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Executive Summary
Through this executive summary, the Senate Committee on Ways and Means provides highlights of its fiscal year 2007 budget recommendations which focus on building a better future
for the Commonwealth.
Local
Aid
There
is no question that the Commonwealth’s 351 cities and towns have struggled
financially over the past several years.
It is essential that reinvesting at the local level is a top priority.
In order to facilitate that investment, the Committee’s recommendations include
substantial increases in the area of local aid.
Lottery Aid
In
response to the state’s continuing recovery from the fiscal crisis of past
years, the Committee recommendations “uncap” the lottery revenue
distribution. All of the state’s share
of lottery profits will be distributed directly to cities and towns, resulting
in a $158.7 million in increase in aid to municipalities.
Payment in Lieu of Taxes
To reimburse
communities which host state land, these recommendations increase Payment in
Lieu of Taxes Payments (PILOT) by $9.2 million for a total of $25.3
million. This funding will enable cities
and towns with state-owned land within its borders to recover more of the
property tax revenue they have recently been unable to collect.
Chapter 70
The Senate Committee on Ways
and Means’ recommendations for Chapter 70 funding in fiscal year 2007 take an
important step forward in addressing issues of equity and adequacy in education
spending. Aided by the work of the
Senate Task Force on Education Finance in 2004 and the Joint Committee on
Education’s listening tour, our plan will provide immediate help to school
districts and create a framework of reform that can be built upon in future
years. In addition to structural
changes, the Committee is recommending an increase in Chapter 70 aid of more
than $210 million over fiscal year 2006, and maps out a commitment over the
next five years.
The Committee’s plan makes
targeted increases to the foundation budget and works to ensure fairness in the
calculation of state aid and local contributions. Changes to the foundation budget will better
reflect actual district need and spending.
To gain a more accurate picture of municipal ability to pay, aggregate
income and property values are weighed equally.
Additionally, the plan guarantees that, over five years, each school
district will receive state aid amounting to at least 20 percent of its
foundation budget. Finally, the plan increases
both the assumed in-district special education enrollment as well as the
per-pupil allotments for English language learners and students from low-income
families.
Education
Investments
in education are investments in the economic vitality of the Commonwealth. From
early childhood education and care through to our public colleges and
universities, the Committee’s recommendations continue to make the education of
our children a priority.
Early Education and Care
Giving
our children a strong start in life is a key component of their successful
development. Therefore, the Committee recommends an increase in funding for the
Department of Early Education and Care of $31.7 million. Specifically, the
funding includes a $1 million increase to the Head Start Program; an additional
$1.6 million in additional early literacy and family learning funding; $1.4
million for a preschool mental health pilot program designed to reduce
expulsions and suspensions; and, $3 million for scholarship grants to early
education teachers, ensuring our children receive high quality care from
seasoned providers.
The
Committee’s recommendations also increase childcare availability for troubled
families who have active cases with the Department of Social Services, and
allow the Department of Early Education and Care to continue to reduce the
waiting list for subsidized child care.
Also
recognizing the commitment of the Commonwealth Early Education and care
providers, the Committee recommendations include a $12.5 million salary rate
reserve. This funding will help attract the best candidates in the field, and
promote quality in our child care system.
K-12 Education
Along with the $210.4
million increase in Chapter 70 funding, the Committee has further invested in
K-12 education in the Commonwealth. To assist regional school districts with
the sharply rising cost of providing transportation in very large landscapes,
the recommendations include a $5 million increase for regional transportation
reimbursements. In order to find a long-term
solution for dealing with the cost of regional transportation, the Committee
proposes a pilot program, to be conducted by the Department of Education, which
will develop ways to reform regional transportation by maximizing efficiency,
seeking cost saving alternatives, and reducing the length of bus rides for
students in regional districts.
As
part of the state’s statutory requirement of a 75 percent reimbursement for
costs of funding Special Education, the Committee increases the special
education circuit breaker account by $6.6 million.
Recognizing that the rising
cost of fuel has become a reality in our daily lives, the Committee’s
recommendations provide an increase of $1 million in fuel cost relief for the
Metropolitan Council for Educational Opportunity (METCO) by $1 million.
Higher
Education
With
one of the greatest public higher education systems in the nation, our young
adults have the opportunity to obtain a degree from a top-notch school. To
continue that tradition of excellence in our public colleges and universities,
the Committee’s recommendations invest in our public higher education system.
In February of 2006, the
Senate passed a higher education reform bill to meet certain objectives of the
Senate Task Force on Higher Education’s spring 2005 report. Some of these objectives include a return to
stability, improved affordability and increased capacity of our higher learning
institutions.
By maintaining the promises
of this bill, the Committee continues its strong support for the state’s public
higher education system by increasing funds to state and community colleges by
$30.9 million and the
The recommendations also
allow the
Health Care
Health Care Reform
Fiscal
year 2007 represents a year of great opportunity and promise for our state’s
health care services. Historic health
care reform legislation, passed this spring, creates the fundamental framework
necessary to implement an innovative plan for near-universal health care
coverage in
The
Committee’s budget recommendations for fiscal year 2007 represent an important
step toward realizing affordable, accessible health care for all residents of
- The funding transfer to
the Commonwealth Care Trust Fund necessary to support the provisions of
the health care bill, including the new low-income subsidy program called
the Commonwealth Care Health Insurance Program;
- $18.2 million to
increase MassHealth eligibility for children in
families with incomes up to 300percent of the federal poverty level;
- $42.1 million to
restore certain benefits to over 500,000 MassHealth
members, including dental coverage and eyeglasses;
- $7 million for a MassHealth smoking cessation pilot program;
- $10 million increase of
the Insurance Partnership program which provides subsidies to small
businesses for health insurance costs.
MassHealth
The
Committee takes steps to enhance the health care reform plan, by continuing to
dedicate the necessary funds to provide quality, cost-effective health coverage
to over 1,030,000 low-income residents through the MassHealth
program. The recommendations also
include increased funding in order to expand enrollment in existing MassHealth programs for all who qualify. In total, the Committee’s recommendations
provide $7.5 billion for MassHealth programs in
FY07. This will allow caseload in
existing programs to increase by more than 45,000 members, a 4.3percent
increase over FY06. Specifically, the Committee recommends:
- $77 million increase to
the MassHealth Essential program, in order to
enroll 17,000 more eligible members;
- $5.2 million increase
to the CommonHealth and MassHealth HIV programs
in order to avoid enrollment caps;
- $3.9 million to fully
fund the MassHealth Breast and Cervical Cancer
Program;
- $15.9 million for the
Healthy Start Program to provide essential pre-natal care to low-income,
uninsured pregnant women;
- $1.5 million to newly
expand MassHealth coverage to approximately 600
young-adults aging out of the state’s foster care system;
- Permanently reforming
the premium structure for the Children’s Medical Security Plan in order to
provide relief to low-income families and ensure the program is affordable
for all families to provide primary health insurance for every child in
the Commonwealth.
In
line with the goals of health care reform, these investments will begin to reduce
the number of uninsured individuals and families in
Hospitals and the Uncompensated Care Pool
Hospitals
play an essential role in both sustaining the health of residents and as a
vehicle for economic growth. The Committee’s recommendations support these
institutions through this transition year of health care reform by including
$11.7 million in payments to hospitals with high volumes of public payer
patients and $14 million in payments to pediatric hospitals and specialty
units.
The
health care reform bill does contain most of the provisions necessary to
protect the safety-net of hospitals and community health centers that bear the
cost of treating the uninsured in the Commonwealth through the Uncompensated
Care Pool. It does this by increasing
free care payments by $14 million, in order to ensure that all hospitals, urban
and community receive fair reimbursement from the state for free care
costs. This level of support will allow
providers to seamlessly transition as the number of uninsured is reduced
throughout the year. The FY07 recommendations:
·
Increase hospitals free care payments to $480 million;
- Maintain
- 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 throughout the year.
MassHealth
Senior Care
As
the Committee has done in years past, it continues the 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
provides 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.
The
Committee also supports changes to MassHealth Senior
Care eligibility requirements that will assist elderly residents in retaining
the necessary assets to allow them to remain in their home or community as long
as possible. These changes include restoring the community spouse resource
allowance to previous levels and allowing spouses of nursing home residents to
remain in the community. The Committee
also recommends utilizing new federal flexibility to increase the eligible home
equity level for seniors as a reflection of the high property values in
Department of Public Health
Early Intervention
Providing
competitive salaries ensures that the children in early intervention programs
are served appropriately. Recognizing the current workforce challenge, the
recommendations include $1,417,500 in funding as a new line item to provide a 3
percent rate increase for early intervention workers in order better recruit
and retain high quality staff.
Specialty Care Unit at
Unlike
other states, the
School
based health centers play a central role in providing for the health and
well-being of our children. Many times
they act as the sole providers of medical care for children, as well as the
liaison to health insurance benefits and mental health services if needed.
Therefore, the Committee recommendations include an additional $3 million for
the school cased health Centers.
Substance Abuse
The
Senate has made a significant commitment to programs for the prevention and treatment
in substance abuse in the FY 2006 supplemental budget, which the Senate and
House have agreed to move along with the FY 2006 economic stimulus legislation.
Adding
to the significant increases in the supplemental budget, the Committee’s
recommendations include $4 million to create a 60 bed community-based substance
abuse program for men who are civilly-committed as an alternative to
incarceration.
Department of Mental Health
Adult Mental Health
Once again, the Committee continues to assist some
of the most vulnerable citizens of the Commonwealth through a commitment to
mental health services. In order to
support and expand services for those transitioning from the various adolescent
programs into adult mental health programs, the recommendations provide for an
additional $3 million investment bringing the total amount to $6 million for FY
07.
The ability to provide a stable place of residence allows those who are homeless
and suffering from mental illness to have a place to receive mental health services in an environment which will foster recovery. The Committee provides
$2.75 million in housing for the homeless mentally ill, enabling the Commonwealth to obtain federal funding. This will allow the Commonwealth to
build additional single occupancy units to house additional homeless clients.
Department of Mental Retardation
Residential Rate Initiative
The
Committee provides $2 million for a residential rate initiative which will
allow the Department of Mental Retardation to have a more standardized
way of initiating contracts with vendors in the future,
and will allow for certain adjustments for those vendors who are currently
receiving inadequate rates. By
streamlining the process, the Department will create a more equitable and
transparent system that rewards quality and performance.
Division on Autism
The
Committee continues its strong support for this new division of the Department
of Mental Retardation. This is an important program and additional funding is
necessary in order for it to grow and carry out its mission. Therefore, the Committee’s recommendations
include an additional $1.8 million to allow the program to submit their Home
and Community Based Waiver application to the federal government, and begin to
provide intensive in-home services to eligible children ages 0-8 years old in
FY07.
Independent Living Assistance
In
order to increase capacity and programming so recipients can continue to live
successful and productive lives within the community, the Committee increases
funding for independent living assistance. Additional funding is also provided
for assistive technology, so that citizens of the commonwealth could, with the
help from assistive technology, live more independently.
To
keep up with this increased demand for services, the recommendations also
include a $2 million increase in funding for the eleven independent living
centers across the Commonwealth.
Public Safety
Providing
resources for law enforcement and public safety is an essential component in
improving the quality of life for the Commonwealth’s residents. The Committee’s
commitment to investing in public safety continues in fiscal year 2007. By distributing additional funds to the
Massachusetts State Police, our 11 district attorneys’ offices, our 14 state
and county sheriffs and both the State Police Crime Lab and the Chief Medical
Examiner’s Office, this Committee takes a strong stance against the disturbing
rise in violence the Commonwealth is experiencing.
To
complete the Commonwealth’s three year strategic plan to maximize troop
strength, the recommendations include $1.2 million in funding for a new State
Police maintenance class. Knowing that gang violence is a growing concern, the
Committee has also included $1.05 million to combat this serious problem in some
of our neediest communities.
District Attorneys
With
District Attorneys’ Offices facing a very high turnover rate because of the low
salaries, the Committee proposes to increase payroll funding for the 11
District Attorney offices in the Commonwealth by 10
percent. This funding will help to
ensure that the District Attorneys can retain the most highly-skilled and
experienced prosecutors.
State & County Sheriffs
To
address the issues with our decaying correctional facilities, the Committee
recommends over $12 million in funding to open and operate the new correctional
facilities in Middlesex, Franklin and Hampden counties. In addition, 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
Fire Safety & Prevention
Providing
children with fire safety education saves lives. To continue this critical
education effort, these recommendations include full funding for the Student
Awareness of Fire Education (
Office of the Chief Medical Examiner & State
Police Crime Lab
In
our continuing efforts to provide the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner with
the resources necessary to clear pending cases quickly and effectively, the
Committee proposes increasing funding for the Office of the Chief Medical
Examiner by over $1.1 million. This increase will allow the Chief Medial
Examiner’s office to continue hiring much-needed pathologists.
Additionally,
the recommendations increase funding for the State Police Crime Lab by $4
million to support hiring, training and equipment for
Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency
Planning
for disasters, whether natural or otherwise, must continue to be a priority for
the Commonwealth. In that vein, the Committee’s recommendations include a
$430,000 increase to support the agency’s evacuation and disaster recovery
initiative. By working with local
officials, the agency will carry out evacuation and disaster recovery plans in
each town, coordinated on a regional level.
Transportation
Our
roads, bridges, and transportation services are the backbone of the
Commonwealth. We must continue to ensure that roads and bridges are maintained
properly, and that we are able to keep them clear during the winter months.
With
351 cities and towns across the Commonwealth, the Committee understands the
importance of regional transit to our state.
In order to expand the unmet service needs in RTA districts, the
Committee has proposed to make excess registry fees available to the Regional
Transit Authorities effective fiscal year 2008.
The
Committee also recommends placing $20 million of the Commonwealth’s total snow
and ice removal appropriation in non-reserve accounts to allow
Economic Development
One of the key factors in a
strong economic future for the Commonwealth is our continued investment in
economic development. Every aspect of our lives is touched by the economy. A
strong economy means more revenue, more job opportunities and a better quality
of life for residents. The Committee
makes this investment by maintaining or increasing funding for economic
development.
Tourism is essential part of
promoting our economic vitality. As one of the top three industries in the
Commonwealth, increasing tourism affects all facets of our economy. With that in mind, the Committee
recommendation’s fully fund our local tourist councils. Another part of
promoting tourism is our support of arts and culture.
For our manufacturers to
stay competitive and thrive in a global market, the recommendations include
$850,000 for the Massachusetts Manufacturing Extension Partnership. By
providing services that allow businesses to be competitive, the Commonwealth is
better able to retain and expand existing companies as well as attract new
industry.
Extended
Care Career Ladder Initiative
To aid in supporting the
nursing community, the Committee includes $1.5 million for the Extended Care
Career Ladder Initiative in its recommendations. Through training, education,
and other workforce development programs, the initiative seeks to improve
quality of care, promote skill development, institute career ladders and other
workplace practices that support and develop workers, and improve retention of
Certified Nursing Assistants.
Human Services
Fulfilling the needs of the
Commonwealth’s most vulnerable citizens is an obligation that must continue to
be met. By helping people overcome obstacles, they are able move forward to
live a healthy, safe, productive life.
Department of Transitional Assistance
Even
as our economy continues to recover, many families are struggling to put food
on the table. Hunger decreases workforce productivity, creates severe public
health issues, and hinders the ability of children to learn and grow. In order to ensure that our citizens have access
to adequate nutrition, the Committee proposes $3.9 million in additional food
stamp program spending.
This
funding will allow the Department of Transitional Assistance to hire additional
caseworkers, and provide much needed updates to their technology, as well as
allow the Department to more quickly and efficiently get this assistance into
the hands of hungry families.
In
addition, the Committee proposes to fund a new initiative in partnership with
Project Bread to better-identify those eligible for foods stamps who are not
receiving benefits. This program will
generate an additional $103 million in federal benefits which the state can
utilize to help feed hungry families.
Department of Agricultural Resources -Emergency Food
Assistance Initiative
An additional resource in our fight against hunger is the four regional food banks who serve as an invaluable tool in providing food to individuals across the Commonwealth. With increased need from the public, these food banks’ resources stretched to the maximum. To ease that strain, the Committee continues the Senate’s commitment to eliminate hunger by nearly doubling the funding for the Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program to a total of $12.5 million.
Department of Social Services
The
health and well being of our children must be a priority. Therefore, the
Committee recommendations provide for $5.5 million to the Department of Social
Services to lower the state-wide social worker to client ratio from 18:1 to
17:1. With this additional funding, caseworkers will be able to spend more time
with each individual child, promote safe and healthy home environments, and
better protect our most vulnerable population.
Additionally,
the Committee recommends that $1 million be provided to the Department of
Social Services for new medical staff. These medical professionals will
collaborate with social workers by performing medical evaluations. This measure
would dramatically improve the department’s ability to recognize abuse and
neglect through more thorough multidisciplinary reviews.
Human Service Providers
The
dedicated men and women who provide for our neediest citizens are very often
underpaid. In order to provide for these dedicated professionals, the
Committee’s recommendations include $28 million to increase the salaries of
contracted human services workers.
Juvenile Offenders
Providing troubled youth
with the tools to improve their lives is an essential component of putting them
on the path to a productive life. The
Committee understands this need and continues the commitment by recommending a
$3.3 million initiative to improve the quality of education for youth detained
by the Department of Youth Services. This funding will increase teacher
salaries and program quality as well as help to reduce the rate of recidivism.
Veterans
With
every passing day, we realize the sacrifice that the men and women in the armed
forces make to protect our state and our nation. To honor that sacrifice, the
Committee fully funds the Veterans’ Welcome Home Bill, an investment of over
$7.9 million. This includes increasing annual annuity payments to veterans from
$1,500 to $2,000 per year, and provides $1.1 million to help Massachusetts
National Guard members pay their life insurance premiums. Along with these benefits, the Committee
continues to fund the bonus payments for veterans returning from
For
those veterans in need of treatment, the Committee recommendations also provide
increases for the state’s two veterans’ hospitals in
Environment
Protecting
our environment is investing in the future of the Commonwealth which is why the
Committee remains committed to its mission to ensure clean air and water, the safe
management of toxic and hazardous materials, the recycling of solid and hazardous
wastes, the timely cleanup of hazardous waste sites and spills, and
the preservation
of wetlands and coastal resources.
In addition, it is critical that we promote and enhance the viability of
agriculture and the conservation of fisheries and wildlife throughout the
state.
In
order to provide necessary resources to assess high-risk sites throughout the
Commonwealth that have yet to be properly assessed or evaluated, the Committee
has included $500,000 for the Hazardous Waste Site cleanup program’s new c.21E
Source Discovery and Enforcement program.
These sites are considered to have a high probability of being
significant sources of contamination, but due to resource constraints, DEP has
been unable evaluate the threat and take action. This funding will allow DEP to create a
credible program to examine these sites in a methodical approach.
Department
of Conservation and Recreation
In
this year’s recommendations, the Committee continues it’s commitment to state
and urban parks by maintaining funding for the Department of Conservation and
Recreation. This funding will allow all pools and beaches to remain open and
staffed for the full summer season, from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day
weekend.
Along
with maintaining the funding for existing Department of Conservation and
Recreation, the Committee also funds new programs that will enhance our natural
resources for years to come.
With
the threat of a failing dam in
Housing and Community Development
Ensuring
that the basic needs of the people of the Commonwealth are addressed is one of
Tenancy Preservation Program
The tenancy preservation program works with tenants,
including families, who are facing eviction as a result of a behavior related
disability. In consultation with the
housing court department, it functions as a neutral party to the landlord and
tenant to determine whether the disability can be reasonably accommodated and
the tenancy preserved. The Committee
recommendations include $250,000 to expand the existing program.
SoftSecond
Loan Program
Giving working families the ability to buy a home
for the first time allows them to set roots in a community. To aid these families,
the Committee increases the SoftSecond loan program
by $2.5 million. This program gives
first-time homebuyers increased purchasing power through two mortgages – a
conventional first mortgage with a subsidized second mortgage.
Housing Education Centers
By providing services to help residents find homes,
we are able to reduce the number of transient and homeless people. The best
tool for this is the nine housing education centers located throughout the
Commonwealth. The Committee recommends
increasing the centers funding by $600,000 for additional staff so they are
able to meet the demands to provide information and services for housing
consumers and providers in obtaining tenancies.