THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Wednesday, November 25, 2020 Page 5 Sen. Lewis supports passage of FY 2021 Budget T he State Senate, on November 18, unanimously passed a $46 billion budget for Fiscal Year 2021 (FY21). Passed with bipartisan support, the budget aims to move the Commonwealth toward an equitable recovery by making critical investments in sectors impacted by COVID-19, including early education and childcare, food security, housing supports and public health. “As our communities continue to struggle with both a public health and economic crisis, this budget represents an essential step forward to help our Commonwealth recover from the pandemic and rebuild a strong and equitable economy,” said State Senator Jason Lewis, who is Assistant Vice Chair of the Senate’s Committee on Ways and Means and Senate Chair of the Legislature’s Joint Committee on Education. “I’m especially pleased that despite a significant decline in revenue, this budget invests substantially in early education and childcare – recognizing how critical this sector is for children, working families, and the state’s economic recovery – and also seeks to protect important public transit services that are currently at risk.” As COVID-19 continues to spread across the Commonwealth, the Senate budget preserves access to essential services for our most vulnerable residents. The budget funds MassHealth at a total of $18.2 billion to maintain critical access to aff ordable health care coverage for over 1.9 million people, ensuring that comprehensive care for our most vulnerable children, seniors and low-income residents is protected in the middle of a public health crisis. The Senate’s budget also includes targeted investments to maintain and expand access to mental health care while strengthening public health infrastructure at the local, state and regional level to combat the eff ects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Senate’s budget protects Massachusetts students and educational institutions. Continuing the Senate’s long-standing support of targeted investments in education, this budget holds harmless Chapter 70 funding in a manner consistent with the agreement reached between the Senate, House and Administration in July by providing $5.283 billion, an increase of $107.6 million over FY20. This additional level of investment will allow all school districts to maintain foundation spending levels while accounting for enrollment and inflation changes. The budget also includes $345 million for the Special Education (SPED) Circuit Breaker, reimbursing school districts for the cost of educating students with disabilities at the statutorily required 75 percent reimbursement rate. In addition to ensuring stability for the state’s K 12 population, the Senate’s budget takes steps to invest in childcare providers and higher education institutions – both of which are critically important to the state’s economy and recovery in midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Senate’s budget recommends a total of $46 billion in spending, a 5.5 percent increase over the Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20) General Appropriations Act. This spending recommendation is based on a revised tax revenue estimate of $27.592 billion, which provides for $3,558 billion less in available revenue than the original consensus revenue estimate originally agreed on in January 2020. To close this anticipated revenue shortfall, the FY21 budget includes $1.5 bilThankful. Grateful. Inspired. At Members Plus, we feel truly blessed to be part of such a great community of hard working, real people. We are proud and honored to be your community credit union. Happy Thanksgiving! lion from the Stabilization Fund, ensuring a majority of the Stabilization Fund balance remains for future years; $1.38 billion in available federal supports; and more than $400 million in new revenue initiatives. Among those initiatives, the budget inLEWIS | SEE PAGE 15 www.eight10barandgrille.com We Have Reopened for Dine-In and Outside Seating every day beginning at 4 PM WE'RE OPEN! 8 Norwood Street, Everett (617) 387-9810 STAY SAFE! SABATINO INSURANCE AGENCY Call for a Quote 617-387-7466 Or email Rocco@sabatino-ins.com We cover: * Auto * Home * Boat * Renter * Condo * Life * Multi-Policy Discounts * Commercial 10% Discounts * Registry Service Also Available Local & Trusted memberspluscu.org http://www.sabatino-ins.com SABATINO 564 Broadway BETTER RATES FREE CHECKING LARGE ATM NETWORK MOBILE APP Everett, MA 02149 617-387-7466 SM Hours of Operation are: Mondays - Fridays 9am to 5pm Saturdays by appointment only
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