Spill of the Hill: What to expect from Healey's State of the Commonwealth
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
/2025/01/14/1736882741683.gif?w=3840)
Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Gov. Maura Healey will make her case to Bay Staters that she's lowering the cost of living, fixing the MBTA and making Massachusetts a better place to live in her second State of the Commonwealth address tomorrow night.
- She's also expected to address the ongoing immigrant shelter crisis and what it means that Donald Trump is back in office.
Here's what to expect from Healey's big State House speech:
Transportation
Healey's long-awaited transportation task force report landed yesterday, setting out an $8 billion investment plan for the next ten years.
Healey plans to split the revenue generated by the 4% income surtax (the so-called "millionaire's tax") evenly between education and transportation projects.
- It'll bring $1.4 billion to revamp the MBTA Commuter Rail with new station upgrades and coaches.
The MBTA would receive nearly $700 million from the state annually, nearly double the taxpayer support that goes to the transit agency now.
- The new funds will come in handy since the T has made great strides on repairs and improvements while at the same time digging itself a nearly $700 million budget gap for next year.
Preparing for Trump
Several Democrats who spoke to Axios about what to expect from Healey's speech said they wanted clearer details about how Healey will deal with President-elect Trump.
- They want to know how the governor will protect Massachusetts' interests and Democrats' liberal values under the new administration without drawing backlash from the White House.
- Trump won't have to work very hard to come up with ways to punish the commonwealth if he wants to; the state still owes the federal government $2.5 billion in misspent funds that Trump could easily call due.
Shelters
Hill Democrats also expect Healey to lay out an update on how her administration is dealing with the emergency shelter system.
- Republicans are pushing for Healey to crack down on the shelter system to improve safety and to better inform lawmakers about what's happening at the sites.
- Democrats are still backing Healey's shelter methods for now, but some say they want to know what plans the governor has to rein in spending on the shelter system.
Looking back
Beacon Hill-watchers expect Healey to dedicate at least some of her speech to victory laps spotlighting accomplishments her administration can take credit for since coming into office in January 2023.
- Healey may tout wins at the T, like the elimination of subway slow zones, the state's high spot on business and quality-of-life rankings and the implementation of tax cuts passed in 2023.