Mass. Gov. Maura Healey plans to sign surtax-fueled $1.4B spending bill Tuesday
Published in News & Features
BOSTON — Gov. Maura Healey said she plans to sign a spending bill Tuesday that includes hundreds of millions for transportation and education projects as well as cash for scores of hyperlocal projects across Massachusetts.
The first-term Democrat plans to ink her name to a $1.4 billion proposal that largely uses leftover dollars from the state’s voter-approved 4% surtax on incomes over $1 million. The tax on high-earners has become a lifeline for Beacon Hill pols amidst economic uncertainty this year.
Healey said the legislation includes “important investments” that stabilize the finances of the MBTA and back education initiatives.
“We’re making transformative investments through this Fair Share that are going to go to things like literacy, more vocational training in schools, more career training in our high schools, also high-dose tutoring,” she said.
The bill that cleared the House and Senate last week included $716 million for transportation projects and $593 million for the education sector.
But Democrats who control both chambers also packed it chock-full with cash for hyper-local projects, including $25 million for a parking garage in downtown Quincy, the hometown of House Speaker Ron Mariano, and hundreds of thousands for towns represented by Senate President Karen Spilka.
Amid the transportation funding, the bill hands $535 million to the MBTA for improvements and transportation infrastructure upgrades, including $300 million to replenish the agency’s struggling reserve account.
The MBTA could also receive another $175 million infusion for workforce and safety improvements recommended by the Federal Transit Administration, which has kept a close eye on the agency after a series of high-profile safety failures.
Lawmakers agreed to include $103 million for cities and towns to maintain local roads and bridges and take care of municipally-owned bridges and culverts.
The spending bill includes $45 million for early education and care workforce improvements and $25 million for “high dosage tutoring” to accelerate literacy growth for students in kindergarten through third grade.
Healey said small group tutoring for young people is key for students who experienced learning loss during COVID.
“I want to make sure that we’re moving forward, always, in the kinds of investments that we need to make for our young people,” she said.
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