Senate budget approaches $50 billion
The state Senate, not to be outdone by their colleagues in the House, unveiled a budget just slightly closer to $50 billion on Tuesday, which senators said focused on fiscal matters and was light on policy.
“I’m happy to say the commonwealth remains in a strong fiscal position at this time,” Senate President Karen Spilka said as the Ways and Means Committee unveiled their spending plan.
Coming in at a total of $49.68 billion, the Senate’s fiscal plan for 2023 tops Gov. Charlie Baker’s January proposal by over $1 billion and last year’s spending by $2 billion.
“This budget makes meaningful investments in early education and child care, K-12 schools, public higher education, mental health and substance use disorder treatment, housing, and individuals and families living in deep poverty.
We will only succeed as a commonwealth if we all rise together, and this budget ensures that no one gets left behind,” Spilka said.
About $18.5 billion will go to fund MassHealth, half a billion of which will go to the Department of Mental Health to combat substance abuse disorders and mental health broadly.
“Simply put, this will save lives,” Spilka said.
The Senate’s budget does not include some provisions included by the House, like funding for prisoners’ phone calls, or other wedge issues like free school lunches.
Chairman Michael Rodrigues said he isn’t against those programs, but that those sorts of things weren’t under consideration right now.
“We are pretty light on policy; I focused on the budget, on fiscal matters,” he said.
The budget does include increased spending on reproductive health, $2 million, which Rodrigues said would be used for security and infrastructure at reproductive health facilities, not direct funding of abortions.
The funding was added as a line item to the budget, suggesting it may receive funding in future budgets. Rodrigues acknowledged that may be the case.
“It is something that we think there is going to be continual requirements for — hope not — but we think it’s a very strong possibility these funds will be needed in the future,” he said.
The budget invests $1.35 billion in the care economy, with $300 million earmarked for child care initiatives and spends $900 million on affordable housing programs.
Senators have until next week to submit amendments and Rodrigues said he hopes a vote to approve the budget will occur the Thursday after debate begins on May 24.