Record of Reform

Since first being elected to the Massachusetts Senate, and in her role as President of the Senate, Senator Therese Murray has worked to ensure that Massachusetts runs as efficiently and effectively as possible. These efforts include:

Improving Business Climate in Massachusetts
Recognizing the need to attract new business and expand existing companies in order to bring more jobs to Massachusetts, Senator Murray authored legislation that would dramatically re-structure the current economic development model in Massachusetts. By streamlining competing public and quasi-public agencies and authorities, the goal is to develop a cohesive, business-friendly approach to helping businesses establish and grow in the Commonwealth.

Reforming Health Care in Massachusetts
Setting up Massachusetts to be a trailblazer in the nation, Senator Murray was one of the negotiators that wrote the Massachusetts Health Care Reform law. With nearly 98 percent of Massachusetts residents now covered, Murray as President of the Senate took the initiative to author the second phase of health care reform in order to improve access and control costs for Massachusetts residents.  This second phase holds insurance companies accountable for their increases and has mandated a more efficient electronic medical records system statewide which has allowed the Commonwealth to leverage millions in Federal Recovery Act funds.

Streamlining Massachusetts’ Transportation System
Coining the phrase “Reform Before Revenue,” Murray lead the effort to find efficiencies and eliminate redundancies in the Commonwealth’s transportation system and save Massachusetts’ taxpayers’ money.  The law dissolved the Turnpike Authority and consolidated multiple agencies into a new, independent authority saving $6.5 billion over 20 years.

Reforming Pensions
Senator Murray lead the Massachusetts Senate in passing pension reform legislation that closed loopholes and eliminated common abuses in the Commonwealth’s pension system, with changes applying to both current and future employees.

Restoring Public Trust
As one of the three leaders in the Commonwealth, Senator Murray worked with her colleagues to pass ethics reform legislation to strengthen ethics, lobbying and campaign finance laws, making them among the strongest in the nation.

Improving Mental Health Coverage
Noting that overall well-being is not just ensuring physical health, Senator Murray as Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Insurance fought to pass the Mental Health Parity Act.  The law ensures that Massachusetts residents are able to take care of both their physical and mental health under the state’s MassHealth system.

Overhauling Massachusetts Welfare System
As the Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Human Services, Senator Murray spearheaded the drive to reform our Welfare System in order to stop the cycle of abuse of the system and encourage residents to get back on their feet and become self sufficient.