Call to Action:
FY22 House Ways and Means Budget
On Wednesday, the MA House Ways and Means Committee released their FY22 budget bill, H.4000. It includes a number of wins for cities and towns throughout the Commonwealth.
We're incredibly grateful to the House Ways and Means Committee for their hard work on the budget (you can read a summary here), and excited to share that two of MAPC's top priorities were included at our requested amounts:
- District Local Technical Assistance was level-funded at $3 million
- The Senator Charles E. Shannon Community Safety Initiative was funded at $11.3 million.
The House has been a strong ally for public health and local public health officials throughout this pandemic. We hope the House can continue this strong partnership by increasing funding for local public health infrastructure in the FY22 budget. Providing additional funding and resources to our local public health is more critical than ever.
We respectfully ask that the House support Amendment #485, filed by Representative Kane and Chair Garlick, that would increase funding for this critical line item.
Please act today: Take two minutes to email your state representative to thank them for supporting our budget priorities and to support additional funding for local and regional public health.
About These Budget Priorities
District Local Technical Assistance, or DLTA, is critical to supporting municipal needs in our region and across the Commonwealth. This funding helps cities and towns throughout the state expand what they can do, enabling them to take on projects that they don't have the capacity to do on their own. DLTA dollars have helped cities and towns flexibly meet challenges during the pandemic and will be key to ensuring that, as federal funds become available, there are shovel ready and shovel worthy projects to invest in.
The Shannon Community Safety Initiative is nationally recognized for deterring youth violence, gang violence, and substance abuse. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the program has offered much-needed support and connection for youth at risk. To learn more, watch our recent Community Safety Day on the Hill!
We're also grateful that the House is strengthening supports for municipalities in these uncertain times.The House Ways and Means budget matches the Governor's proposed increase in Unrestricted General Government Local Aid and includes a significant increase to school funding in both Chapter 70 aid and charter school reimbursements.
Increasing Local Public Health Capacity. The COVID-19 pandemic has demonstrated the tremendous responsibility we place on our local public health system and the important work local public health officials undertake every day. MAPC supports greater investments in creating a stronger and more equitable public health system that protects all Massachusetts residents.
Questions? Contact Leah Robins at [email protected].