Updated July 5, 2007     Conference Committee wraps up negotiations on FY2008 state budget   The joint state legislative Conference Committee worked through Friday evening, June 30, to iron out differences between the House and Senate FY2008 budget, officially beginning on Sunday, July 1.  We expect the Committee's recommendation will be quickly approved by both branches and should be on Governor Patrick's desk sometime on Monday, July 2.  The Governor has NOT yet signed the budget and may exercise his veto authority between now and July 13.  While we are hopeful Gov. Patrick will not veto human service accounts, he told reporters in April: “Anybody who makes the mistake of thinking the governor is not going . . . to use his power to get what I think is important in this budget is seriously underestimating me." Use the Arc Action Center to ask Gov. Patrick and Lt. Gov. Murray to spare disability services from vetoes.    The EOHHS salary reserve was funded at the Senate's higher amount ($23 million), as was T-22 ($7.5 million, with $17,664,660 annualization within the line item language).  Most other line items fell somewhere between House and Senate amounts.   Funds were cut for the residential account by $1.5 million, and in the day/work account by $500,000.   Earmarks, representing dollars set aside within the budget line item language by legislators on behalf of constituent interests, continue to be a concern.  Earmarks allow an organization to bypass the usual competitive RFP bidding process and authorize the recipient organization to secure funding directly from the account in which they appear.  Earmarks have grown over the years and now total $1,180,000 in funds that are effectively off the table for individuals or organizations that are not affiliated with the recipient organization.   Click on this link to download a PDF of the spreadsheet below, formatted for printing.   To view line item language, including tracking changes made by the Conference Committee, click on the line item number in the first column in the spreadsheet below.