State Budget

Budget Update, November 2011

The Senate recently approved a $52 million supplemental budget to address shelter assistance funding, storm costs and bed holds for nursing home residents.  The spending plan provides assistance to some of the Commonwealth’s neediest residents and protection to key programs.

The legislation changed the date of the 2012 state primary election to September 6 to avoid a conflict with Rosh Hashanah, and ensures that troops voting from overseas are able to have their votes counted.  The Senate has ensured that MassHealth will continue a program that allows nursing home residents to return to their own bed after short leaves for medical treatment or other reasons.  

$10 million has been allocated to assist with storm cleanup after the rare snowstorm on October 29^th.   

$38 million was added to the HomeBASE housing assistance program, which has faced a funding shortage due to high demands.  The program is designed to provide permanent housing to families who are homeless rather than going into a family shelter or motel. 

The plan includes $10 million in advanced funding for the Low Income Housing Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP), a federal program to help low- income families and individuals pay to heat their homes.  $308,000 was included in the supplemental budget for the Department of Veterans Services, along with $800,000 for disability access to the State House.

Budget Update, October 2011

Governor Patrick released a supplemental budget in August that included funding for job creation and storm relief efforts.  A portion of the $300 million in surplus funds will be put back into the state’s rainy day fund, bringing the balance of the fund to around $1 billion.  This will ensure that reserves are available to support critical state programs and services, should the Commonwealth face fiscal challenges in the future. 

In the district, $1.5 million was allocated for public infrastructure improvements at Northwest Park in the town of Burlington. The Northwest Park is part of Growth District Initiative, a program of the Patrick Administration and the Office of Housing and Economic Development.  This initiative focuses on supporting and streamlining new residential and commercial development throughout the state as a way to spur economic growth and development.

The supplemental budget included funding for summer employment opportunities for at-risk youth across the state. Investments were also made in workforce training for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) initiatives, adult basic education and English as a second language programs.  I was pleased to see money appropriated for workforce development as I have been advocating for funding STEM job training and healthcare workforce training, which also received money in the supplemental budget. 

Surplus funds will also be used to address cuts in health and human service programs that impact the state’s most vulnerable populations. The bill restored $8.2 million for the Department of Transitional Assistance to fund the clothing allowance provided to low-income families receiving temporary assistance.  It supports programs for at-risk children, and other public health functions.    

It is important to note that the Commonwealth has lost over $1.75 billion in federal funding this year, and was faced with the incredibly difficult task of balancing the state budget without these funds.  Revenue has been forecasted to improve over the next few months, and I will continue to advocate funding some of the Commonwealth’s most critical human service programs.  For example, I support raising funding levels to programs including Respite and Intensive Family Support Services, the oversight of proper hazardous waste disposal, service coordination and administration for the Department of Developmental Services, and the Hinton State Laboratory. 

July FY 2012 Budget Update

Governor Deval Patrick signed the Fiscal Year 2012 budget for the Commonwealth on Monday, July 11, 2011, The FY2012 budget closes a $1.9 billion budget gap, does not include new taxes, and reduces the amount of money withdrawn from the Stabilization Fund by $15 million. 

This budget has been balanced through deep cuts to state programs. These include very important programs like hazardous waste disposal oversight, which would assure that toxic waste sites are cleaned safely and honestly.  Funding was cut for the Hinton State Laboratory, which is responsible for responding to public health emergencies and the identification and control of tuberculosis, botulism, mosquito-borne diseases, rabies, and other diseases.  Senator Donnelly filed amendments to increase funding to these two important programs, but they were ultimately rejected by the Senate.

The Senate budget worked to balance the two somewhat opposing tasks of cutting costs while maintaining essential services that our residents rely on. Some programs that serve our neediest citizens were restored or even saw a very slight increase, which the Senator supported. 

Many constituents contacted Senator Donnelly in support of the Senate version of the Municipal Health Care Proposal.  The bill, as amended by the Governor, provides protections for retirees and heavy users of health care services while giving cities and towns tools to slow their rising cost of health insurance.  The amendments put back important clarifications and protections that were included in the Senate language.

While there are protections in place and a greater share of the savings will go toward mitigating the increase in co-pays, deductibles, and other cost sharing options for subscribers, it is still a cost shift.  The Senate must do the hard work of reining in health care costs so health care is both accessible and affordable.  The Senate is committed to taking on this important issue, and Senator Donnelly hopes that you will share any thoughts you have on ways to reach this goal.

Protecting retirees and heavy users of health services as part of Municipal Healthcare Reform was one of Senator Donnelly’s major priorities; however there were a number of other areas in the budget that were of concern as well.  Senator Donnelly paid particular attention to the following:

• SPED circuit breaker:  $213 million for special education circuit breaker funding, an increase of $80 million over FY11 funding levels.  The SPED circuit breaker provides funding to school districts that need assistance in paying for special education programs. 
• Mental Health In-Patient Beds:  Full funding of $146.7 million for the state’s inpatient mental health beds, club houses and mental health community services.  The Governor and the House initially proposed cutting this fund by $18 million, which would have eliminated 160 in- patient treatment beds.  There was no alternative placement for patients that need these beds; the full funding of this account has prevented the displacement of patients. 
• Early Intervention Program:  Full funding of $31 million for the Early Intervention program that addresses developmental delays in children up to the age of 3.  The Senate voted to fully fund this account, which reflects an increase of $8 million more than what the House and the Governor proposed. 
• Elder Home Services:  $97.79 million to fund elder home care services, which provides elders with respite and other services, and allows them to stay in the comfort of their homes.  This funding also ensures that elders aren’t placed on waiting lists for services for extensive periods, and saves money by keeping them out of nursing homes. 
• Adult Day Health Services:  $2.5 billion for Adult Day Health Services, which helps to meet the physical, social, and functional needs of elderly and adult disabled persons. 

Senator Donnelly also filed an amendment to the budget that would have increased funding to the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund, but the amendment was rejected.  This fund provides the primary source of funding for the “Middle Skills” bill that Senator Donnelly sponsored, which would promote and support activities and programs for people that seek jobs that require more than a high school diploma, but less than a 4-year college degree.  Senator Donnelly will continue to work with my colleagues to secure funding for the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund, as well as for hazardous waste disposal oversight and the Hinton State Laboratory.

The FY2012 budget ends the year with a stabilization fund balance that exceeds $800 million, an amount greater than the stabilization fund balance entering FY11.  The budget plan also marks the smallest year-to-year spending increase in the past decade, creating a spending plan based on transparency, accountability, and performance.

Legislators had to balance a budget without $1.5 billion in federal stimulus relief funding this year, and were faced with resolving the most difficult budget since the economy collapsed in 2008.  The Senate worked to preserve services for the neediest citizens in the Commonwealth, while targeting programs aimed to provide financial assistance to education initiatives, municipalities and families.