Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks. Lots to talk about. So the real test is to do that when i am finished which mister speaker, mister president , members of the house and senate, distinguished elected officials, honored guests, fellow citizens. 750 days ago Lieutenant Governor polito and i stood right here and pledged to work with you and others to move this commonwealth forward and we have done just that. [applause] we build a Bipartisan Team working in partnership with the legislature and look for common ground. We work to fix a government, fixed groundbreaking legislation, focused on growing our economy and it is working. [applause] be change our economy is among the strongest in the nation. Over the past 20 years we added 120,000 jobs. Today more people are working than at any time in the past 20 years and the caseload has dropped by 25 . [applause] the companies of the future are moving to massachusetts between millions in private investment while new companies are born here every day. For the second year in a row bloomberg named massachusetts the number one state renovation in the whole country. Gefs decision to locate its World Headquarters in boston and his north American Life science headquarters in marlborough is based on its belief in the talent and vision of our people and believe me any discussion about ges relocation would not be complete without noting the extraordinary work of boston mayor marty wasserman. [applause] mister mayor, i look forward to working with you on the next patriot super bowl victory party. [applause] the job gains benefited every corner of our state. For example employment decline in the entire country, unemployment today, there you go, mister mayor. And Unemployment Rate that has fallen 6. 5 to 3. 7 the past year and it is not just that massachusetts is an attractive place to do business but the quality of the people and climate we created here. The progress we made on energy is a perfect example. Together we passed landmark legislation that will reduce our Carbon Footprint while maintaining a competitively priced and viable supply of energy and we have built on those efforts by issuing an executive order on Climate Change that directs State Government to work with local governments, business and nonprofits to further develop and protect our environment and reduce Greenhouse Gas emissions. [applause] thanks to the hard work of local officials, teachers, parents, students are number one in the nation for the sixth straight year. [applause] our shared commitment has led to an alltime high in Education Funding representing an increase of 227 million over the past two years. We also made attending Public College more affordable. Through the commonwealth commitment we created a pathway for students to secure a bachelors degree, for half the price. A great example of who the program is helping. [applause] she has the 2yearold daughter and is a straight a student at Community College and the commonwealth commitment changed her familys life. [applause] we look forward to watching you build on your success. We reviewed and updated thousands of pages in state regulation which is made easier by employers, nonprofits and cities and towns to do their jobs and we know highspeed internet is central to the way we communicate. Too many communities still dont have access to this essential service. That is why this past may completely overhaul the program for rural communities. We started with highspeed Internet Access and while we still have a lot more work to do, in six months we moved a dozen towns for word. This is more progress than the last five years. [applause] we have done all that and more while closing the billion dollars state budget gap without raising taxes. [applause] fiscal responsibility, challenging work. It is not the stuff that with popularity contests. But by working together we control the runaway growth and nearly eliminated the structural deficit in two years. We reduce the states bureaucracy saving hundreds of millions of dollars and working smarter for those who pay the bills, and it did the previous practice of using Rainy Day Fund to bail out the state budget. Instead we have invested in this despite lower Revenue Growth and set the commonwealth on solid financial footing going forward. We propose closing the tax pauline air b b but we will oppose any effort to pass broadbased tax increase on the hardworking people of the commonwealth. [applause] we have also made Real Progress supporting those who need our help, helping families fighting homelessness and ending the practice of putting homeless families in hotels and motels is a priority for us. To get there [applause] to get there we have taken a different approach, working with housing authorities and other Housing Providers to help families avoid homelessness in the first place and relying on more Permanent Solutions and in two years the population of homeless families in hotels and motels reduced from 1500 to fewer than 100 families today. [applause] thank you, thank you. [applause] two years ago the department of children and families which serves 50,000 that risk kids, a very different place today, there are 270 more social workers on the job and there were just over a year ago and 95 are licensed which is up from 50 when we took office. [applause] caseloads as low as they been in decades, long promised clinical and administrative support now in place. New policies concerning investigation, supervisory practices and sing children have been collaboratively implemented with the full support of dcs union workforce. [applause] when it comes to at risk kids can never rest easy. We need to do a better job working with foster families. Dcf will continue to work with the courts and legal community, by shortening the time they have to wait in a permanent and loving home. You and your team are doing a great job. On behalf of families and children, in other states we continue to deal with the heinous crime of Human Trafficking and through compassion, champion bringing back the state police antiHuman Trafficking unit. I say thanks. [applause] we work with all of you to grab legislation for huber, lifted other transportation marking companies. The sharing economy, hundreds of thousands of passengers as well as drivers in the commonwealth. People with disabilities for relying on Reliable Transportation for unexpected trips making it difficult to complete their education and work fulltime. It is a huge problem. They took advantage of the new law to set up a pilot with huber and lift to serve 400 people with disabilities and so far that pilot has delivered 7000 rides. [applause] this person is blind and uses ride. He and his wife live in arlington with their young daughter. Recently he had to take his daughter to the doctor unexpectedly. He used the Pilot Program and called huber instead of waiting for a ride. It was easy, prompt and cut his travel time in half. Next to the Pilot Program he was able to focus on the needs of his daughter instead of worrying about station. I want to thank you for being here with us and sharing your story. [applause] this story echoed those who used this pilot. They are not more clear. This program has changed my life. We hear it over and over again. We all know, especially in this room the Opioid Epidemic is ravaging individuals and families across the country. Our efforts are making a difference. Four of five hair when users first become addicted to prescription drugs and we are seeing results from our efforts to close this plant. For the first time medical, dental and medical schools are requiring students to master opioid therapy and Pain Management and continuing education is part of the state license program which after years of increases the number of opioids in massachusetts is down by 15 . [applause] thank you. Prescribers have made 2 million searches of the Prescription Monitoring Program making it harder for people to shop for pill mills to operate in the United States. It is increased by 50 . Hundreds of additional voluntary programs of come online. Peer support groups of double, funded across the commonwealth, found marketing kids to First Responders and family members and our work on this is not gone on noticed. Unprecedented 46 governor signed the compact to fight opioid addiction for our efforts the commonwealth. [applause] [applause] thank you. Spec make no mistake, drug traffickers are part of the Opioid Epidemic they prey on vulnerable people, selling the more deadly and addictive substances. We propose to Million Dollars in our budget to expand Law Enforcement efforts to arrest and convict drug traffickers. [applause] with your help we also into the decadesold practice of sending women committed due to an addiction to prison. [applause] instead the treatment programs including a new one, these programs have been a game changer for many of the women they serve. Based on this success we requested increase to support treatment for men committed due to an addiction as well. There is a storm that has been going on the past couple days. I am glad it is not 10 colder. The historical failure during the winter of 2015 laid bare the vital need for complete overhaul. Never forget the team always had the money, the capacity to turn resources into an action to deliver the safe and Reliable Transportation system our people deserve. Management control boards, Management Team cut the mbta operating deficit in half. These significant savings along with existing funds are being used to double investment Core Infrastructure and a lot of great work has been done in the past 18 months anyone who rides the tea will tell you we have a long way to go. Everything breaks is at least 50 years old. Making investments in track, signals, switching, Power Systems and vehicles will take years, not months but we have a team on the ground and a plan in place to get the job done. Bracket applause] after months of discussion the mbta reached an agreement of a new contract for local 589. This is a win with for all involved. Riders and taxpayers have an independent contract for setting market standards where Union Members have predictability and achievable ground. Both sides could turn this into an applicable all but they chose to be part of the answer. Jim obrien, here with us, for your hard work, vision and leadership during difficult and complicated times, you deserve our thanks. [applause] remember the tollbooths . Me neither. Going live with all electronic polling system and taking down the tollbooths could have been a disaster. Many people in this room predicted it would be, but a terrific engineering and planning effort across multiple agencies insured work was done at night and on weekends to show commuters we were not debate going to and from work. Kudos to the secretary and team. [applause] with a shared sense of purpose we made progress on job creation, fiscal discipline, education, child welfare, public health, transportation, public safety, environmental and energy policy, community the past two years and because of all that i stand here tonight and today, the state of our commonwealth is strong. [applause] we all know the world is becoming more dependent on technology. Smarter machines, autonomous vehicles, decision manufacturing to name a few. These are the platforms, great companies, cybersecurity moves as fast as the hackers and troublemakers, success in databases and smart machines ensure people benefit from the best ideas in science, engineering, technology, the most important players in cyber in the world. Proprietary information and secure smart machines and Smart Buildings from attack and this is just taking off. Hundreds of billions will be spent over the next decade on information and assets. Messages that organizations could play a major role driving these decisions. And locally and globally to develop a blueprint massachusetts and we will follow through and execute on it. [applause] we know why striking the commonwealth is based in many ways but i work with 361 cities and towns. Important for exact last session give workers new tools for constituents. You dont have to take my word for it. Those changes, most municipal recovered in 50 years. Thanks to the tireless work, more than 250 communities joined with us to work on best practices to make local governments more successful for extraordinary work. [applause] [applause] looking ahead our budget will propose 130 million in new funding for cities and towns including increasing chapter 7 to support the basic education by 90 million. Twice the amount required under state law. For the first time we propose funding a down payment toward state support from Municipal Health insurance which the Capital Program builds on previous efforts to invest in local communities. We will continue unprecedented levels investment in roads, bridges, Economic Development and housing because these investments help our colleagues in local government build strong communities, leverage billions in privatesector investment and create jobs. [applause] we should be proud of our achievements in education but we must recognize that every child in the commonwealth get to attend a firstclass pool. We have an obligation to every parent and child in massachusetts and in this effort we must succeed. [applause] to assist struggling schools will work with representative pike, senator lester and colleagues in the house and senate to create more empowerment zones. These zones create more flexibility at schools and allow educators to make changes necessary to provide a better learning environment for our kids. I visited one in springfield and it is pretty clear this model is making a positive difference. [applause] in addition, the experience of struggling districts has demonstrated the takeover that will offer significant benefits to students, parents and teachers in schools that need our support. We encourage the board of elementary and secondary education to continue to use this tool. For decades Mental Health advocates redesigned the way it serves those committed to their stay in the hospital. Little has changed and the results of been disastrous for all involved. We propose to do two things to address this longstanding situation. They move correction officers out of the hospital. Deploying outside the facility of security. Second, the size and scale of the Clinical Program offered inside the hospital to submit these. [applause] we must also think differently about how we support and engage older adults. The notion of people fully retired at the age of 62 or 65 is inconsistent with what i see every day. And even if some a step back from what they spent most of their life doing, most still have tons of time and talent available to do something else. Hey, i turned 60 in november. 60. [applause] i remember thinking that was ancient when my dad turned 60. Now hes 88 and hes still the smartest and most informed person i know. Dad, nobody gives better advice than you do. [applause] there are thousands of citizens in massachusetts who are still very much in the game in their \60{l1}s{l0}\60{l1}s{l0}, \70{l1}s{l0}\70{l1}s{l0}, and even 80s. And there will be more as our population continues to age. Ill be signing an executive order in the coming weeks that will establish a council on older adults. It will focus on policies programs that make it possible for even more older adults and seniors to live vibrant, purposeful lives here in the commonwealth. [applause] finally, too many of our returning heroes struggle to find good jobs. Jesse brown and matt the founders of Heidrea Communications at plymouth in bellingham are with us tonight. Heidrea constructs, maintains and prepares cell towers, a booming business in todays wireless portal. After serving our country is United States marines they both joined a large firm and the cell tower space. In 2007 they left the comfort of a big company to go out on their own. The beginning was rocky and today they employ 70 people. Almost half of whom are veterans like them, and their future is bright. [applause] like many Small Businesses they want to live in the plan are veterans and we should make it easier for them to get it done. So we will be proposing a 4000 tax credit for businesses that hire and retain an unemployed veteran. We all wish jessie and matt continued success and we want to thank them and all veterans for their service to our country. [applause] in closing, on behalf of Lieutenant Governor karyn polito, our cabinet, the team and the people of massachusetts i want to thank you, the thank e legislature, for your goodwill. That may seem like a small thing, but its not. Too much of what passes for political dialogue these days isnt dialogue at all. Its talking points, character assassination, and deliberate misrepresentation. Wedge issues may be great for making headlines, but they do not move this commonwealth forward. Success is measured by what we accomplish together. Our obligation to the people we serve is too important to place politics and partisanship before progress and results. The changes in washington dont change this powerful obligation. Our job remains the same. That is, to represent massachusetts to washington, and not washington to massachusetts. [applause] we can and we do disagree. But we listen, we learn and would make the best decisions we can. On energy, public records, pay equity, addiction, Economic Development, and a host of other issues, you have compromise with one another and with us. Like other states we have enormous challenges here in the commonwealth. Issues that are destined to create difficult discussions and opportunity for conflict. We live in a time when what you opposems oppose seems much more interesting than what you support. Where compromising is often viewed as an act of weakness. When, in fact, it is a sign of strength. [applause] our founders worried a lot about the tyranny of the majority. They designed our form of government to provide a loud voice for my nordic points of view. They hate the idea of unilateral power and wanted to force advocates and policymakers, through structure and process, to compromise. Im with them. My mom used to say, you have two ears and one mouth for a reason. Its one thing to stand in the corner and shout insults at your opponents. Its quite another to climb into the arena and fight for common ground. I believe its this conversation that makes us strong. Our economy is strong because we listen and we learn from the workers and employers who make it go. Our communities are strong because local leaders and active citizens listen and learn from the people they serve. And our commonwealth is strong because we listen and we learn from one another. Knowing that our goodwill can make our disagreements a catalyst for better ideas and real results. Our team looks forward to working with you on the challenges and opportunities of the next two years. We will advocate. We will engage. We will learn from you and others. And we will be better for it. God bless this commonwealth. God bless the United States. [cheers and applause] this weekend on American History tv on cspan3, saturday night at eight eastern on lectures in history, James Madison University Professor on the evolution of suburbs from the early 1900s to presentday. The suburban kind of style really takes off after the civil war, and people begin to emphasize having i detached home, a cottage style house, having fresh air, accessible space, a yard, a garden. And then Duquesne University history professor talks about the costumes of the ku klux klan and have the elaborate dress and rituals were used as tools of intimidation and terrorism. These costumes wrapped layers of meaning around these acts of violence. The costume and trumpeted what the founders meant and help the violence to tell a story. The 1967 cbs news report on the apollo one disaster that killed three astronauts. That was a flash and that was it according to a nasa spokesman watching the Television Screen in the block house a few hundred yards away from launch pad 34. The screen went blank and he said there was no communication from the astronauts. They died silently and apparently swiftly. And that eight on the presidency, sidney blumenthal, about the Political Forces that shape our 16th president s views on slavery. The fight must go on you would write to a friend two weeks after his defeat to douglas in the 1858 senate race. Because of civil liberty, must not be surrendered at the end of one or even 100 defeats. For our complete tv schedule go to cspan. Org. Cspan, where history unfolds daily. In 1979 cspan was greater as a Public Service by americas cabletelevision companies and is brought to you today by your cable or satellite provider. Spit in his annual state of the state address california governor jerry brown urged state lawmakers to oppose the policies of President Trump a special on the issue of immigration. From the State Capitol in sacramento, this is 20 minutes. [applause] thank you. [applause] thank you. Im not sure what that reference to the calendar was. [laughter]
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