BOSTON, MA – The Massachusetts State Legislature has unanimously passed a $48.07 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2022 (FY22) that maintains fiscal responsibility and follows through on the legislature’s commitment to guarantee everyone in the Commonwealth recovers from the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The investments we are making throughout the Commonwealth move us closer to our goal of ensuring no one gets left behind in our recovery efforts,” said Senator Patrick O’Connor (R-Weymouth). “By investing in education, infrastructure, public health, housing, and more, we are investing in the livelihoods of our children, families, seniors, and small businesses. I am proud to have worked alongside my colleagues on the conference committee in a bipartisan fashion to make our state stronger and improve the quality of life for everyone that calls Massachusetts home.”

Taking into consideration strong tax revenue performance in Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21), the final FY22 conference report increases revenue assumptions by $4.2 billion over the December consensus revenue projection for a new tax revenue projection of $34.35 billion. The FY22 budget does not make a withdrawal and instead transfers funds into the Stabilization Fund, projecting an estimated balance of approximately $5.8 billion for this crucial ‘rainy day’ fund at the end of the fiscal year.

Senator O’Connor noted that the South Shore will see $94,781,680 in funding come back to the district for education (Chapter 70) and local aid (UGGA). The breakdown of Chapter 70 and UGGA may be found below: 

During the Senate budget debate, Senator O’Connor secured funding for many well-deserving local organizations. O’Connor says that he was able to maintain those directed investments during final budget negotiations – representing over $1 million.

“We have so many fantastic organizations on the South Shore and I am very proud to have secured funding to allow them to continue their work making the South Shore a better place to call home,” said O’Connor. “I am very thankful to have these partners in our community and look forward to seeing what they’re able to accomplish in the year ahead.”

O’Connor’s budget amendments included:

• $350,000 for the Talking Information Center to support their programming
• $150,000 for the Massachusetts Marine Trades Association to increase workforce development training opportunities and technical education in schools for careers in the marine trades
• $100,000 for Marshfield Public Schools to further design and implement their mental health education programs
• $80,000 to the Norwell Visiting Nurse Association and Hospice to support their telehealth program
• $50,000 for South Shore Peer Recovery to support operations and programming for those in addiction recovery
• $50,000 to empowerHER, a non-profit organization in Norwell, which provides guidance and mentorship services to young women who have lost their mothers.
• $50,000 to the North River Commission to fund the North River Commission, pursuant to the Legislature’s 1978 Scenic Protective Order
• $40,000 for South Shore Special Needs Athletic Partnership (SNAP) to support their operations and programming
• $25,000 to Free. (pronounced “Free Period”), a program offered by $25,000 to Hingham's St. John the Evangelist Church providing free feminine hygiene products to those in need
• $22,000 for Wellspring Multi-Service Center’s wrap-around services
• $20,000 to The Company Theatre to support their operations and programming as they recover from COVID-19 impacts
• $20,000 to support the Community of Resources for Special Education (CORSE) Foundation
• $20,000 for Drug Story Theater to expand efforts to educate youth on the dangers of substance abuse
• $20,000 to the North Weymouth Civic Association to support the furtherance of local initiatives
• $10,000 to the Scituate Visitors Center to support the launch of their virtual presence
• $10,000 to the Town of Scituate to support their portion of the South Shore Irish Heritage Trail

The budget also makes investments and updates policies across the board that will position Massachusetts to be a leader nationwide in recovery efforts, including in:

Education

• $1.18 billion in higher education funding for the UMass system, community colleges, and state universities.
• $27.9 million for the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO) program.
• $15 million for Massachusetts Head Start programs.
• $13 million to establish technical training programs for offshore wind with vocational-technical institutions.
• $6 million for Social Emotional Learning Grants to help K-12 schools bolster social emotional learning supports for students, including $1M for a new pilot program to provide mental health screenings for K-12 students.

Deep Poverty Programs

• A 20 per cent increase to Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) and Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled and Children (EAEDC) benefits over December 2020 levels, ensuring families receive the economic supports they need to live, work, and provide stability for their children.
• $30.5 million for Emergency Food Assistance to ensure that citizens in need can navigate the historic levels of food insecurity caused by COVID-19.
• $5 million for the Secure Jobs Connect program, providing job placement resources and assistance for homeless individuals.
• $4.2 million for the Office of the Child Advocate, including $1M for the establishment and operation of a state center on child wellness and trauma.

Housing

• $150 million for the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program to expand access to affordable housing.
• $85 million for grants to local housing authorities.
• $22M for the Residential Assistance for Families in Transition Program.
• $8 million for Housing Consumer Education Centers to help administer nearly $1 billion in federal housing relief.

Public Health

• Funds MassHealth at a total of $18.98 billion, thereby providing over 2 million of the Commonwealth’s children, seniors, and low-income residents access to comprehensive health care coverage.
• $175.6 million for substance use disorder and intervention services provided by the Bureau of Substance Addiction Services.
• $98.4 million for children’s mental health services, including $3.9M for the Massachusetts Child Psychiatric Access Program (MCPAP) and MCPAP for Moms to address mental health needs of pregnant and postpartum women.
• $56.1 million for domestic violence prevention services.
• $12.5 million to support a student telebehavioral health pilot, public awareness campaigns, loan forgiveness for mental health clinicians, and initiatives to mitigate emergency department boardings for individuals in need of behavioral health support.
• $10 million for Programs of Assertive Community Treatment (PACT) grants to provide intensive, community-based behavioral health services for adolescents.

Economic Development

• Establishes a disability employment tax credit for employers that hire employees with a disability.
• $17 million transfer to the Workforce Competitiveness Trust fund.
• $15 million for the Community Empowerment and Reinvestment Grant Program.
• $15.4 million for Career Technical Institutes, and $9.5 million for one-stop career centers to support economic recovery.
• $6 million for Regional Economic Development Organizations to support economic growth in all regions of the state.
• $2.5 million for the Massachusetts Cybersecurity Innovation Fund, including $1.5 million for new regional security operation centers, which will partner with community colleges and state universities to provide cybersecurity workforce training to students and cybersecurity services to municipalities, non-profits, and small businesses.

Having been passed by the House and Senate, the legislation now goes to Governor Baker for his signature.