Gov. Maura Healey unveils 'Mass Leads' economic bill in Somerville to back life sciences, climate tech and applied AI

Governor Maura Healey announced the Mass Leads Act on Leap Day at Form Energy’s Somerville headquarters, pitching a multiyear economic development package aimed at strengthening life sciences, climate technology, applied artificial intelligence and workforce training across Massachusetts.

Healey said the proposal combines capital authorizations, targeted operating investments and tax incentives to help companies scale and to expand careers in every region of the state. "We just need to give it the love and the support to see it flourish," Healey said, calling the plan a chance for Massachusetts to "lead in this growing industry." She described the legislation as rooted in an "equity lens" and asserted it would create "good jobs and grow our economy."

The administration offered several fiscal and programmatic details during the announcement and follow-up questions. Healey said the package "may be upwards of $3.5 billion" and would be structured over a 10‑year horizon; she characterized the spending as capital authorizations rather than an operating budget. Secretary of Administration and Finance Matt Gorkowitz said the state has factored recent bond cap growth into planning and that the proposal blends new authorizations with reauthorizations of existing bond programs.

Yvonne Howe, secretary of economic development, described the planning process behind the bill, saying the administration held nine regional sessions and multiple sector deep dives and produced a plan titled "Team Massachusetts Leading Future Generations" that the bill is intended to implement. "This only becomes meaningful for our state if we convert it into a bill," Howe said, and she emphasized metrics and dashboards the administration plans to use to track outcomes.

Healey and other officials framed climate technology and life sciences as complementary priorities. The governor cited Massachusetts’ research institutions and incubators such as Greentown Labs and said the state is already home to a large clean‑energy workforce. "If we want to take on climate change, we have to invest in our innovators," Healey said. The governor also tied life sciences reauthorization to public health goals, saying past efforts attracted private investment and helped the commonwealth win federal initiatives such as ARPA‑H.

Industry leaders who spoke at the event framed the bill as responsive to companies’ needs. Ted Wiley, cofounder and chief operating officer of Form Energy, said the company is expanding manufacturing in Somerville and welcomed deployment supports in the proposal: "We are finishing putting the finishing touches on the building, and we'll be starting manufacturing in the summer of this year," Wiley said. Julie Kim of Takeda highlighted rare disease work and said the company supports life sciences investments that help diversify and expand the industry.

Officials also described an "applied AI" strand of work. Healey said she signed an executive order creating a strategic committee and a 25‑member task force to produce recommendations on applying AI to sectors such as health care, transportation and education; the administration said the task force will report in about six months and that funding details for an applied AI hub are "part of the bill" but still being finalized.

Questions from the audience focused on scale and incentives. On whether the climate tech component is meant to retain manufacturing, Healey said the administration wants to keep companies and expand opportunities for lab‑to‑fab models—while acknowledging that utilities and infrastructure are key constraints. Officials repeatedly framed investments as aimed at creating regional jobs and training pathways, including roles that do not require a college degree.

The administration said it will file the bill with the Legislature and work with legislative partners to refine and advance the package. No formal legislative action or vote occurred at the event.

The event was hosted at Form Energy’s new Somerville site and brought together state officials, industry leaders and business partners for presentations and a brief question‑and‑answer session. The administration said more granular spending amounts for specific programs, including an applied AI hub, will be released as the bill is filed and negotiated with the Legislature.