On March 12 we hosted our annual forum with Massachusetts Speaker
of the House of Representatives Robert A. DeLeo. Now in his sixth term as
Speaker, DeLeo provided a brief overview of the Legislature’s recent
accomplishments before going into detail on his, and the House’s, priorities
for this new Legislative session.
Among those priorities is Speaker DeLeo’s hope for a comprehensive
healthcare bill. The Chamber supports policy initiatives
that balance the need for access and quality of healthcare with efforts to
constrain the rising costs of that care to employers and employees alike.
The Speaker also promised to continue his work on early education
and care for the Commonwealth’s youngest residents, including promoting
children’s health and wellness. Specifically, he announced that the House will
pursue a comprehensive initiative to support children from early childhood
through adolescence in clinical, educational, and community settings.
Another key topic the speaker touched on was transportation. In his speech he called on business leaders to bring their ideas and priorities for transportation improvements, including easing congestion.
“We need the entire business community, along with transit experts, at one table to coordinate ideas, streamline and consolidate the ongoing transportation conversations and create a broadly supported employer agenda for transportation improvements – while we engage other stakeholders.” – House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo
Lastly, Speaker DeLeo committed to boosting the reputation and
innovation of our state’s restaurants, including at least $2 million in funding
under the Mass Office of Travel and Tourism to help promote restaurants and
encourage farms and food purveyors to find a global audience.
We are excited to see the Speaker and the House get started on all
of these promising initiatives and look forward to continued collaboration with
the Legislature.
Watch the Speaker’s Government Affairs Forum address to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce below thanks to our partner Comcast New England.