The official website of the Governor of Massachusetts

Office of the Governor

Email & Bookmark


Daily Update 7/27: Continuing Reform

Get the Daily Update and other notifications by following us:

Twitter icon on Twitter 
 via RSS | What is RSS?

Monday, July 27, 2009

Today: Monday, July 27, 2009

  • This afternoon, Governor Patrick testifies in support of CORI reform legislation at the State House.
  • Later, Governor Patrick attends a legislative leadership meeting.

In the Press:


During a day-long visit to Provincetown, Governor Patrick stopped by the Provincetown Library.


Governor Patrick walks down Commercial Street in Provincetown on Friday, meeting with local business owners, residents and tourists.

 

  • Governor of the Whole Commonwealth – Governor Deval Patrick traveled to Provincetown on Friday to meet with local business, tourism and culture and arts representatives.  Tourism is the Commonwealth’s third largest industry and the visit gave the Governor a chance to discuss how to promote economic development opportunities within the creative economy. "‘There is a bad habit of thinking that in tough economic times, you hunker down,’ Patrick said, speaking to about 40 representatives from arts and culture organizations at the Fine Arts Work Center, his first stop of the day. ‘You don't expand economic opportunities by hunkering down and crouching in the fetal position,’ he said, calling spending on arts an ‘economic investment for the future.’" Read more in the Cape Cod Times.
    • The Governor also toured the downtown and held a forum with tourism industry leaders at the Crowne Point Historic Inn. He then met with GateHouse Cape Cod newspapers. Read more in the Provincetown Banner, and watch a video from GateHouse News Service.

 

  • Calling for Public Safety Enhancements, Greater Job Opportunities – Continuing his efforts to strengthen public safety, Governor Patrick will testify in support of his CORI reform bill at a legislative hearing today.  The legislation will enhance employment and economic opportunity for citizens with criminal records and provide instant and accurate criminal record information to prospective employers and housing providers. “If we want to reduce crime and help people re-integrate successfully, this is a smarter approach to strengthen our public safety system, while helping ex-offenders rehabilitate and get back to work,” said Governor Patrick. “Crime and violence affects every community, and we must all be a part of the solution.” Read more in the Boston Globe and at WBUR.

 

  • High-Quality Public Education – “Thumbs up to Gov. Deval Patrick’s office, which is distributing $5.1 million in stimulus funds to Fall River to be used for education. Last week, Mayor Robert Correia announced the disbursement, which will be funneled to the School Department to help offset a more than $5 million budget gap between the School Department’s spending priorities and the city’s funding.” Read from a supportive editorial in the Herald News.
    • Governor Patrick recently unveiled a proposal to close the achievement gap and position Massachusetts to qualify for federal stimulus “Race to the Top” grants. Read more in the MetroWest Daily News and Boston Globe. 
    • Learn more about Governor Patrick’s proposal to improve public schools here.

 

  • Transportation Reform Already Paying Dividends – On Friday, Governor Patrick and legislative leaders announced the Commonwealth has saved $190 million in transportation-related costs as a direct result of sweeping transportation reform signed into law less than one month ago.  Due to five risky financial transactions – so-called “swaptions” – entered into by the Turnpike Authority in 2001, the Authority was at direct risk of having to pay the financial institution UBS $257 million dollars immediately.  The passage of transportation reform improved the Authority’s bond rating to the point of negating the need to pay $190 million of that amount. “This is a relief,” said Governor Patrick. “Thanks to passage of our landmark transportation reform and the skillful work of our team – particularly Administration & Finance Undersecretary Jay Gonzalez and Turnpike Executive Director Jeff Mullan – we have been able to save the Commonwealth hundreds of millions of dollars and start climbing out of the financial hole dug for us in 2001.” Learn more here and read more in the Boston Globe 

 

  • “New Hope for the Homeless” – Lieutenant Governor Murray leads the Interagency Council on Housing and Homelessness, with a mission of “breaking down bureaucratic barriers and finding better ways to deal with the issue so that we can end homelessness in Massachusetts.” The Council has revamped the state’s existing emergency shelter system and reorganized the state agencies that provide homelessness services. “With the recent reforms and reorganization, as well as the establishment of regional networks focused on a housing-first strategy, the state has made a fundamental change in its approach to helping those at-risk of homelessness.” Read more in Lieutenant Governor Murray’s op-ed in the Boston Globe.  

This Week: