Creating More Homes & Lowering Costs
Governor Healey delivered on her promise to create the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities and appointed Ed Augustus Massachusetts’ first Housing Secretary in 30 years. The Healey-Driscoll Administration also filed the Affordable Homes Act, the largest housing investment in Massachusetts history. It’s a $4 billion blueprint to create or save 70,000 homes and lower housing costs in every community by:
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Rehabilitating the state’s public housing supply.
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Expanding tax credits to incentivize production.
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Decarbonizing and build greener, healthier homes.
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Empowering communities with the tools to address their housing challenges.
Governor Healey and Lieutenant Governor Driscoll's FY24-28 Capital Investment Plan included $1.5 billion to help build hundreds of new, affordable homes each year through the creation of the new HousingWorks program. They awarded $246 million to build and preserve 1,600 affordable and mixed-income housing units and $65 million in in Community Development Block Grants to support housing, community, and economic development in 72 cities and towns. Additionally, the administration has provided nearly $6 million in technical assistance and consulting support to 156 communities to reach compliance with the MBTA Communities Law, with Salem and Lexington becoming the first two communities to reach compliance.
Saving Families, Seniors, and Businesses Money
Governor Healey signed a billion-dollar tax cuts package, the state’s first in more than 20 years, to help save every resident save on things like housing, transportation, and more starting this spring through:
- A $310 Child and Family Tax Credit – which will increase to $440 in 2024. This tax package also lifted the cap on dependents, making it the most generous child and dependent tax credit in the country.
- Doubling the Senior Circuit Breaker Tax Credit, increasing the rental deduction from 3,000 to 4,000, and increasing the Low-Income Tax Credit from $40 million to $60 million.
- Delivering a major boost to the Housing Development Incentive Program, increasing the 2023 program cap from $10 million to $57 million, and to $30 million every year after.
- Bringing Massachusetts tax code in line with other states to drive competition.
Governor Healey signed universal school meals into law with the 2024 budget – meaning parents no longer have to pay for school breakfast or lunch. As federal funding sunsets, the Healey-Driscoll Administration also introduced a hallmark proposal to continue Commonwealth Cares for Children Grants to support child care providers with $475 million in state funding, and improved the Child Care Financial Assistance programs to streamline the process and better serve vulnerable families.
Paving Pathways into Good Jobs and Careers
Governor Healey created MassReconnect, no-cost community college for Massachusetts residents 25 and older as part of a plan to turn bring down the cost of a college degree and bring more workers into high-demand fields. In 2023, the administration also:
- Delivered a historic $62 million financial aid investment to cover tuition, fees, books, and supply costs for approximately 25,000 students attending public colleges and universities through the MassGrant Plus expansion.
- Signed in-state tuition for undocumented Massachusetts students into law with the 2024 budget.
- Created 9 new early college programs, including the first partnership with UMass, allowing students to explore career paths and earn college credit before they graduate high school.
- Awarded $141 million through the MA Repay Program for student loan repayment for 3,000 primary care and behavioral health providers. Applications will open soon for an additional $25 million.
Governor Healey also expanded Innovation Career Pathway designations to 27 high schools across the state and created a new Clean Energy Innovation Career Pathway to allow high school students to get applied, hands-on learning opportunities in a growing high-demand industry across Massachusetts.
The Healey-Driscoll budget also invested nearly $4 million in Registered Apprenticeships and expanded the Registered Apprenticeship Tax Credit. Governor Healey and Lieutenant Governor Driscoll awarded tens of million in grants for job training to residents facing employment barriers, improve talent pipelines and to address workforce shortages, and launched MassTalent, a new strategy for connecting employers to skilled, diverse workers in Massachusetts.
More 2023 Highlights
Turning Massachusetts into a Climate Leader
On her first full day in office, Governor Healey issued an Executive Order to create the Office of Climate Innovation and Resilience and the nation’s first cabinet-level Climate Chief. In their first budget, Governor Healey and Lieutenant Governor Driscoll secured a historic investment in climate, committing 1% of the total operating budget to energy and the environment. They created the Massachusetts Community Climate Bank, the first green bank dedicated to affordable housing in the country. The Healey-Driscoll Administration took historic steps to invest in green and blue tech, protect our coastline, food systems, and biodiversity, and recentered environmental justice in our climate action plan.
Bringing Federal Dollars Home to Massachusetts
Governor Healey created the Federal Funds and Infrastructure Office and filed legislation that would make $800 million in additional state funding available over the next three years to pursue federal grants. The Healey-Driscoll Administration has submitted $3 billion in applications for fund infrastructure projects, including the Cape Cod Bridges, and we’re already starting to see results. Team Massachusetts has secured hundreds of millions of dollars for broadband and passenger rail and won bids to establish the Northeast Microelectronics Coalition Hub and host the federal Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health’s Investor Catalyst Hub.
Delivering for Schools and Students
In addition to signing universal school meals for all K-12 students in the 2024 budget, Governor Healey fully funded the third-year implementation of the Student Opportunity Act to ensure every student has access to the resources they deserve. The Healey-Driscoll Administration has also prioritized equity and inclusion by updating the health and physical education framework, awarding Hate Crime Prevention grants, and issuing guidance for higher education institutions in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision on race conscious admissions.
Investing in Transportation, Infrastructure, and Local Economies
Governor Healey appointed public transportation expert Phil Eng as General Manager of the MBTA and created the first MassDOT Chief Safety Officer. The MBTA has unveiled a first-of-its-kind plan to improve track safety and service by the end of 2024. The Healey-Driscoll Administration secured a historic labor agreement with the Carmen’s Union and hired more than 1,400 new MBTA workers this year. The administration also successfully implemented the Work and Family Mobility Act, making our roads safer for all. Governor Healey also signed into law a $375 million bridge, road maintenance, and infrastructure bill to improve transportation across the state and awarded $164 million in 338 MassWorks grants to support local economic development projects.
Making Reproductive and Behavioral Health Care More Accessible
In addition to awarding $141 million through the MA Repay Program, Governor Healey awarded millions to organizations to support the social emotional development and behavioral health of children in early education and care programs. The Healey-Driscoll Administration secured more than $700 million to combat substance use disorder, distributing almost 200,000 doses of naloxone and launching investing in a first-of-its-kind Overdose Prevention Helpline. Governor Healey acted quickly after a Texas decision threatening access to medication abortion to ensure access to mifepristone, and confirm protections for patients and providers of medication abortion, and launched a toolkit for public colleges and universities to ensure on-campus access.
Serving Veterans and their Families
Governor Healey appointed Jon Santiago, a major in the U.S. Army Reserve and an emergency medicine physician to be the state’s first-ever Secretary of the Executive Office of Veterans Services. The Healey-Driscoll Administration opened a new, state-of-the-art Massachusetts Veterans Home at Chelsea, and secured $264 million in federal funding to break ground on the new Massachusetts Veterans Home at Holyoke. Governor Healey reestablished the Governor’s Advisory Council on Veterans Services, appointed the Governor’s Advisory Council on Women Veterans, and created the Veterans Equality Review Board. The administration also filed the HERO Act to increase benefits, modernize services, and promote inclusivity for Massachusetts veterans.
Supporting Rural Communities
Governor Healey and Lieutenant Governor Driscoll created the position of Director of Rural Affairs to spur rural economic development, and appointed Anne Gobi to the position. In the wake of devastating flooding in western Massachusetts, the Healey-Driscoll Administration worked with philanthropic partners to stand up the Massachusetts Farm Relief Fund, and collaborated with the Legislature to offer $20 million in aid to farmers who had lost crops, equipment and livestock during the floods. Team Massachusetts also secured hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funds to extend high-quality, high-speed internet into more rural communities.
Advancing Equity
Governor Healey was the first Governor in recent history to recommend pardons in her first year and commit to using clemency to address historic and discriminatory wrongs in the criminal justice system. The Healey-Driscoll Administration expanded state spending benchmarks to include LGBT+ businesses and disability-owned businesses. Governor Healey created the Digital Accessibility and Equity Governance Board to strengthen and advance digital accessibility and equity within state government and instructed executive department agencies to develop Language Access Plans. The administration also established Governor’s Councils on Black Empowerment and Latino Empowerment and launched an administration-wide equity assessment.