My Legislative Agenda
The City of Boston and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts enjoy a historic partnership. Together we have moved our city, state, and even our nation forward, from the earliest days of the American experiment to recent progress on education reform, marriage equality, and health care access.
Today, the City of Boston joins with our state senators and state representatives to begin the next chapter in this history, by filing our legislative agenda for the 2019–2020 session. This agenda is more ambitious than any in recent memory. We’re thinking big to meet our city and state’s biggest challenges, from affordable housing to better transportation to protecting our environment.
Our proposals are rooted in the stories we hear from everyday Bostonians — part of our commitment to making sure everyone’s voice is heard. They advance the vision Bostonians created together in Imagine Boston 2030, our citywide plan. They offer leadership on key issues at a time when the national conversation desperately needs models of cooperation and progress.
It’s important to me every resident is engaged with this process. That’s why I’m taking this opportunity to let you know what these bills are all about, and where the process goes from here. I’m going to be asking for everyone’s help to move this agenda forward.
Two of our biggest priorities this year go hand-in-hand: affordable housing and middle-class opportunity. We want to keep homes within reach, prevent people being pushed out of their homes, and make sure everyone is able to build wealth and achieve their dreams here in Boston and across Massachusetts. Our Housing Security and Economic Mobility package would help us leverage more of Boston’s building boom to create even more affordable housing and job training. We’re proposing new rules to help older residents live with dignity, and prevent landlords from unfairly preying on them with rent hikes or evictions. We’re also introducing legislation that would help us ensure equal pay for equal work and make sure that agencies like our fire department better reflect the diversity of our neighborhoods.
Next up: Education. Nearly everyone agrees that education funding in Massachusetts is overdue for change — including in Boston. Over the last five years, we’ve steadily grown the Boston Public Schools budget. I’m proud to say that we’re now investing more in public education than ever before. But I’m disappointed that, due to an outdated funding formula, State aid has failed to keep up with Boston and so many other cities and towns. The fact is, the needs of students in urban areas like Boston are higher than any other district in the State. Yet, if the current system doesn’t change, two years from now the City of Boston will be receiving zero dollars of state aid for BPS students. We need a more fair funding system to ensure a quality education for every child, including English language learners, special education students, and those experiencing homelessness. That’s what our Education PROMISE Act would allow us to do, along with every other city and town in the Commonwealth.
I’ve also submitted a package of bills dedicated entirely to the environment and transportation. As a coastal city, we’re on the front lines of climate change and sea level rise. In Boston, we see this challenge as an opportunity to invest in beautiful parks that protect us from floods and better public transportation that will cut emissions and be more resilient for generations to come. Among other things, these bills would help us build a more climate-ready waterfront, better protect us from gas leaks, and give people an incentive to share the trip — and reduce our traffic — when using a ride-hailing service like Uber or Lyft.
Finally, we’re submitting ambitious proposals dedicated to health and public safety. We want to make sure everyone can be healthy throughout their life, and that we can continue to make our communities safer by “lifting people up, not locking people up.” This package of bills would allow us to improve supports for at-risk young people, help more seniors get affordable healthcare, and offer more low-level drug offenders recovery, instead of prison. It would also allow us to build on the progress we’ve made on gun safety. We are proud to have some of the strongest gun laws in the nation, and we are pursuing legislation that would make those laws even stronger and make our neighborhoods safer.
This is only a snapshot of my full 2019 Legislative Agenda. I encourage you to take a look at the complete list of bills, organized by topic area, at Boston.gov/LegislativeAgenda.
So, what happens next? Now that we’ve filed these bills, legislators and members of the public will discuss and debate them at the State House. If the House and the Senate vote favorably on a bill, and the Governor signs it, it becomes law. (You can learn more about the process in detail at Mass.gov)
These bills have the power to change our City, and our State, for the better. At a time when the Federal government is shut down, we’re showing a better way forward for resilient neighborhoods, safe streets, healthy families, and great schools. We’re showing the way with compassion, hard work, and hope. And most importantly, we’re doing it together. 2019 will be a big year for Boston and the Commonwealth, and it’s never been more important to stay involved. There will be plenty of opportunities to weigh in and make your voice heard this legislative session. I encourage everyone to stay up to date by following me @marty_walsh and the City of Boston @CityofBoston.
