Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker has signed a $39.4 billion state budget. It comes more than two weeks after the start of the fiscal year.
Baker approved the spending plan Monday without a day to spare – the Republican had ten days to sign the budget and issue any line item vetoes. It’s down from the $40.2 billion budget compromise submitted by the Democratic-controlled Legislature.
Massachusetts State Representative Tricia Farley-Bouvier, a Pittsfield Democrat, says it’s irresponsible for Baker to veto much.
“Last year he did something pretty unprecedented, which he had 300 plus line item vetoes – that was a lot. A lot of them have to do with our own local priorities which I find extremely disturbing,” Farley-Bouvier says.
Baker is touting a $98.4 million increase into the Stabilization Fund, bringing the commonwealth’s reserves up to $1.4 billion, or nearly 30 percent higher than the start of his administration in 2015. The Legislature now has the opportunity to override vetoes.
Many of Baker’s vetoed line items were specific to regional efforts.
“You know, it is the Legislature – particularly the House members – that know … that are the closest to their communities know what their communities need,” Farley-Bouvier says. “And for him to disregard those is pretty troubling.”
Baker resubmitted a new temporary assessment on employers to help offset rising costs of MassHealth, the state's Medicaid program.
The plan bars non-disabled adults who have affordable health insurance from taking advantage of MassHealth, which serves 1.8 million people and makes up roughly 40 percent of the annual state budget. It also adjusts pharmaceutical benefits in hopes of lower drug prices and improved rebates.
Baker has said it could save the state more than $76 million in fiscal 2018. Several major business groups say the assessment is not enough to reform the program.
State Representative Smitty Pignatelli, a Democrat from the Fourth Berkshire District, says he pushed for the Department of Health and Human Services to fully restore adult dental benefits to MassHealth. In 2010, the state eliminated most dental care benefits for adults in MassHealth. A few benefits have already been restored, including cleanings, extractions and fillings.
In addition, Pignatelli says he hopes the $200,000 promised for the Berkshire Youth Development Project, a coalition of youth-serving agencies, becomes a reality.
“And providing opportunities for young people to express their views and not holding things internally,” Pignatelli says. “Try to help out kids who are struggling with different aspects of life.”
A large part of helping Berkshire children, Pignatelli says, is curbing the county’s opioid crisis. The budget that was sent to Baker included $132 million for the Bureau of Substance Abuse Services to fund treatment centers and recovery options for addicts.
The entire Berkshire delegation agrees that education funding and improving transportation remain among the county’s top priorities – including Democratic State Senator Adam Hinds.
“We were able to get a study on New York to, New York City to the Berkshires rail. Basically, compelling the Department of Transportation to work with counterparts in New York and look at the feasibility of a Berkshire flyer, which is replicating a Cape flyer that had weekend, seasonal service from Boston to the Cape. And we are looking to do the same from New York City to the Berkshires as a starting point for more regular commuter rail,” Hinds says.
Hinds says improving the region by road and by rail will grow the region’s economy, which relies heavily on tourism.
“The bottom line is we need to rethink how we do rural transportation, and even how we do transportation in our downtowns,” Hinds says. “Arts and tourism bring about $100 million per year in revenue to the area.”
The budget includes $61.5 million for regional school transportation, a $500,000 increase over last year. Chapter 70 funding for public schools is $4.7 billion statewide, a roughly $119 million increase from 2017.
“It was a tough year. To come up with a $40 billion budget – $40.2 billion – we ended up having to cut more than $700 million because of revenue shortfalls. But we did manage to continue to increase some key priorities particularly around education: from early Ed., to local aid, to local aid to higher Ed.,” Hinds says.
State Representative Paul Mark, a Democrat from Peru, secured funding to reopen the state Office of Employee Involvement and Ownership in an effort to increase employee-owned businesses.
