Greetings! I hope this article finds you well. There has been a great deal happening – both in Westfield and Boston- so let’s get right into it.
I was sworn in with my colleagues to the Massachusetts House of Representatives on January 7 and the work began immediately! Within the next week, all legislation that will be deliberated and voted on in this upcoming session was filed. Of course, of the nearly six thousand bills that have been filed, and late filed bills that come after, only a very small portion will make it out of committees and in front of the legislature for a vote. However, many bills that do pass have some type of a price tag attached, and that is going to be a huge problem throughout this session.
One of the major issues that is at the forefront of everyone’s mind is the budget deficit. Originally estimated around $329 million, the actual number is closer to $765 million. This is simply unacceptable. In the 2016 Revenue Forecast released by the Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation after yesterday’s annual consensus revenue hearing, tax revenues will grow by $1.1 billion (4.5 percent) to $25.5 billion in fiscal year 2016. News articles across the Commonwealth continue to boast the immense job growth this state has seen, with 2014 being noted as creating more than 60,000 jobs, more than any year since 2000. Signs are showing great improvement in the state’s economy. And yet we still are in a substantial deficit.
The financial situation that we are currently confronted with will be a serious wakeup call. Most importantly, it is a chance for leadership across the state to come together and have an open and honest discussion about the taxpayer money that was spent so loosely – a chance to pull in the reigns and tighten up our finances like so many of the families we serve have to do each and every day.
I applaud Governor Baker for the actions he’s been taking during his first few weeks in office. Most notable on the budget deficit is his tactic of getting right to the core of the problem. One of the biggest problems he has identified is, quite unsurprisingly, the problems with the Health Connector. The broken website, and the temporary fixes for the problems caused by it, have cost us significantly.
Rather than turning to raise taxes or fees, the new Governor is looking at how taxpayer dollars have been spent that have created such a considerable deficit. The people of this state are still recovering and our economy is too fragile to impose more taxes or fees, something I wholeheartedly agree with. Equally important, Governor Baker has said that there will be no cuts to local aid. In fact, one of the very first things he did was to release $100 million in Chapter 90 funds. This is extremely crucial for towns and cities who rely on state funding to create their own budgets and fund their own projects. As many of you know, increasing local aid in order to provide property tax relief was one of the pillars of my campaign.
Moving forward, it will be a year of tightening up our purses and spending smarter. The underlying theme of this session will be fiscal prudence, something we can all relate to. I’m very much looking forward to working with my colleagues to create and pass legislation to help cities and towns across the state in practical, and fiscally responsible ways.
On another note of fiscal prudence, I had the distinct honor of attending the announcement of a new low-cost degree between Westfield State University and Holyoke Community College yesterday morning. The plan to create online and three year degree programs as well as increase the opportunities for co-ops will prove to be a huge benefit to students across the Commonwealth and will make Westfield State University even more attractive to students across the country. More and more I hear constituents, friends, and neighbors ask how they can afford to send their children to school. I understand how difficult it is to afford the cost of pursuing higher education (I have student loans, too). The agreement between Westfield State and Holyoke Community College could not have come at a better time.
As always feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns at [email protected] or my aide Neesha at [email protected]. Have a great weekend!
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this column are those of the author and not the staff, editor, or publisher of this publication.
