OP-ED: Looking Ahead - Priorities For 2012

Looking ahead: Priorities for 2012 by Senator Katherine Clark

As we begin 2012, the challenge will be to find policy solutions that work and to support innovative and efficient programs, all while being responsible and accountable stewards of taxpayer dollars.  This year’s budget debate will likely be another difficult one, with the state facing a tight fiscal environment and the possibility of budget cuts.  I believe that we can and will develop a budget that funds vital programs in a sensible way, and I look forward to your input as my colleagues and I move forward in that process.

In the state senate this year, my priorities will include:

• Creating jobs and growing small businesses.  While the unemployment rate in Massachusetts is considerably lower than the national rate, too many of our friends and neighbors are still struggling to find work or are underemployed.  As the Massachusetts economy continues to recover, we must find ways to support the growth of our businesses, particularly small businesses which account for nearly 48 percent of our private sector jobs in the Commonwealth, according to the Small Business Administration.  This includes helping our businesses control rising healthcare costs and ensuring access to the lines-of-credit and capital they need to grow and hire new employees.  I also will continue to support innovative job training and placement programs.
  
  
• Supporting schools and communities.  During challenging economic times, state aid to our cities and towns, particularly for education, is more important than ever.  I will continue to fight to ensure that all school districts have the resources they need to serve all our students, at all skills-levels and all grade levels of our public schools.  I believe we must support innovative learning, identify students who need extra help very early on and support their individual academic development, and ensure that our students have access to art, music and wellness. We need to empower teachers and maintain the highest standards for academic success in the 21st century.

• Protecting our most vulnerable populations.  With mandatory budget cuts looming at the federal level, the state will face increased pressure to adequately fund programs that serve those among us who are struggling.  Throughout the year I will maintain my focus on programs that serve our seniors – like adult day habilitation and home care – and our low-income residents – especially fuel assistance and community-based organizations that provide food and other vital services.

• Supporting our veterans and military families.  As more of our troops return home from service in Iraq and Afghanistan, we must ensure that they and their families have immediate and lasting access to the support and services they need.  This includes assisting veterans in obtaining health care, mental health and counseling services, housing support, childcare, and education, job training and placement services so that they can find high-quality, 21st century jobs.     

• Keeping our communities strong and safe.  I will continue to work to ensure that our criminal justice system is effective and efficient, including our parole system.  As the new year begins, the house and senate will work to iron out differences in two parole reform bills, and my focus will remain: keeping the most violent criminals behind bars while creating opportunity for meaningful rehabilitation for nonviolent drug offenders.  I will also continue to pursue several important priorities related to domestic violence: creating a criminal offense of strangulation and adding pets to restraining orders.  Choking a victim and abusing pets are two indicators that a domestic violence situation is becoming lethal.  Both of these provisions would extend protections to those in dangerous situations and help prosecutors and judges effectively intervene in domestic violence cases before a death occurs.  

These are just some of the priorities I will pursue this year.  As always, I look forward to your thoughtful advice and your help in strengthening our communities and our schools and creating jobs and lasting economic growth in the Commonwealth.