The House Ways and Means (HWM) committee will release its FY 2022 budget proposal the week of April 12th and much has changed in the ten weeks since the release of Governor Baker’s spending plan. The combination of action at the federal level, changing assumptions on the state’s Medicaid program…

With the House Committee on Ways and Means poised to release its budget next week, MTF says the “resource and spending implications for the FY 2022 budget … will need to be accounted for by both the House and Senate budgets.” The House budget “should also provide flexibility in the use of one-…

"For counties that are not units of local government, these awards will be distributed to the municipalities in the county based on population," the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation wrote in its initial summary of the relief package.

This bulletin provides an initial summary of key provisions of the American Rescue Plan (ARP) that are likely to impact Massachusetts, its residents and employers.  The ARP is an expansive $1.9 trillion relief that covers an enormous spectrum of policy areas. 

Doug Howgate, executive vice president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, said the magnitude of the numbers show the incredible power of the federal government, and how its ability to deploy resources dwarfs what the state can do. “The order of magnitude is so profound it’s hard to…

“Given current budgetary pressures, economic uncertainty, and our current reliance on federal funds to balance the budget, it would be a challenging time for the state to assume these costs,” said Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation president Eileen McAnneny.

“What you may be seeing in a lot of these municipalities is a reassessment of how they want to use some of this stuff in light of the fact that they have another year to spend it,” said Doug Howgate, executive vice president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation. “Everyone involved wants to…

According to the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, Baker’s budget includes a $100 million increase in Health Safety Net Hospital Assessments ($75 million of it due this fiscal year). The money would not be directed into the program that reimburses hospitals that treat large numbers of uninsured…

Doug Howgate, executive vice president of the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation, who previously advised Senate President Karen Spilka on health care policy, said he expects that outside groups this time will look seriously at Baker’s proposal. “Obviously, we want something that gives people…

The Baker Administration has released its budget proposal (House 1) for FY 2022, just over 6 weeks after signing the FY 2021 General Appropriations Act. This bulletin provides an overview of notable spending, revenue and policy elements of the $45.9 billion plan. The Administration’s budget…