Daily Update 9/28: Massachusetts - Poised for Economic Recovery

Today: Monday, September 28, 2009

• Today, Governor Patrick will announce that the prestigious BIO International Convention will return to Boston in 2012. The convention will bring renewed attention to the state’s leading biotechnology industry and generate millions of dollars in economic activity for the city.
• This afternoon, Governor Patrick attends a legislative leadership meeting in the Speaker’s Office at the State House.

In the Press:

• Massachusetts: Poised for Economic Recovery – On Sunday, the Boston Globe reported that Massachusetts is set to emerge from the economic downturn more quickly than the rest of the nation, and signs of a recovery are already underway. Governor Patrick hailed the news, saying: “The Boston Globe's report today on the Massachusetts economy is very hopeful -- and no accident.  Our IT and banking sectors are strong and getting stronger.  Our investments in life sciences and clean energy have helped us to weather this economic downturn.  Like the health care and education sectors, all of these areas of focus have and will accelerate our recovery.  We have been working hard to improve the climate for business investment and quality of life for residents.  That's what "investing for the long-term" means, and why we won't let up until every business, every worker and every family shares in the promise of a brighter future.”  Read the Boston Globe story here.

• Read more from the Providence Business News.

Paul Kirk was sworn in by Vice President Joe Biden yesterday as Kirk’s wife, Gail, looked on. (John Tlumacki/Globe Staff)

• U.S. Senate Interim Appointment Paul Kirk is Sworn-In – On Friday, a Suffolk Superior Court judge blocked attempts to halt Paul Kirk’s interim appointment, which Governor Patrick instituted using his constitutional power to declare the law an emergency.  “We appreciate the swift and definitive ruling of the court. We were disappointed that the Republican Party – which never once raised a concern when Mitt Romney used this same constitutional power 14 times during his administration – decided to waste the court’s time in an effort to deny the people of Massachusetts full representation in Washington,” said Kyle Sullivan, spokesperson for Governor Patrick. Senator Kirk was sworn in by Vice President Biden on Friday afternoon.
  
• Read more in the Boston Herald, the Boston Globe, the Associated Press, the Worcester Telegram, and the Salem Gazette.

• Support for Hyatt Workers – On Friday, Hyatt announced that it would offer the workers it fired new jobs through an outside staffing agency or retraining programs. Earlier in the week the Governor called on management to reinstate the workers and said, if they failed to do so, he would direct state employee to stop doing official business with the company. He also met personally with impacted employees last Wednesday. Responding to Hyatt’s offer, the Governor’s spokesperson said: “The Governor spoke with local Hyatt management and worker representatives and is reviewing the proposal. In the end he wants to ensure that this is a proposal the workers can depend on and feel is fair.  Having been treated so unfairly, they are understandably hesitant to trust any proposal short of restoring them their jobs.”

• Read more in the Boston Globe, the Boston Herald, the New York Times, WBZ, WBUR, the Associated Press, and the Boston Business Journal.
• Read a Boston Globe column on Hyatt here.

• Commitment to Health Care – A public opinion survey released in today’s Boston Globe finds support for Massachusetts’ landmark health care reform law strong. Governor Patrick remains committed to fulfilling the promise of affordable, quality care and is working to contain growing costs to ensure the law’s sustainability. Pointing to the ongoing debate about national reform in Congress, the article noted: “With key features of the state law at the heart of the blistering national health care debate in Congress, architects and observers of the Massachusetts plan say the poll findings indicate that a national overhaul is not only possible, but politically viable.” Read the full article in the Boston Globe.

• Commitment to STEM Education – In June, the Patrick-Murray Administration announced that Lieutenant Governor Murray will chair a new statewide STEM Coordinating Council, which will be the central coordinating entity for the Executive Branch as the administration seeks to increase student interest and achievement in STEM fields (science, technology, engineering, and math).  He called STEM an essential component for the state’s education agenda. On Sunday, the Boston Globe reported that Governor Patrick plans to announce October as STEM Education Month, including a number of events across the state promoting STEM education, and the first STEM Coordinating Council meeting and an annual STEM Summit. Read the Boston Globe article here.

• Commitment to Improving Passenger Rail – The Patrick-Murray Administration is aggressively pursuing projects that will expand and improve existing commuter and passenger rail service in every corner of the Commonwealth.  “Gov. Deval Patrick's administration has done more to make the SouthCoast dream of reconnecting to Boston through commuter rail a reality than all the previous four governors combined,” said Jack Spillane in Sunday’s New Bedford Standard Times.

• Read more about the Administration’s commitment to improve service and reliability on the Haverhill commuter rail line in the Boston Globe or learn more about the public comment period for the Knowledge Corridor rail plan in the Pioneer Valley in the Springfield Republican.
• Check out the project website here.

• Opening Up Transportation Data to Developers – The Patrick-Murray Administration’s effort to open up transportation data to developers is receiving national recognition.  Read about how we stand apart in the New York Times or learn more on the Transportation Blog.

• Improving Transparency at Quasi-Public Authorities – Governor Patrick’s Secretary of Administration and Finance Leslie Kirwan and Inspector General Gregory Sullivan have requested quasi-public authorities to adopt the recommendations of the Quasi-Public Authority Compensation Review Commission aimed at increasing public transparency and tightening the pay process. Read a supportive editorial in the Boston Globe.