Governor Baker Releases Fiscal Year 2018 Budget Proposal
The Baker-Polito Administration filed its Fiscal Year 2018 (FY18) budget proposal, a $40.508 billion spending plan which funds key priorities including local aid, education, workforce development, housing and homelessness services, and substance misuse prevention programs, while keeping spending in line with recurring revenues and does not raise taxes. The FY18 proposal increases spending by 4.3%, or 2.7% net of MassHealth revenue, over Fiscal Year 2017 (FY17) estimated spending, and relies on a consensus tax revenue estimate of $27.072 billion, which is 3.9% growth over the revised FY17 tax revenue projection.
House 1 funds the administration's past commitments of staff increases at the Department of Children and Families (DCF) and substance misuse prevention efforts, and also increases funding for Chapter 70 education aid, unrestricted general government aid (UGGA) at 100% of consensus revenue growth, homelessness prevention services, the Department of Developmental Services (DDS), and recommends a new program to connect more job seekers with employment.
The House and Senate will release their own budgets later this spring.
Baker Administration Proposes $40 Million Increase in Local Aid
The Baker Administration's Fiscal Year 2018 (FY18) budget proposal will include an increase of over $91 million in Chapter 70 education funding, totaling over $4.7 billion in total aid to public schools, including an increase of at least $20 per pupil to all 322 operating districts. The budget will also include a $40 million increase (to a total of $1.062 billion) in unrestricted local aid to the Commonwealth's cities and towns, representing 100% of the rate of increase of projected tax revenue growth.
Baker Administration Announces $8.8 Million in Local Grant and Community Compact Funding
The Baker-Polito Administration plans to file $4 million for Community Compact grants and $2.8 million for the District Local Technical Assistance Program in their Fiscal Year 2018 (FY18) operating budget proposal, to be released next week. The administration plans to include $2 million in the Governor's FY18 Capital Budget, released in the spring, for the Community Compact IT Grant Program.
In the FY18 budget proposal that the administration will file next Wednesday, $2 million will be proposed to continue the Community Compact's Best Practices Program. To date, 252 cities and towns from across the Commonwealth have signed a community compact with the state. Of the more than 600 best practices identified, approximately 75% of them are either complete or underway.
The administration's budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year will also include $2 million for the Community Compact's Efficiency and Regionalization Grant Program. Administered in two rounds per fiscal year, the first round of grant applications in FY17 was highly competitive and led to $1.25 million in grants for 72 municipalities and 10 school districts. The application process for the second round of this fiscal year is currently underway and closes on February 1st.
Additionally, $2.8 million will be included in the Baker-Polito Administration's FY18 budget proposal to continue funding the District Local Technical Assistance Program, so the state can continue working with the 13 regional planning agencies across the Commonwealth on technical issues dealing with economic development, housing, transportation and environmental projects at the local level.
Governor Baker Signs Electric Vehicle Promotion Legislation
Governor Baker signed Senate Bill 2505, An Act Promoting Zero Emission Vehicle Adoption. The legislation works to increase access to ZEV charging stations for the general public by prohibiting owners of public charging stations from charging users a subscription or membership fee and requiring the use of payment options available to the general public. Further, the legislation allows municipalities and private businesses to restrict parking spaces specifically for ZEV use.
In 2016 the Baker Administration committed $14 million to the Commonwealth's electric vehicle rebate program, Massachusetts Offers Rebates for Electric Vehicles (MOR-EV), more than doubling the historic funding of the MOR-EV program. Massachusetts automotive consumers can qualify for rebates ranging from $750-$2,500 on the purchase or lease of more than 25 qualifying new electric vehicles, including battery electric, plug-in hybrid electric and fuel cell electric vehicles. Since June 2014, the MOR-EV program has issued or reserved over $7 million for 3,355 vehicles, cutting the state's greenhouse gas emissions output by an estimated 9,255 short tons annually.
Justice Elspeth Cypher Nominated to Supreme Judicial Court
Governor Baker announced the nomination of Massachusetts Appeals Court Senior Associate Justice Elspeth "Ellie" B. Cypher to serve as an Associate Justice of the Supreme Judicial Court (SJC). The nomination is Governor Baker's fourth to the Commonwealth's highest court. If confirmed by the Governor's Council, Justice Cypher will replace retiring Justice Margo Botsford.
The Supreme Judicial Court (SJC) is the Commonwealth's highest appellate court, consisting of the Chief Justice and six Associate Justices. The seven Justices hear appeals on a broad range of criminal and civil cases from September through May and issue written opinions that are posted online.
Massachusetts Health Connector Marks Record Enrollment
The Massachusetts Health Connector's recent Open Enrollment period ended last week. The Connector successfully managed the highest enrollment totals of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) era, with significant applicant and member activity buttressed by strong customer service performance.
Enrollment for February 1st stands at over 246,000 people, the highest since the ACA was implemented and approaching the 252,000 in Health Connector coverage before 100,000 people became eligible for other coverage through Medicaid expansion in January 2014.
The Health Connector started Open Enrollment on November 1, 2016 with 233,000 members, and retained more than 85 percent of those members despite many facing significant premium increases due to rate changes by some carriers. The Health Connector implemented a large member communication plan during Open Enrollment encouraging shopping, and more than 65,000 members switched plans for 2017. The 28 percent switch rate was four times higher than the usual 3-7 percent switch rate during an Open Enrollment.
Sheila Hubbard Appointed to the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination
Governor Charlie Baker announced the appointment of Sheila Hubbard to the Massachusetts Commission Against Discrimination (MCAD). The Commission serves as the state's chief civil rights agency charged with the authority to investigate, prosecute, adjudicate, and resolve cases of discrimination.
The MCAD is an independent agency of the Commonwealth, funded by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The MCAD protects individuals in numerous protected categories including race, color, creed, national origin, age, disability, gender, gender identity, and sexual orientation by enforcing the Commonwealth's anti-discrimination laws in employment, housing, public accommodations, credit, and education.
