cuts. But it was also a year of unprecedented reform, and I expect to
continue that agenda this year.
Looking back at 2009, we passed landmark reforms in Transportation,
Pensions, Ethics and Campaign Finance Laws that will help the Commonwealth
move forward with greater transparency and efficiency. We passed
important legislation that brought the remaining seven county sheriffs
into the state system, helping sheriffs control their budgets and
saving taxpayers millions.
The Senate’s progressive approach was on display again at the end of
last year when we passed thoughtful bills on education reform –
expanding the cap on charter schools – and CORI reform – with necessary
changes in sentencing laws that reflect the realities of our world
today and require, for the first time, mandatory post-release
supervision. And amidst all this change and progress, we also
oversaw the roll-out of a massive federal stimulus package that had a
tremendous impact on our ability to navigate an otherwise murky budget.
We also approved an interim U.S. senator to carry on the mission of
Ted Kennedy and assure that Massachusetts was fully represented during
an especially important time in our nation’s history.
Paul Kirk has done an outstanding job in that role and has addressed
issues of great concern to the Commonwealth, including unemployment
benefits, the H1N1 vaccine supply, national health care reform,
clean-energy jobs, and keeping Massachusetts competitive for scarce
federal resources. We thank him for his work as we look forward to a
newly-elected senator on January 19th.
Now, as we look ahead in this new year, our work is no less urgent
and our commitment is as strong as ever. These are important times, and
there is important work to be done.
We must continue to look at reform. … We need to re-organize our
state agencies to produce an efficient and results-driven economic
development model. We must continue our efforts to reduce the costs of
health care here in the Commonwealth – and payment reform in our health
care system should be at the top of everyone’s agenda.
Additionally, we must remain mindful of what’s happening nationally
with health care reform. Hundreds of millions of dollars are at stake
for the Commonwealth.
Just yesterday I sent a letter to our Congressional delegation
urging them to support provisions that are particularly vital to
Massachusetts and our ability to fund hospitals and maintain safety net
services.
As we face more challenges in our economy and our budget this year,
we must remain focused on health care. … It is a critical component of
our economic engine in Massachusetts and has been one of the few
sectors to actually grow jobs during this recession.
We must also continue to make public safety a priority here in the
Senate, and I expect to see legislation involving the issues of texting
and driving and other safe-driving initiatives.
The fiscal 2011 budget looms ahead of us and will present another
daunting challenge for us. Yes, the good news is that our economy is no
longer in a freefall. … And the numbers for the last quarter are above
benchmark. … But they don’t solve our fiscal problem.
There will be deep budget cuts. … But what we can do
to prepare our cities and towns is to give them an early-aid
resolution.
These, and many others issues – yes … gaming – must be addressed as
we continue to look for ways to expand and strengthen our economy, help
businesses grow, and create new opportunities for our workforce.
So let us look forward with great hope and determination. Let us
never stray from doing what is right and good for our Commonwealth…And
let us continue to keep the public’s best interests at heart.
It is my great honor to serve in this esteemed body, and I continue
to be humbled to serve as Senate President.
Thank you all for your dedication to the Senate and the Commonwealth
of Massachusetts.
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