I transmitted today my annual statement of budget priorities to the Senate Ways and Means Chair.
Budget
budget and local aid updates, community preservation act, financial outlook, local aid policy, priorities/requests, resources, revenue, taxes
Governor’s Actions on the Budget
The Governor has signed the budget, making no spending changes and relatively few changes in “outside sections.” He did send back the municipal health care reform provisions with four narrow changes.
Senate Budget Released
There are several items of local concern in the Senate Ways and Means Draft Budget released yesterday.
Off Topic – How’d the national debt get so huge?
Interesting study – see the original document (quick read, 8 pages, simple-to-understand, good graphics) at: http://www.pewtrusts.org/uploadedFiles/wwwpewtrustsorg/Fact_Sheets/Economic_Policy/drivers_federal_debt_since_2001.pdf How’d the national debt get so huge? In 2001, the Congressional Budget Office forecast that the nation’s publicly-held debt would be eliminated by 2006, and a surplus of $2.3 trillion would have accumulated by now. Instead, the federal government is now …
Continue reading “Off Topic – How’d the national debt get so huge?”
Belmont Town Meeting Presentation
I’ll be reporting on budget issues to the Belmont town meeting on May 9.
Additional Observations about the HWM Budget
Many state agencies have taken very deep cuts, but local aid, health and human services programs have largely been protected.