Massachusetts

Is still in the race for more than $4 billion

March 4, 2010 -- BOSTON – Senator John Kerry today announced that Massachusetts has advanced to Tier 2 of the Race to the Top Competition. The competition, which is run by the U.S. Department of Education, challenges states to positively reform their education systems. The winner will be awarded $4.35 billion.

Race to the Top awards go to States that are leading the way with ambitious yet achievable plans for implementing coherent, compelling, and comprehensive education reform. Race to the Top winners help trail-blaze effective reforms and provide examples for states and local school districts throughout the country to follow.    » read more »

Makes investments to build stronger, better Commonwealth; holds line on spending while making tough cuts

BOSTON – January 27, 2010 – Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick today released his Fiscal Year 2011 budget, a balanced, fiscally responsible plan that maintains an unprecedented commitment to education, cities and towns, and health care, while also reflecting his Administration’s continued efforts to speed the Commonwealth’s economic recovery and lay a foundation for long-term growth.    » read more »

Competitive Grant Award Funds Historic Upgrade of Connecticut River Line

BOSTON – January 28, 2010 – As part of the Patrick-Murray Administration's Massachusetts Recovery Plan, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick, Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray, Senator John Kerry, Senator Paul Kirk, Congressman John Olver and Congressman Richard Neal today announced the U.S. Department of Transportation has awarded $70 million for final design and construction of the “Knowledge Corridor” along the Connecticut River rail line in western Massachusetts.    » read more »

Commonwealth Energy Solutions will cut state spending on energy by tens of millions through bulk purchasing and sophisticated management

BOSTON – Monday, January 25, 2010 – Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick today unveiled a series of cost-cutting energy management solutions to be included in his Fiscal Year 2011 budget recommendation, including an innovative bulk energy purchasing system designed to consolidate fiscal management, reduce waste, and cut the energy bills of state agencies, quasi-public authorities, state colleges and universities, and municipalities.    » read more »

Projects Will Create Thousands Of Jobs

BOSTON – Monday, January 25, 2010 – As part of the Patrick-Murray Administration’s Massachusetts Recovery Plan, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick and members of the congressional delegation today released $185 million in federal recovery funds for water infrastructure improvement projects. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) grants and State Revolving Fund (SRF) financing will support statewide construction projects worth nearly $800 million, maintaining and creating thousands of jobs across Massachusetts.    » read more »

01/20/2010 -- WASHINGTON -- United States Senator Mary L. Landrieu, D-La., today commented on Scott Brown's victory in the special Massachusetts Senate election to fill the seat of the late Ted Kennedy.

Sen. Landrieu said:

"The loss in Massachusetts should serve as a wake-up call to the wing of the Democratic Party that wants the federal government to overreach and overspend. We need to get back to the basics. Senate Democrats must use this setback to increase our efforts to find bipartisan, fiscally responsible solutions that makes sense to Americans of all walks of life.    » read more »

Nearly $500,000 investment from National Science Foundation to benefit solar cell research

01/15/10 -- CORNING, NY - Today, Congressman Eric Massa announced a $454,810 National Science Foundation grant for the Rochester Institute of Technology to advance research into solar photovoltaics.

The project, entitled “CAREER: Strain Balanced Quantum Dots for High Concentration Solar Photovoltaics,” is an ongoing project which is expected to have impacts on the further advancement of nanostructured materials for solar energy harvesting.

Students will have the opportunity to spend the summer at NASA Glenn Research Center's Photovoltaics and Power Technologies Branch, learning solar cell characterization techniques.    » read more »

Signed on Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, new law delivers on Governor’s promise to give all students access to a world-class education, strengthens state’s ability to access $250M in federal funds

BOSTON – Monday, January 18, 2010 – Delivering on his promise to transform public education in Massachusetts and give all children the chance they deserve to succeed, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick today signed historic legislation that will turnaround underperforming schools, promote innovation and choice and eliminate achievement gaps that persist despite the successes of the state's landmark Education Reform Act of 1993.    » read more »

WASHINGTON, Jan. 11, 2010 -- Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced the availability of $41.5 million in emergency funding to prevent the spread of the Asian longhorned beetle (ALB) in Massachusetts.

"The USDA, along with our key partners in Massachusetts, has worked hard to contain and the Asian longhorned beetle, an invasive pest that has the potential to devastate our forests and backyard trees," Vilsack said. "These additional funds will allow for a more aggressive approach to ensure ALB does not spread to other areas in New England."    » read more »

$10.2 million project is vital first step in upgrade of Fitchburg Commuter Rail Line

December 14, 2009 -- LEOMINSTER - Monday, December 14, 2009 - As part of the Patrick-Murray Administration's Massachusetts Recovery Plan, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick today joined Congressman John Olver and local elected officials in Leominster to announce the groundbreaking of the first rail improvement project in Massachusetts supported by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).    » read more »

University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute study underscores technology sector as key component of state’s innovation economy

WATERTOWN – Monday, December 7, 2009 – Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick today joined leaders from the state’s digital technology sector to discuss the findings of “The IT Industry: Hub of the Massachusetts Technology Economy,” a report from the University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute.

The event took place at the Communispace Corporation and was attended by more than 150 technology industry leaders.    » read more »

Long-term contract will move nation’s first offshore wind farm closer to reality

December 02, 2009 -- BOSTON – Wednesday, December 2, 2009 – Mass. Governor Deval Patrick today announced that National Grid and Cape Wind have agreed to enter into negotiations for a long-term contract under which the utility would purchase the electricity generated by Cape Wind. Such a Power Purchase Agreement will be a critical requirement for financing the proposed wind farm in Nantucket Sound, and getting it into construction and operation in time to qualify for federal incentives under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act that would reduce the cost of the project by 30 percent.    » read more »

Announces $150m Fund To Preserve Long-Term Affordable Housing; New law, leveraging of public/private funds protects tenants

BOSTON – Monday, November 30, 2009 – Standing with housing and community leaders, Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick today highlighted a law he signed last week to keep publicly-assisted rental properties affordable and announced the roll-out of a $150 million loan fund leveraged primarily through private dollars to support and secure long-term affordable housing preservation efforts.    » read more »

Governor Patrick Releases New Americans Recommendations; Seeks Action Plan In 90 Days

BOSTON - November 17, 2009 – Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick today unveiled the New Americans Agenda report, a comprehensive set of 131 recommendations for better integrating immigrants and refugees into the social, civic and economic life of the Commonwealth. The Governor also announced the creation of an inter-agency group to develop an action plan within 90 days for the report, a product of extensive research, expert interviews, input from state agencies and public feedback collected during a series of statewide meetings.    » read more »

November 13, 2009 -- AFL-CIO President Robert Haynes, on behalf of the AFL-CIO members, thanked Congressman Michael E. Capuano for his historic vote in favor of the Affordable Health Care for America Act (H.R. 3962) in a letter dated November 10, 2009.

The letter states, "you and the other nine members of the Massachusetts Congressional delegation who took a stand... are showing the rest of our nation how to lead on this important moral and economic issue." It goes on to say, "...working families will remember who fulfilled the promises they were elected to keep."    » read more »