Continued from BUDGET FY 2008

A few highlights of the budget include:

:Local Aid

$3.7 billion, an increase of $220 million over last year, for Chapter 70 school aid distribution. This is $93.4 million above the amount required under current statute to keep each school district at “foundation” levels;
$935 million, an increase of $15 million over last year, for Lottery distribution payments to cities and towns. This allocation represents 100 percent of Lottery revenues now returned to municipalities as a result of the removal of the “Lottery cap;”
$25 million for the Sewer Rate Relief fund to help control the water and sewer bills of ratepayers throughout the Commonwealth;
$219 million, an increase of $11.3 million over last year, for the Special Education Circuit Breaker;
$28.3 million, an increase of $3 million over last year, for Payment in Lieu of Taxes (“PILOT”) payments to cities and towns;
$5.5 million, an increase of $1 million over last year, for the “pothole” account to assist school districts with special circumstances not factored into formulaic distributions.

Public Safety

$13.5 million for the anti-crime and anti-gang initiative known as the Shannon Grants program including an earmark of $2.5 million dedicated to police training;
$21.3 million to continue the successful community policing program;
$1 million to support inmate re-entry programs in order to reduce recidivism;
$2.5 million for fire safety equipment grants;
$4 million to fund GPS tracking of sex offenders and domestic violence probationers;
$1.5 million for the SAFE fire education grants.

Education

$31 million for Kindergarten Expansion Grants;
$5.5 million for the “pothole” account to ensure each school district is treated fairly;
$169.8 million for child care vouchers in the area of Early Education;
$9 million for the Head Start programs;
$13 million for Extended Learning Time Grants;
$2 million for After-School funding;
An increase of $48.7 million over last year for public higher education in Massachusetts.

Economic Development

$7.9 million for Workforce Development Grants;
$6 million for One-Stop career centers;
$4 million allocated to the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) fund;
$1.5 million for technical grants to small businesses.

Health, Human Services, and Housing

$42.5 million for payments to hospitals that shoulder special burdens by caring for our least affluent and most ill citizens;
$20 million for direct care service providers’ salary reserve;
$7 million for the Child Care Rate Reserve;
$16 million for the MassHealth HIV program;
$1 million for expansion of the MassHealth Wellness program;
$63 million to ensure the Prescription Advantage program for seniors is fully funded;
$7.8 million for Councils on Aging;
$3.35 million for suicide prevention among at risk populations including the elderly and veterans;
$13.2 million for tobacco control programs;
$5 million for the Soft Second Loan program to enable families to find permanent housing;
$30 million for the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program.