THE REVERE ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, AUGUST 2, 2024 Page 9 velopmental delays and disabilities. • $29.6 million for grants to local Councils on Aging to increase assistance per elder to $15 from $14 in FY 2024. • $27.9 million for family and adolescent health, including $9.2 million for comprehensive family planning services and $6.7 million to enhance federal Title X family planning funding. • $20 million to recapitalize the Behavioral Health, Access, Outreach and Support Trust Fund to support targeted behavioral health initiatives. • $14.7 million for maternal and child health, including $10.4 million for pediatric palliative care services for terminally ill children and a policy adjustment to ensure that children up to age 22 can continue to be served through the program. • $5.5 million for Children Advocacy Centers to provide critical supports available to children that have been neglected or sexually abused. • $2 million for grants for improvements in reproductive health access, infrastructure, and safety. The FY25 budget, for the fi rst time in Massachusetts’ history, allows an individual to be identifi ed with a non-binary ‘X’ sex designation on their birth certifi cate and enshrine into law the current practice of allowing an individual to select a non-binary ‘X’ gender designation on their driver’s license. This step ensures that all residents—including trans and nonbinary people—can secure government documents that accurately reflect who they are. Additionally, the FY25 budget recognizes that the cost of fertility preservation should not be a barrier to starting a family for Massachusetts residents with cancer or other serious medical conditions. It therefore requires health insurance carriers to cover fertility preservation treatments for individuals who have a medical diagnosis or who are going through medical treatments that may impact fertility. It also includes coverage for the procurement, cryopreservation, and storage of gametes, embryos, or other reproductive tissue. Housing The FY25 budget invests $1.15 billion in housing, dedicating resources for housing stability, residential assistance, emergency shelter services, and homelessness assistance programs, ensuring the state deploys a humane, responsible, and sustainable approach to providing families and individuals in need with an access point to secure housing. The budget prioritizes relief for families and individuals who continue to face challenges brought on by the pandemic and fi nancial insecurity, including $326.1million for Emergency Assistance Family Shelters, in addition to the $175 million in resources passed in the recent supplemental budget, to place the Commonwealth’s shelter system on a fi scal glidepath into FY25. Housing investments include: • $231.7 million for the Massachusetts Rental Voucher Program (MRVP), including $12.5 million in funds carried forward from FY24. • $197.4 million for Residential Assistance for Families in Transition (RAFT). • $113 million for assistance to local housing authorities. • $110.8 million for assistance for individuals experiencing homelessness. • $57.3 million for the HomeBASE program. • $27 million for the Alternative Housing Voucher Program (AHVP), including $10.7 million in funds carried forward from FY24, to provide rental assistance to people with disabilities. • $10.5 million for assistance for unaccompanied homeless youth. • $10.5 million for Housing Consumer Education Centers (HCECs). • $8.9 million for sponsorbased supportive permanent housing. • $8.9 million for the Home and Healthy for Good rehousing and supportive services program, including funding to support homeless LGBTQ+ youth. The FY25 budget includes important consumer protections, including ending the practice of home equity theft, a practice where cities, towns, and even private companies can foreclose on a home for taxes owed, sell it, and pocket the profi ts. With this crucial step, the Legislature strikes a balance to ensure equity is returned to homeowners and taxpayers, while municipalities will be made a whole and protected moving forward. Expanding and Protecting Economic Opportunities The budget includes a record investment in the annual child’s clothing allowance, providing $500 per child for eligible families to buy clothes for the upcoming school year. The budget also includes a 10 per cent increase to Transitional Aid to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) and Emergency Aid to the Elderly, Disabled and Children (EAEDC) benefit levels compared to June 2024. Other economic opportunity investments include: • $496.2 million for Transitional Assistance to Families with Dependent Children (TAFDC) and $183.2 million for Emergency Aid to Elderly, Disabled and Children (EAEDC) to provide the necessary support as caseloads increase, and continue the Deep Poverty increases. • $59.8 million for adult basic education services to improve access to skills necessary to join the workforce. • $42.4 million for the Massachusetts Emergency Food Assistance Program. • $15 million in Healthy Incentives Programs to maintain access to healthy food options for households in need. • $10.4 million for Career Technical Institutes to increase our skilled worker population and provide residents access to career technical training opportunities. • $10 million for the Workforce Competitiveness Trust Fund to connect unemployed and under-employed workers with higher paying jobs. • $10 million for a community empowerment and reinvestment grant program to provide economic support to communities disproportionately impacted by the criminal justice system. • $5.4 million for the Innovation Pathways program to continue to connect students to training and postsecondary opportunities in STEM fi elds. Community Support The FY25 budget further demonstrates the Legislature’s commitment to partnerships between the state and municipalities, dedicating meaningful resources that touch all regions and meet the needs of communities across the Commonwealth. This includes $1.3 billion in funding for Unrestricted General Government Aid (UGGA), an increase of $38 million over FY24, to support additional resources for cities and towns. In addition to traditional sources of local aid, the FY25 budget includes the following local and regional equity investments: • $204 million for Regional Transit Authorities (RTAs) to support regional public transportation systems, including $110 million from Fair Share funds to support our RTAs that help to connect all regions of our Commonwealth. • $53 million for payments in lieu of taxes (PILOT) for state-owned land, an increase of $1.5 million over FY24. PILOT funding is an additional source of supplemental local aid for cities and towns working to protect and improve access to essential services and programs during recovery from the pandemic. • $52.4 million for libraries, including $19 million for regional library local aid, $20 million for municipal libraries and $6.2 million for technology and automated resource networks. • $26.9 million for the Massachusetts Cultural Council to support local arts, culture, and creative economic initiatives. Having passed the House of Representatives and the Senate, the FY25 budget now moves to the Governor’s desk for her consideration.
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