State Senate President Robert Travaglini explains here what he plans to do in the upcoming legislative session. The speech is predictably relatively short on specifics, but there are a few promising nuggets at which to grasp:
- "immediate passage of a comprehensive stem cell research bill." Not sure exactly what that means, but it sounds good. Is the idea to provide state funding (like CA), or just to encourage the work? We’ll wait and see — but let’s hope the legislature is serious about this. The science firepower in Massachusetts is unrivaled, and it would be a real shame for us to lose out to states that have grabbed the initiative more quickly.
- "get us closer to providing affordable coverage to everyone in Massachusetts – and to cut the number of uninsured by half over two years." Again, the devil is in the details, but we hope Trav has more in mind than making businesses that don’t provide health care post embarrassing stickers in their windows. We like Trav’s notion that improving access to health care is a "moral duty" as well as an economic necessity.
- "a series of major initiatives that will place the needs of working families back on the forefront of the agenda here on Beacon Hill." Well, again, sounds good. Can’t really say more without seeing the specifics.
A generally promising start to Trav’s second term as Senate President. We look forward to hearing what newly-elected speaker Sal DiMasi has in mind, and of course to what His Excellency’s plans are for the session that will serve as the run-up to his reelection campaign in 2006.
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