Massachusetts Legislature Passes FY24 Budget

BOSTON – Representative David P. Linsky (D-Natick) joined his colleagues in the Massachusetts Legislature on Monday, July 31 to pass a $56.2 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2024 (FY24) with a final vote of 156-2. This budget provides monumental investments in education, health care, transportation, housing, and more, serving to grow our state’s economy and support the needs of communities in the Commonwealth. In addition to statewide initiatives in the budget, Representative Linsky secured over $600,000 for specific projects in the towns of Natick and Wayland.

“The important investments in the FY24 budget are impressive steps forward in ensuring the affordability and inclusivity of our Commonwealth. In particular, the advancements in funding for education and health care are two areas that will be tremendous in supporting families and individuals across the state. I am similarly pleased with the level of funding I was able to secure for the Fifth Middlesex district for a variety of organizations and projects for Natick and Wayland.” said Representative Linsky. “I want to thank Chair Michlewitz, the Committee on Ways and Means, Speaker Mariano, and all my colleagues in the House, as well as Senate President Karen Spilka and our partners in the Senate, for the hard work and collaboration involved in finalizing this budget.”

Representative Linsky secured items for the Fifth Middlesex District:

Fifth Middlesex Funding

Natick

• $100,000 for continued online tutoring services in public schools
• $100,000 for Cochituate Aqueduct trail accessibility improvements
• $600,000 split between 6 towns/cities for mental health needs in schools
• $75,000 for Family Promise Metrowest, Inc. to provide services to address family homelessness
• $50,000 for after-school busing
• $50,000 for Natick public school staff development to support the profile of Natick educator competencies
• $30,000 for the Natick Veterans Oral History Project
• $25,000 for Natick 180 Coalition
• $25,000 for pedestrian walking beacons
• $25,000 for personal protective equipment for the Natick fire department
• $15,000 for a feasibility study for extending Sudbury Aqueduct trail
• Chapter 70: $13,165,735 (7.75% increase from FY23)
• Unrestricted Government Aid (UGGA): $4,555,463 (3.2% increase from FY23)

Wayland

• $100,000 for MassEnergize, Inc., to support greenhouse gas emission reduction programs
• $25,000 for updated cameras and audio & visual equipment for Town Meeting
• Chapter 70: $7,266,972 (19.07% increase from FY23)
• Unrestricted Government Aid (UGGA): $1,080,626 (3.2% increase from FY23)

Overview

The 2024 Fiscal Year budget strongly reflects the Legislature’s commitment to ensuring communities are properly supported through the administration of local and regional aid. This includes $1.27 billion in funding for Unrestricted General Government Aid (UGGA), an increase of $39.4 million over FY23, which supports cities and towns with resources to meet the needs of their communities. Local and regional investments also included $51.5 million in payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) for state-owned land, an increase of $6.5 million over FY23, providing supplemental local aid payments to cities and towns working to improve access to essential services and programs. Regional Transit Authorities were allocated $184 million, and $47.3 million was invested in libraries. $1B in projected revenue from the Fair Share Amendment allocates $522M to education and $477M to transportation. Included in this money for transportation is $205 million to fund the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA).

The FY24 budget expands access to educational opportunity and strongly supports students, families, educators, and institutions through the investment of $6.59 billion in Chapter 70 funding, an increase of $604 million over FY23, and by doubling the minimum Chapter 70 aid from $30 to $60 per pupil. This historic level of investment provides school districts with resources to provide high-quality educational opportunities. The FY24 budget also permanently implements the requirement that schools provide universal school meals to all students free of charge. This initiative provides immediate relief to families, saving them up to $1,200 every year from reduced grocery expenditures, according to The Feed Kids Coalition. The budget also reflects a strong commitment to early education and care, investing $1.5 billion into this sector.

Alongside other educational investments is the money allocated towards higher education, with $50 million to build capacity to support free community college by Fall 2024. This includes money for students aged 25 or older starting in the fall of 2023, as well as for nursing students. Additionally, the FY24 budget provides access to in-state tuition for students with undocumented immigration status who have attended a Massachusetts high school for at least three years and have graduated or obtained a GED. This initiative is expected to generate revenue for the state.

The Legislature’s budget sustains support for affordable, accessible, and comprehensive healthcare services by funding MassHealth at a total of $19.81 billion, which displays the largest investment made in the state budget. Additionally, the federal Affordable Care Act’s provisions that protect access to preventative services, such as certain cancer screenings and HIV preventative medications, have been codified into law by the budget, following a recent federal court ruling in Texas. The budget also authorizes a two-year pilot expansion of ConnectorCare coverage eligibility to 500% of the federal poverty level, $73,000 a year for an individual. This allows 47,000-70,000 residents to become eligible for the program.

Building on the foundation of last year’s efforts to tackle poverty, the FY24 budget supports working families struggling with the economic toll associated with rising costs and includes a record investment in the annual child’s clothing allowance, providing $450 per child for eligible families to buy clothes for the upcoming school year. The budget also includes a 10 percent increase to Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) and Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled and Children (EAEDC) benefit levels compared to June 2023 to ensure the economic support necessary to provide stability to families across the state.

The FY24 budget provides resources to help with housing stability to keep individuals and families in their homes, including $324 million for Emergency Assistance Family Shelters, $190 million for Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT), $180 million for the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP) and $107 million for assistance to local housing authorities. The budget also provides $110.8 million for assistance to individuals experiencing homelessness, $37 million to HomeBASE diversion and rapid re-housing programs, $26 million for the Alternative Housing Vouching Program, and more.

Notably, the FY24 budget removes barriers to communication services for incarcerated persons and their loved ones, requiring the Department of Correction (DOC) and sheriffs to provide phone calls at no cost to individuals receiving and initiating phone calls, without a cap on the number of minutes or calls.

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

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