The Plan for Reform

The Governor's comprehensive plan will restructure and reform transportation in historic, fundamental ways.

The plan consolidates and radically simplifies the transportation bureaucracy. 

• The Turnpike Authority is abolished. 
• The Massachusetts Aeronautics Commission and Outdoor Advertising Board are abolished. 
• The MBTA Board is restructured and reduced in size.
• The simplified Department of Transportation under the authority of the Secretary of Transportation has four divisions:  Highway, Rail and Transit, Aviation and Port, and Registry of Motor Vehicles.
• The result is a streamlined, consolidated operation with approximately 300 fewer employees.

The restructured Department of Transportation includes fundamental reforms.

• Pension reform ends “23 and out” at MBTA and aligns its pension system with the state system.
• Turnpike and MBTA employees join the state health care system.
• MassHighway employees move off the capital budget and back onto regular payroll, freeing funds for road and bridge maintenance.
• All Transportation Finance Commission reform recommendations are enacted.
• Bidding processes are modernized and tort reform reduces costs.

The reform and restructuring cut costs, improve efficiency, and rebuild public confidence in the transportation system.  To read the legislation and learn more, visit the Reform & Renew web page.

Comments

[Rachel Happe]

I don't know a lot about the details of the state transportation management but I'm all for streamlining and what the heck were the Aeronautics Commission and Outdoor Advertising Board anyway?

Thanks for sharing information via a blog - appreciate getting more of a conversation going since I could use a little more education.

[Joe Andrews]

Legislating rather than negotiatiating fringe benefits through collective bargaining essentially ends the collectve bargaining process. The transit unions will only have one option: New York City like transit strikes. Very profitable for newspapers but devastating for the city and the state. Be careful for what you wish for.

[John Mc]

Why is it we have an Aeronautics Commission to begin with???

[mike]

this is unreal no state should be able to control pensions and health care through legislature it should be negotiated in collective bargaining