May 9, 2023
Dear Members of the Massachusetts State Senate,
For the fifth time as Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, I have the honor to present the Committee’s annual recommendations for the General Appropriations Act—the Fiscal Year 2024 (FY 2024) Budget.
Thank you to Senate President Karen Spilka for her ongoing friendship, sage counsel, steady leadership, and continued confidence in me to lead the Committee as we work together to move Massachusetts forward towards a more inclusive and resilient post-pandemic future.
I would like to also thank our partners in the House, Chair Aaron Michlewitz and his team in the House Committee on Ways and Means, and in the Healey-Driscoll Administration, Secretary Matthew Gorzkowicz and his team in the Executive Office for Administration and Finance. Without their collaboration, cooperation and partnership throughout the budget development process, support for our residents, our communities, and our long-term economic health would not be possible.
Together, over these last four years, we have carefully navigated the COVID-19 pandemic and its many challenges. Adapting to a new normal utilizing an approach rooted in collaboration with our partners across state government, we addressed urgent needs and protected our most vulnerable populations. We maintained stability, built up our reserves, and made meaningful investments to support an equitable recovery for our people.
It was an approach that worked. Today, our Rainy Day Fund is projected to close FY 2024 with a historic balance of $9 billion, and we have $1.7 billion in surplus resources available for future use. More recently, Standard & Poor’s (S&P) ratings agency upgraded our state’s bond rating, a recognition that our long-standing adherence to sound fiscal discipline and efforts to reinforce the Commonwealth’s economic foundation is paying dividends.
Continue reading the Message from the Chair - Michael J. Rodrigues, Chair, Senate Committee on Ways and Means online => https://malegislature.gov/Budget/SenateWaysMeansBudget
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| Senate President Karen Spilka and Senate Ways and Means Chair Michael Rodrigues. (Photo by Bruce Mohl) |
