WESTFIELD – Rep. John Velis said Massachusetts is on the right road to recovery following the House debate on the budget yesterday. Velis said the House has put forward a budget with no new taxes or fees.
“People are still hurting from the recession of 2008,” Velis said. “We did not take any money from stabilization or the “rainy day” fund. Massachusetts is on the right track.”
He said that the budget reflects the lowest reliance on one-time spending in five years, at $253 million, which he called “significantly lower.”
On the spending side, the House approved Chapter 70 Local Education Aid that is $33.7 million more than the Governor’s budget, for a total of $4.6 billion. He said the increase was in response to educators saying they are doing more with less.
“Education really is the foundation of everything,” Velis said.
The amount for Chapter 90 Local Aid was set at $1 b, identical to what the governor put forward, which is also an increase over last year’s amount, he said.
“When local aid is cut, we cut off one of their main sources of revenue, and they’re forced to raise property taxes,” Velis said. “We need more local aid.”
Another area increased by the House is in substance abuse treatment. Velis said the recent bill passed by the governor was a great first step, but by no means complete. He said the House provided funding for 200 more treatment beds in the Commonwealth.
“200 more people who are struggling with heroin or other opiates will be able to get treatment,” Velis said. The House also added $2.5m for community policing, and $1.5m for the District Attorney’s drug aversion program, to help people who commit crimes due to addiction to receive treatment.
“As in all things in government, we are incrementally moving in the right direction,” Velis said. “It was a good day in terms of substance abuse prevention.”
Councils on Aging are also slated to receive an increase to $10 in the amount they receive per elder served. “It was just an inadequate number,” Velis said.
Velis said one of the challenges the House faces is the ever increasing share of the budget eaten up by Mass Health, which had a net increase of $275m again this year. 40% of the state’s $39.5b is dedicated to health care, according to Velis. He said while health care is important, it can push aside funding for the homeless, for veterans and for treatment beds.
“One of the hardest things we had to do since January is to prioritize funding. We struck a very delicate balance yesterday in a positive direction,” Velis said.
State representatives now have until Friday to file budget amendments. Velis said he will be filing several for the City of Westfield. Then following a week off, the House will debate the amendments. Velis said a vote on the budget is typically held the Thursday following vacation.
“I absolutely love it,” Velis said about the process, mentioning that he enjoys the camaraderie with his colleagues.
“Public service can be a good thing,” he added.
