Investments that Make a Difference for our Communities

By Senator Katherine Clark

As the Commonwealth continues its economic recovery, our state’s budget must continue to responsibly invest our resources while supporting and protecting Massachusetts families and communities.   

Last week the Massachusetts legislature enacted a budget for fiscal year 2014 that prioritizes education, aid for our cities and towns, public safety, and critical services for those who are struggling.  The budget directs funds to the programs that have the biggest impact on our communities, while demanding reforms where necessary and maintaining a high level of fiscal responsibility, transparency and accountability.

Investing in our Communities & Schools
This comprehensive budget reflects the legislature’s ongoing commitment to cities and towns, boosting local aid by more than $21 million to $920 million.  As importantly, the budget invests in all levels of education. This budget will:

• Boost funding for the first time in five years for need-based scholarship programs that play an important role in making college affordable for over 100,000 low and moderate income students and their families;
• Make a $15 million investment in early education to take approximately 2,000 children off the waitlist for income-eligible child care, good news for many families in our district;
• Boost our investment in Chapter 70 funding for K-12 education to $4.3 billion, including additional funding I advocated for the second year in a row for communities facing inequities in the Chapter 70 funding formula;
• Alleviate pressure on local budgets by fully funding the Special Education Circuit Breaker to reimburse school districts for the cost of high-need special education services, as well as increasing funding for regional school transportation and charter school reimbursements;
• Increase funding for the University of Massachusetts, state universities and community colleges, including $478.9 million for UMass to prevent tuition and fee increases in the upcoming school year;
• Fund the Safe and Supportive Schools grant program, an amendment I sponsored, to help districts coordinate a range of important behavioral health initiatives and drop-out prevention programs.

Public Safety
The final budget incorporates measures I sponsored to protect children and our communities from sex offenders.  This set of reforms will allow the Sex Offender Registry Board (SORB) to reclassify offenders if new information becomes available and will establish tools for better communication with law enforcement so that such information is accessible and necessary adjustments on an offender’s level of dangerousness can be made.

In addition, the budget funds a new State Police class and significantly increases funding for municipal police training, benefitting our district police departments.  

Protecting Elder Care, Housing and Human Services Programs
The budget increases funding for elder home care services, eliminating the 1,500 person waitlist and allowing more seniors to live independently in their own homes.  And, it supports homelessness prevention and housing programs, including 1,000 new vouchers for homeless families and increases funding for safe and sustainable housing options for families in crisis.

Veterans
The budget wisely increases funding for housing and outreach assistance for our veterans.  Through an amendment I cosponsored, it doubles our commitment to the Train Vets to Treat Vets program that trains returning veterans in mental health counseling so they can provide services to others.

Supporting At-Risk Youth
Funding is significantly increased for services for at-risk children and young adults, including programs designed to prevent violence, foster youth community engagement and provide training or employment, especially during the summer.  Additionally, important family health services, teen pregnancy prevention programs and support services for people at risk of domestic violence see substantial increases. 

Legal Assistance
As Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary, I have advocated reforming and supporting our judicial system so that it works efficiently and effectively for all residents.  Our budget advances this reform effort by adequately funding the courts and increasing funding for the Commonwealth’s legal aid attorneys, through an amendment I sponsored, to provide legal assistance to low-income families on a wide range of civil matters.  

Finally, I am proud that my amendment doubled the funding for the Commonwealth’s Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) Registry and that the Senate named the registry in honor of former Governor Argeo Paul Cellucci, who died last month after a long battle with ALS.  Governor Cellucci’s courageous advocacy and establishment of a research fund will go far to change the course of this disease. 

The budget is fiscally responsible, leaving the state’s rainy day fund at $1.46 billion, and wisely invests the Commonwealth’s resources where they will do the most good for our economy, our children and our communities.

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