I transmitted today my annual statement of budget priorities to the Senate Ways and Means Chair. The text appears below. Click here for previous versions of this statement.
February 7, 2012
The Honorable Stephen M. Brewer
Chairman, Senate Ways & Means Committee
State House, Room 212
Boston, MA 02133
Dear Chairman Brewer:
I look forward to meeting with you on Wednesday, February 8, to discuss my budget priorities for Fiscal Year 2013.
My top priorities for the budget are as follows:
1) Local aid including especially:
- Full funding of the Special Education Circuit Breaker account, as recommended in the Governor’s Budget Proposal, to achieve 60-65% reimbursement or, if possible, a higher level of funding and reimbursement;
- Achieving the Governor’s proposed total numbers for total Chapter 70 funding while allocating more funds within the formula to the 2006 goal of achieving funding equity for communities (17.5% minimum contribution to foundation budget);
- Addition of the contingent UGGA allocations to the main budgetary allocation so that communities have the opportunity to use these funds;
- Funding of Kindergarten expansion grants at the Governor’s proposed level.
2) Full funding of the Department of Conservation and Recreation, as recommended in the Governor’s Budget Proposal or more generously if possible; and
3) Additional funding for the MBTA to prevent drastic fare increases and service reductions, or possibly to provide a mechanism to reimburse low-income individuals to offset the fare increases (e.g. a Charlie card discount for welfare program recipients).
4) My district priorities include the following:
- 7000-9051 Public Libraries Local Aid
- 2810-2041 Department of Conservation and Recreation Retained Revenue
- 5046-2000 Statewide Homelessness Support Services
- 4800-0300 DCF Local and Regional Administration of Services
- 4800-0038 Young Parent Support Program
- 7004-9005 Housing Authority Operating Subsidy
- 7004-9024 MRVP
- 7010-0012 METCO
- 4590-1507 Boys and Girls Clubs
In addition to these top priorities, I wish to highlight the line-items below, which are of particular importance to me and my constituents. The spreadsheet sent to your office delineates my specific funding requests, when applicable.
2800-0401 Storm water management
2800-0700 Dam safety
2810-0100 State and urban parks
0321-1510 Private Counsel
0321-1600 Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corporation
4000-0600 Long Term Care Options
4120-4010 Turning 22
4512-0103 AIDS/HIV
4513-1020 Early Intervention
4530-9000 Teen Pregnancy Prevention
5920-2025 Day Programs
7002-0012 Summer Jobs for At Risk Youth
7004-0104 Home and Healthy for Good
9110-1500 ECOP
9110-1630 Home Care Purchased Services
9110-1633 Case Management/ASAPs
9110-1636 Protective Services
2200-0100 DEP Administration
2200-0107 Recycling and Solid Waste Management
2210-0105 Technical Assistance TURI
2260-8870 Hazardous Site Clean-up
2260-8881 Board of Registration Hazard Waste Professionals
2300-0100 Office of Commissioner
2300-0101 Ecological Restoration
2310-0300 Natural Heritage Program
2330-0100 Division of Marine Fisheries
2511-0100 DAR Administration
3000-4050 Low income child care
3000-7000 Healthy Families Program
4120-4000 MRC Independent Living
4403-2119 Teen Living Shelter Program
4590-0300 DPH Anti-Tobacco Program
5920-3000 Respite Family Supports
7004-0108 Short Term Housing
7004-3036 Housing Consumer Ed. Centers
7004-9316 RAFT
7027-0019 School-to-Career
7061-9611 After School
7061-9626 YouthBuild
If you wish to reach me at any time, my home email is willbrownsberger@gmail.com and my cell phone is (617) 771-8274.
Thank you for the opportunity to discuss my budget priorities.
Sincerely,
William N. Brownsberger
State Senator
SecondSuffolk and Middlesex District
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Text of Supplemental Letter dated February 29, 2012
The Honorable Stephen M. Brewer
Chairman, Senate Ways & Means Committee
State House, Room 212
Boston, MA 02133
Dear Chairman Brewer:
Thank you for meeting with me earlier this month to discuss my budget priorities. Since that time, I have heard from numerous constituents about programs of importance to our communities. As a result of these conversations, I would like to amend my list of priorities in the following ways.
First, I would like to amend my first budget priority (Special Education Circuit Breaker) in terms of my specific funding request. It has come to my attention that the Governor’s proposal is insufficient and will result in reduced services and supports for children with severe disabilities, as well as for regular education students. For this reason, I request that line item 7061-0012 be funded at $243.5 million, or $30,380,840 over the Fiscal Year 2012 budget.
Second, I wish to highlight the following line-items as important to my communities and constituents:
a) 5046-000 DMH-funded Clubhouses (as part of Mental Health Services Including Adult Homeless and Emergency)
b) 0640-0300 – Massachusetts Cultural Council
c) 9110-1900 Elder Meals
d) 3000-7050 Services for Infants and Parents
e) 0321-2000 Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee
f) 7003-0735 Massachusetts Service Alliance
g) 7000-9046 Perkins Braille & Talking Book Library program
h) Outside Section 9.6: extension of room occupancy excise tax to internet room sellers
i) 7061-9010 Charter School Reimbursement
j) 7003-0803 One-Stop Career Centers
k) 4512-0203 Substance Abuse Services Bureau
l) 4512-0201 Step-down Recovery
m) 4512-0203 Substance Abuse Family Intervention and Care
n) 8100-0111 Charles E. Shannon, Jr. Grant program
- o) 4590-1506 DPH Youth Violence Prevention program
p) 7004-0102 Homeless Assistance for Individuals
q) 4590-1503 Pediatric Palliative Care Program
r) 4110-1000 Deaf-Blind Community Action Network
Thank you very much for your consideration of these priorities. Please do not hesitate to contact with any questions at willbrownsberger.com or by phone at 617-771-8274.
Sincerely,
William N. Brownsberger
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Third communication sent by email on March 12:
Senator Brownsberger would like to add funding for Adult Basic Education (line item 7035-0002) to his list of his budget priorities. In addition, the Senator supports increased funding for Medicaid and Commonwealth Care that (in conjunction with other legislation) would restore necessary dental services for MassHealth and Commonwealth Care members- services cut in the 2010 budget.
Thanks for including civil legal aid — Massachusetts Legal Assistance Corp.(MLAC) — on your priority list. People are often surprised to learn that the right to an attorney applies only to criminal cases. For example, the low-income woman whose ex is suing for custody of their children may have to go to court alone while the ex is represented by a lawyer, creating a serious power imbalance. MLAC-funded programs, like Greater Boston Legal Services, provide assistance when possible, but they are limited by tight budgets, a situation that has gotten drastically worse in the past four years. That’s mainly thanks to a 78% drop in funding from what was MLAC’s largest funding source, the Interest on Lawyers’ Trust Accounts Program. In short, legal aid programs are in desperate need of more state funding this year, and I appreciate you’re recognizing that!