Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey signed the supplemental budget bill, which closes last fiscal year's books, with allocations for MassHealth and student financial aid. It also included $10 million for the World Cup soccer matches to be held in Foxborough next year. Massachusetts and ten other U.S. host locations are appropriating funds for public safety and infrastructure improvements ahead of the event, and the governor had requested $20 million for costs tied to that event. But the final budget earmarked $10 million. State House News Service reporter Alison Kuznitz explains how House and Senate lawmakers decided on that reduced amount.
Alison Kuznitz, SHNS: The House supplemental budget had included $10 million, and the Senate budget actually included no aid for World Cup matches. So basically, they arrived at that $10 million. However, there was an amendment in the Senate from Senator O'Connor that he actually ended up withdrawing, but that would have met the governor's $20 million funding request.
Carrie Healy, NEPM: Do you get the sense that lawmakers are taking the FIFA World Cup event seriously, and actually considering the future legacy that the games will leave from being played in Foxborough?
Senator Patrick O'Connor of Weymouth actually raised this concern on the Senate floor regarding his amendment. He had warned that Massachusetts does not pull off the World Cup, Massachusetts could really end up suffering generational reputational challenges.
I think there's also the concern that budget writers are looking at the federal landscape and are worried about how much funding is going to come in and therefore how much Beacon Hill can really spend on the World Cup.
Last week, Massachusetts higher ed leaders pushed back against federal criticisms, pointing to a new report showing graduates of Massachusetts public colleges earn far more than those with only a high school diploma. Meanwhile, of course, at the federal level, the Trump Administration's restructuring higher education and cutting or suspending billions in funding and imposing new rules on student loans and borrowing caps and workforce Pell grants. How are state education leaders responding?
It seems like state leaders have a direct response to this recent report that came out. It found that five years after graduating college, those in Massachusetts with an associate degree are $20,000 more than their peers who only have a high school diploma.
And for bachelor's degrees, those folks are earning $30,000 more annually. And they're really trying to emphasize the value of higher education, looking at those earnings. And higher education leaders who are also talking about, you know, looking at the state's investment in free community college that the cost of college is going down, while also Massachusetts students are ending up earning more money a few years out of graduation.
So, it's really going to be about retention and keeping those graduates here in the state after they graduate.
Yes. And also something that education leaders are worried about is the completion rate of folks maybe stopping and not fully completing their degree. And I think that's going to be another challenge for folks on the horizon.
Finally, this week, a federal vaccine advisory panel is set to vote on delaying the timing of the administration of the hepatitis B vaccine for newborns. Now, last week, Massachusetts health officials issued their own vaccine recommendation. Alison, what are state lawmakers saying about the timing of administering this immunization?
The state Department of Public Health wants to maintain the course of vaccinations. They want newborns within 24 hours of delivery to get that shot. And they want to maintain the childhood vaccine series for hepatitis B. What's happening at the CDC and its advisory panel is that members are going to meet later this week, and they could potentially vote on delaying the shot to one month after birth.
So, what does that really mean when the state guidelines differ from the CDC? Which ones will prevail after the feds weigh in this week?
So basically, what the state has done is disentangle itself from federal vaccine policy. So, while this federal advisory Council later this week may say we are changing the vaccine schedule, Massachusetts is saying we are not, and we're maintaining this schedule through various laws, including the supplemental budget that the governor just signed, gives the Department of Public Health the authority to say Massachusetts is setting its own vaccine course.
