Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners attempts to deal with Federal funding cuts

On March 14, 2025 President Trump signed Executive Order 14238 eliminating the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) "to the maximum extent consistent with applicable law." IMLS is the single largest source of critical federal funding for libraries. Through IMLS' Grants to States Program, for FY2025 the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) was allocated $3.6 million to support statewide library services and grants to local libraries. In the weeks that followed the executive order, IMLS staff were placed on administrative leave and in the President’s FY2026 budget, IMLS is eliminated (pg. 39 under Small Agency Eliminations).

At the annual Massachusetts Library Association conference, MBLC Director Maureen Amyot addressed the impact of ongoing federal uncertainty caused by the executive order and spoke about the MBLC’s efforts to preserve as many federally funded statewide services as possible. Director Amyot announced the FY2026 plan for statewide research databases, the statewide eBook program, and the Commonwealth Catalog.

"The federal impact cannot be overstated. In Massachusetts, over 1,600 school, public, academic and special libraries from across the state benefit from federal IMLS funding. Millions of people rely on federally funded library services,” she said. "Developing a plan for services in an environment of almost daily federal change has been challenging, but our goal has remained constant: to maintain services that are integral to the functioning of our system and heavily relied on by the people of the Commonwealth."

Starting on July 1, 2025, statewide research database offerings will be significantly reduced. However, the MBLC and the Massachusetts Library System (MLS), which jointly fund databases, will maintain several of the most heavily used. The MBLC spends close to $2.2 million of its federal allocation to fund statewide research databases, an amount that cannot be made up in state funding. For FY2026, the eBook content grant to Networks from MBLC’s state line 9506 will likely be funded at $500,000*, which will allow for $500,000 funding in that line to go towards databases. MLS will increase its support for databases by $18,575 to a total of $670,575. Overall, combined database funding from MBLC and MLS will go from $2.8 million to $1.17 million.

"The President has determined that the Institute of Museum and Library Services is 'unnecessary.' But we know the opposite to be true. We know that welcoming ALL, including diverse voices in our collections, and providing free and equitable access to library services make public libraries the cornerstone of a free democratic society,” said Director Amyot. "Libraries change people’s lives. That’s why these reductions in critical library services hurt. But we’re in this for the long game and in the year ahead we’ll continue to work with local, state and federal partners to stabilize library funding and services."

Databases provide every Massachusetts resident with trustworthy online content covering topics such as science, health, history, biographies and more. Last year, there were over 9 million full text downloads from research databases, an increase of 12% in just one year. Sixty percent of database usage comes from schools. The chart below details which databases will be available as of July 1, 2025.

Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners attempts to deal with Federal funding cuts

Continue reading the press release -> https://mblc.state.ma.us/news/news-releases/2025/nr250520.php

NYTimes.com: Trump Cuts Threaten Agency Running Meals on Wheels

Explore this gift article from The New York Times. You can read it for free without a subscription.

"Trump Cuts Threaten Agency Running Meals on Wheels"

"A tiny division responsible for overseeing services for people with disabilities and older Americans is being dismantled as part of an overhaul by Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary."

Read via gift link -> https://www.nytimes.com/2025/04/24/health/meals-on-wheels-disabilities-aging-trump-cutbacks.html?unlocked_article_code=1.CE8.z03l.JCasR85eWVKx&smid=em-share 

NYTimes.com: Trump Cuts Threaten Agency Running Meals on Wheels

MASSter List: "Federal funding for libraries at risk, forcing tough decisions at the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners"

The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners has already made cuts following a Trump administration executive order attempting to shrink the agency that provides the single largest source of federal funding for libraries nationwide. The $3.6 million the MBLC receives annually from the Institute of Museum and Library Sciences is at risk, according to Director Maureen Amyot — a chunk of money she said might seem small, but is essential for Massachusetts libraries to fully operate.   Amyot and her colleagues anticipate that a funding rescission is en route, as has already happened in states including Washington, California and Connecticut. Memos sent in March put IMLS staff on leave and slotted a May 4 agency-wide reduction in force. Without IMLS staff to administer the funding that goes to states, reimbursement is uncertain, Amyot said. MBLC had to make preliminary spending cuts to get through fiscal 2025 as a result, including grants that enable libraries to offer English as a second language services, citizenship classes, and efforts to preserve historic materials.  "We cannot expend funds that would be reimbursed by IMLS unless and until we are assured that IMLS and the Grants to States Program is staffed and operating, and that reimbursements for the program are being processed," Amyot told MASSterList.  Turning to fiscal 2026: the ability for MBLC to support all existing library programs could rely on how much it receives in the state budget — the agency can't absorb all federal costs, Amyot said. Aside from specific municipal grants, MBLC spends its federal money in a few buckets, including on subscriptions to statewide databases used in K-12 schools, universities and public libraries; an interlibrary loan system; a statewide eBook and audiobook program; and the full or partial salaries of 13 of the board's 23 staff.  "We can't function as an agency with any less staff than we have now," Amyot said. "The staff are our services — without staff, we cannot provide services to the libraries that we are statutorily required to provide." The AG is already at it: Attorney General Andrea Campbell joined AGs from at least 19 other states in suing the Trump Administration for attempting to shrink multiple federal agencies, including IMLS. An initial hearing on the case took place before the District Court of Rhode Island on April 18; on April 30, a motion hearing on a suit filed by the American Library Association and union AFSCME is set to happen in D.C. — Ella Adams

Send tips to Ella Adams: Editor@MASSterList.com. For advertising and general inquiries, contact Dylan Rossiter: Publisher@MASSterList.com.

The ability to use your Franklin Library Card to read the Boston Globe online is one of the services at risk:  This is one of many services provided by Mass Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC). These resources are in danger of disappearing across the Commonwealth after Executive Order 14238. 

 

Learn more at: https://mblc.state.ma.us/federal-cuts.php

 

MASSter List: "Federal funding for libraries at risk, forcing tough decisions at the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners"

Fderal Government spending in one handy chart via USA Facts

At USAFacts, we believe that American taxpayers — the shareholders responsible for providing most government funding — are entitled to information on how the federal government and its budget operate. Every year, the federal government brings in and spends trillions of dollars.  

 

We've spent weeks combing through spreadsheets to help you track where that money goes. 

This new, searchable visualization displays government revenue from taxes and other sources, totaling $4.9 trillion for fiscal year 2024 and the $6.8 trillion the government spent.  

 

This chart even allows you to see spending data on specific federal agencies and programs. For example, type "Department of Labor" into the search bar at the top right of the visualization, and you'll see the department spent $66.2 billion in FY 2024. 

This new, searchable visualization displays government revenue from taxes and other sources

Shared from -> https://usafacts.org/government-spending/

Boston Globe: "Five things to know about Trump’s school choice executive order"

"5 things to know about Trump’s school choice executive order"

"President Trump last week signed an executive order to expand school choice.

The move has drawn praise from conservatives who have long-advocated for families to be able to use taxpayer dollars to support their children’s private or faith-based education.

Critics, meanwhile, see Trump’s order as an attempt to dismantle public education, trampling student rights in the process."

Shared from -> (subscription maybe required)  https://www.bostonglobe.com/2025/02/03/metro/trump-school-choice-executive-order/?

FYI: In the middle of school budgeting where Federal Funds do play a small role

"President Trump issued an executive order to find out what education funds he can legally rescind based on curriculum he doesn’t like. Existing law already answers that question —nothing."

In the middle of school budgeting where Federal Funds do play a role

Note page 28 of the FY 2026 FPS Superintendent Budget as presented Jan 28, 2025 reflects a total of approx. $250K from Federal Funds (Title I, II, III, IV) which is insignificant on an $80M budget. It is money but not much.

https://core-docs.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/4780/FPSD/5256287/28Jan2025_FY26_Super_Rec_Budget_to_SC.pdf

Shared from -> https://x.com/TracyNovick/status/1885102446986285393

USA Facts: What does the Department of Education do?

"The Department of Education (DOE) is a relatively new federal agency – it was founded on May 4, 1980 when legislation split the old Department of Health, Education, and Welfare into two new departments: Education, and Health and Human Services.

The DOE has received 4.0% of all federal funding in 2024, totaling $268.35 billion. That makes it the sixth highest-funded federal agency.

The Education Department has received 4.0% of all federal funding in FY 2024. (see chart)

It’s also the smallest of any cabinet-level department, employing about 4,100 full-time employees in 2023. The next closest was Housing and Urban Development with around 8,100 full-time employees in 2023.

According to the Department of Education, education is primarily a local and state responsibility rather than a federal one. Elementary and secondary education are mostly funded by local governments, while state governments support higher education, per the Census Bureau’s Annual Survey of State and Local Government Finances. The Department of Education's budget makes up 21% of total education spending in the country. "

 

Continue reading "What does the Dept of Education do?" at USA Facts ->  https://usafacts.org/articles/what-does-the-department-of-education-do/?

MassBudget: 25% of the entire MA state budget is paid for with Federal dollars

MassBudget (@MassBudget) posted  Fri, Nov 15, 2024:

💸In case you didn't know: a quarter of the entire MA state budget is paid for with Federal dollars. 

While taxes make up most of the revenue, it's important to remember the budget's multiple funding sources, and how that context can affect the decisions the state makes. #mapoli

Shared from -> https://t.co/A9QaDOLlL0

Visit MassBudget for additional info -> https://massbudget.org/state-budget/

MassBudget: 25% of the entire MA state budget is paid for with Federal dollars

Boston Globe: "state to partner with feds to help migrants obtain work permits"

"The state is partnering with the federal government to help migrants apply for work authorization documents, directing resources toward an avenue state officials consider key to alleviating the strain on the state’s overwhelmed emergency shelter system.

State and federal Homeland Security will co-host a clinic the week of Nov. 13 in Middlesex County, north of Boston. The state will organize appointments and provide transportation for migrants from shelter sites across the state to the clinic site.

The announcement comes as the clock ticks down to Wednesday, Nov. 1, when Governor Maura Healey said she will begin limiting how many families it will place in its emergency shelter system.

“We are glad that the Biden-Harris Administration is hosting this clinic with us, which will help process work authorizations as efficiently as possible,” Healey said in a statement. “This clinic will be critical for building on the work that our administration has already been leading to connect more migrants with work opportunities.”

Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2023/10/30/metro/mass-migrants-work-permits-clinic/

Boston Globe: "state to partner with feds to help migrants obtain work permits"

MassLive: "Federal judge rules in favor of Ludlow schools in lawsuit over treatment of transgender students"

“Since July 1, 2012, Massachusetts law has provided that ‘no person shall be excluded from or discriminated against . . . in obtaining the advantages, privileges and courses of study of [a] public school on account of . . . gender identity,’” his ruling quoted.

His order also noted that while parents have the option to send their children to public schools, they do not have constitutional rights to dictate how those schools educate children. An attorney for the school system, David S. Lawless, applauded the judge’s decision in an area of law that continues to be challenged across the country.

“Given the novelty in particular, he addressed both the legal issues in the complaint that was in front (of him) and that it’s an evolving area of the law,” Lawless said Thursday after the ruling came down. “School districts are put in a very difficult position; this is one more guidepost for them along the way.”

Continue reading the article online at MASSLive

https://www.masslive.com/news/2022/12/federal-judge-rules-in-favor-of-ludlow-schools-in-lawsuit-over-treatment-of-transgender-students.html

Found via Twitter -> https://twitter.com/TracyNovick/status/1603720917921800195

U.S. District Court, Springfield, Mass

"Only about one-quarter of PPP funds supported jobs that otherwise would have disappeared"

"The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) directed hundreds of billions of dollars to small businesses and other organizations adversely affected by the COVID-19 crisis, providing resources to maintain payrolls, to hire back employees who may have been laid off and to cover important overhead.

But was this money well spent? A recent study offers evidence that the cost of each job saved was very high and that most of the program’s benefits flowed to small-business owners, their creditors and their suppliers rather than to workers. Other crisis programs, including unemployment insurance and economic impact payments, were targeted much more successfully to wage earners."

Continue reading the article online -> https://www.stlouisfed.org/publications/regional-economist/2022/jul/was-paycheck-protection-program-effective

 

"Only about one-quarter of PPP funds supported jobs that otherwise would have disappeared"

"some weeks of overpayments will be waived"

"THE STATE’S DEPARTMENT of Unemployment Assistance will be in touch with Pandemic Unemployment Assistance and Unemployment Insurance claimants in the coming days to detail state and federal relief options that the Baker administration said Thursday would resolve about $1.6 billion or roughly 71 percent of overpayments.

There are about 353,000 outstanding cases of workers who received more money in joblessness aid than they should have between March 8, 2020 and Jan. 31, 2022, to the tune of a cumulative $2.225 billion, according to the Baker administration, which has been working for months to untangle the convoluted situation."

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/state-government/baker-administration-offers-ui-overpayment-relief/

And from the Boston Globe:

"The Baker administration on Thursday laid out its most comprehensive effort yet to provide full or partial financial relief to nearly 288,000 people who received jobless benefits during the pandemic but were later told they may have to pay back the money.

The state is aiming to end a financial nightmare for claimants facing $2.3 billion in repayment demands — money that many already spent on food, rent, and other basics. The plan will cover up to about 70 percent of those overpaid claims, or $1.6 billion. That’s because not everyone will qualify for a reprieve even as the state expands the eligibility criteria."

Continue reading the article (subscription may be required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2022/04/14/business/massachusetts-plans-relief-13-billion-unemployment-insurance-overpayments/

Gov Baker's press release ->

https://www.mass.gov/news/baker-polito-administration-announces-unemployment-overpayment-relief-plans

 

State to pick up part of the cost; feds provide additional help

“In the year 2022, this doesn’t just seem crazy. It is crazy."

"Here, at last, is the real reason your tax return is delayed: It’s not the pandemic. It’s that the IRS handles too much paper and has failed to adopt scanning technology that could have significantly reduced the current backlog of returns.

The way the agency processes paper is “archaic” and was a problem that was fixable long before the coronavirus shut things down, National Taxpayer Advocate Erin M. Collins wrote in her latest blog about the 2022 tax season.

Last year, the IRS received nearly 17 million paper 1040 forms, more than 4 million individual amended returns and millions of paper business returns, according to Collins.

I’m still trying to wrap my head around it: Employees transcribe all of those millions of paper tax returns manually."

Continue reading the article online (subscription may be required)
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2022/04/01/irs-backlog-scanning-technology/ 

Please consider filing your taxes online, it will help get them processed quicker than if you print the forms and mail them in.

Erin M. Collins, the national taxpayer advocate, in 2020. (Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post)

"housing assistance programs have been gradually scaling down"

"AS A FEDERAL rental assistance program winds down, housing advocates are looking to the state to help fill the gap. But the state assistance programs are not as generous as the federal program was, leading to concerns that struggling tenants – particularly tenants of color – could increasingly face evictions. Housing assistance will be up for debate Thursday as the state Senate considers its version of a $1.6 billion supplemental budget bill.

On Tuesday, Homes for All Massachusetts and researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology released a report which found that evictions are disproportionately occurring in Black and Latino neighborhoods, neighborhoods with more single mother heads of households, areas with absentee and corporate landlords, and in central and southeast Massachusetts. Of all evictions filed between October 2020 and October 2021, 43 percent were in neighborhoods where a majority of residents are non-white, even though only 32 percent of rental housing is in these areas."

Continue reading the article online -> 

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/the-download/wind-down-of-housing-assistance-raises-concerns-2/ 

More info from the National Low Income Housing Coalition on MA housing

https://nlihc.org/housing-needs-by-state/massachusetts

More info from the National Low Income Housing Coalition on MA housing

Franklin Housing Authority - Meeting - Agenda - Jan 10, 2022

Franklin Housing Authority - 1000 Central Park Terrace, Community Hall

Franklin, MA 02038

Regular Meeting of the Board of Commissioners

January 10, 2022 - 4:30 PM

AGENDA


 Roll Call

 Public Hearing to review the Franklin Housing Authority Annual Plan View at https://tinyurl.com/LHA-MA-AnnualPlan

 Minutes
• Minutes of the Regular Meeting of December 6, 2021

 Accounts Payable
• Accounts Payable for December 2021
• Capital One Charges for November 2021

 Director Report 
 Operating Statements – November 2021 
 Community Preservation Committee (CPC) Update 

 Correspondence
• None

 Old Business
• Norfolk Management Update 
• 667-1 Building Fire Update 
• Agreed Upon Procedures (AUP)-Review and accept

 New Business
• Annual Plan – Vote to approve 
• FISH #101160 Change Order request (CO) - 
• FISH #101144 Certificate of Final Completion (CFC) –

 Adjournment 

Shared from Town of Franklin page -> (Word doc)  https://www.franklinma.gov/housing-authority/agenda/fha-agenda-01-10-2022

Franklin Housing Authority - Meeting - Agenda - Jan 10, 2022

Boston Globe: "Massachusetts jobless fund is $115 million in the red"

"After months of delay, the Baker administration chose New Year’s Eve to deliver the news: The state fund that pays jobless benefits has a deficit of about $115 million.

Trying to bury bad news just before the weekend or a holiday is standard PR practice for companies and politicians alike. But you know what? Governor Charlie Baker’s team chose a sleepy Friday and last day of the year to release news that is . . . not too bad.

It’s no surprise the Massachusetts unemployment insurance trust fund is in the red after the state paid out a total of $22 billion in jobless benefits in 2020 and $11.8 billion in 2021. In 2019, payments ran about $1.6 billion."

Continue reading the article online (subscription maybe required)

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/12/31/business/massachusetts-jobless-fund-is-115-million-red/

The administration of Governor Charlie Baker hasn't provided a timetable or amount for a potential sale of bonds to help replenish the state's unemployment insurance trust fund. JONATHAN WIGGS/GLOBE STAFF

"The activity in the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund during COVID was historic"

"THE BAKER ADMINISTRATION on Friday gave lawmakers its most detailed accounting yet of the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund, and said it is preparing to issue bonds to put the fund on sound financial footing.

“We will have to bond. There is no doubt,” said Rosalin Acosta, the secretary of labor and workforce development, in a presentation to the Senate Post Audit and Oversight Committee.

Acosta didn’t provide a full accounting of the fund — she promised that by the end of the month — but she did provide more information than she has in months. The Baker administration stopped issuing a monthly report on the unemployment insurance trust fund’s financial status in June and pushed the Legislature to use $1 billion in federal American Rescue Plan Act funds to bolster the fund’s finances.

The Legislature in the spring also gave the governor the authority to issue up to $7 billion in bonds to deal with any shortfall in the fund. At the time, the expectation was that the fund was deep in the red and the assumption was that bond proceeds would make the fund whole while lessening the financial blow on businesses. Instead of having to pay off any fund deficit immediately, the bonds would allow businesses to pay the deficit off over the multi-decade life of the bonds."

Continue reading the article online

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/state-government/acosta-says-bond-money-needed-for-ui-trust-fund/

Housing Authority Presentation doc - Nov 17, 2021

The Franklin Housing Authority presentation to the Town Council meeting on Wednesday, Nov 17, 2021 used this document and shared a copy of it during the meeting.

Download a copy of the doc here -> https://drive.google.com/file/d/19CuH_vihW0FbxZs-faUzNk1RAz7zDYUu/view?usp=sharing 

Housing Authority Presentation doc - Nov 17, 2021

Mass Senate Releases American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Spending Bill

 

Senate Ways and Means Releases American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Spending Bill

Bill's focus is on transformational investments in public health, housing,
mental and behavioral health, and the environment 

Today (11/03/2021), the Senate Committee on Ways and Means announced a $3.66 billion American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) spending bill to address COVID-19 recovery needs and build an equitable future for the Commonwealth. The Senate Ways and Means ARPA bill reflects the shared priorities of the Senate and recommends several thoughtfully targeted investments in health care, housing, environment, economic recovery and workforce development, while addressing economic and racial inequality and helping the communities disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

"With careful planning, resourcefulness and compassion, the Massachusetts State Senate has played a central role in navigating our state through the darkest days of the COVID-19 pandemic," said Senate President Karen E. Spilka (D-Ashland). "At this critical juncture, we must not lose sight of the big picture. We need to address immediate and critical needs in  mental health care access, food security, the struggles of small businesses and access to housing. We must also continue to build up and support our public health system, including by investing in our local boards of health. The plan put forward by the Senate Committee on Ways and Means today will use funding from the American Rescue Plan to not only build resiliency in these crisis areas, but will also set our Commonwealth on the path towards an equitable recovery. I thank President Biden and the Massachusetts Congressional Delegation for their work to pass the American Rescue Plan Act at the federal level, and I thank Senator Rodrigues, my colleagues in the Senate, the members and staff of the Committee on Ways and Means, and the many members of the public who provided input to help us help the people of the Commonwealth get back to better." 

"As we strive to build a post-pandemic future for our Commonwealth, the Senate Committee on Ways and Means proposal to invest American Rescue Plan Act funds represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to fuel an equitable recovery and lift up communities most disproportionately impacted by the pandemic," said State Senator Michael J. Rodrigues (D-Westport), Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. "Reflecting the shared priorities of the respective Senate membership, the Committee's bill released today makes clear that we heard the clarion call for smart, game-changing investments in mental health, public health, workforce development, affordable housing, and so much more, ensuring those hit the hardest by COVID-19—families, essential workers and small businesses—are being helped the most. I want to thank Senate President Spilka for her leadership and continued friendship, Vice-Chair Friedman, Assistant Vice-Chair Lewis and members of the Committee for their continued advocacy, and our partners in the House, especially Chair Michlewitz for his continued commitment to ensuring we chart a more equitable path forward, while also keeping an eye on the fiscal health of our state."  

"The lack of access to quality and timely behavioral health care has only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic," said Senator Cindy F. Friedman (D-Arlington), Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. "This bill—with its historic-level of investment in our behavioral health system—takes real and immediate action to begin addressing the critical workforce issues facing the behavioral health and human services sector. The opportunity to add close to 2,000 workers to these sectors will have a profound impact for our residents and reaffirms the Senate's commitment to expanding access to much needed mental health services, especially in communities most impacted by the pandemic. I applaud Senate President Spilka and Chair Rodrigues for their leadership and using this unique opportunity to take meaningful action to address these persistent issues." 

"Thanks to President Biden and congressional Democrats who passed the American Rescue Plan Act earlier this year, Massachusetts is seizing a momentous opportunity to invest in a strong and equitable pandemic recovery" said Senator Jason Lewis (D-Winchester), Assistant Vice Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. "I'm very grateful for the extensive and constructive input from a wide variety of stakeholder groups and members of the public who helped the Senate craft legislation that clearly reflects the needs and priorities of communities across the Commonwealth, especially those hardest hit by the pandemic." 

"The Senate's ARPA spending plan presents many exciting, much-needed, and once-in-a-generation opportunities for the stabilization and growth of our Commonwealth," said Senator Patrick O'Connor (R-Weymouth), Ranking Minority Member of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means. "I am grateful to Chair Rodrigues and Senate President Spilka for proposing meaningful investments in the most high-needs areas, such as public health infrastructure, small business relief, and workforce development. After mindful planning and consideration, I believe we are fully prepared to release these federal dollars across Massachusetts in the most pragmatic and helpful way possible. I look forward to the upcoming deliberations with our Senate colleagues to fully realize the potential of this opportunity." 

The Senate ARPA spending bill recommends a total of $3.66 billion in spending, utilizing up to $2.5 billion in available American Rescue Plan Act funds and up to $1.45 billion in available Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 state surplus resources. Informed by the testimony heard extensively throughout the public hearing process, which included over 25 hours of public hearings and more than 450 letters of public testimony, the Committee's ARPA spending bill supports an equitable recovery for communities hardest hit by the pandemic, while maintaining the flexibility necessary to take advantage of future federal funding opportunities.  

The ARPA spending plan helps families, vulnerable populations, and communities historically underserved, investing more than $1 billion to support the state's health care system and confront the long-term impacts of COVID-19. Understanding the toll the COVID-19 pandemic has taken, the Committee's bill proposes to invest $400 million in mental and behavioral health supports, including over $122 million to address immediate workforce needs. Additionally, the Senate's plan revolutionizes the state's local and regional public health infrastructure and makes an historic investment of $250.9 million to ensure the Commonwealth can protect the public health of residents, workers, and businesses for years to come. 

Health care investments include: 

• $400 million to support the behavioral health sector, including over $122 million to expand loan repayment programs for behavioral health professionals, including substance use disorder professionals, and meet the increasing need to retain and build our workforce. This investment is expected to help recruit and retain nearly 2,000 mental health professionals across the continuum of care. 
• $300 million for the Home and Community-Based Services Federal Investment Fund to address workforce needs for those caring for some of our most vulnerable populations. 
• $250.9 million to revolutionize local and regional public health and provide equitable access to high quality protections for all Massachusetts residents, including $118.4 million for public health infrastructure and data sharing upgrades, and $95 million for directs grants to local boards of health to maintain ready-level response to future public health threats. 
• $200 million for acute hospitals impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. 
• $55 million to support a robust and diverse human service workforce through recruitment, retention, and loan forgiveness programming. 
• $60 million for food security infrastructure grants to continue combatting hunger, 
• $50 million for nursing facilities, including $25 million for capital support, to increase the quality of patient care and $25 million for workforce initiatives. 
• $25 million for a grant program for community violence prevention and re-entry organizations, focused on communities disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Charting a post-pandemic future, the Senate's ARPA spending plan invests $1.7 billion to fuel an equitable economic recovery for all by supporting workers, businesses and communities hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. The Committee's bill dedicates $500 million towards premium pay bonuses for essential workers, providing much needed relief to the workforce who served on the front lines during the pandemic.  

Economic recovery and workforce development investments include: 

• $500 million for premium pay bonuses for essential frontline workers who worked during the height of the pandemic. 
• $500 million for the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund, providing necessary relief to small business. 
• $100 million for vocational school infrastructure and capacity building needs. 
• $75 million for the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund to support organizations working with people displaced from jobs during the pandemic, historically underserved populations, and individuals reentering their communities from the corrections system. 
• $75 million for equitable and affordable broadband access and infrastructure improvements to close the digital divide. 
• $75 million for Mass Cultural Council grants to support our cultural sector. 
• $50 million for direct grants to minority-owned small businesses. 
• $30 million for regional high-demand workforce training at community colleges. 
• $25 million for the expansion of Career Technical Institutes. 
• $20 for workforce development and capital assistance grants to the Massachusetts Alliance of Boys & Girls Clubs and the Alliance of Massachusetts YMCAs. 
• $15 million to enhance and diversify our cybersecurity sector with partnerships between public higher education institutions and private businesses. 
• $12 million for the resettlement of Afghani evacuees. 
• $8 million for agricultural economy supports.  

The bill also provides close to $200 million tax relief for small-business owners who would have otherwise been required to pay personal income taxes on state or federal relief money. 

The spending plan acknowledges the critical role that housing plays in economic recovery. Over a year and a half into the pandemic, access to stable and affordable housing remains at the forefront of  the state's strategy to ensure economic security for those who call the Commonwealth home. Reflecting the Senate's long-standing commitment, the Committee's ARPA spending bill allocates $600 million for investments in affordable, accessible housing, as well as supportive housing. 

Housing investments include: 

• $150 million for supportive housing, including $75 million for the chronically homeless population. 
• $150 million for public housing authorities to maintain and upgrade existing infrastructure. 
• $125 million for the Commonwealth Builders Program to support housing production and promote homeownership among residents of disproportionately impacted communities. 
• $125 million for affordable rental housing production for the workforce.  
• $50 million for homeownership assistance tools, including down payment assistance and mortgage interest subsidy supports.  

In addition to making investments to support an equitable recovery that lifts hardest hit communities, the Senate bill prioritizes building a more resilient Commonwealth and ensuring a healthier environment for all. To that end, the Committee's bill invests $450 million to combat climate change through mitigation initiatives, strengthen environmental infrastructure, fix aging water infrastructure, and modernize marine port infrastructure to support the state's emerging offshore wind industry. 

 

Environment and climate investments include: 

• $175 million for water and sewer infrastructure investments through the Clean Water Trust.  
• $125 million for environmental infrastructure grants, including the Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) program. 
• $100 million for marine port infrastructure investments focused on the promotion of offshore wind development. 
• $20 million for Greening the Gateway Cities program to support tree planting. 
• $15 million for parks and recreational assets. 
• $10 million for clean energy retrofitting in affordable housing units. 
• $5 million for the advancement of geothermal technologies. 

Finally, to support communities disproportionately impacted by the pandemic and prioritize historically underserved or marginalized populations, the Committee's bill establishes a federal funds equity and accountability review panel to track in near real-time the amount and percentage of ARPA funds spent in these communities and awarded to minority and women business enterprises. Additionally, the bill also requires state agencies and authorities to promulgate rules or regulations to ensure the fair participation of minority and women-owned business enterprises.  

 

Senators can file amendments to the Senate Ways and Means recommendations until Friday, November 5. The full Senate will then debate the ARPA spending bill in formal session beginning Wednesday, November 10.   

Video link: Massachusetts State Senate Releases ARPA Investment Proposal - YouTube