THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, May 24, 2019 Page 11 INVESTMENTS | FROM PAGE 10 School Reimbursement; and • $73.8 million for Regional School Transportation reimbursement. The House budget continues its commitment to ensuring children have access to high-quality early education and care (EEC). The budget invests in those who work with children by increasing rates for early education providers by $20 million and supporting continuing education opportunities with community colleges. The House budget also includes additional investments into Head Start grants and quality improvement measures in core EEC programming. The House budget represents some of the biggest increases seen in a generation when it comes to housing and homelessness funding. Access to safe, adequate, and aff ordable housing is essential and provides the foundation from which families and individuals can lead successful lives. This year, the House continues these eff orts by providing: • $110 million for the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP); • $72 million for Public Housing Subsidies; • $7.2 million for Alternative Housing Voucher Program; and • $53.4 million for Homeless individual shelters. The budget continues the Legislature’s commitment to fight the opioid epidemic – a public health crisis that has touched nearly every household across the Commonwealth. To help those in need, the House budget gives all EMS and ambulance companies access to discounted naloxone, making it more available for use in the fi eld. In addition, the budget includes: • $143.9 million for the Bureau of Substance Addiction Services, which will help create fi ve new recovery centers across Massachusetts; • $49.4 million for the Substance Use Disorder Trust Fund; and • $1.5 million increases for Massachusetts Access to Recovery Services. The House budget includes funding for public safety and the judiciary, including investments to implement last session’s criminal justice reform law. The budget includes: • $8.8 million for a new community-based re-entry program; • $24 million for civil legal aid to provide representation for low-income individuals; and • $10 million for Shannon Grants, a competitive grant program to individual municipalities to address heightened levels of gang violence. The House calls for over $282 million in spending for environmental programs. These funding levels will ensure that state keeps up with the needs of its parks and environmental protections programs. These investments include: • $46 million for State Parks and Recreation; • $61 million for the Department of Environmental Protection; and • $1.5 million for Watershed Protection. In the area of labor and economic development, the House budget invests in programs that provide job opportunities for residents to participate in the Commonwealth’s thriving economy. These investments include: • $ 38.1 million for Adult Basic Education Services; • $500,000 to establish a specialized prevailing wage and construction investigatory and enforcement unit within the Attorney General’s offi ce; • $14.5 million for summer jobs for at-risk youth; and • $4.8 million for the STEM Starter Academy, to support underperforming students at community colleges interested in pursuing STEM subjects. MassHealth is the single largest investment that the Commonwealth makes in its most vulnerable residents. This program provides health insurance for the frailest amongst us: the homeless, the recovering, mothers with children, and the working poor. In addition to funding this key safety net program, the budget also ensures funding for crucial health and human services agencies and providers including: • $109.8 million to continue reforms that protect children at the Department of Children and Families; • $35 million increase in the supplemental rates for nursing homes across the Commonwealth and an emergency task force aimed at helping to bring stability to the industry; • $17.9 million towards the Councils on Aging to help senior citizens; and • Fully funds the Lift the Cap on Kids initiative that removes barriers that prevent families from receiving Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) benefi ts for certain children. INVESTMENTS | SEE PAGE 16 ANGELO’S FULL "Over 40 Years of Excellence!" 1978-2019 Regular Unleaded $2.679 Mid Unleaded $2.799 Super $2.899 Diesel Fuel $2.899 KERO $4.759 Diesel $2.699 SERVICE CE HEATING OIL 24-Hour Burner Service Call for Current Price! (125—gallon minimum) ! DEF Available by Pump! Open an account and order online at: www.angelosoil.com (781) 231-3500 (781) 231-3003 367 LINCOLN AVE • SAUGUS • OPEN 7 DAYS We Carry... * Lifetime Waterproof Warranty * Ceramic, Porcelain & Stone Tile 31 Osprey Rd., Saugus * 781-289-9676 Prices subject to change FLEET
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