The House and Senate plan at least five more hearings about how to spend close to $5 billion in federal relief funds, with the bulk of the dates after Labor Day, as lawmakers continue to move more slowly than Gov. Charlie Baker would like to see.
Baker testified last week before the House and Senate Ways and Means committees and other lawmakers about his plan to immediately begin spending $2.9 billion of the $4.8 billion in remaining stimulus funds.
It was the Legislature’s first hearing, and the governor emphasized the importance of allocating the funding quickly.
Rep. Aaron Michlewitz and Sen. Michael Rodrigues, the chairs of the House and Senate Ways and Means committees, said Monday they planned to hold at least five more hearings this year, including one on Tuesday focused on housing, labor and workforce development issues.
Four additional hearings to be scheduled for after Labor Day will focus on health care, public health, mental health and human services; economic development , transportation, arts, tourism, climate and infrastructure; and education, social equity, safety net programs and families. The final hearing will be an open public hearing, the two chairmen said.
“We ask that the Baker Administration, stakeholders and members of the general public to participate in this process, provide feedback and share ideas as we work collaboratively to address our most critical needs, while positioning our Commonwealth for equitable long-term success,” Michlewitz and Rodrigues said in a statement.
House Speaker Ron Mariano last week in an interview on Bloombrg radio said it was fine during the COVID-19 state of emergency to let Gov. Baker spend federal money allocated through the CARES Act where it was needed, but he said it’s the Legislature’s traditional responsibility to appropriate money and it has until 2024 to do so.
“When it’s $5 billion you want some ground rules and you want some parameters,” Mariano said. Tuesday’s hearing will be virtual, but the initial statement did not indicate what time it would take place or who might be lined up to testify.
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