Will Brownsberger -- State Representative, Democrat, 24th Middlesex District

The Governor and the legislature are circling uncomfortably around the issue of how much to cut the present fiscal year’s budget and whether or not the cuts must affect local aid. Next year’s budget is also looking grim

Over the last two days, the legislature has taken final action on the budget for Fiscal 2010.

I voted this afternoon for the FY2010 budget which passed with 110 votes in the House and 31 in the Senate, in both branches more than the 2/3 needed to override a possible veto.

The legislature balanced the Fiscal 2010 budget primarily through program cuts and cost-savings, with important help from the federal government and with limited reliance on new revenues and rainy day fund usage.

The House-Senate conference committee report on the budget is now available online. This post provides local aid numbers. The budget is now final, subject only to veto by the Governor.

Even with the sales tax increase, the budget will sustain deep cuts and Massachusetts will have a roughly average tax burden compared to other states. The increase will fund local aid, Big Dig debt and limited restorations of key programs.

The House Ways and Means Committee released its budget today (4/15/2009).  The Committee made deep cuts in many state services, but only relatively modest additional cuts in local aid.  

Letter to Charlie Murphy, the Chair of the House Ways and Means Committee, outlining my state budget priorities.

There is a consensus among the state’s leaders on three major points: The electorate will not take kindly to any broad-based new taxes, at least not unless we decisively curb practices perceived as abusive – unreasonable pension deals, overuse of police details, etc. Second, we need to find a way to control health care costs. Third, many legitimate state needs are unmet.