I am glad to once again have the opportunity to give a review of business at the State House for Stockbridge Updates. The legislative session has been in full swing these past couple of months as committees have reported out bills, the Senate and House have passed many items into law, and the budget season kicked into high gear.
The Massachusetts fiscal year begins on July 1st and each year a long and deliberative process to get a budget in place starts more than six months earlier. Revenue figures to build the budget against are decided the previous December, and in Massachusetts our budget must be balanced, so those revenue numbers are extremely important. The Governor files an initial budget proposal in late January which is sent to the legislature and the 160 Representatives, and 40 Senators get to work listening to constituents, holding public hearings all over the state, and analyzing the hundreds of line items to see where our limited resources are best spent and prioritized.
The Senate Ways and Means Committee offers a Senate proposal in early May, which can be completely different from what the House debated in April, each Senator can offer amendments, and the full Senate meets to debate the budget over the course of May. The Senate budget came in at just under $58 billion and would leave $9 billion in stabilization reserves for the state, the highest amount in our history. Some highlights include $125 million in supplemental funding for roads and bridges, including $62.5 million dedicated specifically to rural communities like Stockbridge. Rural school aid was increased to $17.5 million and Chapter 70 school aid was increased to $6.9 billion. $170 million for universal school meals and $475 million for early education and childcare grant programs was also included. Over $1 billion in housing support and investments were offered as a preface to a multi-billion-dollar Housing Bill that is currently being debated in the legislature. Additionally, millions of dollars were secured for local and regional projects of importance to the Berkshires and our region. The full $58 billion budget and all the line items can be found online at www.malegislature.org if you want to learn more.
Please be in touch with questions on any state government issue. Our full contact information is at www.senatorpaulmark.com.
As always, thank you for the opportunity to be your voice in the Senate, Paul.
Editor’s Note: Be aware that many of the initiatives — Housing, Renewable Energy, and road repair — while laudable efforts — also remove control from local government and place it with the state. Decisions about where to build solar fields, permits to build ADUs, and specs for repairing rural dirt roads will be, entirely or at least in part, beyond local control.
