Rep. Meghan Kilcoyne (D-Clinton) and Rep. Kate Hogan (D-Stow), along with their colleagues in the Mass. House of Representatives recently passed its Fiscal Year 2023 (FY23) budget. This budget responds to the needs of residents and makes targeted investments to support families in the Commonwealth.

Funded at $49.73 billion, the House’s FY23 budget continues its strong commitment to cities and towns, and includes significant investments in health care, education, housing, and workforce development, among other priorities.

According to Kilcoyne, this budget ensures crucial funding to the towns of the 12th Worcester District especially after a year of financial burden for many. 12th Worcester District funding includes:

• $500,000 to the Town of Clinton for reimbursement for use of the Wachusett Reservoir

• $50,000 to the Town of Boylston for Municipal Police Training Program

•​​​​​​​ $30,000 to the Town of Lancaster for World Farmers

•​​​​​​​ $20,000 for a Nonemergency Ambulance Pilot Program

•​​​​​​​ Prison Mitigation for the Town of Lancaster

“I am grateful to be able to secure much needed funds for the 12th Worcester district through the partnership of my colleagues Reps Danielle Gregoire and Kim Ferguson.” said Kilcoyne (D-Clinton). “This past year has been hard for too many hard-working families, and I am proud to be able to bring much needed economic security back to our communities.”

This budget marks Kilcoyne’s last house budget of her first term as state representative of the 12th Worcester District. Throughout her first term, Kilcoyne has been able to secure millions of dollars to her communities through state budgets, supplemental budgets, and federal ARPA funds.

Incorporated into the annual appropriations bill are Hogan’s budget priorities for residents of the Third Middlesex District, which bring an infusion of state dollars to programs of local impact, including funding for facilities and infrastructure improvements, transportation, furniture banks, and water quality monitoring.

Rep. Hogan’s budget amendments for the Third Middlesex District include ​​​​​​ $25,000 for Town of Bolton culverts

Additional budget amendments impacting the Third Middlesex District include:

•​​​​​​​ $2 million increase in the Tourism Trust Fund

•​​​​​​​ $2 million to Massachusetts Boys and Girls Clubs

•​​​​​​​ $2 million for dental health services

•​​​​​​​ $500,000 to improve equitable access to reproductive health care

•​​​​​​​ $500,000 to fund Genocide Education Trust Fund

“The FY23 House budget process presented us with a unique opportunity to be dynamic about our economy and environment, while solving immediate needs, such as workforce development. The resulting bill invests in the middle class while continuing to tackle the challenges created by the COVID pandemic,” Hogan said.

The House FY23 budget expands services without raising taxes and is made possible due to strong revenue collections and increased federal reimbursement. Due to responsible financial leadership, the state’s Stabilization Fund is estimated to stand at $6.55 billion.

The FY23 House budget includes $912 million to fund early education and care (EEC).  Continuing its longstanding commitment to invest in the workforce, the budget includes a $70 million in rate increases for subsidized child care providers across the Commonwealth, representing a $50 million increase over FY22.

It also includes a new initiative funded at $10 million to pay for child care for early educators.

The FY23 House budget funds Unrestricted General Government Aid (UGGA) at $1.199 billion and Chapter 70 education funding at $5.988 billion, representing a $494 million increase over the FY22 budget and fully funding the second year of a six-year implementation plan of the Student Opportunity Act (SOA), which was enacted in 2019 to support equitable funding for our most vulnerable students.

The budget also provides $110 million for a year-long extension of universal school meals, providing immediate relief to families by saving them up to $1,200 every year from reduced grocery expenditures, according to The Feed Kids Coalition. Additional education funding allocations include:

•​​​​​​​ $440 million for Special Education Circuit Breaker;

•​​​​​​​ $243 million for charter school aid, fully funding charter school reimbursement;

•​​​​​​​ $77 million for regional transportation; and

•​​​​​​​ $22 million for homeless student transportation.

The budget also includes large investments in youth engagement programs, job training and workforce development. 

Additionally, the House budget invests in programs across departments to support workforce equity in Massachusetts that help diverse communities and employers succeed.

The House budget reflects the commitment to supporting health and behavioral health needs across the Commonwealth. Investments include:

•​​​​​​​ $10 million to expand emergency diversion boarding programs within the Department of Mental Health;

•​​​​​​​ $188.6 million for the Bureau of Substance Addiction Services;

•​​​​​​​ $12.5 million for behavioral health supports; and

•​​​​​​​ $48.3 million for early intervention services, with dedicated funding to help its workforce recover from the pandemic.

The House FY23 budget includes funding for housing and homelessness prevention, investing $150 million for the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP), $140 million for Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT), $100 million for homeless individuals, $92 million for housing authority subsidies, and $59.4 million for HomeBASE.

The budget also continues the House’s focus on environmental and climate protection by investing $349.7 million for environmental services, which include funding increases for state parks, environmental protection, and fisheries and wildlife. Additional measures include promoting electric vehicles and funding for environmental justice and climate adaptation and preparedness.

The House FY23 budget expands services without raising taxes and is made possible due to strong revenue collections and increased federal reimbursement. The state’s Stabilization Fund is estimated to stand at $6.55 billion.

•​​​​​​​ $18.4 billion to fully fund the caseload at MassHealth, which has increased as more residents became eligible during the pandemic, and provide $50 million for a Connector Care Pilot Program to transition individuals from MassHealth to the Health Connector when the federal public health emergency ends

•​​​​​​​ Large investments in youth engagement programs, job training and workforce development, including $60 million in adult education, $28.3 million in youth work summer jobs, $20.4 million for Career Technical Institutes, $17 million for the workforce competitiveness trust fund, and more

•​​​​​​​ Investment in the human services workforce, including $230 million for reimbursement rates for health and human service workers and $40 million for higher rate add-ons. Additional investments include funding for programming such as the Elder Mental Health Outreach Teams, the Safe and Successful Youth Initiative Expansion, nine Elder Supportive Housing Sites, and the SHINE Program. The budget fully funds Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children at $343 million, as well as Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled and Children at $137 million

The FY23 Budget bill (H.4700) now goes to the Senate.