Thank you so much. Mr. Speaker, Madame President, members of the legislature, Madame Chief Justice and members of the judiciary, members of the Governor's Council, former governors, first responders, members of the armed services, veterans, and distinguished guests.
Residents of our beloved commonwealth [applause], we gather today to transfer the power of government and to renew the miracle of democracy. We gather in the public trust and commit ourselves once more to the work of the people.
I thank Governor Baker, who has led this commonwealth with a steady hand. He's governed with care and integrity, eager to study problems and work together on solutions. The example he set for eight years was in the best traditions of public service, and it now becomes his legacy. Governor Baker, we thank you. [applause]
I thank Kim Driscoll. Could I have a better teammate? [cheers and applause] Could the Commonwealth have a better lieutenant governor? Kim, you are the best teammate I could ever ask for. You have led -- you have led in Salem with an eye to the future. Protecting our coastal treasure, and making sure we preserve it for generations to come. I cannot get, wait to get to work with you, and work together is exactly what we're going to do. [applause]
I thank my family, my family, many of whom are with me in this chamber today. And so many teachers, coaches, mentors, friends who are in my heart.
I assume this office with humility, mindful of the weight of history and lightened by the gift of gratitude. It is the honor of my life to lead this state. [applause]
My family's story is a Massachusetts story more than three centuries in the telling. My ancestors landed on a riverbank in [?]. On the journey, they were borne along by dreams of greater freedom and hope for the blessings of life. Decades later the Massachusetts constitution, the first of its kind, those same dreams were written into a covenant and protected for all time. A model for a young nation.
My great, great grandfather grew up in Newburyport. When he was 16, his father signed a permission slip so he could join the Union army and fight in the Civil War. My grandmother as a young girl would visit the Grand Army of the Republic hall on State Street in the afternoons with him and listen to the stories of the veterans. She shared those stories with my brothers and sisters and me.
I think about that as I think about our service members and our families who are here today. We will do everything always to honor the sacrifices that they make. [applause]
My grandparents met on a fishing dock in Gloucester one summer. She was in nursing school. He worked at the [?] factory. Later, when I was to be born in the naval hospital in Maryland, they were very worried that I wasn't starting life on Massachusetts soil. [laughter] So my grandmother went to the woods, dug up some soil, put it in a little bag, caught a plane, snuck into the delivery room, placed it under the delivery table. Massachusetts has been my home ever since. [applause] That's a true story. Crazy, but true. [laughter]
Massachusetts is my home. Its natural gifts take my breath away and its people fill me with inspiration. The majesty of Mount Greylock and the hairpin turn coming into North Adams along the Mohawk Trail. The light at Cape Ann. The cranberry bogs in Plymouth. The port of New Bedford. The sparkling waters of the Quabbin. [Long Point?] Peninsula and the Boston Harbor Islands, guiding us on our flights home.
We share a legacy in this state. Our nation was born here. Not with a whimper, but with a spark of revolution, a hunger for something new and a demand for something better.
We established the first public park, the first public library, the first lighthouse, rail, subway, first basketball game. [applause]
Our state constitution recognized our natural and essential rights and declared them to the world. The people of Massachusetts have always believed in protecting these rights and dedicating them to a higher purpose. We were the first to guarantee that healthcare is universal, [applause] and 20 years later that love is, too. [applause]
It is in that spirit of common humanity that I stand before you today, representing another historic first. This state achieves its purpose when the bedrock of individual freedom meets the bond of the public spirit. This is our “common wealth” in the truest sense. Equally ours, equally yours. Whether your Massachusetts story began in an older time or in our own time. This is why people come to Massachusetts – to write their own story, to become their own first, to take up the common good.
And what do they see? They see the shared heritage of our beautiful land. They see a call to higher learning, to enlightenment. They see research and innovation, joined to build a better future. They see culture and charity. They see the granite dignity of hard work and an ever-lasting commitment to equality. They see people reaching for something better, something more.
But they also see barriers, barriers that are holding back our people and our state, keeping just out of reach what might be, what could be.
We have untold wealth in the Commonwealth. But record public revenue does little good when families can't pay the rent, buy a home, heat their home, or pay for childcare.
Our health system is the envy of the world. Yet our hospitals are desperate for staff. Patients are boarding in emergency rooms, spending hours and days in agonizing wait for care. We sense the shadows of mental health crisis and too many suffering from substance abuse disorder.
Our companies are eager to expand, but they can't find workers with the skills they need. Communities and people are yearning to thrive, but they haven't been given the tools to do it.
This is—this is—the greatest state in the union! [cheers and applause]
It is. But people leaving, people are leaving at rates we don't like, giving up on the Massachusetts story.
Now, all of this would be a challenge enough at any time. But we meet today as our state and our country feel their way towards the other side of the COVID pandemic. The crisis has brought out and lived up the very best of our state, our companies, our ingenuity, creating that vaccine to save lives.
We came together, all of us, with courage and caring, patience and persistence. Together we are healing, but we must acknowledge the scars. Our people have lost loved ones. Their lives and livelihoods have been disrupted. The toll on our physical and mental health is real. The pandemic exposed and widened gaps in learning and healthcare and more. I also think the people are tired. We can speak honestly about that.
But we've come through difficult days, and here is what you and I both know: the people of Massachusetts are resourceful and resolute and hopeful. They're ready for what comes next. They're ready to walk forward. We just have to set the path. We just have to light the way.
If we do this right, if we act and choose in a way worthy of this state's proud history and its great people, we will make a difference right now, and we will lay a foundation of success for generations to come. So let's chart our path forward, walk it together into the next chapter of the Massachusetts story. [applause]
Many challenges are before us, but let's start here. We love this state because it's our home. A home for all of us. We want people to come here and we want people who grow up here to be able to stay here. Our country looks on Massachusetts as a gleaming example of liberty and equality and success.
But too many states are trying to pass us by. We have to make Massachusetts a place that people can afford to call home. Our people can't realize their dreams until we end the nightmare of high costs. [applause]
The average rent in our state is 50% higher than the national average. We have some of the lowest homeownership rates and some of the highest prices. Now one reason for this is because Massachusetts is a great place to live. People do want to live here and that's a good thing.
But the cost of housing is out of control for too many because we simply don't have enough of it. If we want Massachusetts to be a home for all, we need to build more places to live. And we need to make sure those homes are within reach. [applause]
High housing costs are unacceptable for our people, our businesses, and our state’s future. To fix that we need to think big. We’ll build a state with for room for all of its people.
To lead this effort, in my first 100 days, I’ll file legislation to create a secretary of housing. The secretary will work across government and with cities and towns to make sure we meet our goals. We'll use property that belongs to the people, to help the people.
I’ve already directed my secretary of administration and finance to identify unused state-owned land that can be turned into round housing or homes within one year. We'll get first-time home buyers the help that they need, reduce the cost for renters by expanding productions. [applause]
Now this is a fine start, but we need to do more—and we need your help. You see, we rise and fall together as one, as a state.
And so today I am asking every citizen to join this cause. That means building more housing next to transit hubs. Taking another look at zoning. Preserving the housing stock that we already have. Okay? Are you with me? We need to do this. [applause]
Now loosening the grip of rising costs also means tax reform and I know the legislature shares this goal. I thank them for that. I’ve already proposed a child tax credit for every child and every family. [applause] The legislature already put forward many worthy proposals during the last legislative session. This will mean real relief for the people who need it most. I want to work. Let's get it done. [applause]
The strength of Massachusetts is its families and they sorely need our help. Our state has some of the highest childcare costs in our country. Our care workers don't make a livable wage. So today, let's pledge to be the first state to solve the childcare crisis. Let's finally pass legislation in line with Common Start to make sure every family pays what they can afford. This is something that our families, our workers, our businesses, all agree on. [applause]
We also need to build the Massachusetts economy for the future.
Let me speak directly to the business community. You help drive our economy and you will help drive our future. In me, in us, you'll have partners every step of the way. This begins by making sure you have the work force that you need. Tens of thousands of jobs in healthcare, transportation, and technology are going unfilled right now because our workers don’t match the demands of our economy right now. Let's work with our community colleges and vocational schools, and make sure the training we offer meet the needs of companies in every region.
In my first budget, I will create and fund a new program called Mass Reconnect. This will offer free community college to students over 25 who don't have a college degree. [applause]
We'll also enhance early college opportunities and increase funding so our state university system can afford more higher degrees for more folks across the state. What we're talking about is an investment, and it’s the most precious kind of an investment because it’s an investment in people.
Of course, you can't wait until college. We need to make Massachusetts a place where every child, every child can reach their potential. The first free public school in America was established in our state almost 400 years ago. The first public school. Public education has been guaranteed ever since. Today, we need an equal guarantee for our children, that we will continue to offer not just an education, but the best education. [applause]
That means funding the Student Opportunity Act to make sure that every student and every school gets the resources they deserve. [applause] It means doing more for mental healthcare, for food security. Our students can't reach their potential if they're homeless or they're hungry or they're suffering from untreated mental illness. [applause] To support our state, to support our state, we have to support our children and we will. [applause]
Ensuring that we have the best work force also means ensuring our workers have training and protections they deserve. And workers will have a partner and a seat at the table every step of the way. [applause]
Now we can't get our state to where it needs to go unless we can get our people to where they need to go. And let's face it, the state of our trains and roads and bridges is unacceptable. Let's acknowledge we can't have a functioning economy without a functioning team. So I will appoint a general manager with deep experience and a laser focus on making transit safe and reliable.
In the next 60 days, I’ll also name a safety team, to inspect our system top to bottom, track by track. We know the MBTA is woefully understaffed and we know that lack of staffing has had grave consequences. My first budget will include funding to hire a thousand additional workers focused on the operation of the MBTA, and I want to get that done in the first year of my administration. [applause]
Now the roads. I feel the urgency and the commitment. Now our roads and bridges—they get us here and there—are also falling apart. Billions of dollars in federal funding are available to fix it, but we're competing with every other state out there for those dollars. So I’m forming an interagency task force, the first of its kind, to compete for federal infrastructure money and to maximize every single dollar that we can bring back to our state. We want to win! We want to win every available dollar for shovel-ready projects all across the state. The people of the state deserve the best transportation system that we can offer, so let's go build it. [applause]
Finally, our greatest strength is our people, but we cannot reach our potential as a state when so many are held back from reaching their own. People of color, people with disabilities, women, LGBTQ residents continue to face barriers that have held them back for generations. We must center equity in all that we do.
I’ll be directing every agency in my administration to conduct a full equity audit. Let Massachusetts – [applause] let Massachusetts be the place that shines a light on every systemic barrier and then does the hard work to break it down. Because that's who we are, Massachusetts.
I’ve talked about our shared history, the pride of the state and every citizen. Now we must devote ourselves to cherishing and protecting our shared future and meeting the climate crisis.
Let me be clear about this. Where others may see hopelessness and resignation, I see unparalleled opportunity. We can protect our climate and create jobs. It's not too late to do either. It's urgent that we do both. And I believe Massachusetts can and will lead the world. [applause]
This legislature has already laid out ambitious goals. I am grateful to them. I share that ambition. I pledged to double our offshore wind and solar targets and quadruple our energy storage deployment. In transportation, we’ll electrify our public fleet and put a million electric vehicles on the road by 2030. [applause]
Now I know, I know that meeting these goals will require unprecedented focus and a leader who can get the job done. Tomorrow, I’m issuing my first executive order that will create the country's first cabinet-level climate chief reporting directly to me. [applause] She will work across government and with every city and town to meet our climate goals and achieve our economic potential.
We will match our ambitions with our investments. For the first time ever in our state's history, I’ll propose we commit at least 1% of the state budget to environmental and energy agencies. We'll triple -- [applause] we'll triple the state investment and the budget of the Clean Energy Center. We'll create a green bank to foster investment and resilient infrastructure and attract new businesses to Massachusetts.
I know we can do this. I know we can. Remember, just over a decade ago, Gov. Patrick, the legislature, made a big bet on life sciences, offering funding and support and leadership to make Massachusetts the global leader in life sciences. Now the results are nothing short of remarkable. So let's commit to making climate innovation the next big investment. The next first. [applause] We can do this.
Let's build, let's build a climate corridor that stretches from the Berkshires to Barnstable, harnessing research, innovation, and manufacturing. We'll create thousands of jobs in clean tech, blue tech, coastal resiliency, and environmental justice.
And I believe, in fact, I know that ten years from now, we'll look back and see the undeniable benefits of our work. Benefits for our workers, our economy, our commonwealth, our planet. We can do this and together we will do this. [applause]
The plans that I described to you are bold, and I’m mindful of the moment. This is a time in our nation of poison discourse and ugly politics. Some governors are using people, even children, as props for their own cynical political agendas. Elected officials are putting partisanship over the interest of the people they serve.
But not in Massachusetts. That's not who we are. In Massachusetts, we come together. We lift people up and we lead. No matter the challenges we face ahead, we will stay true to the best of ourselves. We will act with empathy and equity. And We will work together. [applause]
As your governor, I promise you these principles will be my North Star. Let the word go out to people, to businesses here and all across this country. In Massachusetts, you are welcomed, included, protected, and you will be better for being here. [applause]
This is a state where we will never relinquish the right to reproductive freedom. [applause] Where we prize and protect human rights and civil rights and gay rights and equality and democracy.
That is the Massachusetts we love, and we will make it even stronger than ever before.
I think about in this moment, I think about the people who are arriving in Massachusetts today, just today, to make a go of it, to make a better world for themselves and their kids. Their hopes echo back through our own history. Their dreams are the dreams of those who came before me, before us, to live in freedom and equality, in safety and in happiness, to go forward with grateful hearts and pursue the blessings of life.
Those are the words of our state constitution. Perhaps the proudest of our many firsts, I assume this office as the first woman and first gay person ever elected governor of Massachusetts. [applause]
But every one of us, every one of us is a first. You may be a first-generation immigrant choosing Massachusetts as the foundation for your American dream. You may be the first in your family to go to college. The first in your neighborhood to start a business. In this state, we're all trailblazers. We're all leaders. That's why we live in Massachusetts.
Now what story will we write together? Today is a day to celebrate. To think about how far we have come and where we need to go.
But I’m even more excited to get to work tomorrow. Because we get to work in the greatest state with the greatest people at a moment when we can make the greatest difference, now and for generations to come.
So with great optimism and pride, I thank you all.
Now let's come together. Let's get this done.
God bless you, and God bless the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Thank you. [applause]
CBS Boston. “Watch: Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey's Inaugural Speech.” YouTube video, 34:10. Jan. 5, 2023. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n7VE5aWbGAA