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HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3090 FILED ON: 1/16/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 3316
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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PRESENTED BY:
Carol A. Doherty
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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:
The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
An Act to promote budget transparency and the public’s right to know.
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PETITION OF:
NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Carol A. Doherty3rd Bristol1/16/2025James K. Hawkins2nd Bristol2/11/2025 1 of 2
HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3090 FILED ON: 1/16/2025
HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 3316
By Representative Doherty of Taunton, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 3316) of
Carol A. Doherty and James K. Hawkins that the website of the Secretary of the Commonwealth
contain the total amount of income tax paid by residents of the Commonwealth to the federal
government and the percent of those dollars appropriated for certain discretionary spending.
State Administration and Regulatory Oversight.
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
(2025-2026)
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An Act to promote budget transparency and the public’s right to know.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
of the same, as follows:
1 Section 1. Chapter 10 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is
2hereby amended by adding the following new section:-
3 Section 79. The treasurer, in coordination with the Secretary of the Commonwealth, shall
4provide a short summary each year to be published on the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s
5website by March 15, which reports the total amount of income tax paid by Massachusetts
6residents to the federal government in the prior year, together with the percent of those dollars
7appropriated in the prior year’s congressional discretionary budget to housing, education,
8healthcare, public transit, biomedical research, veterans services, food stamps and assistance,
9environmental protection, and defense spending, including nuclear weapons. The summary shall
10include this information in the form of a pie chart or bar graph, and using the budget numbers
11reported by the federal Congressional Budget Office. The summary shall also include 2 of 2
12information noting that Medicare and Social Security programs are financed as trust funds and
13are not financed through income taxes.
14 The summary shall also include a report on the Commonwealth’s annual budget for the
15prior fiscal year. The report shall communicate the percent of the budget allocated to housing,
16education, healthcare, public transit, criminal justice, veterans services, food stamps and
17assistance, environmental protection, and conservation and recreation. The report shall also
18include the contribution of federal funds being returned to Massachusetts in those categories. The
19report shall include this information in the form of a pie chart or bar graph.
20 The information required under this section may be acquired from any nonpartisan, third-
21party organization that regularly compiles such data; provided further, there may be an
22agreement with such an organization to produce the report.