Late Wednesday night, the House of Representatives passed a $49.7 billion fiscal 2023 budget that addresses the needs of residents and makes targeted investments to support families in the Commonwealth. This budget continues our strong commitment to cities and towns, and it includes significant investments in health care, education, housing, and workforce development, among other priorities. 

I was able to secure funding for several key priorities for the 3rd Plymouth District, including full funding for state aid for public libraries and increased funding for the Division of Ecological Restoration. I also advocated for and was able to secure $75,000 for Hingham and Cohasset to establish a new regional sustainability officer position, which will guide a regional approach to sustainability and assist each town in coordinating its own efforts to achieve its climate goals.

In addition, I filed three additional amendments to secure funding for projects on the South Shore. These included a request for $300,000 for the redesign of Manet Community Health Center’s Hull facility, a request for $225,000 for the Department of Conservation and Recreation to conduct a condition assessment of the Point Allerton seawall in Hull, and a request for $500,000 to conduct a multiyear corridor study on the possibilities of double-track rail implementation along the Old Colony Line. Though funding for these projects was not secured in this budget, I remain committed to seeking other avenues for funding these projects.

The Senate will now take up the budget, and following its passage out of the Senate, a House-Senate Conference Committee will work out the differences between the two versions.

A comprehensive breakdown of the funding in this year's budget can be found in our press release at this link. You can also visit https://malegislature.gov/Budget/FY2023/HouseDebate.

On March 30, I joined colleagues in a vote to pass a $350 million spending bill that adds $200 million to the Chapter 90 program to fund local road and bridge repairs and calls for an additional $150 million to be spent on other municipal transportation efforts. The Chapter 90 Program grants municipalities annual funding to improve and invest in local transportation networks. The $200 million allocation in the legislation will be added to the Massachusetts Transportation Trust Fund and subsequently distributed to each municipality.

For a more comprehensive breakdown of the Chapter 90 funding, view our press release here.