State House News

The following email shows just where the priorities of your elected state reps are and it appears it is not education but they keep passing on those unfunded mandates.

Jeff Bennett

From: State House News Service [mailto:news@statehousenews.com]
Sent: Monday, April 22, 2013 10:55 AM
To: news@statehousenews.com
Subject: STATE CAPITOL BRIEFS - MORNING EDITION - MONDAY, APRIL 22, 2013

STATE CAPITOL BRIEFS - MORNING EDITION - MONDAY, APRIL 22, 2013
STATE HOUSE NEWS SERVICE

HOUSE GAVELS IN BUDGET WEEK AT 11 A.M.
State representatives have filed 888 amendments to the $33.8 billion fiscal 2014 budget bill drafted by House budget chief Rep. Brian Dempsey. In past years, under House Speaker Robert DeLeo, most budget amendments have been grouped into subject categories and

resolved during private talks among House members before votes on bulk, bundled amendments. The few amendments that generate debate or discussion are typically Republican-sponsored measures that fail to win approval in the Democrat-controlled House or amendments dealing with one topic - the environment, public safety, or education, for instance - that are assembled by top House Democrats based on behind the scenes negotiations. The House budget's bottom line is $1 billion lower than the plan offered in January by Gov. Deval Patrick, with most of the difference accounted for by Patrick's inclusion of nearly $1 billion in education investments fueled by the governor's $1.9 billion tax proposal. The House and Senate appear poised to advance spending plans lacking the major education investments sought by the governor, but have committed to $500 million in new tobacco, gas and business taxes to pay for hundreds of millions of dollars in new spending on transportation and to avoid near-term MBTA fare hikes, including $265 million for fiscal 2014. The House last Thursday named Dempsey, William Straus and Steven Howitt to a conference committee that will be charged with developing a consensus tax bill and settling differences over how much new revenue to devote to transportation in the coming years. Senate negotiators could be named Monday. Patrick threatened to veto the House's tax/transportation bill and the Senate subsequently padded its plan with more transportation spending in an apparent effort to appease Patrick's concerns. The Senate bill passed 30-5 after the House bill was approved 97-55. The committee’s budget bill and amendments to it are available at www.malegislature.gov/Budget/FY2014/House/WaysAndMeans. - M. Norton/SHNS

TAX COLLECTIONS DOWN OVER FIRST HALF OF APRIL
The state’s official revenue benchmark envisions an 8.2 percent surge in tax collections during April, but receipts over the first half of the month were down $10 million, or 1.4 percent compared to the same period in 2012, according to the Department of Revenue. In an April 18 letter to lawmakers, Revenue Commissioner Amy Pitter wrote that “virtually all” of the projected increase in tax collections for April, the largest collection month of the year, are expected to occur in the second half of the month in the form of income and sales tax payments. The state’s benchmark calls for total collections this month of $2.714 billion, an increase of $206 million from April 2012. Through April 15, month-do-date income tax collections were up 0.4 percent from the same period in 2012 and month-to-date withholding collections were down 6.9 percent. With two and a half months left in fiscal 2013 and amid a slow economic recovery, total state tax collections in fiscal 2013 are up 3.1 percent, or $483 million. The House on Monday plans to commence its consideration of a $33.8 billion fiscal 2014 budget. - M. Norton/SHNS

END
04/22/2013

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