FY 2020 Final Budget

On July 31st, Governor Baker signed the $43.32 billion state budget for Fiscal Year 2020. The budget included historic levels of investment in critical areas such as education, health care, addressing the opioid crisis, and protecting our most vulnerable citizens. To read the budget in full, click here. Below are some highlights of what was included:Local Earmarks:

• $50,000 for Phase II of the Magazine Beach Restoration project in Cambridge
• $75,000 for security needs of the Boston Landmarks Orchestra hatch shell concert series
• $25,000 for operational costs of the West End Museum

Environment:

• $47.25 million for State Parks and Recreation (DCR)
• $61 million for the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)
• $1.5 million for Watershed Protection
• $2.2 million for the implementation of strategies that address climate change mitigation and preparedness

Education:

• $20 million for the Early Education Rate Reserve, providing an increase to reimbursement rates for subsidized early education and care
• $41,045,000 for Adult Basic Education services including English as a Second Language, basic literacy, and citizenship classes; This is a $7.7 million increase from FY19.
• $345,154,803 for the Special Education Circuit Breaker

Labor & Economic Development:

• $7 million for the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund
• $500,000 to establish a specialized prevailing wage and construction investigatory and enforcement unit within the Attorney General's office
• $16 million for summer jobs for at-risk youth

Transportation:

• $345,813,615 for transportation and infrastructure improvements across the Commonwealth
• $125 million for the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority to design, construct, maintain, and operate our highways, bridges, and tunnels.

Public Safety & Judiciary:

• $4.5 million for a new community based re-entry program
• $24 million for civil legal aid to provide representation for low-income defendants
• $11 million for Shannon Grants which address heightened levels of gang violence
• $520,400 for a neighborhood-based gun and violent crime prevention pilot program

Housing & Homelessness:

• $116 million for the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP)
• $72 million for Public Housing Subsidies
• $8 million for Alternative Housing Voucher Programs
• $53.4 million for homeless individual shelters
• $6 million toward veteran's homelessness services
• $2 million for the Search Job Connect Program, helping people experiencing homelessness or previously homeless families receive employment support, job training, and job search services.