Gov. Charlie Baker filed a $5.41 billion interim budget Monday that would keep state government funded and operating beyond July 1 should the Legislature and his administration not agree in time on an annual spending plan for fiscal year 2022.
The governor filed the bill with 10 days remaining in the current fiscal year, and said in a letter to legislative leaders that the legislation contained enough spending authorization to maintain government services through July 31.
The bill would also allow Treasurer Deb Goldberg to advance local aid payments to cities, towns, regional school districts and independent agricultural or technical schools that demonstrate “an emergency cash shortfall.”
The filing and passage of one or more interim budgets is not unusual on Beacon Hill, where legislative negotiators frequently take their private talks over the state’s annual budget beyond the July start of the new fiscal year.
After a pandemic-interrupted year that saw the Legislature wait until the winter to tackle an annual appropriations bill, this year’s budget is back on its more traditional cycle.
House and Senate negotiating teams, led by Rep. Aaron Michlewitz and Sen. Michael Rodrigues, were named on June 7 and met for the first time a day later to begin hashing out a compromise budget.
If and when they do strike a deal and the full House and Senate pass a final fiscal year 2022 budget, Baker would still be afforded 10 days to review the bill.
The House and Senate passed competing $47.7 billion spending plans (H 4001 / S 2465), but Democratic leaders have suggested they may also take a fresh look at projected tax collections for next year after revenues in fiscal 2021 have far outpaced expectations.
The conference committee is also negotiating multiple policy proposals that were baked into the spending bill, including the looming expiration of and proposed reforms to the state’s film tax credit program and Senate-backed fee increases on rides booked through transportation network companies like Uber and Lyft.
The other conferees include Reps. Ann-Margaret Ferrante and Todd Smola and Sens. Cindy Friedman and Patrick O’Connor.
Baker asked that the Legislature approve the interim budget, which would be voided upon passage of a general appropriations bill, no later than June 29 to ensure that the state can meet its financial obligations.
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