Bringing Beacon Hill to You

August is a quiet time on Beacon Hill. Fewer people visit the State House and fewer hearings are scheduled. 

But we keep working. 



This newsletter highlights what has kept me busy over the past few weeks.  

The FY24 Budget at a Glance............

Apart from the usual local allotments of funding, the budget includes many other notable highlights, including $580 million for Gov. Maura Healey’s proposed tax relief plan, which is currently being reconciled in a legislative conference committee. 

The Commonwealth will also be making major investments in public transportation, with $200 million going to MBTA capital projects. Much of this money will go toward station improvements and design work for a new connection between the Red and Blue lines. Another $20 million has been dedicated to the MBTA Workforce Safety Reserve for employee recruitment and retainment. Outside the T, we also allocated $100 million for a new Municipal Partnership grant program for road construction projects.  

Massachusetts notably launched the $38 million MassReconnect scholarship program this year, which will open the doors to Community College for those over age 25 who do not already hold a college degree and otherwise could not afford to attend. 



There are so many other highlights to point out, including our 27 percent increase in funding for the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, the creation of the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities, and the 48 percent increase in funding in our state’s Emergency Assistance Family Shelter program, helping families who are losing the struggle to make ends meet in our high-cost housing market. If you would like to learn more about what the budget includes, you can find a full version here. 

We held off on publishing all the details of this budget in our July newsletter prior to the Governor signing the bill into law. The details we did share reflected the local aid we knew that the Norfolk & Plymouth District communities would receive:  

Abington 

• Local Government Aid $2,351,673 
• Chap. 70 School Aid $14,183,120 

Braintree 

• Local Government Aid $6,840,770 
• Chap. 70 School Aid $20,652,576 

Hanover 

• Local Government Aid $2,532,409 
• Chap. 70 School Aid $7,458,443 

Holbrook 

• Local Government Aid $1,763,904 
• Chap. 70 School Aid $10,881,907 

Quincy 

• Local Government Aid $22,827,125 
• Chap. 70 School Aid $45,107,807 

Rockland 

• Local Government Aid $3,160,320 
• Chap. 70 School Aid $18,537,536 

Additionally, the Governor signed into law all the local amendments that I filed, including $50,000 to help increase patient access at Quincy’s Manet Community Health Center and $115,000 for elder care services in the communities of Abington, Braintree, Hanover, Holbrook, and Rockland. I also secured $95,000 to fund a new program making naloxone readily available at all Red Line stations. 

The Fair Share Amendment ............

So much of the new programs included in our budget were made possible through the Fair Share Amendment, also known as the Millionaire’s Tax. 

 

This past November, voters in the Commonwealth approved a proposal to institute an additional income tax on Massachusetts residents whose income exceeds $1 million. The ballot question put in place a 4 percent tax on the portion of a person’s income exceeding $1 million, and mandated that the funds be used for transportation and public education.  

Current estimates put the total amount of revenue from this new tax at $1 billion. Thanks to this money, record amounts of direct aid are going to local schools and supporting new initiatives like the Massachusetts’ universal school lunch and community college programs mentioned above. The budget also provides funds to repair countless roads throughout our Commonwealth that have gone neglected for years. 

DISTRICT ........................................

If you live in the Norfolk & Plymouth District, particularly in or around Quincy, you have most likely heard about migrant families currently staying at Eastern Nazarene College. As many as 58 families will be able to stay at the college, which has repurposed some dormitories to serve as a welcome center and temporary housing.  

State, federal, and private agencies are working with arriving families to assist them in the asylum process, as well as find them suitable housing. The state is pushing the federal government to accelerate the work authorization process so that family members can seek employment, helping themselves and helping employers who are desperate for workers. The space at Eastern Nazarene College is managed by Bay State Community Services alongside teams from the Executive Office of Health and Human Services. 

The vast majority of recent arrivals have been young families fleeing dangerous living conditions in Haiti and other various Latin American countries. Many will likely be transferred to other locations after being processed in Quincy. 

 

Following a recent informal neighborhood meeting to discuss this issue, city officials are working with state counterparts to hold a future community meeting at which more accurate information can be shared and questions addressed.