The Commonwealth of Massachusetts' FY2013 Budget Process for ACEC/MA Members

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General

ACEC/MA Resource Page on the FY2013 Budget Process

(updated as of January 25, 2012)

Massachusetts government is funded on a fiscal year basis. The 2013 fiscal year runs from July 1, 2012 through June 30, 2013. This page will give you updates on the FY2013 budget process.

This page lists newest news first.

Link to House 1, the Governor's FY2013 Budget Proposal:

http://www.mass.gov/bb/h1/fy13h1/index.html

January 25, 2012: Governor Patrick Announces $32.3 Billion Budget Proposal for FY2013

Governor Deval Patrick's fiscal 2013 budget proposal was released today. This bill is known as House 2.

The Governor’s FY13 budget recommendation proposes state spending of $32.3 billion, or a 2.98 percent increase from the current year estimated spending levels. This year-on-year spending growth of $935.9 million is significantly less than originally projected because of significant program reductions, positions eliminations and reforms.

A number of efforts are being made to control the largest cost drivers in the state budget, particularly health care costs. Even with these cost-saving measures, many areas of state government will see flat or reduced funding levels and, in the aggregate, total funding for state government outside of health care, safety net and certain legally-obligated fixed costs will be reduced from FY12 levels.

Link to FY2012

Updates and Budget News, from several sources, with newest news at the beginning:

January 25, 2012: Governor Patrick Announces $30.5 Billion Budget for FY2013

Governor Deval Patrick's fiscal 2013 budget proposal was released today. This bill is known as House 1. It is a budget bill for $30.5 billion, up from the $29.4 billion bottom line on this year’s original budget, and includes $570 million in spending reductions that administration officials say will lead to the elimination of some programs and closures of some state facilities, the administration announced on Wednesday, January 25, 2012.

To help balance his spending plan, the Governor is counting on $61.5 million from the Department of Revenue from enhanced tax law enforcement initiatives, $23 million in contributions to the state from quasi-public agencies, and $20 million from expanding the bottle bill. Governor Patrick plans to cuts spending on emergency homeless shelters by $23 million, to axe spending on Department of Mental Health hospitals by $16.4 million and to reduce spending on an employment services program by $15 million. Other accounts in for cuts under the governor's plan include non-school local aid ($65 million), counsel to indigent criminal defendants ($45 million), and clothing allowances for families receiving public assistance ($11.5 million). Patrick plans to reduce spending on early intervention services by $8 million, to cut group care services at the Department of Children and Families by $6.6 million, and to slash the State Police budget by $6.2 million. The proposal would also add a $2.50 to $2.70 surcharge on auto insurance policies that would fund a new class of State Police cadets. Public safety officials said that the 2,100-member State Police force is about 400 troopers shy of full strength and another 200 are expected to retire by the end of this fiscal year. The spending plan calls for a 2 percent reduction in spending in the administrative budgets of the state's six constitutional officers, including the governor's office. Administration officials said the governor's spending plan relies on $385 million in one-time revenues, down from $3.2 billion in fiscal 2009.

House 1 BUDGET SUMMARY (courtesy of Rasky Baerlein Strategic Communications)
To be posted soon.

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The Commonwealth of Massachusetts' FY2013 Budget Process for ACEC/MA Members