Despite budget delay, lawmakers see opportunities aheadDate: 8/23/2023 On Aug. 9, Gov. Maura Healey signed the fiscal year 2024 state budget, totaling $55.98 billion. In a year that saw a delay in finalizing the budget, lawmakers say they are focusing on constituent needs and opportunities.
In Massachusetts, the governor is required to propose a budget by the fourth Wednesday in January. In an average year, the House proposes amendments to the budget in March and April and it is sent to the Senate by May. Any discrepancies between the Senate and House versions are reconciled and the governor usually signs the budget into law in July.
“The budgets are usually 80% similar,” said State Rep. Brian Ashe (D-Longmeadow). “This year, there were some sticking points.” While he did not say what those sticking points were, he did say leadership in the state House and Senate had a “difference of opinion.”
State Sen. Adam Gomez (D-Springfield) said the budget took longer than usual because “Leadership was trying to get priorities into the budget,” such as health care and housing. Meanwhile, “the governor has her strategies for sustainability” that she wanted to be included in the legislation, he said. In the end, he said, Healey “vetoed some investments” that he had hoped to include for FY24.
“There’s a lot of need in the Hampden District,” Gomez said, referring to his constituents. He highlighted the importance of violence prevention programs that “give young people opportunities to train for the workforce and education” as critical needs in Springfield, which has seen an uptick in gun violence and crime this year. Gomez also said financial investments made to the area must “reach the ground.”
State Rep. Angelo Puppolo (D-Springfield) said, “There was a lot of nuances, a lot of details that had to be ironed out. I think there was some issues with areas of funding, but also some tax issues,” which he said would be handled in a standalone bill.
He assured, “We’ve passed temporary budgets all along, so we were never in danger of shutting down like you see at the national level.”
Ashe reflected, “At the end of the day, I don’t think there was too much negative impact,” to having the budget come out later than usual. “The preliminary budgets are a pretty good rough draft.”
Puppolo said after all areas of dispute were reconciled, “By and large, we came out with a very efficient budget. There wasn’t many line items or earmarks that the governor vetoed.”
State Sen. John Velis (D-Westfield) was also pleased with the final budget.
“While the large amount of spending and policy differences between the Senate and the House led to a longer conference committee negotiation, the final budget makes truly transformative investments in our commonwealth,” he said. “From investing in our education and transportation systems, to supporting our workforce and local economies, this final budget responds to the pressing challenges our state is facing while providing a groundbreaking $1.27 billion in Unrestricted General Government Aid to support municipalities directly.”
Funding from the Fair Share Amendment, an increased tax on income over $1 million that passed in 2022, is funding some initiatives in the budget, such as access to early education and childcare slots for income-eligible families, guaranteed access to free lunch for students and financial aid expansions for higher education. Funding from this source will also preserve highway bridge infrastructure, improve accessibility at Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority stations and initiate means tested MBTA fares, and increase rural connectivity for regional transit authorities.
The budget includes funding for rental vouchers, alternative housing vouchers, the Emergency Assistance Family Shelter program and eviction protections, and behavioral healthcare and veterans service programs. There are also initiatives for workforce development, small business grants and downtown revitalization.
Now that the budget has been passed, Velis said, “I am committed to continuing our work to expand access to behavioral healthcare, championing the needs of our veterans and service members, fighting to deliver important tax relief, and most of all, representing our community on Beacon Hill.”
Ashe said his priorities remain the same and he will continue focusing on seniors and small businesses, particularly, “finding a healthy balance between sufficient wages and not crippling our small businesses.” Meanwhile, Puppolo pointed to suicide prevention and estate taxes as areas that he plans to tackle in the session ahead.
Gomez said, “We have the whole year to get progress on our legislative agenda.”
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