The beautiful state budget
Hell has frozen over! Massachusetts might actually cut its budget! Yesterday the state legislature proposed a budget for fiscal year 2010 that is $700 million lower than that of 2009. The House’s budget is $57 million lower than Governor Patrick’s proposal. Best of all, the budget contains no proposals to raise taxes! The Boston Globe (which I really hope stays in business even though I disagree with its politics) might not be happy about this, but I sure am!
Ways and Means Chair Charles Murphy told the Boston Herald that “It’s not pretty, but that’s what we’ve got.” I beg to differ. I think that a smaller state government is beautiful! Although there is a lot more that the state could and should cut, I am amazed that the budget is finally going in the right direction. The Globe calls it “the greatest reduction in year-to-year spending in recent memory.” I certainly don’t see anything wrong with that!
Among other things, the House budget proposal cuts local aid by 25%, makes state employees pay for 30% of their health insurance, cuts funding for seniors’ home care and rental vouchers for low-income people, and eliminates Shannon grants, which are used for anti-gang advocacy, the Quinn Bill, which pays for police officers’ education, and the volunteer program Commonwealth Corps. It fully funds court-appointed lawyers at $192 million, which I think is a good use of state money because it protects people’s constitutional rights.
The House has until tomorrow to file amdendments, debate on the budget will start on April 27, and then the State Senate will get to propose its own budget. I really hope that the House budget is for real and ends up passing, and that the legislature doesn’t change its mind and decide to raise taxes. Maybe Speaker DeLeo and the rest of the House aren’t so bad after all. It seems like there might be hope for Massachusetts.