And that revenue is making a real difference. Over the past two and a half years, the state Legislature has approved more than $6 billion in Fair Share investments that are helping to deliver two of the most important resources for Massachusetts businesses: a well-educated workforce and a reliable transportation system.
From the cradle to career, investments from the millionaires tax are key to growing and supporting the workforce our businesses depend on.
Thanks to Fair Share funding to expand the number of public pre-K classrooms in cities and towns across the state, thousands of parents can now afford to stay in the workforce after their children are born.
Kids can’t learn if they’re hungry. So Fair Share is funding in-school breakfast and lunch for every child in the state, helping them succeed in school and start off on a path to long-term success. The millionaires tax is supporting school building improvements across the state, enabling more vocational programs to train the next generation of workers in high-demand careers. And it’s delivered significant funding to every school district in the state, ensuring that schools have more of the resources they need to educate our future workforce.
Once students graduate, Fair Share is funding free community college and expanded financial aid for low- and middle-income students at UMass and our other state universities. As a result, public college enrollment has increased for the first time in a decade. That means thousands of additional students who are preparing for good jobs with local employers.
And when our graduates enter the workforce, Fair Share funding is delivering a transportation system they can count on to get to and from work. It’s the key funding mechanism in Gov. Healey’s plan to repair the MBTA after decades of disinvestment, which has resulted in the elimination of subway slow zones, trains that are moving faster, and the hiring of more bus drivers to expand service.
In other parts of the state, the state’s regional transit authorities are using Fair Share funding to expand their service hours, add weekend service, create new bus routes, and make buses free. And hundreds of millions of dollars have gone into repairing roads and bridges across the state, ensuring that drivers can get to work on time.
Now, it’s true that Massachusetts faces a migration problem. But it’s not multi-millionaires who are hiring U-Hauls and leaving the state; it’s low- and middle-income workers who can’t afford the high cost of living in Massachusetts.
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