BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts again has the distinction of being among the few U.S. states without a permanent budget in the new fiscal year.
July 1 came and went without the Democratic-controlled Legislature reaching agreement on a $42.7 billion spending plan. A six-member panel led by Sen. Michael Rodrigues, of Westport, and Aaron Michlewitz, of Boston, has been in closed-door talks for weeks trying to resolve differences.
According to the National Association of Budget Officers, of the 46 states with July 1 fiscal years only lawmakers in Massachusetts and Ohio have failed to approve budgets.
Governors in New Hampshire and North Carolina vetoed spending plans and governors of a handful of states including Rhode Island are still reviewing budgets.
A year ago, Massachusetts was last to put a state budget in place.
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