House to Start FY19 State Budget Debate on Monday

Representatives to Decide on Many Municipal and School Amendments

Please Oppose Costly Health Insurance Amendments

Please Call Your Representatives Today

April 20, 2018

Dear Jason Hoch,

This coming Monday, April 23, the House is scheduled to start debate on the fiscal 2019 state budget. House members will take up the 1,400 amendments that were filed by the deadline last Friday, including dozens related to municipal and school aid accounts, and many on important policy issues that affect local government. Debate is expected to wrap up by the end of the week.

The MMA has sent a detailed letter to all House members, taking a position on the major local government amendments. The House Ways and Means budget (H. 4400) and the proposed amendments can be found on the Legislature’s website.

Please Click Here for a Copy of MMA’s Budget Letter on House Amendments

Please review the MMA’s House budget letter, and call your Representatives to let them know how these amendments would impact you. This is the best time to influence their support for the issues and amendments that matter most. Please call on them to support amendments that would fully fund state obligations, such as the special education “circuit breaker” and charter school reimbursements, and oppose amendments that would pre-empt local decision-making in the area of health insurance.

This is a quick reference to amendments covered in the MMA letter.

Municipal Aid

Support for: Payment-in-Lieu-of-Taxes (#830), Shannon Anti-Gang Grants (#40), Planning Grants (#282 and #731), and Public Libraries (#1171)

School Aid

Support for: Charter School Impact Payments (#952), Special Education “Circuit Breaker” (#693), Chapter 70 Minimum Aid at $50 per Student (#1154), McKinney-Vento Student Transportation (#930), Regional School Student Transportation (#29, #785, #823 and #974), Out-of-District Vocational Student Transportation (#192 and #1278), Summer Learning (#888), and Sumer Jobs (#456)

Labor Relations and Health Insurance

Oppose: Undermining Municipal Retiree Health Insurance Authority (oppose #1048 and #13)

Support for: Mediation and Dispute Resolution (#1153, #248 and #1160) and, and Municipal Police Training Fund (#1235 and #1380)

Other Amendments

Support for: Community Benefit Districts (#1074), Municipal Impact Statements (#62), water Infrastructure Funding (#813), Community Preservation Act Revenues (#466), Conservation Tax Credit (#1248), Bulk Purchasing of Naloxone (#223, #226, #477 and #1209), and Firefighter Equipment Cleaning Grants (#1189).

If you have any questions about amendments, please contact MMA Legislative Director John Robertson at jrobertson@mma.org or (617) 427-7272.

Please Call Your Representatives Today and Ask them to Support Cities and Towns in the House Budget Debate