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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

In this Executive Summary, the Senate Committee on Ways and Means provides highlights of its fiscal year 2006 budget recommendations. 

Despite several fiscal uncertainties, the Committee has crafted a budget that reflects the Senate’s historic attention to local aid, health care and public education.  The following description of the initiatives in this budget demonstrates the Senate’s continuing commitment to these priorities.

Like the Commonwealth, every city and town has struggled with the slow economy and has had to make difficult budget decisions.  Even with the fiscal constraints facing the Commonwealth, the Senate Committee on Ways and Means FY06 budget recommendations continues its long-standing commitment to local aid.

Chapter 70

The Committee recommends increasing Chapter 70 funds by $105.6 million. This was achieved by meeting the foundation budget for each school district and guaranteeing that every district sees an increase of at least $50 per student.

The Committee also creates a $55 million reserve for education aid to school districts only to be allocated upon enactment of future legislation passed by the General Court. These funds will help level the playing field in the distribution of school aid so that towns of similar wealth and income receive similar aid from the state. Aid will also go to improving under-performing and at-risk school districts through strengthened educational quality and district accountability. 

Lottery Aid

The Committee recommends increasing lottery aid by $100 million to $761 million to financially assist cities and towns across the Commonwealth.

These recommendations propose to accelerate the schedule to uncap the lottery distribution by allowing it to begin in FY06 rather than FY07.  The Committee also proposes to allot the disbursement over a course of four years instead of five.

Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT)

The PILOT program reimburses cities and towns for their tax loss (in revenue) as a direct result of the Commonwealth owning land in that town. The Committee recommends increasing funding for the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) program by $3.1 million.

MWRA Assistance

The Committee recommends providing additional relief to the millions of Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA) consumers by increasing the funding for Massachusetts Water Resources Authority Rate Relief Program by $5 million, bringing the total to $15 million. These funds will ease the water and sewer rates of 2.5 million residents and businesses.

Fiscal year 2006 represents a year of transition for our state’s health care services.  There are several reasons for concern and caution regarding the future of our state-funded health care system.  As a result of the renegotiated federal Medicaid waiver agreement, the Commonwealth is faced with a potential loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in FY07 and beyond.  However, there is also reason for optimism for our state’s health care future, as new proposals to expand and improve health care access will be considered this year. 

With that in mind, the Committee’s recommendations represent the Senate’s steadfast commitment to maintain our safety net of providers and health care workers who care for the uninsured, increase coverage for low-income families and children, and improve the delivery and affordability of health care services for everyone in the Commonwealth.

MassHealth

The Committee recommends funding MassHealth programs for FY06 at a total of $7.39 billion. This includes $5.1 million for the MassHealth Breast and Cervical Cancer program, $7.6 million to fully fund the MassHealth HIV program and $44 million for the Insurance Partnership Program which provides subsidies to small businesses for health insurance costs.

The Committee’s recommendations maintain and expand the MassHealth programs for low-income residents by investing an additional $476 million compared to fiscal year 2005 projected cash-year spending. Compared on an adjusted cash-year basis, this represents a 7.0% spending growth which is in line with the national average for Medicaid programs.

MassHealth Caseload

The Committee proposes funding that will allow for 26,000 more members to enroll in MassHealth as compared to FY05.  This will bring caseload totals in MassHealth to over 1 million for the first time since 2002.  With 460,000 uninsured persons in the Commonwealth, the first step in expanding coverage is to ensure that all MassHealth-eligible individuals are enrolled in the program.

The Committee recommends investing $32 million into the MassHealth Essential program over the FY05 appropriation. This will allow an additional 10,000 individuals below the poverty line to enroll in the MassHealth Essential program who otherwise would be eligible for the Uncompensated Care Pool. It also restores coverage for 3,500 elderly and disabled legal immigrants. By the end of the year, 56,500 Massachusetts residents will be enrolled in this program alone.

Providing managed primary care through the MassHealth programs allows the state to maximize federal funds and provide preventative and primary care that helps avoid unnecessary hospitalizations.  It also lowers the burden on the Uncompensated Care Pool and our safety-net hospitals that would otherwise be responsible for health care for these uninsured.

Healthy Families Initiative

A healthy family is a successful and productive family.  In order to reach these goals, the Committee proposes providing $15.9 million to fully fund the Healthy Start program, which will allow pregnant women who are uninsured to get critical pre-natal care.  We recommend fully funding the Children’s Medical Security Plan at $21.7 million in order to live up to the Senate’s commitment to provide basic health coverage to every child in the Commonwealth.

The Committee proposes to restore two vital MassHealth health benefits for pregnant women and new mothers:  comprehensive dental coverage and smoking cessation benefits.  These benefits are extremely important because they encourage healthy pregnancies and reduce the incidences of premature/low-birth weight infants. 

The Committee also suggests reforming the premium structure for the Children’s Medical Security Plan in order to provide relief to low-income families to create a more equitable distribution of premium costs that will ensure the program is affordable for all families.

Hospitals

The Committee continues to recognize the vital role hospitals play, not only in sustaining the health of our residents, but also in our economy.  Accordingly, we provide $11.7 million in payments to hospitals with high volumes of public payer patients and $12 million in payments to pediatric hospitals and specialty units.

The Committee’s recommendations propose providing a new guarantee to support pediatric hospitals and specialty units that care for extremely ill children.  This will help those providers who provide the most complicated and expensive care for pediatric patients in the Medicaid program.

The Committee also seeks to restore $18.75 million in MassHealth coverage beyond 20 days for acutely ill adults over 21 years old. This benefit, which was cut in 2002, reduces the financial liability on hospitals that treat patients who need more extensive care. Typical cases include cancer patients, burn and trauma victims, and those patients requiring lengthy hospital stays due to significant surgeries.

Uncompensated Care Pool

The Committee is committed to preserving and supporting the safety-net of hospitals and community health centers that bear the cost of treating the uninsured in the Commonwealth.  Funding the Uncompensated Care Pool at an appropriate level is the best way for the state to help those providers that provide the most free care. 

In FY05, the shortfall between available funding and free care costs will be close to $150 million.  With free care costs expected to increase by another 7.6% in FY06, it would be dangerous to the stability of the entire health delivery system to reduce funding to the Uncompensated Care Pool at this time.  The Committee’s FY06 recommendations:

·        Maintain hospital free care payments at $500 million.

·        Increase Community Health free care payments from $41 million to $56 million.

·        Continue authorization for a $5 million audit of the Uncompensated Care Pool by the Inspector General’s Office to increase provider accountability and provide useful data on Pool utilization.

Prescription Advantage

Too many residents continue to face the impossible choice of whether to put food on their table or pay for costly prescriptions.  The Committee proposes fully funding the state’s Prescription Advantage program for six months, until the implementation of Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage.  Upon implementation of this new federal program, we recommend funding a new supplemental prescription drug assistance program to complement Medicare Part D’s prescription drug coverage starting January 1, 2006 in order to help enrollees cover the cost of premiums, co-pays, and gaps in coverage under the federal plan.

In addition, it is the recommendation of this Committee to preserve Prescription Advantage co-pays at the FY05 levels by dedicating an additional $5 million for co-pay subsidy relief in FY06 without introducing any new premiums or deductibles.  We propose funding a Spring 2006 open enrollment period, to allow all eligible applicants equal opportunity to receive the supplemental assistance for their Medicare Part D prescription drug coverage.

Elder Affairs

The Committee continues to be mindful of the needs of our elders and the challenges they face later in life.  We, therefore, aim to assist these individuals, as well as those who care for them.

The Committee proposes an increase in funding for the Enhanced Community Options Program by $4.5 million in order to clear any waiting lists for this program in FY06.  This program provides services to elders at imminent risk of entering a nursing home.  We also dedicate $3.9 million to wage increases for Homemakers and Personal Homemakers.  These low-income health care workers are the front-line caregivers for elders and the disabled residing in community-based settings.

Councils on Aging offer seniors opportunities to continue to be active in their communities and give seniors occasions to participate in various enriching programs.  We are pleased to recommend providing $7 million in grants to local Councils on Aging, a $500,000 increase from FY05.

The Committee also proposes increasing funding for the Protective Services Program by $1.3 million in order to eliminate any waiting list for these services aimed at protecting the Commonwealth’s elders from abuse and fraud.  This includes $800,000 for the Elder Money Management program.

Nursing Homes

The Committee continues its tradition of utilizing an innovative funding method to generate financial support for the Commonwealth’s nursing homes.  The Committee maintains nursing home funding through the Nursing Home User Fee and distributes funding through increased Medicaid rates that include:

• $50 million to increase nursing staff wages and to improve staff to patient ratios.
• $17 million for nursing homes capital costs, prioritizing under-bedded areas, quality-improving projects and de-institutionalization initiatives.
• $9 million in funding for nursing home bed hold days, ensuring seniors retain their bed after a medical or non-medical leave of absence.

Department of Public Health

The Committee recognizes the value of the various programs and public health support services offered by the Department.  We, therefore, restore over $13.7 million in funding to the Department of Public Health (DPH).  In this recommendation, we propose fully funding Public Health Hospitals at $136.4 million.  This is an increase of over $10 million, which will allow the DPH hospitals to address staffing issues and critical equipment needs.

The Committee recommends increasing funding for substance abuse programs to over $47.2 million.  This ensures that the state will receive the full amount of the federal Substance Abuse Community Block Grant.  We also recommend increasing funding for AIDS by $2.1 million.  This will help DPH address some of the funding issues in the HIV Drug Assistance Program (HDAP) and provide services to individuals living with HIV/AIDS.

Department of Mental Health

The Committee’s recommendations for supportive services to persons with mental illness are unmatched.  The Committee’s FY06 recommendations provide $3 million in the Adult Mental Health Services account for the transition of clients who are moving into the adult mental health system from a variety of child/adolescent systems.

The Committee also proposes to include funding for the full year cost of the community placements which were added in FY05. The Committee also provides $2 million in additional funding to support the transfer of 30 additional patients out of hospital settings and into community placements, allowing the department to reach its goal of 268 total community placements by the end of FY06 as was recommended by the Inpatient Bed Study performed by the Department in FY04.

The Commonwealth’s commitment to our learning institutions remains strong.  Education is the foundation upon which the future of our children and our state is built.  The FY06 budget recommendations for the Senate Committee on Ways and Means dedicate significant resources to education from pre-kindergarten through college.

Department of Early Education & Care

Keeping the promise made last year, the Committee’s FY06 recommendations establish and provide the structure and funding necessary for the programs under the new Department of Early Education and Care.  In addition, we make an initial investment of $10 million to improve the quality of early education.

The new Department will take on all programming from the former Office of Child Care Services (with the exception of the Children’s Trust Fund and unrelated licensing, which will remain at EOHHS) as well as a variety of early education programs previously administered by the Department of Education including: pre-school grants provided by the Community Partnerships for Children; Head Start grants; the Reach Out and Read program; and the Parent-Child Home program.

This consolidation will give the Department responsibility for all early education programs and services for children from birth through entrance into kindergarten. The Department will also administer all other voucher and contracted child care provided for children up to age 14. 

Department of Education

·In addition to the $55 million reserve for public K-12 education mentioned previously, the Committee proposes providing an additional $4.5 million for regional transportation to offset local costs.  The increased funding will help relieve financial pressure on regional school districts across the Commonwealth.

The Committee recommends increasing funding for the Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO) by $2 million, bringing the total to $17.6 million. 

In addition, the Committee authorizes and funds a new pilot program that will reform the current decentralized and costly system of special education student transportation. The new plan will transport students to out-of-district placements at a lower cost and with improved quality of service by coordinating the planning and contracting to educational collaboratives across the state.

Higher Education

· Equally important is the support of our public colleges and universities so that every Massachusetts resident has an affordable option for higher education.  The Committee’s FY06 recommendations provide an increase of $18 million to the University of Massachusetts campus system, which includes doubling the funding for Commonwealth College to $3,430,000.

The Committee also proposes increasing funding to state and community colleges by $23 million over FY05 appropriations using the Board of Higher Education’s funding formula and continuing funding the Board of Higher Education’s Nursing and Allied Health Education initiative to address the nursing and nursing faculty shortage. 

The Committee defers important legislative changes in all three tiers of education to a separate bill in order to allow thorough consideration of structural issues.

Investing in public safety is essential to ensuring the safety of our residents and is a core mission of our state government.  This encompasses all components of public safety including the Massachusetts State Police, state and county sheriffs, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner and forensics laboratories.

Massachusetts State Police

The Committee proposes $11.5 million in funding for two new cadet classes, the 78^th and 79^th Recruit Training Troops, as well as $900,000 to combat gang violence in some of our most at-need communities.

State & County Sheriffs

The Committee recommends increases in funding to all state and county sheriffs by 2.1 percent. These funds will help sheriffs with both administrative and program costs.  The Committee continues to fully fund the two regional forensic mental health units for county and state inmates. This allows inmates who present mental health issues to be observed and assessed instead of sending them immediately to Bridgewater State Hospital, saving the Commonwealth significant resources.

Fire Safety & Prevention

The Committee proposes fully funding the Department of Fire Services at $10.2 million to allow for the implementation of the recent fire sprinkler legislation arising from the Station nightclub tragedy and reducing the backlog of recruits seeking training at the Massachusetts Firefighting Academy.   In addition, these recommendations seek to fully fund the Student Awareness of Fire Education (SAFE) program at $1.1 million to ensure our children know the risks of fire and how to protect themselves.

Office of the Chief Medical Examiner & State Police Crime Labs

The Committee proposes increasing funding for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner by over $400,000. This increase will allow the Chief Medial Examiner’s office to continue hiring needed pathologists in order to operate more efficiently and quickly clear pending cases.

Additionally, the Committee’s recommendations nearly double the funding, from $6.2 million to $12.2 million, for the State Police Crime Lab. This increase includes $2.6 million for leasing costs associated with moving into a new 100,000 square foot facility, $1.4 million for 33 new employees, and an additional $1.4 million for needed supplies and equipment.

Office of the Commissioner of Probation

The Committee continues to recognize the need to utilize modern technology in our efforts to keep the public safe.  We, therefore, recommend increasing funding for the Office of the Commissioner of Probation to support the expansion of the GPS tracking of sexual offenders program.  In addition, the Committee provides a $387,215 increase in funding for the Office of Community Corrections. This additional funding will help the Office continue to provide services for Sheriffs and the Department of Corrections within the community. These services include: electronic monitoring, community service, drug testing, and day reporting.

The Committee continues to value the important role the Commonwealth can play in the area of economic development and job growth.  This includes attracting business to Massachusetts, keeping the businesses we have here, and providing the unemployed residents of the Commonwealth with the tools they need to re-train and find new employment opportunities.

Workforce Training

The Committee proposes fully funding the Workforce Training Fund at $21 million.  In the six years since this fund was launched, it has awarded training funds totaling $83 million to 1,300 companies to train almost 125,000 employees.  The Committee also recommends increasing funding for the Commonwealth’s Career Centers to $4 million to meet increased demand and includes $4 million in funding for the At-Risk Youth Program. This program helps young people who are not employed or in school develop job skills.

Massachusetts Cultural Council

In a state with such deep cultural riches, we are constantly reminded of the economic engine that is fueled by the arts and the important role cultural destinations play in preserving the high quality of life we enjoy here in Massachusetts.   The Committee, therefore, recommends strengthening the Massachusetts Cultural Council by increasing funding by $800,000, raising the total to $7.4 million and adding an additional $500,000 to the Cultural Economic Development Grants.

As housing prices continue to skyrocket, housing assistance is an increasingly critical issue for both the private and public housing markets.

Soft Second Loan Program

The Soft Second Loan Program helps low and moderate income families purchase their first home.  In the past several years, the program has been self-sustaining through a recapture provision; however, it requires state funding this year to continue its success. The Committee proposes providing funding of $2.5 million for the Soft Second Loan program.  This program, which has been operating since 1991, gives first-time homebuyers increased purchasing power through two mortgages: a conventional first mortgage with a subsidized second mortgage. 

Housing Resources

The Committee proposes a variety of initiatives in both the private and public housing markets to increase the supply of quality, affordable housing.  The Committee recommends increasing funding for Housing Education Centers to help residents find homes, reducing the amount of homelessness, as well as an increase in funding by $4.6 million for subsidies to local housing authorities. This will allow local housing authorities to continue to help provide housing to low-income families and individuals. 

Residential Families in Transition (RAFT) is a homeless prevention program which provides up to $3,000 in flexible assistance for families to assist them in holding onto their housing and to help homeless families regain housing.  The Committee seeks to increase funding by $3 million for the RAFT program.

The Committee’s recommendations also provide an increase in the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program of $2 million to help low-income residents have the opportunity to reside in privately-owned rental housing.

The Committee continues the Senate’s groundbreaking work on smart growth by recommending a mechanism to reimburse municipalities for educational costs related to smart growth development under the new Chapter 40R to make the program more attractive to cities and towns.  In addition, the Committee extends and improves the expedited surplus state land disposition statute to continue to generate critical resources for the Smart Growth Housing Trust Fund and the General Fund.

The Commonwealth is blessed with some of nature’s most scenic vistas and pristine beaches.  Efforts to preserve our fragile environment must remain strong and we must place a focused emphasis on programs that support these efforts.  We must also keep constant our commitment to the summertime needs of those in our urban areas by sustaining support for public pools.

Beaches and Pools Initiative

In the Committee’s recommendations, state and urban beaches and pools are funded at a level that will ensure the beaches and pools are open full season from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend.  In the recent past, these important recreational facilities have closed early or opened late in the season due to lack of staffing.

The Committee provides adequate funding to enable the Department of Conservation and Recreation to be certain that the beaches are cleaned (sand and water), trash is removed, bath houses are maintained and to assist in the up-keeping of pools. 

Two important commissions are established under the Committee’s recommendations to study important beach initiatives.  One commission will study the state of the Boston Harbor beaches, evaluating both their capital and operational needs.  The other commission will study the environmental impact of beach erosion and measures to stem it.

Environmental Law Enforcement

The Committee proposes increasing environmental law enforcement funding by 2 percent, bringing the total to $9.9 million to help with staffing issues and administrative costs.

Department of Environmental Protection

The Department remains active in fulfilling its mission to protect human health and the environment.  The Committee remains committed to that mission and proposes increased funding for DEP accounts, including: Clean Air Act, Safe Drinking Water Act, and Hazardous Waste Site Audit.

Division of Fisheries & Wildlife

The Committee proposes designating a portion of the surplus in the Inland Fish and Game Fund to increase funding for the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife by 7 percent and to increase the Wildland Stamp Program by 33 percent.  This funding is used to acquire land which is open to the public for various recreational activities, including: hunting, fishing, walking, and birding.

One of the most important parts of our Commonwealth’s infrastructure are our roads and bridges. We must ensure that they are maintained properly and that we are able to keep them clear during the winter months.

With that in mind, the Committee proposes adding $3 million for Mass Highway to hire maintenance workers that can also work as snowplow drivers. By providing the extra funding, we can realize $5M in savings, which are reflected in the Snow & Ice appropriations.  We recommend placing $20 million of the Commonwealth’s total snow and ice removal appropriation in non-reserve accounts to allow Mass Highway to purchase salt and materials in bulk during the off-season, thereby reducing costs.

In addition, we recommend the creation of a $7 million retained revenue account which will allow Mass Highway to enter into advertising contracts with private vendors and apply funds raised to maintain our state highways.

The Committee remains vigilant in its support of the dedicated men and women of our armed services.  The Senate Committee on Ways and Means is unwavering in its support of providing the healthcare and benefits that our state’s veterans have been promised.  These men and women have put their lives on the line to defend our nation, and deserve nothing less. 

Department of Veteran’s Services

The Committee proposes increasing funding for the Veterans’ Annuities by $1.1 million for a total of $12.3 million.  This amount ensures that all veterans who qualify will receive their $1,500 annuities.  We suggest fully funding the Veteran Benefit Reimbursement Account. This will ensure that the Commonwealth will reimburse all municipalities at the required rate of 75 percent.  In addition, we recommend fully funding Veterans’ Homeless Shelters at over $4 million to provide much needed transitional housing for the Commonwealth’s homeless veterans.

Soldiers’ Homes

The Committee recommends increased funding for the Chelsea Soldiers’ Home by over $732,000 for a total of $23.8 million and an increase in funding for the Soldiers’ Home in Holyoke by $628,000 for a total over $18.35 million.  This will allow the facility to open 16 more beds that are desperately needed by the Commonwealth’s veterans.  In addition, we propose creating a new trust account that allows Holyoke Soldiers’ Home to keep revenue they generate from the licensing or rental of the home’s property for the placement of telecommunications antennae.

The Commonwealth serves those most in need and most vulnerable with quality support services in an effort to ensure that all of our residents are provided with the means to live a healthy, safe and productive life.  The Committee remains committed to those who are in need of assistance.

Department of Mental Retardation

As in the past, the Committee maintains an unyielding commitment to persons with mental retardation and their families. The Committee recommends fully funding the Commonwealth’s obligation in the Boulet settlement at $85.6 million. This highlights the Committee's commitment to ensure that all individuals with mental retardation are given the best services possible.  The full $85.6 million will allow DMR to place all 400 clients as mandated by the settlement.

The Committee proposes to create and fund the new Autism Division at $1 million to provide services for children with autism and their families. The Committee also directs the Executive Office of Health and Human Services to apply for a waiver to obtain federal reimbursement for autism services provided to children with autism spectrum disorder.

As a supplement to DMR funding, the Committee includes a provision that will allow DMR to collect a health care provider assessment on clients who receive services in Intermediate Care Facilities for the Mentally Retarded (ICF/MR).  This assessment will allow the Commonwealth to generate about $18.4 million in Federal Financial Participation funding.  The funds will be deposited into a transfer account within the Uncompensated Care Pool for DMR to provide services for clients who qualify for MassHealth.

Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission

The Committee continues with its tradition of providing assistance to individuals who turn 22 and transition out of local school districts into community settings.  This year the Committee recommends an additional $2.39M in funding to address the waiting list for the Turning 22 population.  This amount fully annualizes all costs for current turning 22 clients and fully funds the new class in FY06.

The Committee also proposes an increase in funding for the Statewide Head Injury program by over $2M for a total of $8M.  The incidents of Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) have been increasing steadily in recent years and the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission has not been able to keep up with the demand for services.  The increase in funding will help the Commission begin to address a long waiting list for victims of severe head trauma in need of services. 

Department of Social Services

An audit completed in April of this year illustrates the need for the Department to come into compliance with regulations regarding foster care licensing, criminal background checks, fair hearings, and other audit findings.  The Committee provides $1 million to address the findings of this audit. These funds will be used to hire the additional staff needed to bring the department into compliance.

In addition, the Committee proposes increasing the social worker account by $2.8 million in order to hire additional social workers to help reduce the number of cases per social worker.  The Committee also recommends an increase of $12.6 million in the services for Children and Families account in order to manage caseload increases and to support the transition of certain children out of group care and into the community. 

Department of Transitional Assistance

The Committee recommends including language and a $12 million salary reserve to enable the Commonwealth to continue operating its Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) program with existing eligibility criteria. This will allow TAFDC to avoid possible federal penalties that may have been imposed due to the expiration of the Commonwealth’s waiver in October. 

In addition, the Committee proposes increasing funding for the Emergency Assistance Family Shelter account to address unreasonable barriers to family shelter and to change the financial eligibility standard to 130 percent of the Federal Poverty Level.  These changes will help keep families with children safe during exceptionally difficult housing crises.

Department of Youth Services

The children of Massachusetts are our future.  We must be able to identify the complex educational and emotional needs of children in the care of Department of Youth Services (DYS) and provide them with the services they need to become contributing members of society.

The Committee, therefore, recommends increasing by $10.1 million funding for the Residential Services for the Committed Population account.  This funding will be used for various measures of suicide prevention, which is a vital issue facing the Department.

Specifically, this funding will be used to enhance staff salaries and staffing levels across the department, to help recruit and retain qualified staff and to ensure the safety of children in DYS custody.  It will also be used to increase clinical capacity, hire additional clinical staff for risk assessment at in-take, improve medication administration, ensure psychiatric coverage at facilities, and develop a 24-hour area-based on-call staff.

Salaries for Human Service Providers

The Committee also recommends providing $20 million in funding to increase salaries for private human service workers who deliver vital human and social services under contracts with the Commonwealth.  Specifically, $14 million will be used to adjust wages for those human service workers who earn less than $25,000 per year, and $6 million will be used to adjust wages for those who earn between $25,000 and $40,000 per year.