Governor Healey and Lieutenant Governor
Driscoll Sign $56 Billion Fiscal Year 2024 Budget
First budget signed by the new
administration makes historic investments in schools, higher education
affordability, climate resiliency and local aid
BOSTON – Gov. Maura Healey today signed
a $55.98 billion state budget for Fiscal Year 2024
(FY24), making historic investments
in schools, child care, workforce development, public
transit, housing, climate resiliency and other key areas that
will help make Massachusetts more
affordable, competitive and equitable. The budget includes hallmark
proposals from Governor Healey, including making community college free
for students aged 25 and older
through MassReconnect, expanding Commonwealth Cares for Children
(C3) 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 budget, for the
first time, makes strategic 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 Governor
Healey.
“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.”
"This budget delivers many
of the hallmark provisions proposed by our administration – including
the MassReconnect program to make community college free for students
aged 25 and older, grants for child care providers, support for
critical workforce development programs like early college, and
dedicating 1 percent of the budget to energy and the environment for
the first time,” said Lieutenant
Governor Driscoll.
“It’s also a demonstration of our shared commitment with the
Legislature to supporting cities and towns and our
acknowledgment of the important role they play in serving the people of
Massachusetts by making historic investments in local aid and school funding.”
The FY24 budget is balanced
and does not rely on any use of one-time funds from the
state’s stabilization account, the balance of which will grow to
an all-time high of more than $8.5 billion after an anticipated
$525 million deposit. The bottom line responsibly reflects $200
million set aside to fund collective bargaining agreements for the
new fiscal year.
The plan also sets aside $580
million for the first year of a tax relief plan the
Healey-Driscoll Administration filed in March that is
pending final resolution with the Legislature, where each branch has
approved their own versions of the bill. This tax
package would put money back in the pockets of residents
who need help with costs like
food, housing and child care. Notably, the budget
includes a section initially filed in the tax package
to reauthorize Brownfields Tax Credits, which will
allow for contaminated sites to be remediated and redeveloped
for critical uses like housing.
The FY24 budget includes key
investments to help make Massachusetts more affordable. It invests
in programs like the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program
(MRVP) by adding 750 new vouchers for low-income
tenants and providing $37 million for HomeBASE to
connect Emergency Assistance (EA)-eligible families with more permanent
housing opportunities.
It funds and makes permanent
universal lunch for public school K-12 students and dedicates
$475 million to child care providers through the C3
program. The budget also uses $25 million to
permanently support Food Security Infrastructure
Grants and delivers more than $330 million in student
financial aid, including $84 million to expand MASSGrant Plus
scholarships for low-income, in-state, undergraduate students attending public
higher education institutions.
“This FY24 budget shows that
Massachusetts can address critical needs like housing, college
affordability and hunger while also remaining fiscally responsible,” said Administration and Finance
Secretary Matthew J. Gorzkowicz. “This
spending plan is both affordable and necessary to meet the array of
needs confronting our families, businesses and municipalities, and I am
thankful to my partners in the Legislature for their
collaboration to get this done.”
Outside Sections and Vetoes
Gov. Healey also signed
103 of the 112 outside sections included in the budget and has
returned eight sections with amendment and vetoed one section. Of
those outside sections signed into law, the administration is proud to support
in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants, universal school lunch,
tenant protections and an expansion of ConnectorCare for low- to
middle-income individuals earning up to 500 percent of the federal poverty
level.
Other outside sections returned
with technical amendments, but supported by the administration, include:
· Extending
the implementation date for no cost calls for inmates at state and county
correction facilities by five months to make sure the policy can be
thoughtfully implemented and is affordable in FY24.
· Giving
employers and the Department of Family and Medical Leave more time to
effectuate the section allowing workers to supplement their weekly PFML benefit
amount with accrued vacation time, sick time, or other paid time off to collect
their average weekly wage.
In signing the FY24 budget, Gov.
Healey has vetoed an outside section authorizing the use of $205 million
in one-time funding from the Transitional Escrow account to support
ongoing programming. To balance the budget, the Governor has also
vetoed approximately $205 million in net spending from the plan.
Gov. Healey and Lt. Gov. Driscoll
believe strongly that the health of the state’s finances and its ability
to continue to invest in its people depends on being fiscally responsible.
That means keeping the budget structurally balanced by not tapping into
one-time resources generated by prior year surplus to fund ongoing expenditures.
FY24 Budget Highlights
Fair Share
· $524
million for education
o $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
o $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
o $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:
o Preserve
critical highway bridge infrastructure
o Improve
accessibility at MBTA stations
o Initiate means-tested MBTA
fares
o 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:
o Chelsea’s
long-term care transition from the Quigley Building to Community Living Center
will begin March 2023
o 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
o 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
