Massachusetts 2023-2024 Regular Session

Massachusetts House Bill H4935 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 4935
2	2	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
3	3	——————————————
4	4	SO MUCH OF THE MESSAGE
5	5	FROM
6	6	HER EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR
7	7	RETURNING THE GENERAL APPROPRIATION BILL
8	8	FOR FISCAL YEAR 2025
9	9	(SEE HOUSE, NO. 4800)
10	10	AS RELATES TO ATTACHMENTS B AND C,
11	11	FOR ITEMS AND SECTIONS RETURNED WITH REDUCTIONS OR
12	12	DISAPPROVALS
13	13	UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF
14	14	SECTION 5 OF ARTICLE LXIII
15	15	AND SECTIONS RETURNED WITH
16	16	RECOMMENDATIONS OF AMENDMENTS
17	17	UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF ARTICLE LVI
18	18	OF THE AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION.
19	19	——————
20	20	July 29, 2024.
21	21	————— 2 of 7
22	22	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 5281 FILED ON: 7/29/2024
23	23	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 4935
24	24	OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
25	25	COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS
26	26	STATE HOUSE · BOSTON, MA 02133
27	27	(617) 725-4000
28	28	MAURA T. HEALEY
29	29	GOVERNOR
30	30	KIMBERLEY DRISCOLL
31	31	LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR
32	32	July 29, 2024
33	33	To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives,
34	34	Pursuant to Section 5 of Article 63 of the Amendments to the Constitution, we are today signing
35	35	H4800 “An Act Making Appropriations for the Fiscal Year 2025 for the Maintenance of the
36	36	Departments, Boards, Commissions, Institutions, and Certain Activities of the Commonwealth,
37	37	for Interest, Sinking Fund, and Serial Bond Requirements, and for Certain Permanent
38	38	Improvements,” and returning certain portions to you for reconsideration.
39	39	This Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) budget is the second our administration has developed in
40	40	collaboration with the Legislature, and we are appreciative of the ongoing partnership as we
41	41	work together to advance our shared goals of making Massachusetts a more affordable, equitable
42	42	and competitive place to live, work and grow a business.
43	43	The budget we are signing today is a $57.78 billion spending plan for FY25 that reflects 3.1
44	44	percent growth over last fiscal year, including $1.3 billion of surtax spending, and keeps
45	45	spending in line with the rate of inflation. As we settle into a post-COVID economic landscape,
46	46	it is important that we continue to be fiscally responsible. This budget achieves that.
47	47	Importantly, we continue to invest in the programs and services that make a difference for our
48	48	residents, supporting our cities and towns and public schools, pushing to make child care more
49	49	affordable, investing in safe and reliable roads, bridges and public transit, protecting our
50	50	environment and guarding against the impacts of climate change.
51	51	This budget fully supports another year of implementation of the Student Opportunity Act and,
52	52	for the second year in a row, increases unrestricted local aid to municipalities by 3 percent. We
53	53	are investing in a new program called Literacy Launch to ensure that our schools are using best 3 of 7
54	54	practices to teach our young students how to read and that no one is falling behind. And we are
55	55	committing the funding necessary to provide universal school meals to all our students.
56	56	I am also proud to say this FY25 budget accounts for a full year of the historic tax cuts enacted
57	57	last year that have made a difference for families, renters, commuters, seniors and more as we
58	58	continue to work to make Massachusetts a more affordable place to live.
59	59	Our administration and the Legislature are leading the way nationally by continuing to support
60	60	$475 million in Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3) grants, making permanent this critical
61	61	program that provides a lifeline to child care providers. Massachusetts is the only state in the
62	62	nation to maintain funding for this vital program at the same level as when it was supported by
63	63	the federal government. And for the second straight year we have achieved a goal I set of making
64	64	sure that not less than 1 percent of the state budget is dedicated to our environment and the
65	65	Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs.
66	66	The FY25 budget we are signing today shows how we can continue to use new revenues
67	67	available through the voter-approved Fair Share tax law to make transformative investments in
68	68	education and transportation.
69	69	With this funding source, I am proud to sign into law an initiative that will make community
70	70	college free for all students, removing a barrier for residents looking to further their education
71	71	and train for careers in professions that will help our economy grow and thrive. This initiative
72	72	builds on the tremendous success of the MassReconnect program our administration launched
73	73	this fiscal year, which led to major increases in student enrollment at community colleges across
74	74	our system.
75	75	With Fair Share revenue, we are also investing in our higher education students, low-income fare
76	76	relief at the MBTA, doubling the state’s operating budget support to the T and wisely leveraging
77	77	$250 million to unlock more than $1 billion in borrowing over the next 10 years for
78	78	transportation infrastructure, including rail enhancements.
79	79	Over the past 12 months, we have seen the effects of climate change. Flooding has washed out
80	80	roads and damaged crops from western and central Massachusetts to the coasts. We successfully
81	81	secured some relief from the federal government and partnered with the House and Senate to
82	82	provide $15 million in supplemental aid to impacted cities and towns. But we know they need
83	83	continued support to recover, rebuild and become more resilient.
84	84	That’s why I am proud to be signing into law a new permanent Disaster Relief and Resiliency
85	85	Fund, setting us up to be able to provide communities with direct aid when the next storm or
86	86	natural event arrives. 4 of 7
87	87	I am also grateful to the Legislature for authorizing the closure of MCI Concord. This step
88	88	reflects the progress we have made in lowering incarceration rates and will enable us to support
89	89	the redevelopment of a property to benefit Concord and the surrounding communities.
90	90	These investments are possible because the state’s economy remains strong despite slow revenue
91	91	growth that we expect to continue into FY25. This budget relies on a consensus revenue estimate
92	92	for Fiscal Year 2025 of $40.202 billion, a 2 percent increase over adjusted Fiscal Year 2024
93	93	projected revenue, excluding surtax. It also conservatively budgets for $1.3 billion in Fair Share
94	94	tax revenue, and projects continued deposits into the state’s Stabilization Fund.
95	95	But we also know there is some uncertainty in the economy as we start FY25. Interest rates
96	96	reductions anticipated at the start of the year have not materialized and tax collections for FY24
97	97	have underperformed in some categories compared to our original expectations. Also, as is
98	98	usually the case, there will be some deficiencies which will require active management. It is our
99	99	responsibility to be good stewards of our resources and live within our means.
100	100	Therefore, I am vetoing approximately $317 million in gross spending across 59 line-items in
101	101	order to help ensure that we can deliver a balanced budget at the end of the fiscal year. Where
102	102	possible, we have worked diligently to identify alternative funding sources to shield against
103	103	impacts to services or keep spending in line with the budget recommendations we made in House
104	104	2. More details can be found in the attached line-item report.
105	105	I am pleased to be signing 258 of the 261 outside sections in the conference report. These include
106	106	sections authorizing the closure of MCI Concord, modernizing the promotional examination
107	107	process for uniformed members of the State Police, permitting individuals to amend their
108	108	marriage licenses and birth certificates to accurately reflect their gender identity, establishing a
109	109	special commission to review cost-of-living adjustments for members of the state employees’
110	110	retirement system and state teachers' retirement system, and legalizing online Lottery games.
111	111	Pursuant to Article LVI, as amended by Article XC, Section 3 of the Amendments to the
112	112	Constitution of the Commonwealth, we are returning Section 116 related to MassHealth annual
113	113	notifications and Sections 219 and 220 related to Cambridge Health Alliance supplemental
114	114	payments with recommendations for amendment.
115	115	Our reasons for doing so and the recommended amendments are set forth in separate letters that
116	116	are dated today and included with this message as Attachments A to C, inclusive. We are hopeful
117	117	the House and Senate will work with us to address the proposals returned with amendment so
118	118	that we can sign them in short order. 5 of 7
119	119	FY25 Budget Highlights:
120	120	Fair Share
121	121	$761.5 million for education:
122	122	o$93.5 million for Mass Educate to build upon the success of Mass Reconnect and
123	123	make community free for all
124	124	o$244 million for K-12 education, including $170 million to guarantee access to
125	125	free meals for students across the Commonwealth and $20 million for Literacy
126	126	Launch
127	127	o$278 million for early education and care, including $65 million for provider rates
128	128	and $175 million to help support C3 grants
129	129	o$239 million for higher education, including $80 million for MassGrant Plus
130	130	scholarships
131	131	$538.5 million for transportation:
132	132	o$250 million transfer to Commonwealth Transportation Fund to leverage over $1
133	133	billion in borrowing for transformative infrastructure investment
134	134	o$20 million for Fare Equity at the MBTA
135	135	o$110 million for regional transit grants and free fares
136	136	o$45 million in supplemental Chapter 90 funding for municipal roads and bridges
137	137	o$10 million for MBTA Hiring Academy and recruitment initiatives
138	138	Education and Local Aid
139	139	Fully funds the Student Opportunity Act with $6.86 billion in Chapter 70 funding, a 4
140	140	percent increase over FY24
141	141	Provides $475 million for Commonwealth Cares for Children (C3) grants to early-
142	142	education providers
143	143	A $104 increase in per pupil minimum aid
144	144	Funds a 3 percent increase to Unrestricted General Government Aid
145	145	$15 million for early educator scholarships and loan forgiveness
146	146	$39 million for local and regional library aid
147	147	Housing and Homelessness
148	148	$326 million in Emergency Assistance to contribute to the state’s ongoing shelter
149	149	response
150	150	$219.2 million for the Massachusetts Rental Voucher program for low-income tenants
151	151	$57.3 million for HomeBASE to connect EA-eligible families with more permanent
152	152	housing opportunities
153	153	Economic Development
154	154	$7.5 million for the Community Empowerment and Reinvestment Grant Program
155	155	$7.6 million for the Small Business Technical Assistance program
156	156	$3.7 million for the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism 6 of 7
157	157	$600,000 for the Massachusetts Downtown Initiative for municipalities looking to
158	158	revitalize their downtowns
159	159	Health and Human Services
160	160	Fully funds the Chapter 257 rate reserve for human service providers at $390 million
161	161	Expands Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children and Emergency Aid to
162	162	the Elderly Disabled and Children through a 10 percent benefit increase to $496 million
163	163	and $183 million, respectively
164	164	$124.1 million for the Department of Developmental Services Turning 22 Program
165	165	$40.0 million to increase base rates for nursing facility providers
166	166	$14.7 million for maternal health services, including a new $1.0 million investment for a
167	167	doula certification program at the Department of Public Health
168	168	$5.5 million for Children’s Advocacy Centers, a $550 thousand increase over FY24
169	169	$2.0 million to fully support the Massachusetts Youth Diversion Program at the
170	170	Department of Youth Services
171	171	Workforce Development
172	172	Provides $15.9 million for Summer Jobs Program for At-Risk Youth (Youthworks) to
173	173	subsidize wages and facilitate career development for at-risk youth
174	174	Provides $9.6 million for Career Technical Institutes
175	175	Includes $3.3 million for the Registered Apprenticeship Program to fund approximately
176	176	1,000 placements
177	177	$8.9 million for MassHire Career Centers to provide regional workforce training and
178	178	employee placement services across 29 locations
179	179	Serving Our Veterans
180	180	Funds the Veterans’ Services at $193.5 million, an 11 percent, increase from FY24 GAA
181	181	Provides historic levels of support for the Chelsea and Holyoke Soldiers’ Homes with a
182	182	combined $87.4 million
183	183	Energy and the Environment
184	184	Appropriates 1 percent of total FY25 GAA spending to the Executive Office of Energy
185	185	and Environmental Affairs, which includes:
186	186	$10 million for Food Security Infrastructure Grants
187	187	$20 million for the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center to support wind technology,
188	188	clean homes, and workforce training programs in the clean energy industry
189	189	$8.7 for environmental justice million for a decarbonization clearinghouse for energy
190	190	efficiency, electrification, and storage
191	191	$42.3 million for emergency food assistance
192	192	$14 million in consolidate net surplus to support new Disaster Relief and Resiliency Fund 7 of 7
193	193	Criminal Justice and Public Safety
194	194	$16 million in savings through the closure of MCI Concord
195	195	$5.3 million for Non-profit Security Grants
196	196	$13.3 million for gang prevention grants
197	197	Technology and Cybersecurity
198	198	Codifies the Digital Accessibility and Equity Governance Board, and the position of
199	199	Chief IT Accessibility Officer (CIAO)
200	200	$4.2 million for technology modernization and hardware maintenance contracts
201	201	$700,000 for advanced threat protection software and other upgrades
202	202	I once again thank the Legislature for its ongoing partnership and working with us to deliver a
203	203	responsible and impactful FY25 budget that will deliver for the people of the Massachusetts.
204	204	Respectfully Submitted,
205	205
206	206	Maura T. Healey Kimberley Driscoll
207	207	Governor Lieutenant Governor