Today, the House passed a $149.2 M supplemental budget to provide appropriations to deficient budget accounts. It includes $30M in chargeback authority. Traditionally, supplemental budgets are passed to address unexpected costs during the fiscal year.
Highlights from this budget include:
- $1.6M for Family Planning. This will fill the gap in the event the Trump Administration cuts federal funding for reproductive health services for low-income/uninsured individuals.
- $5.3M to provide Veterans’ Benefits in the form of payments to Gold Star families.
- $19.3M for Emergency Assistance Family Shelters to ensure people have a safe place to sleep while we work with them to find long-term stable housing.
- $2.5M to provide support and services to people who resettled in Massachusetts after fleeing Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands after Hurricane Maria in the event that the Trump Administration cuts FEMA funding.
- $2.15M for the Healthy Incentive Program, which connects people with SNAP benefits to local farmers throughout the state to increase access to fresh, locally-grown produce.
- $12.5M for the Special Education Circuit Breaker, to enable school districts to continue special education classes and programming.
- $2.5M for Charter School Reimbursement to school districts.
- $2M to the Cannabis Control Commission to run a public information campaign. Colorado has mentioned that their biggest lesson learned from legalized marijuana is that they wish they had done a science-based PSA campaign. This funding enables such a campaign.
