Mass. legislators approve $38.1B budget for fiscal ’16

MASSACHUSETTS STATE SENATE PRESIDENT Stanley C. Rosenberg said the fiscal 2016 state budget ensures taxpayers won't be left on the hook for funding  the Olympics if the games do come to Boston in 2024. / COURTESY MASS.GOV
MASSACHUSETTS STATE SENATE PRESIDENT Stanley C. Rosenberg said the fiscal 2016 state budget ensures taxpayers won't be left on the hook for funding the Olympics if the games do come to Boston in 2024. / COURTESY MASS.GOV

BOSTON – Legislators on Wednesday approved a $38.1 billion state budget for fiscal 2016 which they said emphasizes economic growth, support for residents most in need and reform of the state’s transportation system.
The spending plan also makes investments in local aid, education and human services, including a focus on behavioral health and substance abuse, according to a news release from the office of Senate President Stanley C. Rosenberg.
The budget now goes to the Gov. Charlie Baker for final approval.
The budget increases the earned income tax credit while maintaining a voter-mandated tax reduction and without implementing new taxes or fees. For low-to-moderate households, EITC will increase to 23 percent on Jan. 1.
“This year’s budget features a long-overdue increase of the earned income tax credit, and I’m thrilled we have taken this substantial step towards addressing income inequality by helping working families in Massachusetts,” Rosenberg, D-Amherst, said in a statement. “We’ve also ensured that taxpayers won’t be left on the hook for funding the Olympics, and MBTA riders won’t have to pick up the tab for T mismanagement. I want to commend Sen. [Karen] Spilka for a successful first budget which maintains our fiscal health, continues our economic growth and lifts all families.”
Spilka said the budget includes workforce training, as well as assistance for those struggling with opioid addiction and also helps people find stable housing solutions.
Included in the budget is a provision that protects taxpayer dollars from being spent on the 2024 Olympics, which also includes tax incentives for the games if they come to Massachusetts, according to the release. The provision requires Boston 2024 to formally request funding from the legislature for any specific project and make its case during a formal hearing.
The budget includes several reforms for the MBTA to ensure that the system does not have the shut downs and delays that were experienced this past winter, said Rep. Brian S. Dempsey, D-Haverhill.
The reforms are:

  • An MBTA fiscal management and control board within MassDOT that will have the power to implement measures to ensure financial, operational and managerial stability at the MBTA while operating within a unified state transportation network
  • An internal special audit unit within MassDOT to monitor quality, efficiency and integrity of the departments operating and capital programs
  • Streamlined accountability at the MBTA, including providing the secretary of transportation authority to appoint a general manager for the MBTA

The size of the MassDOT board also will be increased and the transportation secretary will chair it.
The budget includes the following measures to fight opioid addiction:

  • $3 million for new clinical stabilization beds to provide for treatment after detoxification
  • A municipal Naloxone bulk purchasing program to authorize the Department of Public Health to buy and distribute this intervention to first responders
  • A task force to study the feasibility of a prescription drug disposal program
  • $2.5 million to expand patient access to Vivitrol, a non-narcotic drug that blocks the effect of opiates or alcohol for a period of 30 days
  • $1.5 million to expand opioid prevention grants

The budget includes nearly $980 million to unrestricted general government aid, a $34 million increase from fiscal 2015, and $4.5 billion for Chapter 70 education funding. The spending plan fully funds Special Education Circuit Breaker to help districts meet the cost of educating students with disabilities, and provides $59 million to reimburse municipalities for regional school transportation costs.
The budget features $750,000 for the Community College Workforce Training Incentive Grant Program to expand vocationally-oriented course offerings and support the work of community colleges in developing the workforce.
Some of the other initiatives the budget provides funding for include $2 million for the Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership to address the shortfall of skilled workers. It also funds $2.2 million for the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund to train unemployed and low-wage workers for high-demand industries including health care, construction and education.

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