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CURRENT ALERTS Updated 5-14-08 Senate Ways and Means Committee Releases its FY '09 Budget Recomendations. Click here for overview of the Senate Ways and Means FY'09 Budget
May 5, 2008
FY'09 Budget Watch: Senate Budget Debate The full Senate will begin debating the Senate Ways and Means budget proposal on May 21st. During this debate, members will consider which of the 897 filed amendments will be included in the final budget. There are several amendments which need your support. Please review the list below and contact your state Senator as soon as possible to urge his or her active support for the amendments you feel most strongly about. All Senators can be reached through the State House switchboard at 617 722-2000. If you don't know who your representative is, please click on this link to find out. For more information call Leslie Lawrence, Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless, 781 595-7570 x16.
Floor Amendments To Support
1) Mass. Rental Voucher Program Amendment (Line Item 7004-9024).
Lead Sponsor: Susan Tucker. Co-Sponsors: Thomas McGee, Anthony Petruccelli, Jim Marzilli, Pat Jehlen, Brian Joyce, Robert O'Leary, Mark Montigny, James Timilty, and Anthony Galluccio. This amendment would fund the Mass. Rental Voucher (MRVP) program at $35M, a $2M increase to the Senate Ways and Means proposed funding level. This increase is needed in order to avoid cuts to MRVP in FY '09. Although the Senate Ways and Means Committee recommended a $2 million increase over FY'08 funding for the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program, this increase will not be enough to fully fund existing program services in FY'09. At this funding level, the Department of Housing and Community Development will have to make cuts in the rental assistance provided to households and/or take existing vouchers offline. 2) Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled and Children Program Amendment (Line item 4408-1000).Lead Sponsor: Susan Tucker. Co-Sponsors: Anthony Galluccio, Thomas McGee, Karen Spilka and Edward Augustus. The Senate Ways and Means Committee budget does increase the FY'09 funding for this program because of projected caseload increases, but with a dramatic surge in new applicants during the past three months, DTA projects that it needs a higher appropriation to fully fund the program in FY'09. This amendment would raise the Senate Ways and Means appropriation by $2.9M to $74.8M (the same amount as in the House's final budget).
3) Public Housing Operating Subsidy (7004-9005)
Lead sponsor: Susan Tucker. This amendment would increase funding for the Public Housing Operating Subsidy to $70M for FY'09. Public housing authorities provide critically needed housing to the Commonwealth's extremely low income households. Chronic under-funding of these operating subsidies has resulted in a deterioration of public housing units, with many units taken off line until they can be rehabilitated. Although the Administration and the Legislature have increased funding for this line item in recent years, the account is still shy of where it need to be to adequately support and maintain these critical resources. 4) Inclusion of the Affordable Housing Trust Fund in the Bay State Competitiveness Investment Fund (Outside Section 7)
Lead sponsor: Brian Joyce. The Bay State Competitiveness Fund uses surplus revenue available at the end of the fiscal year to fund key programs specifically named in the Fund. When it was created last year, the fund included $10M for the Affordable Housing Trust. Outside Section 7 of the Senate ways and Means budget continues the Bay State Competitiveness Fund but removes the Affordable Housing Trust Fund from the list of programs. This amendment would reinstate the Affordable Housing Trust Fund to the list of fundable programs under the Bay State Fund.
5) Nutritional Assistance Amendment (Line item 4404-1000).
Lead sponsor: Pam Resor. This amendment would provide $2M to fund nutritional assistance for legal immigrants who are not eligible for federal food stamps. From 1997 to 2002, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts provided state-funded nutritional assistance in line item 4404-1000 to legally present immigrants who did not qualify for federal nutritional assistance as a result of the 1996 federal welfare reform law. Prior to 2002, the cost of the program declined due to more legal immigrants qualifying for federally funded benefits and therefore no longer needing state-funded benefits. However, a state fiscal crisis caused this program to be suspended in July of 2002.
For more information contact Leslie Lawrence, Massachusetts Coalition for the Homeless, 781-595-7570 x 16
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Commission to End Homelessness The Commission to End Homelessness: MCH's Testimony & Policy Recommendations - Click Here The Commission to End Homelessness' Website - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - |
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