Tuesday, June 3, 2025
Chair Comerford, Chair Rogers, and Members of the Joint Committee on Higher Education:
My name is Jonathan Cohn, and I am the Policy Director of Progressive Massachusetts, a statewide grassroots advocacy group committed to fighting for an equitable, just, democratic, and sustainable Commonwealth.
We urge you to give a favorable report to H.1426/S.949: An Act to Provide Green and Healthy Public Colleges and Universities and Address Their Deferred Maintenance Needs.
Our state has created strong climate goals, and we must continue to work to meet and strengthen these goals. As we do so, making our publicly owned buildings a model for sustainability is key.
Establishing strong standards and requirements for energy efficiency, indoor air quality, and energy systems on our public campuses benefits the students, faculty, and staff who have healthier learning environments. It benefits our climate and environment. And just as importantly, it has major spillover effects to the industry itself: when the state sets standards, it spurs innovation and generates demand. By taking such action, the Commonwealth becomes both exemplar and spark.
To ensure that our students, faculty, and staff have the buildings they deserve, the Commonwealth needs to provide greater resources. Such capital expenditures can be difficult from the perspective of campus finances and debt management, but not nearly so from the perspective of the Commonwealth. Our Commonwealth needs to provide funding for such renovations and investments so that green, healthy, world-class facilities on all campuses do not mean higher tuition and fees for students, and thus more student loan debt and lost opportunities.
The Legislature has shown an impressive commitment to public higher education in recent sessions, especially through targeted Fair Share investments. Passing these bills will build upon that progress and strengthen our commitment to public higher education and the essential role it plays.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Cohn
Policy Director
Progressive Massachusetts
