Update to MassBudget's Budget Browser - FY2012 Supplemental Budget

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Budget Browser Updated - New FY2012 Numbers  Information from February's supplemental FY12 budget has been added to MassBudget's interactive Budget Browser. This includes: $21.2 million to help low-income seniors and families with their home-heating bills (in line-item 7004-1000)     An additional $35.0 million for adult day health services (4000-0600)    A new $20.4 million Information Technology fund, to improve IT across a range of state agencies (1599-4380) The budget browser allows you to see how funding has been allocated among the major budget categories (health care, education, environment, housing, and more)--and to track spending for any line-item or any group of line-items. EXPLORE THE BUDGET BROWSER You can also watch our tutorial video: HOW TO USE THE BUDGET BROWSER  MassBudget provides independent research and analysis of state budget and tax policies--with particular attention to the effects on low- and moderate-income people.

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The Governor's Budget and Health Care in Massachusetts

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The Governor's Budget Proposal for MassHealth  This budget brief describes the proposals in the Governor's FY13 budget which affect MassHealth (Medicaid) and other health care programs.     The Governor's initiatives are designed to: Promote long-term changes in the health care delivery system Help state health programs implement federal health reform requirements   Improve the administrative capacity of the MassHealth program In addition, the report describes plans to reduce projected spending by $544.4 million--as well as an effort to tap enhanced federal matching funds worth $45 million in new federal revenues.      This is the first in a series of reports that will be published by the Massachusetts Medicaid Policy Institute (MMPI) and produced by the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center in partnership with the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute. Read the Report  MassBudget provides independent research and analysis of state budget and tax policies--with particular attention to the effects on low- and moderate-income people.

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"making sure there is a consistent cost approach"

Local lawmakers generally supported DeLeo’s statement about taxes, which was a blow to Gov. Deval Patrick’s plan to raise $260 million by raising a levy on cigarettes, and ending the sales tax exemption on candy and soda. 

“People just can’t afford more taxes, and it’s not the time. It’s never the time in my opinion,” state Rep. Ryan Fattman, R-Sutton, said. 

Rep. James Vallee, D-Franklin, said the message of no new taxes and fees would show voters the state was living within its budget. 

“For us to send a consistent message to the business leaders and our constituents that we are going to live within our means, I think that’s the right message and right approach to balancing our budget,” Vallee said.

Read more: http://www.milforddailynews.com/news/x1085185387/Local-lawmakers-back-speaker-s-no-new-taxes-pledge#ixzz1lsdf3g2U

Updates to Massbudget's Budget Browser

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Budget Browser - Updated Information from the Governor's recent budget proposal has been added to MassBudget's interactive Budget Browser. You can now: Compare the Governor's FY 2013 proposals to state budgets going back to FY 2001. See how funding has been allocated among the major budget categories--health care, education, environment, housing, and more--over this time period. Track spending year by year for any line-item, or any group of line-items. You can also watch our tutorial video: How to Use the Budget Browser. EXPLORE THE BUDGET BROWSER MassBudget provides independent research and analysis of state budget and tax policies--with particular attention to the effects on low- and moderate-income people.

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Budget Monitor: Analyzing the Governor's FY 2013 Budget

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BUDGET MONITOR: The Governor's FY 2013 Budget Last week, the Governor filed his budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2013. Today, MassBudget releases our Budget Monitor, which tracks the impact of the Governor's proposals on each major area of state government, from health care and education to public safety and the environment--including information on tax revenues. With the Commonwealth facing a preliminary budget gap of approximately $1.3 billion, the Governor proposes balancing the budget with three strategies: Cuts and savings of about $550 million   Modest tax reforms and other revenue initiatives that generate about $215 million in ongoing revenue The use of about $545 million in temporary revenues, mostly from the state stabilization fund (the "rainy day fund"). Our Budget Monitor shows the impact on every line-item in the budget, comparing proposed funding for FY 13 with recent funding history. READ THE BUDGET MONITOR * Regular readers may note that we have redesigned the Budget Monitor. We are very interested in your feedback. Click here to send an email telling us what you like and what you think we might improve. MassBudget provides independent research and analysis of state budget and tax policies--with particular attention to the effects on low- and moderate-income people.

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New Report: A First Look at the Governor's FY 2013 Budget

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A First Look: The Governor's FY 2013 Budget Today, the Governor released his proposal for next year's budget. Our First Look examines some of the major initiatives as well as the funding levels for important programs Faced with a large deficit, the Governor proposes to balance the budget largely through cuts and other savings. This is on top of the $3 billion in cuts and savings which have been enacted over the last four years. The Governor's Proposal does include modest revenue initiatives--among them a proposed increase in the cigarette tax and the end of the sales tax exemption for candy and soda. It also makes use of one-time resources, primarily from the state stabilization fund (the "rainy day fund").   Read A First Look: The Governor's Fiscal Year 2013 Budget  MassBudget provides independent research and analysis of state budget and tax policies--with particular attention to the effects on low- and moderate-income people.

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New Report: Demystifying General Local Aid in Massachusetts

Be sure to check out the interactive portion of this report. You can input one of the MA communities and find out how much has changed from 2008 to 2012. For Franklin the report shows:

In Fiscal Year 2012, Franklin received $2,089,973 in general local aid from the state. Four years earlier, in FY2008—prior to the onset of the state fiscal crisis—it received $3,284,276(adjusted for inflation). 

That's a cut of 36%, which amounts to $37 per person.

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Demystifying General Local Aid in Massachusetts  The money that the state provides to cities and towns for police and fire protection, parks, and other core local services is called General Local Aid.  This morning, Lt. Governor Tim Murray announced the administration's plans to continue funding general local aid at the current level--the level to which it has been reduced after four years of deep cuts. Our new factsheet, Demystifying General Local Aid in Massachusetts, describes: The history of general local aid and options for reform. The various formulas that have determined how general local aid is distributed. The dramatic cuts--roughly 1/3 of all funds--which have been made to general local aid since the onset of the Great Recession. We have also included an online tool which allows you to track the amount of general local aid going to each municipality in the Commonwealth--as well as the amount that has been cut. Read Demystifying General Local Aid in Massachusetts  Search by Municipality   MassBudget provides independent research and analysis of state budget and tax policies--with particular attention to the effects on low- and moderate-income people.

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MassBudget's FY13 Budget Preview

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Budget Preview, FY 2013  Looking ahead to the fiscal challenges the Commonwealth faces in FY 2013, our Preview shows that the budget deficit will be well over $1 billion. That shortfall can be traced to three things: Tax Revenues have fallen sharply. Not just because of the Great Recession--which has reduced revenues since 2008--but also because of tax cuts and other declines in tax receipts over the last twenty years which are costing the state over $3 billion in annual revenue. The cost of government programs has grown. Overall inflation and health care cost growth both increase government spending. As does the current economic downturn--because more people rely on our social safety net. We have to address a $550 million deficit carried over from FY 2012. A series of temporary measures helped to fill the gap in this year's budget. As we move into FY13, that gap will return. Our Preview evaluates each of these factors in greater detail. And it paints a very stark picture of the difficult choices ahead.  Read The FY13 Budget Preview  MassBudget provides independent research and analysis of state budget and tax policies--with particular attention to the effects on low- and moderate-income people.

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New MassBudget Report: The State of Working Massachusetts

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The State of Working Massachusetts 2011  For workers across the country, 2011 was yet another year of economic struggle. MassBudget's end-of-year assessment, "The State of Working Massachusetts 2011," shows that while Massachusetts has shared in this hardship, it also differs in some significant ways. Our economy is performing better than the rest of the country.  In 2011, Massachusetts workers earned higher wages and Massachusetts families experienced less poverty than their peers in other states. We have the best-educated workforce in the U.S. Over the past thirty years, the percentage of our workers with a four-year college degree has more than doubled. And those gains in education have helped make us one of the highest-income states in the nation. Unfortunately, there is one area where Massachusetts looks very much like the nation as a whole: inequality. Using the very latest data, we show that in Massachusetts, as elsewhere, the gap between the highest-earners and everyone else has been increasing over time. Read The State of Working Massachusetts 2011  View the State of Working Massachusetts Slideshow  MassBudget provides independent research and analysis of state budget and tax policies--with particular attention to the effects on low- and moderate-income people.

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