(BOSTON – 03/30/2023) Governor Maura Healey on March 29 signed a $388.6 million supplemental budget for Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23). The legislation funds vital services that support vulnerable populations and address food insecurity, housing instability, the state’s long-term COVID-19 response, economic development, essential support services for incoming immigrants and refugees, and more. Notably, the bill extends initiatives first implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as outdoor dining, remote public meeting access, and support for assisted living residences. The bill further authorizes $740.3 million in bonding to bolster the Commonwealth’s clean water and other public works projects for cities and towns, as well as to support the Commonwealth’s ability to compete for competitive federal grant funds.
“The supplemental budget passed by the legislature and signed by the Governor will direct funding to critical programs that support the Commonwealth’s most vulnerable while protecting jobs and sustaining Massachusetts’ robust economy as we continue to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Senator Michael Moore (D-Millbury). “I’m pleased that this bill also sets aside funds to help address the Commonwealth’s affordability crisis, beef up our immigration services, and promote accessibility in public meetings, amongst so many other vital issues. I’d like to thank Senate leaders and my colleagues for joining together to get this done for the people of Massachusetts.”
The bill invests $388.6 million to address several time sensitive needs for an array of programs relied on by some of the most vulnerable residents of the Commonwealth, including $130 million for SNAP food assistance benefits to provide a path for families who were receiving enhanced SNAP benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic, $68 million for the Early Education C3 stabilization grant program, $65 million for the continuation of free school meals, $45 million for emergency shelter assistance, and over $40 million to support affordable housing for immigrants and refugees. Other measures funded in the bill include:
$8.3 million for judgments, settlements, and legal fees
$7 million for coordinated wraparound services for incoming immigrants and refugees
$2 million for the reimbursement of SNAP benefits for victims of benefit theft
$2 million for the preparation and execution of the 114th National NAACP conference, which is taking place in Massachusetts in 2023
$1 million for a public awareness campaign to educate the public about the misleading tactics of so-called crisis pregnancy centers and their lack of medical services
$250,000 for Reproductive Equity Now’s free abortion-related legal hotline.
The bill also authorizes $740.3 million in capital expenditures to support economic development projects. Notably, these include $400 million for the MassWorks Infrastructure Program, which provides grants to cities, towns, and other public entities for infrastructure projects, and $125 million for state matching funds to compete for federal grant opportunities, including those funded through the CHIPS and Science Act, an issue Senator Moore has been advocating for.
“Massachusetts has a long legacy as the birthplace of major advances in science and technology,” said Senator Moore. “The problem is, once these technologies are developed, they are often sent to be manufactured in facilities halfway across the world. I introduced an amendment to allocate money toward this industry when the Senate was considering a larger economic development bill last July because we are missing an incredible opportunity to manufacture semi-conductors where they are developed, right here in the Bay State. I am so pleased that the legislature has approved bonds to support cleanroom semi-conductor manufacturing facilities – we are planting the seeds of a major high-tech manufacturing boom, creating good high-paying jobs throughout the Commonwealth, and supplying the world with the computer chips they need to build the devices of the future.”
Other bonding items authorized by the bill include:
$104 million for the Clean Water Trust Fund
$34 million for a program to revitalize underutilized properties
$30 million for state matching funds to compete for federal broadband expansion grants and improve state broadband infrastructure
$15 million for the Massachusetts Manufacturing Innovation Initiative, which supports innovation within the state’s manufacturing industry, including by offering technical assistance to manufacturers and attracting talent from outside of the state
$14 million for the Massachusetts Manufacturing Accelerate Program
$9.3 million for broadband middle mile supports
$8 million for the Smart Growth Housing Trust Fund.
Recognizing the societal shifts that have taken place during the pandemic, the bill also addresses several pandemic-era related measures, including:
Permanently allowing public corporations and nonprofits to hold certain meetings by means of remote communication
Permanently allowing notaries public to conduct remote online notarization using communication technology
Extending the ability of graduates and students in their last semester of nursing education programs to practice nursing in accordance with guidance from the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing
Extending popular pandemic-related provisions including outdoor dining services, and beer, wine and cocktails to-go for a year
Extending the ability of public bodies to allow remote participation by members in public meetings
Extending flexibilities given to municipalities to allow for representative town meetings to be held in hybrid or fully remote capacities and that authorize reduced in-person quorum requirements
Extending the ability of nurses employed by assisted living residences to provide skilled nursing care in accordance with valid medical orders, provided the nurse holds a valid license to provide such care.
The supplemental budget includes the following provisions related to the end of the public health emergency on May 11, 2023:
Temporarily extending flexibility on ambulance staffing
Temporarily extending the ability of staff of a community program to administer prepackaged medications if in compliance with DPH guidance
Temporarily extending staffing flexibilities related to dialysis providers.
Having been passed by the Senate and the House, and signed by the Governor, this bill now becomes law.
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