×
Friday, May 1, 2026

Maura Healey says affordability is about more than minimum wage - Boston.com

Massachusetts has one of the highest minimum wages in the country, but it’s still not enough for a living wage.

On Wednesday, newly appointed Gov. Maura Healey was noncommittal on if she’d look to raise it any time soon. Instead, she hinted during her appearance on “Radio Boston” that she’s going to focus on other factors to make living more affordable in the state.

When asked whether she might be looking to increase the minimum wage, the governor did not directly state whether it was in her plans.

“When you talk about affordability, certainly wage and minimum wage is important, but it’s also important to look at what are we doing around food security, what are we doing around housing, what are we doing to drive down the cost of child care,” she said.

She then mentioned legislation she will introduce that aims to create a secretary of housing to focus, in part, on affordable housing around the state. The governor added that her tax proposal, which she also discussed, will encompass affordability.

“I am very much focused on what we have in terms of revenue, what we have in anticipated revenue, and what I can do in support through my proposed budget,” Healey said.

The state currently holds the fourth-highest minimum wage in the country at $15 per hour. It just started at that this year, meeting the goal set five years ago by former Gov. Charlie Baker’s “grand bargain” bill.

Baker’s bill, which passed into law in 2018, set out to raise the minimum wage from $11 to $15.

While...



Read Full Story: https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMiSmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmJvc3Rvbi5jb20vbmV3...