Budget Signed, Critics Fault `Hands in the Cookie Jar'

Monday, Governor Maura Healey signed the Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) state budget, a $57.78 billion plan that she called balanced, with spending on education, including the Literacy Launch Initiative, grants for early education and care providers and funding to make community college free for all students through the MassEducate program.

Additionally, for the second year in a row, the Healey-Driscoll Administration is dedicating 1 percent of the overall budget to energy and the environment as well as doubling of operational support for the MBTA.

The bill’s signing brought relief to many specific funding beneficiaries as well as to all those who waited weeks for the state budget to make it through the legislature – late but complete.

At the same time, the budget process laid bare at least some of the workings of Beacon Hill. In a Monday morning report, the often-uncritical Boston Globe singled out legislative leadership for out-of-control pork barrel spending.

According to the Globe, which examined the record for a few top legislators, Ashland’s Karen Spilka, President of the Senate who formerly had Franklin in her district, nearly tripled the value of earmarks heading to her district in the final hours before the budget was signed. Ultimately, $3.4 million in earmarks went to her district.

It was a similar story with House budget chief Aaron Michlewitz, of the North End, who found more than $1.5 million coming his way at the last minute and Westport Senator Michael Rodrigues, who nabbed some $1.3 million in earmarks for his district as the session wrapped up. All together, the Globe reckoned the top insiders pulled an additional $12 million from the budget for their favored projects and causes, including, in Spilka’s district, more than a million dollars for a conference center. That same conference center has gotten similar funding boosts in past years, too.

Amy Carnevale, Chair of the State’s Republican Party, blamed the Democrat supermajority that made party bosses all powerful. Indeed, just last week a freshman house legislator endured a public dressing down by a member of his chamber’s leadership...and when he responded was warned by other members to kowtow or expect to never get another measure passed for his district.

"This underscores the urgent need for an audit of the legislature to expose these closed-door meetings where power dynamics overshadow fairness and community needs,” said Carnevale.

FY25 Budget Highlights from the Governor’s budget announcement are listed below:

• $761.5 million for education
  • $239 million total for higher education, including $93.5 million for Mass Educate to build upon the success of Mass Reconnect and make community free for all, and $80 million for MassGrant Plus scholarships
• $244 million for K-12 education, including $170 million to guarantee access to free school meals for students across the Commonwealth and $20 million for Literacy Launch
• $278 million for early education and care, including $65 million for provider rates and $175 million to help support C3 grants
• $538.5 million for transportation
  • $250 million transfer to Commonwealth Transportation Fund to leverage over $1 billion in borrowing for transformative infrastructure investment
• $20 million for Fare Equity at the MBTA
• $110 million for regional transit grants and free fares
• $45 million in supplemental Chapter 90 funding for municipal roads and bridges
• $10 million for MBTA Hiring Academy and recruitment initiatives
• Fully funds the Student Opportunity Act with $6.86 billion for Chapter 70 funding, a 4 percent increase over FY24
• A $104 increase in per pupil minimum aid
• Provides $475 million in C3 grants to early education and care providers
• $15 million for early educator scholarships and loan forgiveness
• $85 million for child care provider rates, $20 million over FY24 for new rate increases to continue better covering the true cost of care
• A 3 percent increase to Unrestricted General Government Aid (UGGA)
• $39 million for local and regional library aid
• $326 million in Emergency Assistance to contribute to the state’s ongoing shelter response
• $219.2 million for the Massachusetts Rental Voucher program for low-income tenants
• $57.3 million for HomeBASE to connect EA-eligible families with more permanent housing opportunities
• $7.5 million for the Community Empowerment and Reinvestment Grant Program
• $7.6 million for the Small Business Technical Assistance program
• $3.7 million for the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism
• $600,000 for the Massachusetts Downtown Initiative for municipalities looking to revitalize their downtowns
• Fully funds the Chapter 257 rate reserve for human service providers at $390 million
• Expands Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children and Emergency Aid to the Elderly Disabled and Children through a 10 percent benefit increase to $496 million and $183 million, respectively
• $124.1 million for the Department of Developmental Services Turning 22 Program
• $40.0 million to increase base rates for nursing facility providers
• $14.7 million for maternal health services, including a new $1.0 million investment for a doula certification program at the Department of Public Health
• $5.5 million for Children’s Advocacy Centers, a $550 thousand increase over FY24
• $2.0 million to fully support the Massachusetts Youth Diversion Program at the Department of Youth Services
• Funds the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs at $555 million, which hits the administration’s target of 1 percent of total budget and includes:
  • $10 million for Food Security Infrastructure Grants
• $20 million for the Massachusetts Clean Energy Center to support wind technology, decarbonized homes, and workforce training programs in the clean energy industry
• $8.7 million for environmental justice
• $42.3 million for emergency food assistance
• $14 million in consolidate net surplus to support new Disaster Relief and Resiliency Fund
• $1 million total for Dam Safety Technical Assistance to assist communities in addressing vulnerable dams
• $2.8 million to fund critical work on small bridges and culverts
• Provides $15.9 million for Summer Jobs Program for At-Risk Youth (Youthworks) to subsidize wages and facilitate career development for at-risk youth
• Provides $9.6 million for Career Technical Institutes
• Includes $3.3 million for the Registered Apprenticeship Program
• $8.9 million for MassHire Career Centers to provide regional workforce training and employee placement services across 29 locations
• Funds the Veterans’ Services at $193.5 million, an 11 percent increase from FY24 GAA
• Provides historic levels of support for the Chelsea and Holyoke Soldiers’ Homes with a combined $87.4 million
• Savings of $16 million through the closure of MCI Concord
• $5.3 million for Non-profit Security Grants
• $13.3 million for gang prevention grants
• Codifies the Digital Accessibility and Equity Governance Board, and the position of Chief IT Accessibility Officer (CIAO)
• $4.2 million for technology modernization and hardware maintenance contracts
• $700,000 for advanced threat protection software and other upgrades