October 5, 2011
BOSTON — The House Ways and Means Committee released the final deficiency budget for fiscal year 2011 today. State Representative Jennifer Benson, along with her colleagues from the region, successfully lobbied to have critical funding for ice storm relief maintained in the budget.
"We have been working to get this final portion of funding to cover towns' ice-storm costs since the winter of 2008," said Benson. "I am so pleased that both the Governor and the House recognized the importance of making these towns whole again. Speaker DeLeo, House Ways and Means Chairman Dempsey, and the Administration have heard the needs of this region and responded."
The Federal Emergency Management Agency previously distributed funds to cover 75% of the storm related costs for the affected towns, and the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency provided an additional 12.5%. The final deficiency budget released this week allocates $6.2 million to cover the final 12.5% of the cleanup costs and is scheduled for a vote in the House on Wednesday.
