Capped by Christmas on Friday, the week ahead will likely start with a flourish and grow progressively quieter despite the official arrival of winter. Traumatized from last winter’s fury, Bay State residents have so far enjoyed a mild December and repeated assurances from Gov. Charlie Baker and his team that the MBTA is much better prepared this year.
Next week brings a key deadline as candidates for open House seats in Brockton, Fitchburg and Peabody must file nomination signatures by Tuesday. On Beacon Hill, legislative wish lists likely feature future considerations, such as early 2016 agreements on opioid and energy bills, common ground on transgender rights and public records legislation, and solutions to the financial woes facing the MBTA and the Green Line Extension project. Officials would also welcome a little more cash under the tree to pay for all of the demands being made upon the state’s $38.4 billion budget.
Administration and Finance Secretary Kristen Lepore is working on midyear fixes to the budget that could include spending cuts while also assembling Gov. Charlie Baker’s fiscal 2017 spending bill, which will be unveiled in January. Baker in July used his veto pen to shave $163 million from the spending bill and lawmakers subsequently put $98 million in spending back in by overriding certain vetoes. Spending exposures and underperforming non-tax revenues appear to be on the verge of forcing Lepore to reopen the budget for more work.
Lepore and House and Senate budget chiefs this week heard from experts who said lawmakers could expect state tax collections to grow by roughly 3 to 5 percent next fiscal year. State law calls for administration and legislative leaders to reach a consensus on expected revenues before the 2016 budget debate commences. That consensus carries additional weight this year since Baker on the 2014 campaign trail pledged to boost total local aid at the same rate as growth in state revenues. Governors over the years have often made their plans for local aid known in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Massachusetts Municipal Association, which next year is scheduled to occur on Jan. 22 in Boston. It’s unclear whether a consensus revenue accord will be struck before that date.
Click on the audio link above to hear a conversation between State House News Service reporter Matt Murphy and NEPR’s Henry Epp.
