Lawmakers Override More Than Half of Gov.'s Budget Vetoes
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Lawmakers have restored more than half of Gov. Charlie Baker's $162.8 million in vetoes to the state budget.
Over the last week, both the House of Representatives and the Senate passed overrides worth $97 million. State Sen. Benjamin Downing's office released some highlights of the 87 or so vetoes overridden by lawmakers.
Locally, that includes $100,000 for Barrington Stage's Playwright Mentoring Program, $100,000 for the Berkshire Youth Development Project, $100,000 for regional EMS services, $75,000 for Gallery 51, $55,000 for regional libraries, and $23,000 for Berkshire Community College. All of those were specific earmarks local legislators hoped to restore.
Grants to expand kindergarten was also restored to the full amount of $18.6 million. That had been vetoed down to $1 million for the entire state.
Vetoes to higher education institutes including the University of Massachusetts, which was eyed for a large hit, were also restored. More than $2.6 million worth of funds for the state's universities and community colleges were restored.
Other local impacts include a $3 million grant program for school districts and municipalities to regionalize was restored. Area school committee chairs have been meeting regularly and that program was eyed as a funding source as the Berkshires reimagines the entire school system.
A total of $1.2 million for gateway cities like Pittsfield for English language learners was restored. And $5.17 million in vetoes from the Office of Travel and Tourism along with $2.37 million for the Massachusetts Cultural Council were all restored.
Additional vetoes include:
· $3 million for the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program for a total of $82.9 million to support 900 to 1050 new vouchers for families at risk of homelessness.
· More than $2.2 million for substance abuse treatment programs across the Commonwealth.
·$2 million for the Early Education and Care Waitlist for a total of $12M to take 2,000 children off the waitlist for these critical services.
· $1.2 million for the Gateway Cities English Language Learners program.
· $500,000 for a prostate cancer awareness and education program.
· Restoration of funding for unaccompanied homeless youth housing services.
· STEM Starter Academy: $4.75 million to promote STEM careers at the Commonwealth's community colleges.
· MassCAN: $1.7 million to establish widespread, progressive computer science curriculum in public school through a public-private match program.
· Talent Pipeline: $1.5 million to encourage young innovators to get a head start on their futures by matching stipends for interns at innovation start-ups, and to provide mentoring opportunities for new entrepreneurs.
· Mass Tech Collaborative: $750,000 for the Mass Tech Collaborative Tech and Innovation Entrepreneurship program to establish entrepreneur and startup mentoring.
