April 25, 2011
As I write this, the House is preparing to debate our budget proposal for fiscal year 2012. While it is not yet finalized, I wanted to let you know more about the path we are following in order to ensure a balanced budget.
In January, House, Senate and Administration leaders agreed on a consensus revenue estimate of $20.525 billion for FY'12. This is a modest increase over the previous 2 years, but is still well below our pre-recession levels. To make matters even more difficult, this is our first year without the increased federal resources previously used to minimize the impact of the budget deficits. With the House committed to not raising taxes or fees, this budget is based on a total operating budget of just over $30 billion and addresses an approximately $1.5 billion gap between the projected revenues and operating expenses for the next fiscal year.
Throughout the late winter and early spring, Representative Brian Dempsey, Chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means, met with legislators, advocacy groups, business executives and economists to gain insight into the current needs of the Commonwealth and the health of the economy. The budget he presented earlier this month works to protect education and local aid to cities and towns and goes a long way to fund programs for the young, elderly and most needy. But there were significant cuts across the board, and unfortunately that will impact many. But this budget did not only rely on cuts, it also introduced several areas of reform, increasing efficiencies and producing savings.
As a reflection of our reduced revenues and Chairman Dempsey's thoughtful proposal, House members filed only 758 amendments to the budget this year. Well under the 1,000 typically put forth, these amendments express the language and funding changes representatives hope to see. The last week in April, I will join my colleagues in considering the merits of these amendments in relation to our budget as a whole. While many worthy programs will still be cut, I look forward to working together to create the most equitable, efficient, sensible budget we can.
After the House debates our budget, the process starts anew in the Senate, where they will spend May preparing the budget, filing amendments and debating their budget in the final week. After the Senate debate, the two versions of the budget will be debated again in conference committee and then sent to the Governor. This is a long and arduous process that will be completed by July 1st. I urge you to voice your opinion throughout this process. You can always check on the status of amendments and bills, and watch the debate live at www.malegislature.gov, and of course you are welcome to call my office at 617-722-2017.
