On November 20, Governor Maura Healey signed into law An Act relative to strengthening Massachusetts’ economic leadership (H.5100), authorizing a nearly $4 billion infusion into the Commonwealth’s economy while making wide-ranging policy changes to make Massachusetts more competitive.
I am very proud of what my team and I accomplished through this legislation. This bill recognizes the unique economic needs and opportunities of rural and western Massachusetts communities. It includes transformative policies in addition to crucial economic investments targeting local public health, agriculture, and food systems.
I am pleased to share that three policy provisions that I filed were included in the final bill.
- Statewide Action for Public Health Excellence 2.0
The Commonwealth’s local public health system is fractured, inefficient, inequitable, and underfunded — built on a patchwork of unevenly-funded municipal health departments, and boards of health. Unlike almost every other state in the nation, Massachusetts lacked a dedicated stream of state funding for local health.
My successful amendment directs the Department of Public Health to establish the State Action for Public Health Excellence program to:
(i) provide uniform access to core public health services for every resident of the Commonwealth;
(ii) assist local health departments and boards of health in delivering efficient and effective public health services;
(iii) develop a set of common local public health standards; and
(iv) promote and provide adequate resources for local health departments and boards of health.
The policy sets out categories for standards, including inspections, permitting, workforce education, training and credentialing standards, and data collection. Local health departments and boards of health will be able to access state funds to help them meet the standards.
- Economic Development Through Agricultural Preservation
My successful amendment helps Massachusetts preserve valuable farmland and helps farmers diversify their revenue streams. The amendment:
(i) allows the Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources (MDAR) to buy and hold farmland while a buyer is identified, and then sell that land to a farmer, while also considering the state’s goals as identified in the Farmland Action Plan for expanding farm ownership opportunities to traditionally marginalized communities;
(ii) strikes the five year limit for special permits that allow nonagricultural activities on land in the Agricultural Preservation Restriction (APR) program; and
(iii) specifies that land used to create products from horticultural crops (like a kitchen to turn strawberries into strawberry jam, or the farmstand where that strawberry jam is sold) should be assessed and taxed as horticultural land.
- Strengthening Agriculture, Fishing, and Cranberry Economies
The bill authorizes funds for a grant program to support the growth of the agricultural, commercial fishing, and cranberry-growing sectors, including promotion of climate resiliency and acquisition of eco-conscious gear.
My successful amendment increases the funding for the grant program from $15 million to $21 million.
The final bill also featured many other priorities that I fought, supported by my colleagues in the western Mass delegation, to include:
- $100 million bond authorization for a new Rural Development Fund
- The creation of a Rural Development Program and a Rural Policy Commission within the Executive Office of Economic Development
- $30 million bond authorization to develop a regional food science hub at UMass Amherst
- $40 million bond authorization for a quantum innovation hub located in western Massachusetts
- $90 million bond authorization to improve or redevelop abandoned, vacant, or underutilized properties — more than double the previous funding to help transform abandoned mill buildings
- Hundreds of millions in bonding authorizations for existing grant programs for cultural facilities, travel, tourism, the arts, and more
In addition to the above policy amendments, I also secured bonding authorizations for four economic development projects in the Hampshire, Franklin, Worcester district:
- $4,000,000 for water system needs in the Town of Northfield
- $4,000,000 for a research and education regional simulation lab at the Elaine Marieb College of Nursing at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst
- $1,000,000 for the design, engineering, repairs and improvements to the King Street Bridge in the Town of Royalston
- $1,000,000 for capital repairs and improvements to the Academy of Music in Northampton
The Governor signed this bill into law on November 20.
More about the legislation:
Bond Authorizations
The legislation includes a total of $3.96 billion in capital authorizations for leading Massachusetts industries including life sciences and climatetech.
Climatetech investments
The bill provides $400 million in capital resources to the MassCEC (Massachusetts Clean Energy Center) to utilize over the next ten years, with $200 million authorized to support innovation and deployment of climatetech technologies and $200 million to support the offshore wind industry.
It also establishes a new tax credit to invest in climatetech companies. A new program housed at MassCEC will develop and expand employment opportunities in climatetech and promote climatetech-related economic development by supporting and stimulating research, development, innovation, manufacturing, deployment and commercialization in the climatetech sector. The credit will be subject to a $30 million annual cap.
Life sciences
This legislation authorizes $500 million over ten years for the Life Sciences Breakthrough Fund to reauthorize the Commonwealth’s life sciences initiative.
Known as Life Sciences 3.0, the reauthorization adds health equity, biosecurity, digital health, and artificial intelligence to the mission of the Life Sciences Center. The bill increases the annual tax credit authorization for the life sciences industry from $30 million to $40 million.
Additional authorizations include:
- $400 million for the MassWorks Infrastructure Program to support public infrastructure projects and create jobs;
- $150 million for library construction projects;
- $103 million for artificial intelligence in systems across the state;
- $21 million for resilience in agriculture and fishing; and
- $10 million to support the state’s nascent alternative protein industry.
Policy Changes
Numerous policy changes in the legislation targeted at growing the Massachusetts economy include:
Support for small businesses
The bill restructures two quasi-state agencies that are designed to be the gateway for access to state resources, the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation (MGCC) and Massachusetts Development Finance Agency (MassDevelopment).
The legislation also authorizes a five-year pilot program for the Commonwealth to assist small businesses in acquiring surety bonds. Large capital projects, whether public or private, often require retention of a surety bond by the contractor as financial security. Historically, economically and socially disadvantaged businesses often cannot acquire these bonds because of a lack of credit history or collateral. This program creates a self-sustaining state assistance program to open doors for more of these businesses.
Educator diversity
It allows the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to develop an alternative certification process for teachers who may face challenges passing the educator certification exam but can otherwise demonstrate their competence as teachers. The change will help Massachusetts diversify the K-12 educator workforce.
Live theater tax credit
It launches a new tax credit of up to $7 million annually to support local live theater productions. The credit will help Massachusetts artists working towards Broadway or off-Broadway launch a national tour.
Craft beer at farmers markets
The legislation updates the law to allow for locally produced craft beer to be sold at farmers markets, like wine and cider currently.
Ticketing transparency
It requires ticket sellers to clearly disclose the actual ticket price when listing tickets online and bans automated ticket purchasing software, otherwise known as bots. Bots drive up prices in the secondary market by creating artificial scarcity when fans try to purchase tickets from the artist or venue.
Pathway for foreign-trained physicians
It creates a pathway in Massachusetts for physicians previously authorized to practice medicine outside the United States to practice in an underserved region of the Commonwealth.
Civil service reforms
This legislation modernizes Massachusetts civil service laws to give communities more options in filling vacancies while giving qualified job seekers more opportunities to find a match.
Data centers tax credit
It creates a new tax credit to attract investment in qualified data centers.
Childcare as campaign expense
It removes current limitations on political candidates using campaign funds for childcare services that occur because of campaign activities.
FAFSA
The bill requires each school district to notify students prior to graduating from high school of the availability of FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and to provide students with information on financial aid options.
Liquor license equity
It removes an archaic requirement that a restaurant liquor license holder be a United States citizen, thereby creating a pathway for other qualified immigrants.
Project labor agreements
It authorizes public agencies and municipalities to enter into project labor agreements for public works contracts when such an agreement is in the best interest of the public agency or municipality.
