Criticizing Democrats for inertia on job growth, Republican lawmakers today unveiled a package of proposals geared towards stimulating the economy and creating jobs in Massachusetts.
“When we looked at the legislative agenda for the remainder of this session, we saw very little in the way of economic development,” Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr said at a State House Press conference. “We need a comprehensive package … focus[ing] on things that are real, right now, to the employers of the commonwealth of Massachusetts and employees who are not employees because we have not created enough economic opportunity.”
The GOP proposals address five key areas: business regulations, education, energy, healthcare and taxes. State Rep. George Peterson said the state’s business regulations are the “biggest problem,” an issue exacerbated by the fact that “we don’t have a comprehensive review of existing regulations on a regular basis.”
Among the proposed regulatory reforms include increasing the frequency of reviews and creating cost-benefit “regulatory analysis reports” for any new regulation by elected officials or citizen petitions. The package also includes proposals to streamline local permitting processes and reform unemployment insurance by creating stricter eligibility guidelines and standardized rate structures.
Republicans also propose creating a grant program which would award scholarships to financially struggling students for the full cost of their final year of education as an incentive to reduce dropouts. The education proposals also include allowing veterans to receive college credits for their skills and experience gained overseas. Another measure would create funding in support of student-led startups to attract entrepreneurial graduates to remain in Massachusetts after they receive their degrees.
Energy reforms include requiring public utilities to take competitive bids for long-term contracts, rather than being able to negotiate such contracts privately, such as the Cape Wind-National Grid deal, a shot at Gov. Deval Patrick, whose administration pushed the deal.
In healthcare, the Republicans call for a moratorium on new mandates and taxes, rescinding the requirement to insure out-of-state workers and overhaul the state’s medical malpractice laws, saying the reforms will give businesses a much needed boost and incentive to hire new workers. None of the health proposals are new but the Republicans hope they resonate with the national debate that will be taking place at the same time.
Tarr and House Minority Leader Bradley H. Jones, Jr. both expressed hope that their ideas would gain bipartisan support in the days to come. “We are putting this package up today for public review and for our colleagues to be able to see it,” Tarr said, “We are not trying to monopolize this debate or this conversation … and so we won’t be filing the final version of this legislation or a couple of weeks.”
Patrick, when asked about the suggestion that Democrats hadn’t been doing enough to address this issue, said, “It’s hardly the case we’ve been standing still.”
Patrick pointed out that Massachusetts is among the nation’s leaders in job creation. “That’s not by accident,” he said, but claims he will be happy to review the Republican proposals.