Excessive price of dwelling. Rising well being care costs. Lengthy commutes. Low non-public job development.
Sound acquainted?
These are a few of the high challenges dealing with Massachusetts which can be pushing residents away and “stifling” non-public sector development, in line with a report launched this previous week by the Massachusetts Taxpayer Basis.
The “2025 Competitiveness Index” — or a measure of how the Bay State stacks up in opposition to different states in its capability to draw and retain households, companies, and expertise — discovered that core industries like training, well being care, and innovation stay sturdy in Massachusetts.
However the excessive prices of dwelling and doing enterprise right here “are eroding its competitive edge while a changing federal policy landscape poses unique threats to the Commonwealth,” the group stated.
Massachusetts Taxpayers Basis President Doug Howgate stated rising prices round housing, power, and well being care are driving individuals to cheaper states whereas federal “headwinds threaten the very talent and research ecosystem that makes us unique.”
“We must meet the moment by taking action that keeps Massachusetts as the best place to live, learn, and innovate,” Howgate stated in an announcement this previous week.
A companion ballot of 1,000 residents performed by MassINC Polling in July additionally discovered that individuals with greater ranges of training and earnings usually tend to rank Massachusetts extremely as a spot to reside.
The survey confirmed that 30% residents discovered Massachusetts one of many worst locations for the general price of dwelling, and one other 33% stated it was one of many worst states for the fee and availability of housing.
The ballot discovered 26% of residents stated the general tax burden was one of many worst within the nation.
The survey additionally confirmed that 25% of residents are contemplating transferring out of Massachusetts within the subsequent 5 years, with youthful individuals — these aged 18 to 29 — extra prone to be fascinated by leaping ship.
“When people think about where they want to live and work, perception is reality, so state leaders need to pay attention to how residents think we stack up,” MassINC Polling Group President Steve Koczela stated in an announcement.
The Massachusetts Taxpayers Basis urged lawmakers to take motion on laws Healey filed earlier this yr to include power prices, cut back regulatory boundaries to housing improvement, handle well being care premium development, create a “consistent, rigorous” highschool graduate normal, and use state sources to mitigate federal funding cuts.
“The state’s competitiveness agenda in 2025 and 2026 must maintain the focus on longstanding challenges that make the state unaffordable for many families and less attractive for new residents, while also recognizing that the state must strategically respond to federal actions that threaten our unique strengths that relate to talent,” the group stated.
Healey’s former financial improvement secretary lands within the non-public sector…
Gov. Maura Healey’s first financial improvement secretary, Yvonne Hao, snagged a job at Flagship Pioneering, a Cambridge-based enterprise capital agency that focuses on scientific ventures.
In an announcement this previous week, the corporate stated Hao would function chief working officer and common associate. She’ll oversee “key functional pillars” of Flagship Pioneering, like human sources and expertise, authorized and mental property, IT and digital, communications, authorities and regulatory affairs, and amenities and actual property, the corporate stated.
“I’m excited to join a leadership team that combines bold vision with exceptional capabilities and to help steward the next generation of ventures that can deliver lasting impact for people and the planet,” Hao stated in an announcement.
She stepped down from her authorities put up earlier this yr after serving for 2 years on the helm of the Govt Workplace of Financial Improvement. A spokesperson for Healey stated on the time that Hao was leaving to handle urgent household issues.
Hao, who beforehand labored at Bain Capital and the web pharmacy firm PillPack, shepherded a $4 billion financial improvement invoice by the Legislature — although the course of was not with out complications — and helped Massachusetts notch a number of wins on the federal stage, like pulling in an ARPA-H hub.
Mike Pence to speak ‘civility’ at Kennedy Institute…
Former Vice President Mike Pence plans to debate the challenges of governing in an period of drastically polarized politics, the significance of civic dialogue in sustaining democracy, and the way forward for the Republican Social gathering at a Kennedy Institute occasion this coming week.
Pence, who has confronted no scarcity of threats and political backlash after the 2021 riot on the U.S. Capitol, will take the stage Wednesday to face questions from Meghan McCain, the daughter of the late Arizona Republican Sen. John McCain.
Pence stated he’s wanting ahead to “this important conversation in the city where our American Experiment was born.”
“While we must continue to uphold individual principles and convictions, our collective democracy depends on heavy doses of civility,” he stated in an announcement shared by the Kennedy Institute.
The dialogue will conclude with a question-and-answer session. The occasion is free and open to the general public and is scheduled to start out at 1 p.m. Wednesday.
