|
| |
| |
 |
|
|
 |
News Room |
|
| |
This story appeared on Page A6 of The
Standard-Times on June 24, 2005
Legislature sends $24 billion budget to Romney's
desk
By DAVID KIBBE, Standard-Times staff writer
BOSTON -- The state Legislature unanimously approved
a $24 billion budget yesterday that does not raise
taxes and provides modest increases in spending for
education, health care and local aid.
"We are going in the right direction," said Sen.
Theresa Murray, a Plymouth Democrat who chairs the
Senate Ways and Means Committee. "If the economy
continues to improve, then we are in the right
position. If it doesn't, at least we were able to do
a little bit while we could."
The budget now goes to Gov. Mitt Romney, who has 10
days to approve the spending plan and issue vetoes.
Local aid to schools and municipal governments would
rise $205 million, about 3 percent, and every school
would see at least a $50 increase per student. New
Bedford schools would get a $2 million increase in
basic school aid, to $104 million.
Payments in lieu of taxes on state-owned land would
increase $3.1 million. Regional school bus
transportation would jump $7 million, to $45
million.
Even so, municipal officials say the modest
increases still have not made up for double-digit
cuts two years ago and rising expenses today.
Higher education, one of the areas that was deeply
cut when the fiscal crisis hit in 2002, would go up
$41 million. The University of Massachusetts would
get a boost of $18 million, or 4 percent, to $408
million.
"This budget is a strong message from the
Legislature that a high-quality public higher
education system is critical to the social and
economic development of Massachusetts," UMass
Dartmouth Chancellor Jean F. MacCormack said.
"Besides increasing the base funding for the
university, the budget funds important needs such as
university-run arts, technology and cultural
programs."
The budget includes $2.5 million to operate the Star
Store in downtown New Bedford and $1.3 million for
the Advanced Technology Manufacturing Center in Fall
River.
Health care advocates cheered the budget, a sign of
the improving climate. State revenues have been
running about $1 billion ahead of what was expected.
"This budget will improve health coverage for
thousands of Bay State residents," said John
McDonough, the executive director of Health Care for
All. "Our legislative leaders understand that
strengthening primary care keeps people healthier
and out of expensive emergency rooms and hospitals."
The budget restores full dental coverage for
pregnant women on MassHealth, which McDonough said
would cut down on low birth weights and premature
births.
The Legislature would provide an open enrollment to
Prescription Advantage, a senior drug subsidy, which
currently has limited enrollment. It also lowers
health insurance premiums on children in low-income
families.
"I felt that we did a very good job in a year like
this," said Sen. Mark C.W. Montigny, D-New Bedford,
who spent years building up health programs as a
former Health Committee and Ways and Means chairman.
"There is a little bit of celebrating. In the past,
it's been holding one's breath to assess the level
of damage. We're now starting to see an actual
rescuing of that damage."
He successfully pushed a number of health items,
including a $300,000 stroke education fund that had
been left out of the original Senate budget.
"For the first time, I also think the Legislature
realized that public safety is absolutely a key
priority," Montigny said.
New Bedford and several other urban areas will share
in $1 million for state police anti-gang efforts.
The state's district attorneys would see a 5 percent
increase. Funding for the state crime lab would
double to process DNA evidence more quickly. The
budget also expands GPS tracking to include hundreds
more sex offenders.
Reps. Antonio F.D. Cabral, D-New Bedford, and John
F. Quinn, D-Dartmouth, saw the budget as a positive
step.
"Overall, it's a tight budget," Quinn said, noting
that it still drew down $600 million from reserves.
"I'm sure everyone isn't satisfied. ... We still got
a lot of good projects for Southeastern
Massachusetts."
"We haven't recovered yet from the past few years of
cuts, but we're heading in the right direction,"
Cabral said.
The House succeeded in blocking several so-called
"outside sections" that will be taken up as separate
legislation later in the year.
House leaders killed a budget rider sponsored by a
Cape lawmaker to allow cities and towns to charge
higher mooring fees to non-residents. The amendment
would have repealed a ban on split fees that was
tucked into a transportation bond bill last year
with little public notice. The change stands to cost
some coastal towns thousands of dollars.
The budget won't include a $55 million education
reserve fund that Murray wanted to use if the state
Legislature changes the school aid funding formula
this year. It would have gone toward underfunded
suburban schools, as well as low-performing school
districts.
Murray said the House agreed to put the money back
in a supplemental budget later this year if the
school aid formula is changed.
State lawmakers were beginning to release lists of
local initiatives yesterday afternoon.
They included $150,000 for the Coalition for
Buzzards Bay to monitor water quality, a $50,000
increase; $200,000 for the Massachusetts Fisheries
Recovery Commission; $100,000 for the Schooner
Ernestina Commission; $50,000 for the Family Fishing
Assistance Center in New Bedford; and $50,000 for
the New Bedford Art Museum.
Quinn got language in the budget that would give
preference for a special grant fund to schools whose
regional school assessments go up more than 25
percent.
Rep. Stephen R. Canessa, D-New Bedford, pushed for
the anti-gang money. He also successfully lobbied
for a special commission to study the severity of
invasive weeds in the state's bodies of water. The
commission is scheduled to report back next year,
which will allow the Legislature to explore
solutions.
"Protecting our drinking supply and natural bodies
of water is crucial and this study is the first step
towards achieving that goal," Canessa said.
This story appeared on Page A6 of The
Standard-Times on June 24, 2005 |
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
