ukraine what tennessee republican congressman and connecticut democratic congressman john larson. see spans "washington journal" joint in the conversation live at seven eastern thursday morning on c-span, see spend our free mobile app or online at c-span.org. massachusetts governor gave her first state of the commonwealth address before a joint session of the legislature in boston she touched on several issues including economic development, reproductive rights, affordable housing and climate change governor haley served eight years as massachusetts attorney general prior to being elected governor in 2022. this is about an hour. [applause]

[cheering] [applause] [applause] now, something we have all been waiting for. it is my great b honor to introduce her excellency governor of the commonwealth to deliver the state of the

commonwealth address. [applause] [applause] good evening massachusetts. [cheering] good evening massachusetts. president, speaker, leader tara, leader jones, members of the senate and the house, secretary galvin, attorney general campbell, treasurer goldberg, chief justice and members of the

judiciary and the governor's counsel. governor dukakis, governor swift. [applause] [applause] [applause] good to see you here. it is also good to see governor swift. [cheering] [applause] [applause] mayor and local officials,. [laughter] [cheering] it is a rowdy bunch.

leaders from business and labor, clergy and guests, thank you for being herenk tonight. thank you as well to myy partner in the commonwealth's first, first partner. [applause]pp thank you. thank you for all of your love and support. and thank you to my family for all that you have given to me. [applause] lieutenant governor,. [cheering]

[cheering] we have had we have had a great year. it has been so special to work with you. your knowledge of local issues is unmatched. your care and compassion for our residents is unbounded. plus you've got a pretty good selfie game. [laughter] to the cabinet and executive staff, we should take a selfie for this one. we do things a little differently. know the gang, the gang. get ready. [cheering]

forgive us we are ricky's face to the cabinet staff you are the best we could ever ever have, thank you. you state employees in this chamber and out there tonight, i want you to know that i know that nothing gets done, nothing that we talk about tonight gets done without all of you and i thank you. [applause] to our service members and gold star families, know that your sacrifice is never forgotten. [applause] at this moment.

[applause] and at this moment, it has been a year. it has been a year of a lot of loss and heart ache for massachusetts military families. i just want to invite all military veterans who are with us tonight to stand. [applause] we thank you. [applause] [applause] the people who sits.

celebrate windsor group losses. to share your struggles and your hopes. throughout it all what i have seen more deeply than ever before. more deeply than i understood as a true strength of the state is our people. so i would seduce a few of them tonight. we have with us jay and lisa savage. jay and lisa. [applause] j as a fourth generation potato farmer from deerfield. [applause] but i want to tell you something. back in july on a hot and humid

day we waited together through mud covering fields, the water was knee-deep. we then went on to see hundreds of acres. they were destroyed byy floodin. the reality of climate change today. i said with famine cite the fame savages were staring down the total and complete loss of their crops just before the harvest. but they kept working hard as they always do in our state rallied around them. we asked the legislature for help and you delivered. you set up a fund with united way with donors large and small contributed what they could. and today every single one of those farm and farmers are still on their feet. jay and lisa, thank you for all you do.

and thank you for all the folks who have worked so hard to put food on our table. [applause] also witnessed tonight is denita mensa. denita is a mom from roxbury. she was without a degree and she found herself hitting career ceilings. she enrolled in the certificatet program. she wanted to pursue her passion for interior design. but as a working mom she was struggling to buy groceries, to pay bills, to pay tuition. she was going to drop out. wee know there are thousands of people in our state like that eta. that's why this year we work closely with the legislature

created a mass reconnected. rec. [applause] it is a program that offers free community college to anyone 25 years or older. for denita it came just in time. with the barrier of cost never moved she is not going for her degree at mass abate community college. [cheering] [applause] denita calls it life-changing and you know what she says? she cannot talk to her little guy her little son otis about the importance of education because she is living it. that's a generational impact. your future is great said.

and out as you may not understand it today, but you will. andda you'll be so proud of your mom. do you know what is also great about that program that we did together? how about enrollment in higher education us up 10 years in the. that's really good thing for our students, from employers who will benefit from a more skilled workforce and for our economy, so i thank you. i year ago you put your trust in us and we have worked hard every day to try to live up to that responsibility. all of the way we have been guided by the simple truth that behind every decision we make this a student, a family, a business owner, a senior, that

is who we work for. yes, our economy is strong. massachusetts has more jobs than ever before and unemployment is at an all-time low. but we also know that prices are high and too many families are having a hard time making ends meet. many of us understand what that is like. i think of my own mom raising five of us kids alone. one at nights i remember years ago we were sitting on the kitchen table and i could see she was hiding tears. she picked up her head and softly asked my little brother that she could use his savings or yard work and babysitting to pay taxes. he was 11. you do what you have to do. people do what they have to do, i understand that.

and as i see it, government should be there to make a life easier not harder. [applause] [applause] so, you know this. you know this and i want the people at home to know this. that is why we were determined to relive or deliver it relief from high cost the legislature shared that goal. we worked together we kept at it we passed $7 billion tax cut this year that will save money for everyone in this state. [applause] that is right. we cut taxes for the first time in 20 years in massachusetts. you will see this savings when

you file your returns in april. we now have the most child independent tax credit of any state in the country. we also got rid vague to child cap for someone like my mom the extra $2200 would have meant something. for every family with a child or an adult with disabilities you are going to get dollars back to help you pay for groceries, utilities, gas, and housing. renters and commuters were also get more money back as well folks dealing with paint and septicck systems. families will be able to pass on more of their hard earned money because we also cut estate tax businesses will save money when they start here, grow here and our seniors will benefit as

well. with us tonight is elaine, and elaine is 87 years old god bless you a retired nurse still in her community. let me tell you about elaine. [applause] let me tell you about elaine. elaine has lived in her home in new bedford for 61 years. she calls it a blessing every day. she also has nine grandkids and she told me they don't all agree on politics. but her home is the neutral home where they all live together. she loves their visits. and at the same time it is not easy for elaine to buy groceries or pay the heating bill. elaine, it is stories like yours

that inspire us to double the senior housing credit to $2400 because no one should have to d worry if they can afford to stay in the house that they love. [applause] [applause] i went to thank the legislature for your partnership in making massachusetts more affordable. tax cuts were just the start. we also made school meals, both a breakfast and lunch treat for all students. okay that is saving parents and money in feeding more kids.

i am grateful to the speaker for his leadership and has a passion on this issue. [cheering] let me tell youon something. he loves the attention. you know, before he was speaker he had another gig. he was a teacher we went back to snug harbor elementary school in quincy where he taught us. mr. mariano as a state kids still call him free meals at me so much to kids and families out there all across the state. a better focus on learning and a burden lifted from families. thank you for getting that done.

we did not stop there. we have provided record support for schools by fully funding student opportunity act. going to bere expanded access to affordable healthcare. we paid off student loans for thousands of frontline healthcareho workers. we increased financial aid for smart hard-working massachusetts students. this is what our work is supposed to be about. for those that we serve. i still think of the grieving families we lost loved ones to covet in the coolest way possible. so after one of the worst

chapters in our state's history we were determined to do it rigt by our heroes. that legislature provided a plan and funding. the congressional delegation delivered and we appointed our first ever veteran services, u.s. army reserves major john santiago to get the job done. [applause] in august we broke ground on a new state-of-the-art facility that will provide us care, our veterans deserve. and in december we opened an equally beautiful home in chelsea. we started a new chapter and we will never let our veterans down

again. so now let's pass the hero act and make sure all of our veterans get all of the respected. all of the services they have earned. [applause] we have also faced unexpected challenges. not proud of the way men massachusetts stepped up with compassion andp solutions for te influx of migrants that trusting states all around this country. this is a hard issue and one without easy issues. it is also not something we created. but i want to be clear, while massachusetts did not create

this problem we are going to continue to demand congress w te action to fix the border to get our funding we are also not waiting. are showing a way forward. in november we put on a work authorization clinic and now, thanks to that 3000 of our new arrivals have work permits. every day, every day we are connecting them with the businesses that need work. like salem hospital that recently hired migrants and now for the first time in years it is fully staffed and their housekeeping custodial departments. we are going to do that all around the state connected new arrivals with employers we continue to advocate for massachusetts.

massachusetts met the moment for so many ways this past year. we started for standing up for reproductive rights stockpiling and protecting patients and providers in the space from national tax. [applause] we work every day to be a state where everyone can be safe and thrive. that means standing up for vulnerable communities with ale new hate crime unit in the state police. celebrating the first ever youth and family pride event right here at the statehouse. hetaking action. taking action to close maternal health disparities with a first in the nation initiative. delivering estate services in more languages and with a better

digital access for people with disabilities. successfully implementing work and family mobility acts of all residents regardless of immigration status can drive safely and legally to school or to work. turning climate change into opportunity with the appointment of the country's first cabinet level climate chief the first green bank and dedicated to building healthy affordable housing. [applause] and because it just just can't wait we parted in 13 people and our first year end office the first administration to do so in more than 40on years.

[applause] we set high goals for a first for first yearin office. i stood here a year ago and made a bunch of promises to you and the massachusetts public. and because we came together and we acted with urgency we delivered results. we met every single one of those goals. today, massachusetts is more affordable, more competitive, more equitable than it was the year before and the state of the commonwealth like the spirit of our people is stronger than ever. [applause]

that is what we are going to build on. that is the strength we are going to build on this year. it is proof that we can do hard things nothing is impossible if we work together. i truly believe massachusetts is the best place in the world to live, to work, to go to school, to raise a family. i also do not estimate the challenges that we face. costs are too high for housing and transportation our schools are the best but not for every student. congested roads and slow trains steal our time and our joy it is frustrating. while many of our industries lead theea world, the competitin is only getting tougher. it is also true that as a state we have several flush years with a lot of pandemic level funding from the federal government that now goes away.

so we need to be smart with how we spend our money, your money. that is what we are going to do. the good news is the economy in the fiscal health are strong. our bond rating is excellence and we have a record amounts in the raising a fund. the budget we filed next week i promise will be a balance, responsible, and forward-looking. it will build on our progress and we will take new steps to lower the cost of housing and childcare to strengthen our schools and support all of our youngth people in reaching their potential. help workers thrive across the state this is the work ahead of us and there is no time to

waste. it starts with housing. the biggest challenge we face it. you know the numbers, rents and prices are high. and here is what it looks like at a kitchen table a young couple going on a real estate app typing into his pillow their price range for a home seeing all of the homes disappear. and nothing available that they can afford. the recent graduates having dinner talking about other states where their paychecks might go further. it is s our seniors unable to think about downsizing because there's nothing to afford or other seniors staring at disbelief at a letter from a landlord who is going to raise the rent.

now, this isn't just a few unlucky people. it is j the heart of our workforce. it is the soul of our community. it is the future of our states. so we have to act and we have to act now to make it easier for everybody to afford a place to live in massachusetts. [applause] that's rates. that is why a last year we appointed our states first secretary of housing and livable communities. we tripled tax credits for new housing we find in a thousand new rental vouchers and identified surplus public land

these steps will make a difference. but we are dealing with a housing shortage that is decades in the making. to get costs down we have to go big and we have to go big now. that means passing a 4 billion-dollar affordable homes act which is the most ambitious housing plan in massachusetts history. because if you were born here or you come to school here, i want you to be able to stay here. i want you to be able to grow a business, grow a family, and for businesses only to go to stay here, expandu here and i want yu to be able to hire employees who can afford to live here. so let's work together but let's get going let's pass this bill because whene we do that we will create middle-class housing and make homeownership a reality for families who have been priced

out for far too long. we will build affordable homes at every income level and repair our long neglected public housing. people with disabilities we will support good construction careers with strong labor standards. [applause] here's what it will look like. we know what we have to do we have to do it. they are here with her two beautiful children and she is an early educator. they want to buy their first home there. star look at other part of the country with state programs that

help. and now they are homeowners. [applause] we know what we needno to do. the affordable homes act will create thousands of opportunities just like layers. would inject hundreds of millions of dollars into building programs and first-time homebuyer programs where they need it. we'll bring down housing costs for everyone. i will be testifying tomorrow before the joint committee on the affordable homes act because passing it is our top priority. so let's work together and get it done. because the truth is this, 351 cities and towns no town no city

can go it alone when it comes to housing. we have to work together. that is also why we are committed to helping towns meets the community's law. because for massachusetts to succeed in every community and must embrace the opportunity that new housing affords. it is for the next generation to invest in their hometown it is for seniors to age in place. and unleash people's full potential housing is the biggest line for any families budget unless of course you have kids and childcare. costs have been too high for too long while providers and care workers have been barely hanging on. that pushes women out of the workforce, it holds our economy

back. we have to lower childcare costs. [applause] i know, we do. otis is clapping. we do. last year we delivered nearly half a billion dollars in money to stabilize the sector. that was good, it made it easier for families to get financial help. this year's budget will keep that funding in place. but we need to go further. we were at the y we met dedicated early educators and some very cute kids, did we not? they were having fun and learning important skills in the pre-pate classroom. it is an opportunity we want for

every child. so here's what we need to do. it's our gateway to pre-k plan to save families and money and transform early education in our state. first, we will help direct thousands of families by expanding eligibility for state financial assistance. this program childcare costs are captain based on what you can afford. next, we will set a new goal for early education in massachusetts. let's have universal pre-k for every 4-year-old in massachusetts. [applause] let's do it. let's do it. to get there, to get there, i want by 2026 egg guaranteed

access to high-quality affordable preschool for every 4-year-old and all 26 of our gateway cities. that means a seat in a classroom for over 23000 children. but we won't stop there. we are going to keep working with businesses, with providers to get this done to expand access and to meet this childcare challenge. by every metric, massachusetts has the best schools in the country. but i want to talk about an urgent issue that we need to address.rg on last years and cap the majority of the third-graders were not meeting expectations and english luck in language

arts that number reflects social inequities. it also reflects the fact many districts are using out of date disproven methods to teach reading. and our children are paying the price. someea struggling for years to catch up if they even can. so we are changing that. tonight i am announcing a literacy launch and over the next five years here is what we want to do what we will make the best reading materials available to more districts. schools are using the right materials now are seeing major gains we are bring the impact to every single classroom will also mandate educator training programs teach evidence-based instruction. will support our teachers every step of the way.

massachusetts on the first public school the first college, the first library and i want us first in illiteracy. every child. every child in this state needs to be able to read. and read well. we are going to work together to give them the tools to do just that. now meanwhile our high school studentsto are telling us that what they learn in school should help them get to where they want to go. we will keep growing our college programs you can go to high school and earn committee college credits and college credits at the samee time work -based learning while you are in school.

that is going to connect our students to lifelong opportunities to learn to work great for workforce in our economy so much strength in our young people but for too long too many children and teens have not felt okay. it's hurting our young people it's training families, and we have to do everything we can to address that. school-based mental health support from early childhood to higher ed. we also launched 26 community behavioral health centers to provide urgent they turn thousands of children already in just oneho year for youth mental

health that's real impact we know what's working we will do more of it was support in school and in communities serious gap in services will call for $10 million but ensure the most vulnerable young people get the care they need and parents let's it be as state where every young person knows that it is okay to sometimes not be okay i want to thank. [applause] i want to thank senate president

for her profound leadership on this issue. with the mental health abc act. she shared her family's own struggle with mental health to stigmatize so many parents so many kids and so many families have experienced at home we also made sure i know i look forward to continue to work to make sure in the state mental health is a valued just as much as a physical health. thank you, mr. president.

transportation, quality of life. transportation affects everyone's quality of life, every single day. that is why we work hard to fix roads and bridges and rails to make them safer and get them moving. we sent this year unprecedented funding, thank you to cities and towns for locally needed projects. and we did more. we need state funding of course. tbut i, as governor want to make sure that we are going after, chasing and getting every single efederal dollar that is out thee from infrastructure and bringing it back to massachusetts. [applause] so a year ago, a year ago we created a federal funds and infrastructure office. we set up a team, we leaned in, we worked closely with communities to submit top-notch applications. we brought home nearly

$3 billion and massachusetts in year one alone. [applause] that includes that includes to rebuild leonard so wharf at the port of new bedford. $33 million for elected school buses. and it was stir. we rounded out the air for yearr winning three and $70 million to begin, finally rebuilding the cape cod bridges. thank you to our congressional art mass department of transportation and the federal funds team. not to mention the great communities across our state.

there is much more to come we will continue to get after it every single day. we appointed general manager heartra at work he and his team are hard at work now, and when we took office it was badly underfunded, very poorly managed and woefully understaffed. 1100 vacancies alone a year ago. it is no surprise the trains were not running on time. we pledge to hire 1000 new workers. we got a good new labor contract job recruit and retain more workers. last year hired 1500 new employees, the best year ever they've had in the hiring. thank you to the union for your partnership.

it is making a difference. it is making a difference, slow zones are down, stations are cleaner and more welcoming and accessible commuter rail ridership it's been over 90% of r pre-pandemic levels. and platforms in commuter rail prep forms there are a few out there but it lynn and ashlyn we open those platforms ahead of schedule. look, i know we have got a long way to go. i know that and i want all of our tea writers out there to know that. we are committed to making your commutes better. and i can share with you tonight our budget proposal next week will offer transformative investments to improve all the ways people get around too massachusetts. we will increase funding for local roads and bridges to record levels.

special investments dedicated to rural communities. [cheering] we will double our support for operations and tackle deferred maintenance so we can build a system that is worthy of our economy. it is imperative. will also establish a permanent reduced fare for low income tea writers continue affordable options of regional transit authorities. finally, to address the long long-term needs of rail and roads we will appoint a task force of public and private leaders to chart a course forward for transportation financing in a clean energy era. [applause] you see, there are challenges. and there is a lot that needs doing but i promise, under our administration we are not kicking the can down the road any longer on anything difficult.

[applause] this year, this year ahead will put our new economic developmeni plan into action. we are going to make it easier for companies of all sizes to do business here in massachusetts. we are going to seize new opportunities to grow. with the new tourism strategy to new workforce of pipelines through massive challenge initiative i want things working and moving in ourt state i want employees to look at our state and get excited. businesses large and small to grow and thrive and i want every company out there to know we are team massachusetts. we are lined and values we collaborate across business, government, higher ed and nonprofits. last year alone we partnered with industry to win a super

competitive bid from the federal governments. government. the chips in the science act, the program to send funding out to states. working together, team massachusetts we submitted an applicationon and we won the microelectronic hub for the country. that is a big deal. it is going to accelerate advanced advanced manufacturing and create great jobs all across our state. we also worked with life science and health care leaders to pitch and win a national hub this is a big deal. america's medical discovery of moon shot is going to drive investments through our economy and makes massachusetts more likely to be the place where the next lifesaving vaccine is produced. will world changing yours for

cancer, for alzheimer's, for heart disease are going to come from. it wasn't only our world-class science that won the day which is something we all should be proud of, it was our commitment toto making sure those next and medical breakthroughs reach everyone no matter who you are or what you can pay tonight i am honored were joined by director and the team including health equity champion gladys vega. a massachusetts company. [applause] it is eight massachusetts company that asserted one funding for old lifesaving immune system therapy. medical discovery has been our state's calling card.

and our economic while. we are going to renew the life sciences initiative with new investment for a new era of innovation. length and our lead in this critical sector. but we are not going to stop with life sciences. we are going to go out and win another world changing industry. we are going to make massachusetts a climate innovation lab of the world. [applause] world. we will help climate tech companies not just start in massachusetts, but scale, creating good jobs across the

state. you can see it coming to life. i think about a clean energy innovator that started at mit and it's now the 500 employees and now 70 manufacturing this is great stuff. at the initiative will catalyze the growth into global leadership and benefits workers and communities in our economy. already we are leaning between energyur revolution. just this month off the coast of new bedford sending power through the grid. on its way to being the biggest

offshore in north america. i cared but it's true. we are aiming high as we should. itis could equal up to 25% of or energy needs and importantly, we are going to develop a workforce plan because the heroes of the revolution would be the electrician and builders and hvac in installers and more and thator means here's what we are going to do. we are going to work closely with organized labor, industry, vocational schools and community colleges. for example, just this year we

are going to fund and hvac training across the state that's going to train more than 400 hvac installers to help us maintain incomes that hefty carbonized our buildings. [applause] it's not just going to power our homes and cars. it's going to empower opportunity, opportunity and equity from workers in every part of the state. the truth is the cities and towns are deeply impacted by the climate change. you see it already as we saw this weekend the devastation particularly on the coastline. so manyin communities dealing wh

unprecedented damage. in august i stood in the kitchen of a restaurant owner cleaning up, watching years of hard work absolutely destroyed by the storm. a month later i was with a homeowner and a house took on 6 feet of water in 20 minutes. it was condemned before my eyes and that was on a road that i had never seen flooded before. that's what it looks like when the infrastructure meets today's storms. we have to protect our homes and businesses for the long-term and right now. the communities need help. the residents deserve a better response. so we are going to increase funding to help the cities and towns shore up the banks and fix the failing dams and fix the drainage systems and plan for the future. [applause]

and tonight we are proposing a permanent fund to champion this idea. [applause] severe weather isn't going away anytime soon so let's future proof our communities and be ready when help is needed. 250 years ago we started a revolution in massachusetts. our state launched the american experiment and changed the

course of world history. you can feel it in this building, just look around you. paul revere and sam adams laid the cornerstone of the very foundation. the 54th massachusetts regimen just outside on their way to help end slavery and save the union. martin luther king jr. stood right here in this room where i'm standing now and said, quote, it is from the shores that a new nation can see when liberty was born s and it must e from these shores that liberty is preserved. [applause]

worked in each generation to make america's founding promise real for all our people. it's who we are and it's why whatever happens in national politics, massachusetts will defend democracy and more than that, we will show how it works. we are going to take on our toughest challenges by making sure that every voice is heard, every community is listened to and every step trying as it may be we take together. we know times are not easy but writing a state constitution that became the model for this country wasn't easy. winning the civil war wasn't easy, bringing forth civil

rights, universal healthcare, marriage equality wasn't easy, but we did it. and we can do it again. we can do it again. we will work to put people first and spark new revolutions healing people and protecting the planet. we are going to redouble our commitment to freedom and justicee for all and once again we will be a beacon of hope for america and the world to follow. god bless you and god bless the great commonwealth. [applause]

the state of georgia where governor kemp highlighted achievements in education, tax cuts in healthcare during his state of the state address in atlanta. he also talks about public safety, job creation and pay raises for law enforcement. he's been in office since 2019 and his address is 35 minutes.