BOSTON— The Massachusetts Legislature today passed a $30.59 billion spending plan for fiscal year 2012. The budget reduces the state’s FY12 Stabilization Fund draw by $15 million and closes a $1.9 billion budget gap with funding reductions, ongoing revenue initiatives and one-time revenues.
Senator Sonia Chang-Díaz (D-Jamaica Plain) said that while painful cuts and negative policy changes remain in the final version of the budget, the document also includes many positive outcomes. She pointed to the examples of level funding or increased funding to several programs critical to the Second Suffolk District, as well as removal of eight of the nine anti-immigrant provisions approved in the Senate budget in May.
“This budget process created challenges—as well as victories,” she said. “Not surprisingly, given the difficult economic times and the absence of revenue, the Legislature was faced with the impossible decision of making cuts to effective programs doing good work. In addition, I was disappointed to see the final language regarding municipal health care, which I believe does not go far enough to protect vulnerable populations—such as our sickest workers and low-income retirees—or to give workers a fair voice in the process.
“However, the final budget also contained many bright spots for the Second Suffolk District. Throughout the budget process, my staff and I heard from hundreds of constituents as they advocated for programs important to their families and neighborhoods. And we did our best to listen and fight for their priorities, including speaking out for education and for youth violence prevention programs.”
Priorities for which Chang-Díaz’s office successfully fought included:
• $3.9B to State Aid for K-12 education (“Chapter 70” funding), $50M more than FY11 levels;
• $6.8M to State Aid to Public Libraries, equal to FY11 levels;
• $17.6M for the METCO program, equal to FY11 levels;
• $22.9M for Full-Day Kindergarten, equal to FY11 levels;
• $213M for Special Education Circuit Breaker funding, $80M more than FY11 levels;
• $5.5M for Shannon Anti-Gang Violence Grant programs, a $1M increase from FY11 levels;
• $3M for the Youth At Risk jobs program, retaining the increase of $1M that the Senate had passed for FY12 over the House level of $2M;
• $7.5M for the HIV Drug Assistance program, $6.5M more than FY11 levels;
• $100,000 for the GLBT Youth Commission, $50,000 more than FY11 levels;
• $7.5M for Head Start grants, equal to FY11 levels;
• $31.1M to Early Intervention Services, $6 million more than FY11 levels;
• $27.7M to Adult Basic Education, equal to FY11 levels;
• $4.7M for Family Health Services, equal to FY11 levels;
• $124.2M to Community Day and Work Programs for the Developmentally Disabled, $9M more than FY11 levels; and
• The removal of eight of the nine anti-immigrant provisions passed in the Senate budget.
House and Senate negotiators assigned to resolving differences between the branches’ versions of the budget were faced with the most difficult budget since the economy collapsed in 2008, due to the absence of federal stimulus funds for FY12.
Once enacted, the bill will travel to the Governor’s desk for his consideration
