Closes Fiscal Year 2024 with funding for critical statewide programs
(BOSTON—10/24/2024) Today the Massachusetts Senate passed a supplemental budget closing out Fiscal Year 2024, fulfilling the state’s obligations to critical programs and services used by residents statewide.
The funding supports treatment for substance and alcohol misuse, public health hospital investments, universal school meals, and targets $12 million for fiscally distressed community health centers, among other investments. Boosting funding for health centers will help provide equitable care in cities and towns across the state.
“As part of our obligation to close out the fiscal year, we reviewed where we have surplus and needs for the various state programs our residents rely on every day,” said Senator Cindy F. Friedman (D-Arlington), Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. “I was happy to see this budget direct funding to address critical health care needs, like the MassHealth caseload and supporting our community health centers, while also covering needs for school meals, housing protection, workforce development, and substance and alcohol use disorder treatment. I am grateful to my colleagues for their recognition of the importance of funding these necessary programs.”
The bill makes several changes to benefit the state’s veterans, allowing veterans to receive free license plates and clarifying that municipalities can create veteran housing preferences within existing affordable housing frameworks.
It also ratifies several approved collective bargaining agreements.
Housing provisions of the bill will allow the Housing Development Incentive Program (HDIP) to fund certified housing development projects that include new construction or substantial rehabilitation of an existing property, and allow for the carryover of the $30 million annual HDIP tax credit authorizations if not fully awarded in a given year.
Further changes include clarifying tribal governments as eligible entities for the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness program and clarifying the taxable net income of a corporation when the single sales factor is not applicable.
The legislation’s $700 million allocation includes:
- $11 million for tax abatements for veterans, widows, blind persons and the elderly.
- $12.7 million for the Municipal Regionalization and Efficiencies Incentive Reserve.
- $7.6 million for health and human services and MassHealth administration.
- $565.4 million for MassHealth caseload ($0 net cost after federal reimbursements).
- $5 million for public health hospitals.
- $1.3 million for labor and workforce development administration.
- $7.3 million for Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT).
- $8.7 million for universal school meals.
- $690,000 for the Chief Medical Examiner.
- $200,000 for the National Guard.
- $622,000 for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.
- $1 million for the Massachusetts District Attorneys Association.
- $2.5 million for start-up costs for online lottery.
- $14 million for Section 35 treatment for substance and alcohol use disorder.
- $400,000 for mosquito-borne disease prevention.
- $46,000 for the county sheriffs.
- $12 million for fiscally strained community health centers.
The supplemental budget also extends local project funding available for the Arlington Veterans Memorial Park, secured by Senator Friedman in the Fiscal Year 24 budget, to the end of Fiscal Year 25, to June 30, 2025. This extension of available funds will allow for the project to be completed with the full amount of appropriated state dollars.
The bill makes additional changes to modernize and clarify existing state laws.
A previous version of this bill having passed the House of Representatives, the two branches will now reconcile the differences between the bills before sending it to the Governor’s desk.
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