麻州眾議會議長 DeLeo 在波士頓商會致詞文稿

Speaker DeLeo: 2016 Address to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce 1 Thank you, Miceal for the kind introduction. I’d like to acknowledge my esteemed colleagues here today. Whether in business or in government, we all know that an organization is only as effective as the partnerships within it. I am proud of the work that each member of the House has undertaken to foster collaboration and forge consensus. Thank you. Jim, thank you for having me. I was proud to work with you at the Convention Center, and I’m proud to be with you here today. In the months since you started, you’ve preserved the Chamber’s clear voice on items vital to the region’s economy, built a strong team, and signaled your enthusiasm to partner with government. Whether lending the House your expertise and insight on MBTA matters, explaining the Convention Center’s position in the national and global environment, or serving as a cheerleader for our region, your friendship has been invaluable. Your experience and ambition are a perfect pairing for this role. My colleagues and I are very enthusiastic about the strong relationship between the Chamber of Commerce and the House of Representatives. The Chamber remains a key contact for our conversations with the business community. Our relationship is one that works and one that supports the House in fostering consensus-based solutions. Together, we helped our state weather the great economic downturn. We created a new entertainment and gaming industry in the Commonwealth, a key generator of thousands of blue-collar jobs with more soon to come. We reformed our municipal health insurance, saving hundreds of millions of dollars for our cities and towns. We raised our minimum wage and improved our unemployment insurance system. Last year, we gave the MBTA vital tools to cut costs and get its finances in order. All of these actions have reaped rewards. Within the last year, Massachusetts has been named the most livable state, the best state for education, and, according to the Bloomberg U.S. Innovation Index, the most innovative state in America. Our state economy outperformed the national economy in the last quarter of 2015, as the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and University of Massachusetts Donahue Institute reported in “MassBenchmarks.” Our journey together is two-fold. While our region is increasingly recognized as a global leader, we stand poised for a larger role on the international stage. At the same time, we must support each Massachusetts resident. Our journey, therefore, begins right here, in our own hometowns. About a year ago the House began its efforts to expand the circle of prosperity to each corner of the Commonwealth and bring together diverse industries for a stronger tomorrow. With that, let me echo the Chamber’s vision which we, in the House share: we “do not believe there are two economies – the old and the new, the established and the emerging – there is just one Massachusetts economy operating successfully in the 21st century and driven by innovation at every level.” Today I am pleased to announce a partnership with the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce to reinvigorate those efforts which will formally begin this spring at the Baystate Business Link forum. Earlier this year Jim Rooney and I held a roundtable in Springfield to hear about the challenges facing Western Massachusetts. From that discussion, the Baystate Business Link will concentrate on connecting businesses across the state, highlighting B2B opportunities and encouraging mentorships. I am proud today to welcome former Secretary Rick Sullivan, CEO of the Western Mass Economic Speaker DeLeo: 2016 Address to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce 2 Development Council; Scott Bailey, Managing Director of MassChallenge; and Jack Healy from MassMEP. These gentlemen, among others, will form a working group to advance the work of the Baystate Business Link and help weave together untapped potential in Massachusetts. The Commonwealth excels at producing champions. Let’s take the next step. Let’s leverage our existing successes so that energetic entrepreneurs, promising students and small but worthy businesses outside of Boston are no longer overlooked. We also want to translate the Commonwealths’ success in the innovation economy to rebuild our historically-strong industries, like manufacturing, in an effort to provide jobs to individuals of all skillsets. In Massachusetts we are heirs to a tradition of discovery and invention. We must now embrace reinvention as well. For validation we need to look no further than General Electric, which has written the playbook on corporate evolution. The Commonwealth’s greatest strengths – our intellectual capital and innovative spirit – are inherently compatible with GE’s mission “to invent the next industrial era, to build, move, power and cure the world.” As GE has indicated, the economy of tomorrow will fuse together disparate sectors and create new industries like the industrial internet and smart-connected-products. Big Data is the next exciting step in this continuum. It is an industry that’s inclusive of Massachusetts’ most formidable sectors. We have the brainpower and economic infrastructure to guarantee that the Commonwealth is The Big Data Hub. That’s why this year the House will fund a $2 million Big Data Innovation and Workforce Fund to promote the use of big data and analytics, and bring together the public and private sectors to prepare the innovators of tomorrow for game-changing careers. As technology progresses, we have come to learn that many of history’s best inventions were indeed, discovered by accident. Take Penicillin, for example, or the commercial microwave, which was invented in Massachusetts. Similarly, I am convinced Big Data will unlock discoveries we cannot fathom as we sit here today. I want those breakthroughs to happen right here, in Massachusetts. Let’s seize this opportunity. Let’s make the decision to propel our economy to new heights and give ourselves the tools to address social concerns about public health, transportation and energy. One of the first steps in this effort is to maximize the potential of all our students in Massachusetts; not just those with the means to afford private education. That is why I am so focused on connecting community college students to the Commonwealth’s dynamic economy. And our efforts are resonating. Aware that companies need tech workers across all levels of educational training, the House created the STEM Starter Academy program. Last fall, the Petit Family Foundation recognized a team of five STEM Starter participants at Springfield Tech Community College enabling them to attend the annual Women in Engineering Conference in Tennessee, the world’s largest conference and career fair for women in that field. Mass. Bay Community College has developed a STEM Mentor Program under the auspices of the Academy. Students are paired with mentors from companies, such as Genzyme, who counsel them on career opportunities in STEM areas. I’m proud to welcome a group of students, administrators and Genzyme mentors here today. I’ve seen firsthand the work you’re doing and I look forward to following the bright futures ahead of you. Let’s give them a hand folks . . . Speaker DeLeo: 2016 Address to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce 3 While we expand our prosperity across geographic regions and all educational levels, we must be aware of the rapidly changing global economy. We must make sure Massachusetts remains a welcoming climate for investment, ingenuity and innovation while supporting our core employers. In recent years, the House of Representatives has sought to target key issues that have cried out for consensus-driven solutions. A key such issue is that of non-compete reform. We believe an economicallyhealthy Commonwealth relies on balancing the concerns of all our business sectors. I think I speak for many people in this room in saying we should reach a compromise on non-compete reform, to build upon our legacy as a leader in technology and innovation. That’s why the House will take up non-compete legislation this session. Our goal will be to protect businesses here and improve Massachusetts’s reputation as the premier incubator for talent. Our legislation will strike an appropriate balance on non-competes, and create a more desirable environment for both employers and employees. The idea behind our compromise is as follows:  We understand the benefit these agreements often bring to our core employers and will allow for businesses to have the option to enforce them, but we will limit their use to a 12-month restricted period.  Our bill will also include a requirement of notice. Employees should know whether they will be asked to sign a non-compete before they agree to work somewhere, and that shall include a stated right to counsel;  To eliminate the stories we’ve all heard about the sandwich shop maker not being able to pay off his student loans, or the camp counselor not being able to work somewhere else the following summer, the House will be on record opposing non-competes for low-wage workers and those without a voice. When implemented, I am confident that these changes and the other provisions in our bill will improve the overall business climate in Massachusetts. These measures reflect the type of compromise that makes this region so unique, and I can’t thank many of you enough for your support in building consensus and helping us to keep the elite talent our universities and start-ups produce within the state. This is a signal that Massachusetts is and will continue to be open for all types of business. I rarely leave a meeting with an employer or potential employer without hearing about the role energy plays in influencing business decisions. We are at a unique moment in time, when significant changes are occurring in how we power our homes and businesses. Energy affects every individual, every family, every company, but we often take it for granted, or shirk at the immense responsibility of updating our current systems. This session the House will take up comprehensive energy legislation that will promote resource diversity and cleaner energy; contain costs; and ensure that we maintain a reliable electric grid. We will protect our hardworking residents while structuring a promising future for the next generation. Massachusetts energy efficiency programs are ranked first-in-the-nation. We are leaders in supporting the growth of solar power. At the same time, we need to keep the lights on at a reasonable cost to our families and businesses. That’s why, much like in the non-compete area, our plan hinges on a careful balancing act. Speaker DeLeo: 2016 Address to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce 4 By embracing a variety of approaches, resources and programs our legislation will seek to heighten our national standing and meet the Commonwealth’s ambitious environmental goals. They include the following:  To provide a significant amount of energy at reasonable prices, our legislation will create a competitive procurement process to allow hydroelectricity and renewable energy to play a greater role in the region’s energy mix;  Hydroelectricity is a low-emission, renewable and reliable source of energy. When partnered with wind resources, hydropower can provide energy when the wind doesn’t blow. The two are complementary; they are a natural pair;  We will also encourage the development of our own, local energy resource: offshore wind power;  Massachusetts’ coastline provides unrivaled offshore wind resources and it’s encouraging that the federal government’s auction of offshore leases has attracted interest both locally and internationally. This resource has the additional benefit of creating local jobs. We have the opportunity to launch a new industry that is successful in other parts of the world, right here at home;  Because competition is the fairest and surest way to achieve our goals, the procurement process outlined in the House’s bill will reflect a commitment to require providers to compete;  Project developers will have to demonstrate cost benefits, feasibility, and a guarantee that their power will be delivered during critical times like the terrible winter we experienced last year;  And by requiring competition among developers, projects will need to keep their costs low. I believe that by fostering healthy competition, having people to come to the table and demonstrate the value of their proposals we will encourage diversity. It will help replace the energy infrastructure currently scheduled to go offline, while allowing ample room for the marketplace to fill additional needs the region may require. And propel us forward as we create a healthier and more sustainable Commonwealth. While speaking to a chamber of commerce in 1977, the former publisher of The New York Times, asked the executives in the room: “Why are there so few business heroes.” Looking out at this group I know that that question is no longer relevant. When taken at face value, early education and care may not seem like a business or labor issue. But make no mistake, it is. Those of you here today should recognize that; you know firsthand how significantly childcare affects your work and the work of your employees. The benefits of high-quality programing for our youngest residents are undisputable and the House will continue its focus on building a strong workforce, while also pushing for heightened access. Although access is important, we need to ask ourselves “access to what?” Without support for a quality workforce there is no access to meaningful programming. Therefore, we must build on the foundation we have laid. We must move upwards and give early educators, parents, and, most of all, our children a system they deserve. We do this by finding better Speaker DeLeo: 2016 Address to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce 5 ways to support those who make it their business to educate and care for our youngest and most vulnerable residents. I’ve no doubt my colleagues and I can benefit from your expertise. That’s why today I am calling on you. I am inviting business leaders from here and across the state to join in the creation of an Early Education and Care Business Advisory Group so we can discuss how the business community can help us address the critical needs of the early education and care field. I believe in the great potential of those in this room today and I know that with your input we can find ways to build and provide ongoing support for a strong EEC workforce. My friends, this has the potential to be one of the most productive legislative sessions in my tenure as Speaker. With important energy legislation; substance abuse and economic initiatives all in the balance, the House of Representatives will remain a voice of balanced, practical and most importantly, workable, progress. We will courageously defend the policies we believe are in the best interests of the people of Massachusetts. Thanks to the foundation we have built over the last decade, Massachusetts is in a position to capitalize on our advantages. Now is the time to consolidate our progress and make lasting policy decisions that prepare us long into the future. Thank you for the opportunity to speak with you this morning. I’d be happy to take a few questions.