[MUSIC PLAYING]
Please admit the honorable Senate.
[APPLAUSE]
The joint convention will come to order.
Code officers will please clear the aisles.
The joint convention will come to order.
The Senator from Suffolk and Middlesex, Mr. Bancore,
has filed an order which the clerk will read.
Order that the committee be appointed to consist
of members of the Senate and House
of Representatives to wait upon the constitutional officers
and lieutenant governor, members of the executive council,
and other distinguished guests of the governor,
and inform them that the two branches are now in convention,
and request dealing with their presence.
The question comes on adoption of the order.
All those in favor, say aye.
Aye.
Opposed, no.
The ayes have it.
And the order is adopted.
The committee on the part of the Senate
is as follows, Senator Gobi of Wooster, Hampden, Hampshire,
and Middlesex, Senator Rodrigues of Bristol and Plymouth,
Senator Lesser of Hampden and Hampshire,
Senator Creem of Middlesex and Norfolk,
Senator Ross of Norfolk, Bristol, and Middlesex,
and Senator Humason of Hampton and Hampshire.
[APPLAUSE]
The speaker will appoint the House Committee.
On behalf of the House, the chair
appoints Mr. DiNardo, Ms. Ferguson, Mr. Vieira,
Mr. Honan, Mr. Wong, and Mr. Smizik.
[APPLAUSE]
The committee will form in the well of the chamber
and proceed to the governor's office.
The joint convention will be in a brief recess.
[APPLAUSE]
Please down and clear the aisles.
Admit the honorable committee.
[APPLAUSE]
Madam Chair, Mister Chair.
Madam President, we have informed the [INAUDIBLE]..
That the joint session is ready to do business,
and to await the expected arrival
of his excellency, the governor, [? and his presiders. ?]
Thank you.
The chair thanks the committee.
And they are now relieved of their duties.
The joint convention will be in a brief recess.
[APPLAUSE]
Please sit down and clear the aisle.
Admit Her Honor, the Lieutenant Governor,
the constitutional officers, the executive council,
members of the Supreme Judicial Court,
and other distinguished guests.
[APPLAUSE]
Please be seated.
I will now ask Senior Imam Shaykh Yasir Fahmy,
from the Islamic Society of Boston Cultural Center,
to deliver the invocation.
[SPEAKING ARABIC] In the name of God, the gracious,
the merciful, my dear brothers and sisters
of this commonwealth, in the holy Quran,
God tells us, "Oh mankind, we have created you
from male and female.
And we made you peoples and tribes
that you may come to know one another.
Surely, the most noble of you before God
are those most reverent of you."
In this verse, God speaks to the essence of the human condition,
to the fundamental truth that, despite our differences, which
can be profound, we are here on this Earth to live with,
to care for, and to know one another.
This sacred spirit and divine guidance
is captured in the works and the work of our Founding Fathers.
In the year 1776, quoting John Locke,
Thomas Jefferson said, "Neither pagan nor Mohammedan-- i.e.
Muslim-- nor Jew, ought to be excluded
from the civil rights of the Commonwealth because
of his religion.
Espousing the same sentiment, the Massachusetts Constitution
of 1780 promised the most ample liberty of conscience
to deists, Mohammedans-- i.e.
Muslims-- Jews, and Christians.
My dear brothers and sisters, these words
remind us of the kind of nation our Founding Fathers sought
to bequeath us, a nation that upholds freedom of conscience,
a nation that embraces religious pluralism,
and a nation that calls for the honor and dignity of all.
Yeah, we also know that even as these visionary words were
spoken, slavery raged and the rights of women were ignored.
We know that racial and ethnic quotas were implemented
in immigration and that Catholic and Jew here in our own state
were not welcomed as equals.
We understood early on that the vision of America we inherited
was, in fact, a call for action and diligence, a gift,
but never one to be taken for granted, a blessing,
but not one yet fully realized for all.
Brothers and sisters, this vision and dream
we call America calls for principled and courageous
leadership, a leadership that embodies the sacred spirit
and the divine guidance of our profits and pious predecessors.
From the wisdom and insight of Moses,
to the love and the compassionate shepherding
of Jesus, and to the mercy and justice of Muhammad,
may the peace and blessings of God be upon them all.
And with that, let us pray.
Oh God, as we stand before you today in utter humility
and with deep gratitude, we pray that you
instill a sacred spirit and a divine guidance in all
of our hearts.
Oh God, at a moment when our nation seems divided,
we seek your aid in bringing our hearts together.
Lord, we know at this moment what is called for
is courageous leadership.
We ask that you bestow that leadership on our governor,
Charles Duane Baker.
We ask that you guide him to his highest self,
inspire him to always practice that which
is most beloved to you, and to uphold
the best of your divinely inspired values and ideals.
Guide him and all of our elected officials to help
remove the pain and division that
beseech parts of our nation.
And God, we ask you to allow us to see past our differences,
to work with one another for the betterment of ourselves,
our state, and our nation, amen.
Amen.
Thank you, Shaykh Yasir.
The senator from Middlesex and Norfolk, Ms. Spilka,
has offered an order which the clerk will read.
Order that a committee be appointed
to consist of members of the Senate and House
of Representatives to wait upon His Excellency, the Governor,
and inform that the two branches are now in convention
for the purpose of receiving such communication
as he may be pleased to make to them,
relating to the concerns of the Commonwealth.
The question comes on adoption of the order.
All those in favor, say aye.
Aye.
Opposed, no.
The ayes have it.
And the order is adopted.
The following committee is appointed
on the part of the Senate, DiDomenico
of Middlesex and Suffolk, Cyr of Cape and Islands,
Hinds of Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin and Hampden,
Donahue of Middlesex, Tran of Worcester and Middlesex,
and O'Connor of Plymouth and Norfolk.
The speaker will appoint the House Committee.
On behalf of the House, Representative Nangle,
Representative Mahoney, Representative Poirier,
Representative Puppolo, Representative Frost,
Representative Ultrino, Representative Louis,
Representative McMurtry, Representative Howitt.
Members are please asked to come together
in the wealth of the chamber.
[APPLAUSE]
The convention will be in a brief recess.
For the Presentation of Colors--
please, please-- for the Presentation of Colors,
please welcome, representing Lynn, Massachusetts, one
of the winners of the 2017 National Junior Razi
Championship Competition, the Lynn English High School Junior
reserve officer training corps.
Gentlemen, please post the colors.
[APPLAUSE]
Thank you.
For the National Anthem tonight, we
are joined by Massachusetts Maritime Academy.
Please welcome Cadet Samantha Parker,
who will perform the Anthem accompanied
by the Massachusetts Maritime Academy Honor Guard.
[MUSIC - "THE STAR SPANGLED BANNER"]
Oh, say can you see, by the dawn's early light,
what so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming, whose
broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight o'er
the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming.
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star spangled banner yet
wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave.
[APPLAUSE]
For our Pledge of Allegiance tonight, we
are joined by a very special set of individuals.
As we all know, last September, Hurricane Maria
devastated the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
and a number of other communities.
Massachusetts, led by many of the representatives
and senators in this very chamber, our mayors,
the governor, and others, along with our entire nation
have endeavored to assist those affected
by the hurricane in many ways, from providing supplies
and assistance, to hosting relocated families here
in the Commonwealth.
Tonight, seated in the gallery are
the families of Ashanti Rosario and Miguel Torres.
Ashanti and Miguel are sixth grade students now attending
the STEM Middle Academy in Springfield
and who, in September, were living and attending
school in Puerto Rico.
Please, first of all, let us welcome their families.
[APPLAUSE]
And now, please welcome Ashanti and Miguel
to lead us to the Pledge of Allegiance
in both English and Spanish.
I pledge allegiance under God to the United States of America
and to the Republic for which it stands,
one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty
and justice for all.
[SPEAKING SPANISH]
Thank you, Ashanti and Miguel.
May I request that we retire the colors.
Please admit the honorable committee.
[APPLAUSE]
Mr. Chairman.
Madam President, I visited with the governor
to let him know that we are ready to welcome him
to the chamber for the State of the State Address.
He said he'll be here forthwith.
Thank you.
The chair thanks the committee for their service
and discharges them from their duties.
The convention will be in a brief recess.
[APPLAUSE]
May I ask everyone to take their seats and clear the aisles.
Take your seats and clear the aisles.
Please be seated.
Calm your conversations and clear the aisles.
Admit His Excellency, the governor, Charles D. Baker.
[APPLAUSE]
It is my pleasure to be able to introduce
to you His Excellency, the governor of the Commonwealth,
Charles D. Baker.
[APPLAUSE]
Thank you very much, thank you.
Thank you for all being with us tonight, thank you.
Tom, it's nice to have you with us.
Thanks for being here.
Mr. Speaker, Madam President, members
of the House and Senate, Congressman Neil,
thank you for joining us.
Fellow constitutional officers, members of the governor's
council, Mr. Chief Justice, welcome,
members of the judiciary, members
of the cabinet and my administration,
sheriffs, district attorneys, mayors, local officials,
reverend clergy, distinguished guests, members of my family
that are here this evening--
[APPLAUSE]
Andy, Kristin, and William, our children, Charlie--
excuse me, he's the naughty one--
AJ and Caroline, and my wife, Lauren, the love
of my life for the past 30 years and
an outstanding and committed First Lady.
[APPLAUSE]
And to my fellow citizens.
When Lieutenant Governor Polito and I began this journey
three years ago, we set out to create a state government that
worked well for the people who needed it most
and would be as creative, and thrifty, and hardworking
as the people of Massachusetts.
And while much remains to be done, with your help,
we've made great progress toward these objectives.
We began with a $1 billion structural budget deficit.
Today, we've reduced that deficit to less than $100
million without raising taxes.
[APPLAUSE]
[? I don't want ?] to split the room up.
Yeah, okay.
[APPLAUSE]
We began with 1,500 homeless families
stuck in hotels and motels, isolated from their support
systems.
Today, there are fewer than 60 families.
That's a 95% reduction.
[APPLAUSE]
We began with the Department of Children and Families
in freefall.
Today, 99% of its social workers are
licensed with the lowest caseloads
they've had in years and clinical teams
to support their work.
We began with a Health Connector that
was by all accounts a mess.
And today, it just finished its third consecutive positive open
enrollment providing more than 240,000 working families
with affordable health care coverage here in Massachusetts.
[APPLAUSE]
We began with a state hospital in Bridgewater
that, for decades, was beset by a series of terrible tragedies,
but nothing was done.
Today, with the help and support of the legislature
and many others, Bridgewater State Hospital
is a completely different place.
And families who never expected anything to get better finally
have hope.
[APPLAUSE]
We began in the midst of an opioid crisis and with deaths,
overdoses, and prescriptions have
been growing by double digits for more than a decade.
It was the worst case of negative momentum
I've ever seen.
And today, with your help and support,
we've reduced opioid prescribing by 29%.
And overdose deaths have dropped, for the first time
in over a decade, by 10%.
[APPLAUSE]
And we've made significant progress
in many other vital areas that directly
influence the quality of life for everyone
here in Massachusetts.
For the first time, we're directing capital grants
to vocational technical schools to upgrade equipment and expand
popular programs providing students with real world
skills and experience and employers
with job-ready employees.
Public/private partnerships with colleges, universities,
researchers, and the federal government,
in materials, advanced manufacturing, robotics,
and digital health are incubating the next generation
of great commercial clusters.
Partnerships with our colleagues in local government
and the private sector have translated
into billions of dollars of downtown
and economic development projects
creating thousands of jobs and preserving and creating
thousands of units of affordable and workforce housing.
In working with you, we've allocated more than $700
million in local road and bridge funding, the largest
investment in years.
And another $3.6 billion has been
spent on hundreds of road resurfacing and improvement
projects.
All in, we've repaired or replaced
80 bridges and paved enough miles of roadway
to crisscross the commonwealth five times.
[APPLAUSE]
We've also built on this state's historic bipartisan commitment
to veterans.
We enhanced the benefit for Gold Star families,
enacted the Home Act, created a tax credit
for small businesses that hire veterans,
and committed the funding necessary to rebuild
the Chelsea Soldiers Home.
And to celebrate this milestone, we're
joined tonight by US Navy veteran Tom
Miller, who lives at the Soldier's Home,
directory of nursing Debbie Antonelli,
and superintendent Cheryl Papi.
God bless you, and thanks for joining us.
[APPLAUSE]
And as you all know, our public transportation system
collapsed during the brutal winter of 2015.
But three years later, the T is investing hundreds of millions
of dollars more on upgrading its core infrastructure than it
has in years, modernizing its operations,
and rescuing projects like the Green Line Extension.
And after more than three decades of lip service,
we're going to make commuter rail from Fall River and New
Bedford to Boston a reality.
[APPLAUSE]
We have much more to do on the T, much more.
But for the first time, the plan to modernize the system
is in place and moving forward.
Fixing decades of neglect doesn't happen overnight.
But make no mistake.
We will deliver the public transit system
that the people of this commonwealth deserve.
[APPLAUSE]
Economically, we're hitting on all cylinders.
In 2017, we had more people working than at any time
in state history.
Our economy has added 180,000 new jobs since we took office.
And best of all, the number of people looking for work
has dropped in every county over the past three years
and, in most cases, by more than 35%.
[APPLAUSE]
The progress we've made together has been noticed.
And it should be.
Bloomberg ranked Massachusetts number one in innovation
for the past two years.
The United Health Foundation called
Massachusetts the healthiest state in the nation.
In a 2014 national survey, thumbtack gave Massachusetts
a D+ for small business friendliness.
Last year, they gave us an A-.
[APPLAUSE]
US News and World Report ranked Massachusetts
the best state in the nation in which
to live, work, and raise a family.
And for the third time in four years,
the New England Patriots are going to the Super Bowl.
[APPLAUSE]
So I can stand here tonight and say without question
that the state of our commonwealth is strong.
[APPLAUSE]
A strong commonwealth is built on a foundation
of strong communities--
friendly, welcoming, bustling, neighborhoods and downtowns;
great schools; safe, accessible, attractive places to play;
growing local economies; and a belief
that anything is possible.
And that's why, for the past three years,
Karen Pulido and I have focused so much of our time
on strengthening communities.
Our first executive order created a new partnership
between state and local government.
Funded by the legislature and overseen by the lieutenant
governor, 330 cities and towns have joined this partnership
adopting more than 800 best practices
in everything from financial planning
to regional collaboration.
This is how government should work.
[APPLAUSE]
When we took office, more than 50 communities
in Western Massachusetts didn't have access to high speed
internet services.
I first heard about this when a local official told me
horror stories about what life was like without it.
He mentioned students like Sarah Beckwith
from Mount Washington, who often did her homework sitting
in the car next to the library after hours so she could
get access to their Wi-Fi.
Now, Sarah is a straight-A student at Mt.
Everett Regional High School.
But come on, the parking lot?
Now, here's the good news.
Mount Washington now has high speed internet.
And Sarah is applying online to colleges
using the Wi-Fi in her home.
And the vast majority of the communities
that had none when we took office
either have it now or have plans to install it.
And thanks to this legislature's help
with funding for the build-out, they
will all have this must-have infrastructure over the course
of the next two years.
[APPLAUSE]
Our program to plant 10,000 trees in gateway cities
has been a success.
And we look forward to planting 10,000 more.
And by the fall of 2018, 71% of all street lights
will be LEDs saving communities millions of dollars
and cutting power usage by 60%.
To support our coastal communities,
we've revived the seaport council, established
a statewide task force to study resiliency and adaptability,
and have begun making millions of dollars
in strategic investments to preserve,
protect, and properly use this critical natural resource.
With the help of community leaders
and our legislative colleagues, we
instituted programs for small bridge maintenance and repair,
made major investments in bike paths and walking trails,
and delivered predictable investments
and unrestricted local aid in municipal infrastructure.
We also worked together with our colleagues in local government
to welcome fellow citizens from Puerto Rico and the Virgin
Islands after the devastating hurricane.
[APPLAUSE]
State agencies have worked together
to help thousands of families relocate here
and find housing, schools, and jobs.
Our budget will include additional aid
for the communities hosting these families.
Over 20 years ago, we committed to what
became a longstanding bipartisan investment in K
through 12 education--
high standards, equitable funding,
and other major reforms.
And it worked.
We continue to finish first for the 10th year
in a row on the National Assessment of Educational
Progress exam in both math and English.
We have the highest four year graduation rate and the lowest
dropout rate we've ever had.
To continue that momentum, we're funding K through 12 education
at the highest level in history, more than $4.7 billion.
And tomorrow's budget submission will boost that number
by another $100 million representing
an increase of nearly half a billion dollars since we
took office.
[APPLAUSE]
Commonwealth efforts, as you know,
don't stop with K through 12 education.
For students and families struggling to pay for college,
we'll expand three key successful initiatives.
First, we'll increase college scholarship funding
by more than $7 million, so that all community college
students who qualify for Pell grants
with an unmet financial need will
have their remaining tuition and fees fully paid for.
[APPLAUSE]
Second, we'll significantly expand our early college
programs, which give students the opportunity
to take college level courses and earn
college credits while they're still in high school.
This prepares students for academic success,
reduces their costs, and boost collagen completion rates.
And third, we'll continue to expand our commonwealth
commitment plan, which makes it possible for students
to earn four year degrees for less than $30,000.
And that's before including scholarships,
state or federal grants.
[APPLAUSE]
In addition, to help the next generation of students
get off to a good start, we delivered
with the support of this legislature one of the largest
increases in funding in early childhood education
in over a decade in our 2018 budget.
All in, all in.
We increased state spending on early education rates
delivering a $45 million dollar wage increase for teachers.
[APPLAUSE]
For seven years in a row, Massachusetts
has been ranked the most energy efficient state in the country.
And in a few days, the commonwealth
will announce the results of the largest renewable energy
procurement in our history.
The process enabled by our 2016 legislation
will lead to clean energy pricing that's
competitive with carbon emitting fossil fuels, which
is a huge win for our families, our businesses,
and our environment.
And later this year, we'll complete a competitive process
that could lead to the construction of the largest
offshore wind power operation in the nation.
This effort will further reduce emissions,
create thousands of green jobs in places like New Bedford,
and solidify our standing as a global leader in innovation
and clean energy.
We're also making new investments
in the development of energy storage.
By helping bridge the gaps in peak demand, expanded storage
will boost the effectiveness of wind and solar power,
provide further price relief for ratepayers,
and pave the way for a future independent from fossil fuels.
[APPLAUSE]
But despite the tremendous progress
we've made and will continue to make here in Massachusetts,
our climate is still changing.
And that's why we'll dedicate an additional $2 million
to climate adaptation and resiliency planning efforts
in our 2019 budget providing additional support
to municipalities and accelerating state-wide hazard
mitigation planning.
On health care, we made a strong statement
that, in this commonwealth, everyone will have access
to quality care.
[APPLAUSE]
By working with governors and members of Congress,
we were able to preserve the health insurance
program put in place in the commonwealth a decade ago.
But we must continue to be vigilant to protect
what has worked for us.
And we'll continue to advocate for bipartisan fixes
to the Affordable Care Act that many governors, Democrats
and Republicans, fought for last year.
And we made an equally strong statement
on women's health care when we pledged
that, regardless of the outcome in DC,
no woman in Massachusetts will be denied health
care reproductive services.
[APPLAUSE]
Now, we have just six months left
in this legislative session to work together
on a long list of important initiatives.
Let's start with the opioid epidemic.
In 2015, Boston Mayor Walsh and I
testified on behalf of opioid addiction legislation, which
this body enacted several months later.
Mr. Mayor, I want to thank you for your steadfast, lifelong
leadership on this issue.
[APPLAUSE]
Recently, Secretary Marylou Sudders and I
testified in support of the CARE Act, which is
a follow up to that 2016 law.
The CARE Act will provide a framework
for community based aftercare addiction services,
expand school-based education, and broaden pathways
to treatment for people dealing with addiction.
Now since 2015, we've added over 1,100 treatment beds,
increased state spending on addiction services by 60%,
upgraded our prescription monitoring program,
required medical, dental nursing, social work,
and pharmacy schools to teach every student
about opioid therapy and pain management,
increased access to NARCAN, certified hundreds
of sober homes, expanded school-based education
and screening programs, and created new pathways
to treatment.
And over the next five years, we plan
to add 500 more treatment beds and increase
spending on addiction services by more than $200
million dollars.
But everyone in this room knows we need to do more.
Please move quickly to enact the CARE act.
[APPLAUSE]
In addition, we have to deal with fentanyl.
Fentanyl was present in less than 30% of overdose deaths
in 2014.
But it was present in more than 80% of overdose deaths in 2017.
Federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies
are working this issue hard.
But we have more to do to drive this deadly drug
off our streets.
A bipartisan fentanyl bill that makes it easier
to arrest and convict dealers and traffickers
is in your hands.
And I ask you to enact it as soon as possible.
[APPLAUSE]
We also have work you have to do to bolster behavioral health
services.
The budget we file tomorrow will include more than $83 million
in new funding for the Department of Mental Health
to strengthen community-based services for adults
with serious mental illness.
[APPLAUSE]
In addition to integrating behavioral and physical health
care, these services will provide
active outreach and engagement support, residential supports,
clinical coverage 24 hours a day, seven days a week,
and include peer and recovery coaches
as part of the treatment team.
And we would ask that you make this initiative
part of your budgets.
As many of you know, we've significantly
expanded our investments in workforce
and affordable housing over the past three years
investing hundreds of millions of dollars
to create and preserve over 30,000 units of housing,
often combining them with transit-oriented development.
But here too, we must do more.
It's been decades since this state produced enough housing
to keep up with demand.
And the result has been predictable.
Unlimited supply creates overheated demand
and rising prices.
Young people, seniors, young working
and middle class families can't afford to rent or buy a home
here in the commonwealth.
We filed legislation in 2017 that
will make it possible to build more housing.
Our goal is 135,000 new units of housing by 2025.
And we asked that this proposal be taken up quickly.
Because for far too many people, housing in the commonwealth
is simply unaffordable.
[APPLAUSE]
To increase the take home pay for more than 400,000 working
families, we worked together to expand the Earned Income Tax
Credit in 2015.
We're proposing another increase in the EITC
in our budget, which would result
in a doubling of the credit.
And I look forward to signing that provision into law.
[APPLAUSE]
You guys.
You just--
[APPLAUSE]
We'll also include additional skill building
funds for low income workers.
And those funds will be targeted to job openings in each region.
So people can take the next step up the wage ladder.
And we'll be filing an economic belt development
bill in February that will build on the success
of the legislation that was signed into law in 2016.
[APPLAUSE]
Thanks to the strength of our economy,
our welfare caseload has dropped by 25%.
And our budget will include reforms
that will help thousands more on public assistance
find good jobs.
Now last spring--
[APPLAUSE]
I'm with you.
Last spring, I appointed a council to address aging,
with a goal of making Massachusetts
the most age-friendly state in the nation.
The council's been providing a platform
to think beyond public programs and to draw
on experience in technology, health care
business, and innovation.
We're pleased to announce today that AARP has formally
designated Massachusetts as one of only two age-friendly states
in the country.
[APPLAUSE]
That seems to matter more to me every year.
We'll also be increasing state support for the Councils
on Aging in our 2019 budget to the highest level ever.
[APPLAUSE]
And our discussions with the legislature
and other interested parties about MassHealth
have been very helpful.
And we believe our shared goals of quality
care and long-term sustainability can be achieved.
Now finally, while our K through 12 schools
are the envy of the nation, we still
have more to do to close the opportunity gap.
An innovative program in Springfield
to address this issue is producing impressive results
for middle and high school students
and deserves our attention.
The Springfield Empowerment Zone gives
teachers and administrators a chance
to share decision making on professional development,
curriculum, budgets, the works.
And it seems to be working for kids.
I visited the schools three times.
And every time, I came away filled with optimism
for all involved.
Collaborative approaches like this one
are working in Springfield and can
work in other struggling districts as well.
Tammy Grimes and Evan Kushner are teachers in the Empowerment
Zone in Springfield.
And when I visited with them, they
told me this was a game changer for them, and for the kids
they teach.
They've joined us tonight.
I want to thank you for being here.
And I want to thank you and your colleagues for everything
you do for our kids.
[APPLAUSE]
Now, this is my fourth turn behind this podium.
And I know I speak for the lieutenant governor
and myself when I say, the opportunity to serve
has been the honor of a lifetime for both of us.
[APPLAUSE]
And with this in mind, I want to close
with a few thoughts on the responsibility we all share
in serving our commonwealth while in public office.
I don't think I'm being too simplistic when I say,
we are all here to help people.
We may differ about how to get that done.
But we all share that goal.
We all want to create opportunities for people,
to help them get a great education,
to live in a great community, to get a great job,
to live a long and healthy life, to believe
in their own future and the future
for their kids and their families.
But we also want people to believe in their government.
[APPLAUSE]
This requires, among other things,
that we commit ourselves to a common decency in our debate
and in our dealings with one another in the public.
That doesn't mean we always have to agree.
Because we won't.
There are 200 members of this legislature,
thousands of elected and appointed local officials,
and millions of adults in this state who all have life
experience and a point of view.
Some of us will agree with each other most of the time.
Some will agree some of the time.
And some will never agree at all.
That's OK.
That's called democracy.
And more often than not, it works.
And finally, we should recognize and never forget
why we have this precious chance to serve our fellow citizens.
The most heartrending responsibility
I have as governor is to meet a family at the airport
as they stand silently waiting for the military casket
of their loved one to come home.
I always say the same thing.
"I'm sorry to be here today.
And I know you are, too.
And if I can do anything for you, just ask."
And each time I've said those words, that parent, spouse,
sibling responds with a heartfelt thank you.
Think about that.
In the midst of their immeasurable grief,
they are kind and generous, grace beyond compare.
For generations, people put themselves in harm's way
so the rest of us could create and nurture
a democracy, a democracy based on a very simple concept--
out of many, one.
We owe every citizen our best efforts.
But we are those who have paid the ultimate price
to keep us free something more.
[APPLAUSE]
We owe them the humility to understand
that what we do in this building is tied to something so much
bigger than partisanship.
It's our job to create the cohesion envisioned
by those who came before us, to move this state forward,
to protect and fight for its interests and its people,
and to never forget that we are the lucky ones.
[APPLAUSE]
We live in a great state filled with
creative, community-minded, hardworking, and decent people.
And what they want from us is opportunity, possibility,
and hope, not noise, not name calling,
and not finger pointing.
[APPLAUSE]
They want progress on the things that help them help themselves.
Now, we've done great work with you on many important issues.
But our work has just begun.
We stand ready to work with you to do so much more on housing,
economic development, life sciences, education,
criminal justice, community building, transportation,
and addiction.
But most of all, we all gather here tonight
as the grateful recipients of a profound opportunity
to serve the great people of this great state.
Let's make the most of it.
God bless this commonwealth.
God bless the United States of America.
[APPLAUSE]
Please be seated.
It is now my pleasure to welcome,
from the great community of Springfield,
the Springfield Community Chorale
directed by Vanessa Ford and [? Arif ?] Bradley,
who will perform a medley of "Oh,
Give Thanks," and "Bless the Lord with Me."
The Springfield Chorale.
[APPLAUSE]
[MUSIC - SPRINGFIELD CHORALE, "OH, GIVE THANKS"
AND "BLESS THE LORD WITH ME" MEDLEY]
Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, for He is good.
Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, yes,
He is good.
For he is holy, holy, for He is good, yes, He is good.
Yes, He is holy, holy, for He is good, yes, He is good.
Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, yes,
He is good.
Oh, give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, yes,
he is good.
For He is holy, holy, for He is good, yes, He is good.
Bless the Lord with me.
Come on and bless the Lord with me.
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah.
Come on and praise the Lord with me.
Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah,
hallelujah, hallelujah,
hallelujah.
[APPLAUSE]
I now call upon Rabbi Wesley Gardenswartz
of Temple Emanuel in Newton to deliver tonight's benediction.
Thank you.
Dear Lord, we pray to you tonight
from a very special place, a place called Beacon Hill.
Now, a beacon is a source of light
that provides warmth when we're cold, guidance when were lost.
Lord, may we be worthy of our name,
may we be, here at Beacon Hill, a beacon of light.
What would that look like?
It would look like this.
In a world rant by division, may we
be a beacon for collaboration.
In a world where all too often it's my way or the highway,
may we be a beacon of the productive conversation
where we listen to one another, we work with one another,
we do some give and take to promote the common good.
In a world that has been soiled by xenophobia,
and nativism, and hatred, may we be a beacon of inclusion,
of love of all of your children made
by you in your image with the divine spark
and infinitely loved by you.
And because of our great respect for all human beings,
may our commonwealth continue to be what it has been,
a beacon of innovation, hard work, productivity,
and prosperity.
Lord, as we conclude the proceedings tonight,
we pray that you will imbue your Holy Spirit in the leaders,
the elected leaders of our great commonwealth,
that you will inspire Governor Charlie Baker, Lieutenant
Governor Karen Pulido, Senate President Harriet
Chandler, and all the members of the Massachusetts Senate,
Speaker of the House Robert Dalio,
and all the members of the House of Representatives,
and all who exercise just and rightful authority
in the commonwealth with your spirit of decency,
soft spokenness, humility, the ability
to work for the common good so that Beacon Hill will continue
to be what it has always been, that
beacon of light for our commonwealth and for our world.
And for this, let us say amen.
Amen.
[APPLAUSE]
The Sergeant at Arms will now escort the governor,
the lieutenant governor, the constitutional officers,
the executive councilors, the members of the Supreme Judicial
Court, and distinguished guests from our chamber.
[APPLAUSE]
I'm just going to change the name.
[APPLAUSE]
The Senator from Plymouth and Bristol,
Mr. Brady moves that the joint convention do now adjourn.
All those in favor, say aye.
Aye.
Opposed, no.
The ayes have it.
And the joint session stands adjourned.
[APPLAUSE]