ACEC/MA Resource Page on the FY2020 Budget Process
(updated as of July 31, 2019)
Massachusetts government is funded on a fiscal year basis. Fiscal Year 2020 runs from July 1, 2019 – June 30, 2020. This page will give you updates on the FY2020 budget process. This page lists newest actions first.
| Governor Signs FY2020 Budget |
July 31, 2019: Today, Governor Charlie Baker signed the $43.3B Fiscal Year 2020 budget. The Governor accepted the Legislature's changes to a drug pricing control measure he proposed in January along with $5.2B in Chapter 70 aid to local schools, nearly $70 million more than he recommended in the budget proposal he filed in January 2019 along with a series of school funding reforms. Baker returned six amendments to legislators, two of which he said needed urgent action by lawmakers set to break after Wednesday for their traditional August recess. One would affect an upcoming wind power procurement, and the other specificies that the meals tax will still apply during the sales tax holiday weekend set for August 17-18.
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| House and Senate Conference Committee files its compromise budget for FY2020. |
On July 22, 2019, the House unanimously adopted a $43.1 billion fiscal 2020 budget. Lawmakers said it offers the largest annual increase ever in K-12 education spending support through the state's Chapter 70 account, a $269 million increase. By a 158-0 vote, the House accepted the bill (H 4000), which includes drug pricing control reforms similar to language in the House's version of the budget and does not include Senate proposals to freeze UMass tuition and fees or implement new taxes on opioid manufacturers and vaping products. The bill will raise the state's rainy day fund balance to about $3.3B. The Senate is expected to approve the budget later Monday.
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| FY2020 Budget Negotiations still underway in conference committee. | As of July 10, 2019, Rep. Aaron Michlewitz, Rep. Denise Garlick and Rep. Todd Smola — the chair, vice chair and ranking minority member, respectively, of the House Ways and Means Committee, the House conference committee members and the Senate conferees, Senator Michael Rodrigues, Senator Cindy Friedman, and Senator Viriato deMacedo, are still working on a consensus budget to send to Governor Charlie Baker's desk. |
| House passes Interim FY2020 budget | June 27: Before adjourning until July 1, the first day of Fiscal Year 2020, the House today took its final vote on the $5 billion interim budget necessary to keep state government running if a final annual budget is not in place by July 1. With no House sessions until then, it would be impossible at this point for the Legislature to send Gov. Charlie Baker a full budget until fiscal 2020 is already underway. The Senate is expected to take a similar vote this afternoon. |
| Potential Delay in final approval of FY2020 budget | On June 24, House Speaker Robert DeLeo announced that a final state budget will "probably not" be in place by the start of the new fiscal year on July 1, The House and Senate versions of the $42.8B FY2020 budget have been before a six-lawmaker conference committee since May 30. House Ways and Means Chairman Aaron Michlewitz, who is co-chairing the conference committee with Senate Ways and Means Chairman Michael Rodrigues, are meeting and talking. On June 25, both the House and Senate passed a $5 billion interim budget to keep government running if a full budget is not released by the conference committee, approved by the two branches and signed by Governor Baker in the next week. Final votes to send the interim budget to Governor Baker could take place on June 27. |
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Link to House version of the FY2020 Budget
Link to Senate version of the FY2020 budget,
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Now that both the House and the Senate have debated and passed versions of a budget for FY2020, House and Senate leadership have appointed three key lawmakers from each chamber to a conference committee where they will iron out the differences between the two different spending plans. The final House bill, which added about $71M to the spending plan that was first rolled out by the House Ways and Means Committee, includes significant investments in elementary and secondary education and eschews any major tax increases. The fiscal year starts on July 1, 2019.
On May 30, one week after the Senate passed its $42.8 billion budget fiscal 2020 budget, the House formally moved to begin negotiations between the branches over how to reconcile differences in their spending bills (H 3801 and S 2235). Rep. Aaron Michlewitz, Rep. Denise Garlick and Rep. Todd Smola — the chair, vice chair and ranking minority member, respectively, of the House Ways and Means Committee — were named as House conference committee members. The Senate conferees, also named on May 30, are Senator Michael Rodrigues, Senator Cindy Friedman, and Senator Viriato deMacedo. The conference committee will try to get a consensus budget to Governor Charlie Baker by July 1, 2019, the start of fiscal year 2020..
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| Senate Adopts FY2020 Budget, adds $74.4M – Link |
The Massachusetts Senate passed a roughly $42.8B budget for FY2020 on May 23, 2019 at about 10:30 PM. The next step in the process is for House and Senate leaders to appoint a conference committee to work out the differences between the House and Senate versions prior to July 1, 2019, the beginning of FY2020..
The Senate version of the budget was amended over 3 days of debate in the Senate Chamber. The Senate added $74.4M to the FY2020 budget that the Senate Ways and Means Committee proposed earlier in May.
The Senate supported an increase for a state grant program that helps religious and nonprofit facilities at risk of terrorism and violent threat improve their security, bolstered funding for regional school transportation reimbursements, added funding for civics education, and authorized an increase in some Registry of Deeds fees to boost funding available through the Community Preservation Act.
Last month, the House last month authorized $42.7B in spending for FY2020, including significant new investments in elementary and secondary education, while avoiding any major tax increases.
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| Link to Senate Budget Amendments filed as of May 10, 2019 |
As of May 10, 2019, senators filed 1142 amendments to the Senate Ways and Means budget proposal for FY2020. Debate begins on May 21, 2019.
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| Link to Senate Ways & Means Budget Proposal released on 5/7/2019 |
On May 7, the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, now chaired by Senator Michael Rodrigues, released its proposed Fiscal Year 2020 budget, Proposed amendments are due by Friday, May 10, with formal debate beginning Tuesday, May 21.
The budget addresses areas that Senate President Karen Spilka has stated are her priorities, which include education, healthcare, transportation, climate change, and housing.
In total, the proposed budget is $42.7 billion and largely mirrors the one that the House finalized. In total, under the Senate’s proposed budget, spending would increase by 3.1% over FY 19’s. Unlike the House’s version of the budget, the Senate has chosen to include several of the new sources of revenue that Governor Baker laid out in his proposal.
Specifically, the Senate has included the 15% tax on opioid manufacturers for sales dispensed in Massachusetts and a 75% tax on wholesale prices of e-cigarettes and related products. While the Senate proposal does not include the $35 million in not-yet-legal sports betting revenue that Governor Baker projected, Chairman Rodrigues will be allowing debate on the subject. In the House Speaker DeLeo adopted a set of rules banning any sports-gambling amendments during this year's budget process. Further, Rodrigues has stated that any other revenue amendments that senators want to pursue will be open to discussion.
The Senate is also going one step further on education spending by proposing $5.176 billion in Chapter 70 education aid to municipalities, a $268 million increase over the current budget and more than $50 million higher than what the House approved last month. The budget also calls for a $25 million increase in special education funding and a $10 million increase in charter school reimbursements.
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House finishes Budget Debate on April 26, 2019
House budget is posted Here
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House Budget Week
After four days of debate, the House finished their version of the FY2020 budget and propose to authorize more than $42.7 bill in spending. This is the first House Ways and Means budget released under the committee’s new Chairman, Representative Aaron Michlewitz (D-Boston).
House members added nearly $71 million to the spending plan that was first rolled out two weeks ago by the House Ways and Means Committee. The bill includes significant new investments in elementary and secondary education while avoiding significant tax increases. House members also made changes to original proposal from Gov. Charlie Baker that allowed MassHealth to negotiate cheaper drug prices with pharmaceutical manufacturers. The bill also includes $5.96 million in spending to tackle public health issues like the opioid crisis and domestic violence.
Additionally, the House adopted an amendment that would ensure there will be competition for the next state procurement of offshore wind energy by changing a 2016 law that requires every wind procurement to be cheaper than the last. This means that the procurement process would take into account more factors than cost in comparing one offshore wind procurement to the next.
The House considered over 1,300 amendments that were filed by members of the House. The Senate will begin their budget process in late May, and then negotiations between the branches will begin.
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| House Committee on Ways & Means Budget Issued – 4/10/19
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The House of Representatives' Ways and Means Committee released its budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2020 on April 10, 2019. The release of the spending plan, from the House Ways and Means Committee now chaired by Rep. Aaron Michlewitz, will be followed by the filing of several hundred amendments that are due by Friday, April 12 at 5 PM. House budget debate is expected to begin the week of April 22. Some advocates expect that there may be a higher number of amendments that directly consider new revenue than usual, however Speaker Robert DeLeo has indicated that tax policy could be taken up by the House in standalone legislation later in the calendar year, decreasing the chances that new revenue will be part of the House’s FY2020 proposal.
In addition to factoring in the looming questions of adopting a new education funding formula, improving the state’s transportation infrastructure, and taking up new health care legislation, the Speaker has indicated in public comments that the House will prioritize investments in children “from early childhood through adolescence in clinical, educational and community settings.”
Some Items of Interest to ACEC/MA Members:
Energy and Environment
From the Berkshires to Cape Cod, Massachusetts has a diverse landscape of open spaces and natural resources that improve quality of life and support our economy. The Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs preserves and protects our land, water, and air for future generations to come with a commitment to clean energy and climate change mitigation in communities across the state. The Office also provides opportunities for outdoor recreation at our parks and beaches while supporting a sustainable food system. The House Committee on Ways and Means budget invests in these invaluable services to ensure the wellbeing of the Commonwealth’s residents today and in the future.
· Provides $100.2M for the Department of Conservation and Recreation
· Provides $61M for the Department of Environmental Protection
· Provides $31.7M for the Department of Fish and Game
Transportation
The Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT) works to provide a safe and reliable transportation network across the Commonwealth. Maintaining infrastructure from roads to rails, MassDOT supports a growing economy and improves the quality of life for residents, while investing in innovative solutions to meet the transportation needs of both today and tomorrow. The House Committee on Ways and Means budget supports the complex demands of our dynamic transportation network. The Committee’s recommendation enables the Department, the MBTA and the Regional Transit Authorities to meet the increasing demand for public transportation and actively maintain core services.
· Provides $344M for MassDOT
· Provides $127M for the MBTA
· Provides $86M for the Regional Transit Authorities
Water line items:
Transit and Roadways
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| Link to House 1, the Governor's FY2020 Budget Proposal | January 23, 2019: Governor Baker released his proposed FY20 budget which proposes $42.7 billion in gross spending, an increase of 1.5% over Fiscal Year 2019 projected spending, excluding transfers to the Medical Assistance Trust Fund.
The Baker-Polito Administration budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20), is known as “House 1.”
Main Budget Website for House 1
Here are several items of interest to ACEC/MA Members:
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