Senator Liz Miranda ( 2nd Suffolk District) is pleased with what she has been able to achieve in the Commonwealth’s FY2024 budget, recently signed by the Governor. Over $2.4 million will directly impact the 2nd Suffolk district, its businesses and residents.
Maternal health equity, an area of focus for Senator Miranda’s for some time, will be benefited through funding for the new freestanding Neighborhood Birth Center in Nubian Square in Roxbury, serving five neighborhoods in the District. Such centers are being established to help mitigate the significant racial inequality in maternal health, by providing high quality maternal health care, including comprehensive midwife care through pregnancy, birthing and so critically through post partum. Funding for the Birth Center has been sourced through complementary public funding, spearheaded by Senator Miranda, as well as through private not-for-profit outreach.
Another funding success that Senator Miranda is particularly excited about focuses on education, and in particular technical vocational education designed to serve the fast-growing clean energy economy. $500,000 was included in the budget for Independent Vocational Technical School assistance for diverse candidates in this emerging field. Supported by the local unions and PowerCorpsBos, the City of Boston’s education initiative for the green sector, as well as from for profit corporations, this scholarship program will be important to the 2nd District, in conjunction with the move to Harrison Avenue in Roxbury of the Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology, now known as Franklin Cummings Tech. Among the Institute’s academic areas, fresh initiatives such as Building Energy Management programs are now offered. The institution’s move to the neighborhood, combined with the financial assistance, should provide a much-needed high quality and relevant educational resource for 2nd District constituents.
Despite Senator Miranda’s FY 2024 budget successes, she is already focused on the next year’s budget, where not only will she be trying to ensure multi-year support for current initiatives, but also working on additional programs to benefit her District.