Daily Update 10/05: Smart Stimulus Investment

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Governor’s Daily Update
Schools, Jobs, and Civic Engagement
Monday, October 05, 2009

Today: Monday, October 05, 2009

• This morning, Governor Patrick attended the Massachusetts Workforce Board Association Quarterly Meeting in Salem.

Dr. Szostak and Governor Patrick met in the Governor’s Office this afternoon.

• Governor Patrick met with Nobel Prize recipient Dr. Szostak in his office this afternoon. The Governor issued a congratulatory statement earlier in the day: “I congratulate Doctor Jack Szostak and his team on their success. News that Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital Doctor Szostak is part of a team awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize in medicine is thrilling – and an indication of the strong pool of academic and research talent we are blessed to have right here in Massachusetts. Thanks to innovative thinkers like Doctor Szostak, we are leading the way to make the Commonwealth the epicenter of medical and life sciences research that will unlock long sought after cures and alleviate human suffering.”

• This afternoon, Governor Patrick attends a legislative leadership meeting in the Senate President’s Office at the State House.

In the Press:

• Massachusetts Recovery – As part of his Massachusetts Recovery Plan to secure the state’s economic future, Governor Patrick announced on Sunday the Salem commuter parking facility will move forward thanks to a full funding commitment from the state. “By moving this project from the drawing board to reality, we can address a longstanding need for additional commuter parking and give Salem an economic boost,” said Governor Patrick. The Governor visited the project site during a stop in Salem this morning. Read the Salem News.
  
  
• Smart Stimulus Investment: Creating Jobs for Today & Tomorrow – On Saturday, Governor Deval Patrick released a letter to Chairman James Oberstar regarding the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure report on state stimulus spending. In the letter, Governor Patrick highlighted that Massachusetts has consistently been ranked in the top ten among states for expenditure of all types of stimulus funds including critical health care and education investments. Additionally, the Governor noted that the Patrick-Murray Administration has taken a balanced approach to stimulus projects, focusing on those that will create both short-term and long-term jobs in every area of the Commonwealth and economic benefits for decades to come. Read the Governor’s full letter here.

• Read more in the Boston Globe here and here, and on WCVB.     

• Watch more on NECN.

• Responsible Budgeting – Responding to a Department of Revenue (DOR) report that September state revenue collections fell $243 million below budget estimates, Governor Deval Patrick announced on Friday that his cabinet has already begun to identify potential emergency cuts to the Fiscal Year 2010 budget and will begin the process of adjusting tax revenue estimates for the remainder of the fiscal year. Learn more here.
  
  

• Read more in the Boston Globe and the Boston Herald.

• Watch Governor Patrick’s economic announcement on NECN.

• Commitment to Controlling Health Care Costs – The Patrick-Murray administration is working closely with a diverse group of stakeholders and the Legislature to design a patient-centered health care payment system. There’s consensus that we need to move away from the current payment system because there is no effective way to significantly control costs within the existing health care system. We are working closely with providers because it is the right thing to do and because it’s important that we understand their questions and concerns. Working with stakeholders and the Legislature will also ensure that we have the right mechanisms in place for a smooth transition. Ultimately, the most important thing is that patients get the right kind of care in the most appropriate setting in a manner that also serves to reduce costs to the health care system.

• Read more in the Boston Globe.

• Improving Customer Service at the RMV – Facing unprecedented economic challenges due to a $13 million reduction in their budget appropriation, the RMV is implementing a customer service plan centered on reform through innovation that will preserve core customer services, maintain reasonable wait times, and increase online transaction capabilities.  The RMV is making better use of resources by closing or renegotiating leases at high cost branches, opening "rent free" mitigation offices at Turnpike rest areas, MassHighway buildings and other public facilities and expanding services at many remaining branches. In the past few years the RMV has expanded its online transactions at www.mass.gov/rmv, driving more and more people to their website to avoid waiting at branches.

• Read more from the Boston Herald for tips on how to avoid lines and wait times here, how the RMV has shifted more of its business online here, and how budget cuts have affected the RMV here.

This Week:

• On Saturday, Governor Patrick participated in the Topsfield Fair “Governor’s Day” Parade and Opening Ceremony.
             
  • Look at photos of the Governor at the fair and in the parade here.