Senate President Murray's speech

Reverend Father Parish, Reverend Gomes, members of the Senate, honored guests, family and friends.

I want to thank the members of this distinguished body for the faith you have shown in me with your vote today. As my friends and colleagues, I am humbled by your support.

Thank you, Senator Creedon, and, Senator Tucker, for your kind words - they are very much appreciated.

I cannot think of a greater honor than to be elected by my peers to follow my friend and mentor, Robert Travaglini, as President of the Massachusetts Senate.

Senator Travaglini and I entered the Senate together in 1993 from two very diverse districts, but we quickly formed a lasting friendship.

I thank him for his counsel and for the confidence he placed in me when I was named Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means.

Senator Travaglini has been an inspiration and friend to me, and I am honored to take his place in this chair. I wish him and his family the best in this new and exciting chapter in their lives.

I also want to thank you, my colleagues, for your trust and support during my tenure at the Ways and Means Committee. The level of openness and cooperation that we have developed over the past four years made my job as chairwoman that much easier.

This is also true of the relationship with our counterparts in the House of Representatives.

Representative John Rogers was a great help to me when I first became chair, and that spirit of cooperation and friendship has continued with Chairman Robert DeLeo and Speaker Sal DiMasi, for whom I have great respect.

I have enjoyed working with both gentlemen over the past two years and I look forward to a hearty and spirited discourse with our friends in the House over the next two years.

The Senate and House have already demonstrated what we can achieve working side by side. With the election of Governor Deval Patrick, I believe there are even greater accomplishments yet to come. Let's work together with him to make this Commonwealth strong.

The bond that binds all three branches in our work is the best interests of the people of Massachusetts. That will continue to be the litmus test I use for every decision I make as Senate President.

I also pledge to you that the open and empowering atmosphere created by President Travaglini will continue. I will look to members of this body for advice and counsel, and expect input from each of you during the transition period and beyond.

We are all in this together and no idea will be discounted as we conduct the business of the Commonwealth.

Thank you as well to the voters of the Plymouth and Barnstable Senate District for the support you have given me over the past fifteen years. When I began my campaign in 1992 we weren't sure we would succeed, but you placed your faith in me.

Never did I imagine that I would ascend to the presidency of the Massachusetts Senate. My path to this day was made easier through your support, and I pledge to continue to earn that support every day.

There are many others that I would like to acknowledge who have assisted me over the years - including my current and former staff - but in the interest of time I can not name them all.

However, I would like to recognize two women, Attorney General Martha Coakley (who can not be with us today) and Boston City Council President Maureen Feeney.

I am extremely proud of both of these fine women and their accomplishments (and of course, Council President Feeney is a Dorchester girl.).

I mention them because when I first entered the Senate, there were only four women in this body and, women in elected positions were few and far between. The election of the three of us demonstrates that in 2007, gender is no longer an issue when choosing government leaders.

Those who know me know that my family and friends are the center of my universe, my core, my value barometer. My family has shaped who I am and the priorities I have set.

The unwavering support of my daughter, Lauren, who had to grow up with a Type A Mother, my sisters, Eileen, Kathleen, Rita and Ginger, our adopted sister, Sue, my brothers in law, Michael and Bill, all of whom do not always agree with me politically, my nieces, nephews and cousins who are here today, my friends, those who I grew up with (the Dorchester contingent), those who I have shared my adult life with in Plymouth, they are my Plymouth rock.

Growing up in Mission Hill and Dorchester with my sisters, my parents set the example of the benefits of hard work. My mother worked full time when women were not typically out of the home and in the work force and my father sometimes worked three jobs at once.

We all obtained our work permits at the age of fourteen and were more than happy to contribute to help support our family. I will continue to carry this work ethic that was instilled in us into the presidency of the Senate.

Five years ago, when I took over as Chairwoman of Ways & Means, we were facing a fiscal crisis.

Today, we are once again facing a budget deficit that must balance the needs of Commonwealth with the priorities set by this body. Working together, we will face the challenges confronting us in Education, Health Care, Job Creation, Energy, Stem Cell Research, and Housing.

None of these issues can be dealt with in a singular fashion because they all affect the future of our state.

The Senate has traditionally taken the lead in education and we will continue to do so by making sure that quality, affordable education is available from pre-kindergarten through college.

And, like education, there is a direct correlation between the success of our economy and housing. We can not keep and attract an educated work force without affordable housing.

Innovative programs such as 40R and 40T will allow our citizens to live and work in the communities where they grew up but we have to do much more, and working with the House of Representatives and the Administration, we will do more.

This body has also demonstrated its ability to find innovative solutions by working to make Massachusetts the first state in the nation to pass meaningful health care reform.

With the passage of this law, we have again become the catalyst for change by making a commitment that every resident will have access to affordable health care.

I realize that there will be bumps in the road as this historic plan is implemented, but I also know that the Senate-under the leadership of Senator Moore-is determined to see it through and our determination will not waiver in this regard.

As one of the world's centers for medicine, Massachusetts is the rightful place for cutting edge, ethical biomedical research. I believe that we need to advance the promotion of stem cell and biomedical research in a responsible, ethical way which will expand the industry within our state, create new jobs, and enhance our competitiveness with other states. As we focus on health care and the need to bring new industry to the Commonwealth, we must not forget the businesses and industries that are already here, providing jobs to our citizens.

We need to lessen the burden on small businesses and market their products and this state across the country and around the world.

Massachusetts was founded on the agriculture and fishing industries. However, these traditional industries have been hit particularly hard in recent years. As a result of ever-increasing federal regulations and escalating costs, both of these industries are slowly being squeezed out of existence. Our farmers need support and our fishing families need help.

Many of my constituents are part of families who have been farming and fishing for many generations. We need to find solutions before overdevelopment and overregulation drive them out of business forever or into dangerous waters where they put their lives at risk.

Their plight, like the plight of so many others is what first steered me to public service and this body.

Whether it is the single mom working two jobs to make ends meet...

a senior citizen worrying about the choice of paying for food or prescription drugs..

veterans of all ages who deserve the services necessary to aid them in remaining integral members of our society..

or the family with a sick child who can turn to the Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund so they don't have to sell their house to pay for medical treatment.

These are the people we have pledged to serve and they all have a voice that must be heard. And we will do so, with the understanding that we must always be mindful of the fiscal health of this great Commonwealth.

I am proud of what we have been able to accomplish together as colleagues and I look forward to working with each and every one of you as your president.

Thank you very much for the trust you have placed in me today. Let's get to work!