NEW: Senate Passes FY14 Budget
Friday, May 24, 2013
After a late night of deliberation, the Massachusetts Senate passed the Fiscal Year 2014 budget, totaling $33.989 billion, Senator Michael O. Moore (D-Millbury) stated. Over the course of two days, the Senate debated through the 725 amendments that were filed to the Senate budget.
The Senate’s budget closes a $1.2 billion budget gap, while investing in some of the most essential elements of government. The FY14 budget utilizes new revenues generated as a result of the joint transportation finance framework agreed on by the House and Senate last month, and continues the Senate’s commitment to fiscal responsibility while meeting the needs of citizens through restoring vital funding to core services and increasing support for economic and workforce development.
The Senate budget included amendments which continued the chamber’s long history of supporting municipalities and businesses and strengthens public safety and the Commonwealth’s educational system, such as:
• Unanimously supported changes to strengthen the state’s Sex Offender Registry;
• Increased funding for municipal police training programs;
• Changed residency requirements for civil service employees, which Senator Moore co-sponsored;
• Increased the funding to the state’s PILOT programs;
• Increased funding for Shannon Grants, which provide support to communities hardest hit by gang crime and violence, by $750,000 to $7 million in total funding;
• Unanimously increased funding to UGGA funding for municipalities, by $21.5 million, an amendment co-sponsored by Senator Moore, and
• Increased funding for the HomeBASE Rental Assistance program, an amendment also co-sponsored by Senator Moore.
The final Senate budget also included many amendments sponsored by Senator Moore including:
• Increased funding of the regional school transportation line item, which was passed unanimously, by $2 million;
• Funded the Commonwealth Child Care Rate Reserve by $11.5 million;
• Increased funding for the Foster and Adopted Child Tuition and Fee Waiver, which is needed in order to cover fall and spring semester obligations at in-state higher education institutes, by $441,000, totaling $3,674,842 and
• Pro-business amendments relative to consumer price scanners and the elimination of the need to collect HERD forms.
The budget will now move to a conference committee with the House of Representatives to agree upon difference in both chambers’ budgets. The final budget will go to Governor Deval Patrick for his consideration. The new fiscal year begins July 1.
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