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The Arc’s Analysis of Massachusetts House Ways & Means FY2008 Budget Proposal
*** AND ACTION STEPS ***
April 18, 2007
The Massachusetts House Ways and Means Committee released its FY2008 state budget. Totaling $26.7 billion, it has the same bottom line as Governor Patrick's spending plan released in February. Despite this similarity, each proposal represents a very different fiscal vision for the next state budget that begins on July 1, 2007. To summarize the big picture, House leaders rely more upon rainy day funds and other one-time revenues, while ignoring the Governor's plan to generate $295 million by eliminating corporate tax exemptions. The House also largely exercised its privilege to toss other elements of the Governor's plan out the window – particularly by reversing the consolidation of hundreds of line items that would have allowed Executive Branch agencies greater flexibility in deciding where and how to spend funds.
Nowhere was this more evident than in the DMR budget, where the Governor consolidated 13 separate accounts into 7, in one case, creating a mammoth line item comprising several programs containing 63% of the entire DMR budget.
In terms of the DMR bottom line, the House numbers are an improvement over the Governor's, with roughly $10 million in spending and annualization funds restored. The Arc was pleased to see the EOHHS salary reserve maintained at the Governor's proposed amount of $12 million for cost of living adjustments to staff earning $40k or less, although still shy of last year's final allocation of $28 million.
Despite improvements, the House DMR numbers still represent a total deficit of $7.3 million below level funded amounts, and $16 million less for the salary reserve. Day/Work is cut $1.7 million and Turning 22 is cut $2 million below level funding.
PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE HOUSE WAYS & MEANS BUDGET
Working together, The Arc; Massachusetts Families Organizing for Change (MFOC); The Association of Developmental Disabilities Providers (ADDP); and Advocates for Autism Massachusetts (AFAM) have coordinated a series of amendments to the House budget. These amendments move beyond level funding and bring spending levels closer to actual needs and represent a more equitable share of the state's overall budget (the House budget is based upon 3% revenue growth, while disability-related services are provided 1.5% growth, lower than the rate of inflation).
These House members will be sponsoring amendments to boost funding by the following amounts:
|
PROGRAM
|
LINE ITEM
|
SPONSOR
|
AMOUNT
|
| Salaries |
1599-6901 |
Jim Marzilli |
$16 million |
| Turning 22 |
5920-5000 |
Tom Sannicandro |
$4 million *
|
| Family Support |
5920-3000 |
Paul Donato |
$2.5 million |
| Day/Work |
5920-2025 |
Alice Peisch |
$1.8 million |
| Transportation |
5911-2000 |
Alice Peisch |
$200,000 |
| Autism Division |
5920-3010 |
Barbara L'Italien |
$2 million |
* Increases annualization from $13.6 million to $21.6 million
These legislators are our champions. We urge you to work with us to demonstrate the strength and size of our combined community in calling on the other 156 state representatives to ADD THEIR SIGNATURES TO THESE AMENDMENTS AS CO-SPONSORS. The number of co-sponsors is an indication of the amount political support for amendments when they are considered during the upcoming House budget debate. This helps our amendments stand out amidst the vast number that have been filed (1,470). We have reviewed other disability-related amendments and posted them for your information.Amendments, with signatures, are due into the House Clerk's office by the end of the business day, Friday, April 13, but the Clerk will accept requests by House members to add their name as a co-sponsor until debate begins on April 23. Click here to use the Arc Action Center to automatically send an email to your state rep. asking him/her to co-sponsor the amendments.
No affiliation with The Arc is needed or will be indicated in the message to your legislator. We urge you to forward the link to anyone you know who cares about the quality of services for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, their families, and the staff who deserve fair pay for the critical work they do.
If you do not receive a clear reply indicating your legislator's willingness to co-sponsor the amendments, we encourage you to call, identify yourself as a constituent and ask for a straight answer. If the response is vague or a "no", politely ask for an explanation. We will be posting the names of all co-signers after April 23.
 Click here for legislator contact information
FY2008 House Ways & Means DMR Budget Chart
|
Line Item
|
Description
|
Actual FY2007
|
Adjustments FY2008 *
|
Level funding $$$
|
Guv's FY08
|
House Ways & Means FY08
|
Diff between Level funding & H. Ways and Means
|
|
5911-1003
|
Admin/Reg. & Area Offices
|
$72,481,274
|
$1,075,121
|
$73,556,395
|
73,677,966
|
$73,226,467
|
-$329,928
|
|
5911-2000
|
Transportation
|
$14,052,195
|
$38,756
|
$14,090,951
|
$767,435,196
|
$13,972,324
|
-$118,627
|
|
5920-2000
|
Community Residential
|
$523,866,210
|
$25,286,082
|
$549,152,292
|
$185,686,848
|
$549,157,636
|
$5,344
|
|
5920-2006
|
Residential Rate Initiative
|
$2,000,000
|
$0
|
$2,000,000
|
|
$2,000,000
|
$0
|
|
5920-2010
|
State Ops.
|
$129,645,646
|
$0
|
$129,645,646
|
|
$130,964,744
|
$1,319,098
|
|
5920-2020
|
Boulet/Waiting List
|
$86,476,553
|
$1,285,374
|
$87,761,927
|
|
$87,812,812
|
$50,885
|
|
5920-2025
|
Day/Employment
|
$117,738,430
|
$5,439,281
|
$123,177,711
|
|
$121,481,711
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-$1,696,000
|
|
5920-3000
|
Family Supports
|
$53,094,228
|
$2,277,146
|
$55,371,374
|
|
$55,371,374
|
$0
|
|
5920-3010
|
New Autism Division
|
$3,000,000
|
$2,672
|
$3,002,672
|
3,002,672
|
$3,002,672
|
$0
|
|
5920-5000
|
Turning 22
|
$8,500,000
|
$0
|
$8,500,000
|
$5,500,000
|
$6,500,000
|
-$2,000,000
|
|
5930-1000
|
State Schools
|
$181,928,891
|
$10,906
|
$181,939,797
|
$180,430,895
|
$182,759,388
|
$819,591
|
|
5982-1000
|
Templeton Retained
|
$100,000
|
$0
|
$100,000
|
$100,000
|
$100,000
|
$0
|
|
TOTAL
|
|
$1,192,883,427
|
$35,415,338
|
$1,228,298,765
|
$1,215,833,577
|
$1,226,349,128
|
-$1,949,637
|
|
Non-DMR
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
1599-6901
|
EOHHS Salary Reserve
|
28,000,000
|
|
28,000,000
|
12,000,000
|
$12,000,000
|
-16,000,000
|
|
5948-0012
|
DOE/DMR
|
$8,000,000
|
|
$8,000,000
|
8,000,000
|
$8,000,000
|
0
|
* Includes annualized funds such as previous year's T-22, EOHHS Salary Reserve (DMR portion), Rolland, etc.
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