THERE WAS TALK of no new taxes, fixing the MBTA, and cutting red tape, all while avoiding direct references to Donald Trump.
That was Charlie Baker in his 2017 State of the Commonwealth speech, delivered while the moderate Republican governor was still in his first term and casting wary glances at Washington.
That was also Maura Healey in her speech on Thursday night, as the moderate Democratic governor wades through her first term and braces for Trump’s return to the White House. “I assure you we will take every opportunity to work with the federal government in any way that benefits Massachusetts, and I also promise you we will not change who we are,” she said.
On the education front, Healey announced the formation of a council to come up with a statewide high school graduation standard, after voters last November nixed passage of the MCAS test as a graduation requirement.
She also touched on the problems within the state’s emergency shelter system, strained by a wave of migrants on top of Massachusetts residents grappling with homelessness. Healey has pitched to the state legislators residency requirements as costs have ballooned. The federal government, she added, must pass a border security bill, which Trump had Republicans deep-six while he was campaigning for a second term.
“I want to be absolutely clear: We are dramatically reducing costs, and we have, and will, prioritize Massachusetts families. In 2025 we’ll get families out of hotels for good,” Healey said. “We’re going to keep working with the Legislature to reform this system. Massachusetts taxpayers should not, and cannot, continue to foot the cost.”
And like Baker’s move to reduce regulations and overhaul the MBTA, Healey pledged that her economic team will review all business and licensing regulations in the first three months of the year, and she touted the general manager she hired, Phil Eng, and his wipeout of the T’s slow zones.
Earlier this week, Healey announced an investment of $8 billion over 10 years into the state’s transportation infrastructure, including a significant infusion of cash for the T, coming from the existing millionaires tax approved by voters in 2022 and closing the agency’s budget gap before it would be forced to implement layoffs and service cuts.
But the T itself offered a reminder of how far it has to go before it’s a fully functioning transit system that can draw people out of their cars and into reliable trains and buses: As Healey delivered her speech inside the State House, the agency was reporting delays.
A Mass. bitcoin strategic reserve?
The debate over states jumping into cryptocurrency – digital currency widely known as bitcoin – could now be coming to Beacon Hill.
State Sen. Peter Durant, a Republican from Worcester County, has filed a bill that would set up a “bitcoin strategic reserve,” arguing bitcoin has gone mainstream. The state-level idea is under consideration in Texas and Pennsylvania. President-elect Donald Trump indicated last year he wants a national reserve, similar to the government’s oil reserves.
Durant’s bill would allow some of the Bay State’s $9 billion rainy day fund to be put into cryptocurrency, and places the state treasurer in charge of the Massachusetts reserve. The bill also institutes a 10 percent cap on how much the treasurer can invest. “It’s not like we’re saying divest everything and put it into bitcoin,” Durant said. “But we do believe it does make sense as a portion of the commonwealth’s portfolio.”
Durant called himself a fan of crypto, and when asked if he has any bitcoin, he chuckled and answered, “more than some, less than others.” Others, like legendary investor Warren Buffett, have called it “rat poison,” or like US Sen. Elizabeth Warren, they’ve called for regulations.
Durant acknowledged he hadn’t yet spoken about his proposal to Deb Goldberg, a Democrat and the state treasurer since 2015.
A Goldberg spokesperson said the treasurer has not yet taken a position on crypto. “When asked, our office will review and offer feedback on this particular bill,” a spokesman said in an email.