Mass. supplemental budget will pay for contractors, transit

BOSTON – Gov. Deval Patrick’s administration last week approved an $89 million supplemental budget bill that provides funding to pay snow and ice contractors across Massachusetts helps expedite the registration of sex offenders and aims to address a shortfall facing regional transit authorities.
Signed by Lt. Gov. Timothy Murray, the bill includes $67.5 million to pay for snow and ice removal costs at the Mass. Highway Department and the Department of Conservation and Recreation. According to a statement from Patrick’s office, increased costs for fuel and salt and a snowier-than-normal winter contributed to the additional costs incurred by the state and by contractors.
The supplemental-budget also includes $355,000 for the Sex Offender Registry Board, which will use the money to classify incarcerated sex offenders before they complete their sentences.
The funding package also includes an additional $6 million for the state’s regional transit authorities. &#8226