Sen. Keenan Announces Passage of Senate's 2017 Budget

From Office of State Senator John F. Keenan:

The Massachusetts State Senate has passed a $39.56 billion state budget for fiscal year 2017. The spending plan, which passed by unanimously, continues the state’s strong investment in education and local aid through a balanced budget that does not rely on any increased taxes or money from the State Stabilization Fund.

State Senator John Keenan (D – Quincy) was proud to support increases in local aid for cities and towns. The Senate’s final budget proposes significant increases to unrestricted local aid, providing a 4.3 percent increase over last year’s level. The Senate also increased Chapter 70 Education funding by $116 million, providing $55 of minimum aid per pupil and allocates $281 million to reimburse school districts for special education costs. Specifically, under the Senate’s proposal, Braintree will receive $5,501,967 in local aid and $16,598,479 in Chapter 70 funds, an 8.6 percent increase over what was received last year for education funding.

“This budget focuses on providing strong support to our cities and towns through significant investments to local aid and education. This funding helps our communities continue to provide the essential, quality services our citizens rely on each day,” said Keenan. “Through this budget, the Senate continues to be a strong partner with our municipalities.”

Other important local programs supported through the Senate budget include increased funding for Councils on Aging activities by raising the funding rate for these centers to $10 per elder and increased Shannon Grant funding for programs that combat youth violence. The budget also included $10 million for salary increases to early educators.

Keenan said the Senate “produced a very thoughtful, balanced budget that supports the needs of families and communities throughout the commonwealth in a fiscally responsible manner.”

The Senate and House budget proposals will now go to a conference committee, which will reconcile the differences and send a final budget proposal to the governor.