Legislature Passes $32.5M Budget For FY2013
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State Rep. Tricia Farley-Bouvier joined her colleagues in the Legislature in approving the commonwealth's final budget for fiscal 2013, which begins this Sunday, July 1. A key feature of the new budget is a nearly $287 million overall increase in local aid from the current fiscal year.
Pittsfield will receive $38 million in Chapter 70 local aid, representing an increase of just over $1.1 million from 2012 funding levels. The city will also see a boost in unrestricted aid as the total amount rises more than $500,000 to $7.3 million. Special education circuit breaker funding will grow by 13.5 percent in this budget, and by $28.8 million statewide.
"I am extremely pleased with the final results of the Budget Conference Committee's hard work on this difficult task," said Farley-Bouvier. "I am proud to say that with this budget our community has been taken care of, our elders are well provided for, and many of the workers who care for the most vulnerable members of our community will see their first pay increase in four years."
Legislators prioritized human services, adding funding to several key programs. The Elder Nutrition Program received an increase of $50,000, reflecting lobbying by seniors’ advocates, while Councils on Aging will receive an extra $1.2 million. Also included in the new budget is a $20 million salary reserve for human service providers, many of whom have gone without pay increases since 2008.
State Rep. William "Smitty" Pignatelli, D-Lenox, a House member of the Ways and Means Committee, sent a lengthy list of highlights from this year's budget:
Spending Highlights compared to FY12 GAA
Local Aid
- Chapter 70 spending grew $180M to $4.2B, growth of 5.3 percent over the FY12 GAA.
- Unrestricted Local Aid is funded at $899M for FY13 and is not reliant on any surplus or one-time funds.
- Circuit Breaker grew $28.8M or 13.5 percent, to $241.9M.
- Regional School Transportation grew $2M (5 percent) to $45.5M.
- Funded a new line item for Homeless Student School Transportation (McKinney-Vento) at $11.3M.
- Increases funding to RTAs by $3.5M above the FY 12 GAA.
Health and Human Services
- $20M salary reserve for Human Service Providers.
- Preserves the Adult Day Health program by retaining the full 6-hour day.
- $12.7M for independent living services provided by the Massachusetts rehabilitation commission.
- $344M for adult mental health and support services, including an additional $1M for clubhouse services above FY12 expenditures for clubhouses.
- $97.8M for the elder home care program.
- Increases Public Health Hospitals by $6M.
- Increases Turning 22 programs at DDS from $5M to $6M.
- Increases Adult Family Supports programs at DDS by $8.5M.
- Maintains 45 DMH inpatient continuing care beds at Taunton State Hospital.
Judiciary
- Total spending for the Judiciary is $760.3M, which shows growth of $51.1M or 7.2 percent over the FY12 GAA.
- The Trial Court is funded at $561M, which shows growth of $41.1M or 7.9 percent over the FY12 GAA.
- Committee for Public Counsel Services is funded at $162M, for growth of 3.5 percent over the FY12 GAA.
- A Public Defender/Private Bar staffing ratio of 25/75 will be completed in the beginning of FY13.
- Increases Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation (MLAC) funding by $2.5M (26 percent) over GAA to $12M.
- 5 percent increase in all DA line items, (total $4.6M) plus a $500,000 ADA retention line item.
Environment
- Increases funding to environmental agencies by $20M over last year's GAA.
- Provides an additional $5.7M in funding above the FY12 GAA for the Department of Conservation and Recreation.
- Provides an additional $2.5M in funding above the FY12 GAA to the Department of Environmental Protection to ensure timely decisions on permitting applications and compliance
Housing
- Increase to Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program of $6M.
- Increase to the public housing authorities of $2M.
Public Safety
- Transfers two Department of Public Health drug testing facilities and the UMass Medical School Drug Testing Lab to the State Police Crime Lab to further efficiency within the department and have all drug testing facilities under one umbrella.
- Provides $284M in funding for the Department of State Police, which includes the costs associated with the 208 graduates from the 80th Recruit Training Troop. Funds a portion of new state police class to be conducted in FY13 for $596K.
- $6.25M for Shannon Grants.
Targeted Investments
- $5M investment in the Performance Management Incentive account to create competitive grant opportunities for community colleges.
- Focuses resources to prevent waste, fraud, and abuse of public benefits.
- $500K in new funding to enhanced operations at the Bureau of Special Investigations in the Attorney General's Office.
- Increase to the Comptroller's Office to update their IT systems which will allow them to better track spending to ensure efficiency and maximum revenue collections.
- New Financial Literacy line item to help youth obtain a practical personal finance skill-set, $250K.
- Updates the state's Community Preservation Act to make it easier for cities and towns to use the program in support of the projects that are right for them
- Directs $25M of the FY2013 budget surplus to support the program.
- Fully funds the state's CBA obligations for FY2013.
Community College Reform
- Better positions community colleges to respond to the state's changing workforce and continuing education needs by increasing coordination between the separate community colleges, the Board of Higher Education, vocational schools and Commonwealth business and industry.
Work-force Development
- Establishes the Community College Workforce Grant Advisory Committee consisting of members representing education, the administration and the business community to recommend community college grant award recipients to the Board of Higher Education to promote workforce training programs and industry partnerships.
- Grant program expands upon a 2011 Speaker DeLeo initiative to use gaming licensing fees to assist community colleges in providing for the workforce demands of Massachusetts.
- Committee would set goals and criteria for awarding work-force grants for community colleges’ programs, including coordination with vocational schools, state universities and career centers; collaboration with existing and emerging business and industry; and alignment of degree and certificate programs with regional workforce demands.
- Private business partners would provide matching funds for the grant award.
- Seventeen percent of gaming licensing fees would go to the fund, with 50 percent of that available for grants.
- Requires vocational school district trustees and community college board of trustees to each designate a member to serve as a non-voting member liaison to the reciprocal board and to annually report their collaboration.
- Establishes an Office of Coordination within the Department of Higher Education to assist with the work-force development needs of students and employers.
Governance
- Retains local control of the administration of community colleges.
- Requires the Governor to designate the chair of each community college's board of trustees.
- Requires the Board of Higher Education to appoint a voting member to assist the local boards of trustees in any new community college president search.
- Requires the Board of Higher Education to set guidelines for the search, selection, appointment, compensation, evaluation and removal of community college presidents.
Funding
- Requires the Commissioner of Higher Education, in consultation with community college presidents, to develop a funding formula incorporating appropriations based in part on performance with clearly defined goals and metrics, accurate enrollment data, individual campus needs and workforce innovation incentives.
- Requires the funding formula be submitted to the Joint Committee on Higher Education, House and Senate Ways and Means and the Secretary of Administration and Finance by Dec. 1, 2012.
Community Preservation Act
- Authorizes the use of alternative municipal revenues to supplement a reduced CPA property tax surcharge.
- Allows communities to exempt the first $100K of property value for commercial properties.
- Expands the use of CPA funds to rehabilitate and restore existing outdoor parks and other recreational resources and to support affordable housing.
- Provides that the consolidated net surplus for FY13 will be used toward CPA grants.
Gift Ban Reform
- Permits pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturing companies to serve modest meals and refreshments in connection with non continuing medical education (CME) presentations in venues that are conducive to informational communication.
- Companies that want to use this exception must file quarterly reports with DPH disclosing where the events are held, what devices and products were discussed and how much money was spent on the event.
- In addition, the reform permits medical device companies to pay for reasonable expenses necessary for technical training on the use of a medical device without requiring that such expenses are part of the purchase contract for that device.
- Also, the reporting requirement has been streamlined so that companies that are required to file with the federal department of health and human services only have to file with the feds instead of feds and state.
Copayment Assistance
- Allows for companies to offer copayment assistance programs that offset the cost of their high insurance copayments for prescription drugs when the patient’s physician determines a drug to be medically necessary.
- Established in all other states.
- Prohibited where a generic drug is available.
- Creates a trial program with sunset and commission to study effectiveness of program.
Registration and Identification Fraud
- Amends registration of auto provisions to require a tax ID or SS# to register a car, which is similar to what is required to get a license.
- Increase penalties for businesses and persons that knowingly employ drivers who are unlicensed or not properly licensed.
- Increases penalties for anyone who falsely makes, steals, forges or counterfeits a learner’s permit, a license to operate motor vehicles or an identification card with the intent to distribute them.
- Requires EOHHS to implement the common eligibility standards while including SAVE with deadlines for the implementation of the system with SAVE.
- Among the restrictions were a minimum $5 fee for replacement cards.
- Restrictions on products purchased, including prohibitions on alcohol, lottery tickets, firearms and ammunition, jewelry, gambling. Does allow use for public transporation via MBTA and regional transit authorities.
- Bans businesses where the cards can be used, such as liquor stores, adult stores and venues, tattoo parlors, etc.
- The provisions also set signage requirements, fines and penalties (including benefits suspensions) and revocation of purveyor licenses by the ABCC and state Lottery.
- Creates a commission to investigate and report
- EBT Trafficking Criminal Statute.
- State statute to give state and local law enforcement the tool necessary to target criminal trafficking of EBT benefit cards by individuals and organizations. Places penalties of fines and imprisonment for violations.
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