Energy and environment workforce issues were top of mind Friday for Sen. Michael Barrett, who chaired the hearing for the Senate and encouraged his colleagues to probe Baker administration officials for more information on their plans to address them.
“How are we going to staff adequately everything from the regional transportation authorities’ bus drivers rosters to important jobs involved in the climate transition at a time when every entity public and private seems to be lacking for adequate person power?” Barrett asked rhetorically.
Barrett also highlighted the fact that Baker’s budget plan, if adopted, would be in place when a new governor takes office early next year and asked Theoharides and other officials to be blunt “with respect to the things that will need to be done next.”
“This is a rich budget in every sense of the word, which also means that there’s more uncertainty than there would ordinarily be,” he said. “There’s going to be a break in terms of continuity and we want to make sure that the Legislature serves to bridge the transition in the executive branch.”
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