Analyzing the House Ways & Means Budget for FY 2016
This Wednesday, the House Ways and Means Committee released its budget blueprint for fiscal year 2016. It recommends targeted investments in some important areas including early education and care, affordable housing, and opiate abuse prevention and treatment. The HWM budget also rejects some cuts proposed by the Governor, including the elimination of Kindergarten Expansion Grants.
For a full analysis of this HWM proposal, please read our Budget Monitor available HERE.
The HWM budget also proposes new cuts to some important programs including workforce training for low income parents and youth jobs and violence prevention efforts. Like the Governor's proposal, the HWM budget relies heavily on temporary strategies. Both versions spend $300 million in capital gains tax revenue that would have gone into the Rainy Day Fund under current law. They also both count on $100 million from a tax amnesty and $116 million from putting off paying some of our FY2016 MassHealth bills into FY 2017.
Ultimately, the shortcomings of this budget proposal mirror those of the Governor's and reflect ongoing challenges that our Commonwealth has faced for more than a decade: after cutting the income tax by over $3 billion dollars between 1998 and 2002 we have experienced deep cuts to things that strengthen our communities and our economy. Between 2001 and 2015, for instance, funding for higher education has been cut 21 percent, environmental protection and recreation (parks, swimming pools, rinks) has been cut 33 percent, local aid has been cut 44 percent, early education and care has been cut 24 percent and funding for public health has been cut 24 percent (all numbers adjusted for inflation).
Please click HERE to read the full Budget Monitor.
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