image description — Gov. Maura Healey addresses the press on Wednesday morning after signing her first state budget. With her are Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, left, Senate President Karen Spilka and House Speaker Ronald Mariano.

Healey Signs $56B State Budget for Fiscal 2024

12:27PM / Wednesday, August 09, 2023Print Story | Email Story

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — Gov. Maura Healey on Wednesday morning signed a $55.98 billion state budget for fiscal 2024 that includes a half-million in earmarks for Berkshire County projects.

Some of the hallmark proposals in the budget include making community college free for students aged 25 and older through MassReconnect, expanding Commonwealth Cares for Children grants for early education and care providers, increasing funding for Early College, Innovation Career Pathways, apprenticeships and other workforce development programs, and dedicating 1 percent of the budget to energy and the environment for the first time.

The FY24 budget also makes significant investments in Chapter 70 school aid with a $594 million, or 9.9 percent increase; $21.3 million more for school transportation reimbursement and $9.5 million for rural school aid; and a 3.2 percent increase in unrestricted government aid.

This spending plan fully funds another year of the Student Opportunity Act and dedicates resources to help cities and towns redevelop and revitalize their downtowns as well as fully fund lunch programs for students.

The budget, for the first time, makes use of $1 billion in new revenue generated from the voter-approved Fair Share income surtax and establishes a blueprint for how this revenue will be tracked and spent in future years on priorities in education and transportation, as directed by the voters.

"Our administration is proud to deliver our first budget that meets the moment by making Massachusetts more affordable, competitive and equitable. This budget makes significant investments in schools, child care, clean energy, the environment, and access to mental and physical health care," said Healey in a statement. "We are grateful to Speaker Mariano, Senate President Spilka, Chair Michlewitz, Chair Rodrigues and the entire Legislature for their hard work on this budget that reflects our shared values. We look forward to finishing the job by delivering a tax relief package that will put money back into the pockets of families, renters, seniors and more."

Among the funding for cities and towns is $100,000 toward the repairs to the Berkshire Family YMCA in North Adams. The pool has been closed for months after it was determined the roof was structurally unsound. The city, which owns the building attached to Brayton Elementary School, is the process of having engineering designs drawn up to address the roof.

Other funding includes $75,000 for Community Access to the Arts Inc. in Great Barrington; $25,000 for Kids' Space at Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art in North Adams; $25,000 programming at the Spitzer Senior Center in the city of North Adams; $50,000 for the Dalton Community Recreation Association; $25,000 for a Pittsfield caseworker through Springfield's Bilingual Veterans Outreach Centers of Massachusetts Inc.; $25,000 for the South Congregational food pantry in Pittsfield for expanded operational capacity and procurement effort; $75,000 to the Berkshire Regional Planning Commission to further support the work of the Berkshire Funding Focus program; $38,000 for the restoration of the historic blue steps at Naumkeag in Stockbridge; $20,000 for the Berkshire Flyer to create "last mile" transportation solutions; and $200,000 for the SMART and Eureka programs of Girls Inc., including the Pittsfield chapter.

Berkshire Theatre Group is getting $100,000 total, with $50,000 for the demolition of the Clapp House carriage barn in Pittsfield to make way for public parking. The Pittsfield Historical Commission put a delay on razing the 1871 structure in June in hopes the theater company, which owns the Clapp House, could find a way to preserve it. The company has said it has been unable to find a workable solution because it is "beyond repair."

The other $50,000 is for lighting and wayfinding improvements to the public parking areas of the company's theater in Stockbridge and its Carter White walkway that runs through the property between Route 102 and Route 7.

Healey also signed 103 of the 112 outside sections included in the budget and has returned eight sections with amendment and vetoed one section, a $205 million in one-time funding from the Transitional Escrow account to support ongoing programming. The governor vetoed $205 million in net spending to balance the budget.

FY24 Budget Highlights

Fair Share

$524 million for education
$71 million for early education and care will increase childcare slots for income-eligible families and put the Commonwealth on a path to universal Pre-K
$224 million for K-12 education will guarantee access to free lunch for students across the Commonwealth, expand pathways for high school students to earn college degrees and fund clean energy infrastructure in schools
$229 million for higher education that will help make community college and a four-year degree more accessible through the MassReconnect program and financial aid expansions
$477 million for transportation will:
Preserve critical highway bridge infrastructure
Improve accessibility at MBTA stations
Initiate means-tested MBTA fares
Create a path for innovative service pilots and increased rural connectivity for regional transit authorities

Education and Local Aid

Fully funding of the Student Opportunity Act, including a $594 million, or 9.9 percent increase, in Chapter 70 funding
$475 million for Commonwealth Cares for Children grants to early-education providers
$10 million for a career pathways program for early educators
Extends in-state tuition rates at the state's public universities to immigrants without documentation
$172 million in permanent funding to provide universal school lunch for public school K-12 students
A 3.2 percent increase to Unrestricted General Government Aid
Major increases of $21.3 million for school transportation reimbursement and $9.5 million for rural school aid
Full funding of Special Education Circuit Breaker
Increases payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) for state-owned land by $6.5 million or 14 percent

Housing and Homelessness

Supports the creation of the new Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities
Creates 750 new Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP) vouchers for low-income tenants
Creates 150 new Alternative Housing Voucher Program (AHVP) vouchers for individuals with disabilities, including, for the first time, 50 project-based vouchers
Reauthorizes the Brownfields Tax Credit recommended in our tax relief package
$324 million for the Emergency Assistance Family Shelter (EA) program, representing a 48 percent increase over Fiscal Year 2023
$37 million for HomeBASE to connect EA-eligible families with more permanent housing opportunities
Addressing and preventing homelessness by making Chapter 257 eviction protections permanent for renters with pending EA applications

Economic Development

$8 million for targeted initiatives at?the?Massachusetts Technology Collaborative?to?support?workforce, manufacturing, cybersecurity, and the?innovation economy?
$5 million for Small Business Technical Assistance Grants to leverage the expertise of nonprofits to offer technical assistance, education, and access to capital for small businesses ?
$600,000 for the Massachusetts Downtown Initiative for municipalities looking to revitalize their downtowns?

Health and Human Services

$173 million for Chapter 257 rate increases for human service providers
$192 million from the?Behavioral Health Trust Fund?for one time programming aimed at recruiting and?supporting a diverse behavioral workforce, including a ?$100 million enhancement to the?Loan Repayment Program?for mental and?behavioral health professionals?
An increase of $44.6?million for behavioral health initiatives at the Department of Mental Health to expand inpatient and community capacity
Adds $6.1 million for immigrant and refugee services, including $1.8 million for health assessments and $1.5 million for employment programs
$2.75 million for Technology Forward to provide assistive technology and remote supports/monitoring
Supports a pilot to expand subsidized ConnectorCare coverage to individuals at or below 500 percent of the federal poverty limit
Expands access to contraceptives by allowing pharmacists to prescribe and dispense hormonal contraceptives to individuals without previous prescriptions

Workforce Development

$16.2 million for Summer Jobs Program for At-Risk Youth (Youthworks) to subsidize wages and facilitate career development of at-risk youth
$15.4?million for Career Technical Institutes
$3.8 million for the Registered Apprenticeship Program to fund approximately 1,000 placements

Serving Our Veterans

Funds the new Veterans' Services at $185.6 million, a $11.4 million, or 7 percent, increase from FY23?GAA?
Prepares for the opening of new Soldiers' Homes facilities:?
Chelsea's long-term care transition from the Quigley Building to Community Living Center will begin March 2023?
Holyoke is set to replace its long-term care facility by 2027 and is in the design phase of the project with DCAMM?
Invests in payroll and overtime costs for nursing staff at the Homes

Transportation

$100 million for a new Municipal Partnership grant program for a road construction reserve
$28 million for implementation of the Work and Family Mobility Act, including extended RMV service hours
$200 million for MBTA capital investments including station accessibility and improvements and design for the Red-Blue connector.
$20 million for the MBTA Workforce Safety Reserve, which can be used to support employee recruitment and retention
$5 million for implementation of means-tested fares
$15 million for fare-free pilot programs at Regional Transit Authorities

Energy and the Environment

Funds the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs at $557.9 million, 1 percent of total available funding for FY24 GAA
This represents a $119.5 million, or 27 percent, increase over FY23, including new environmental justice staff and funding to establish a Federal and Regional Strategic Planning Office to coordinate market reform, transmission, and hydropower
$25 million to permanently support?Food Security Infrastructure Grants?
$30 million for the?Massachusetts Clean Energy Center?to support wind technology, clean homes, and?workforce training programs in the clean energy industry
$4.8 million for a decarbonization clearinghouse for energy efficiency, electrification, and storage
$5 million to address deferred maintenance at the Department of Conservation and Recreation parks and facilities

Criminal Justice and Public Safety

Funding for re-entry pathways including green career training programs
Supports new and enhanced training requirements through the POST Commission and Municipal Police Training Committee
$2 million to establish a Safe Neighborhood Initiative, a collaborative effort with law enforcement and community leaders to develop comprehensive solutions to reduce crime and protect communities

Technology and Cybersecurity

$9.2 million in additional cybersecurity investments
$2.6 million in software licenses for Web security, network endpoint protection, and threat detection
Supports continued consolidation of IT services for executive branch departments

The governor's signing letter, veto message and returns will be posted here.

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