Quite appropriately, Governor Patrick’s Fiscal 2015 budget continues and extends the priorities he has defined together with the legislature over the past 8 years. It does not propose major new initiatives. Total proposed Fiscal 2015 budgetary spending is $36.4 billion — up $1.7 billion or 4.9% over projected Fiscal 2014 budgetary spending. This growth is …
Author Archives: Will Brownsberger
Understanding the Governor’s Budget Presentation
The Patrick Administration deserves great credit for its efforts to make its budget as transparent as possible. Nonetheless, a 46 billion dollar spending program is intrinsically complex, so here are answers to a few questions that I found myself asking as I worked through the presentation. How big is the budget? The financial statement section shows proposed …
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Are we on the right track financially?
Wall Street has applauded our state-level efforts to manage long-term liabilities — the rating agencies are giving the Commonwealth its highest ever bond ratings. But we should consider carefully whether we should accept Wall Street’s metrics for financial health — not that I doubt the need for financial discipline, but rather that we should, perhaps, …
People’s Pledge
I have recently received a number emails calling on me to take a “People’s Pledge” to transparency. The People’s Pledge itself very much reflects my personal approach to legislating and I do hereby affirm the pledge immediately appearing below: I swear that I will faithfully discharge the duties of the office of State Legislator to …
Military Bond Bill
The Senate Press Release regarding the Military Bond Bill appears below. I was pleased to support the bill, which passed with only two dissenting votes. Opponents expressed concerns about the overall balance of military vs. peaceful governmental expenditures in the country. This bill authorizes a relatively modest ($177 million) multi-year spending program for economic development …
Title Clearing Bill
The Senate press Release regarding the Title Clearing Bill appears below — I was pleased to support this bill in the vote today. ===================================== Senate Passes Bill to Protect Homeowners BOSTON – The Senate on Thursday unanimously passed legislation to restore the titles of foreclosed properties after thousands of foreclosure sales in Massachusetts were determined …