Massachusetts law requires the release of a consensus revenue estimate to start the state budget process, and that's due this week.
Beyond signaling priorities, State House News Service reporter Sam Drysdale told NEPM, some of the messages this baseline conveys is about how aggressive or restrained the upcoming budget is before the budget is even built.
Sam Drysdale, SHNS: This is the number that signals the budget appetite. A restrained forecast would suggest tighter choices and a potential pressure on spending for key services. A stronger forecast signals more flexibility without tapping reserves or cutting programs, but we're expecting some economic caution given the uncertainty in the economy right now and modest historical growth projections. That's what we're anticipating this year.
Carrie Healy, NEPM: Following the expiration of the enhanced Affordable Care Act premium tax credits late last week, Governor Maura Healey announced a single year plan to tap $250 million and bolster Masachusetts Health Connector, the state's health insurance program, with the aim of cushioning premium spikes for middle and low income residents. Sam, where did the state find that money?
The money comes from the Commonwealth Care Trust Fund, which is a fund that was created by the legislature years ago. It's mainly financed through cigarette taxes, penalties paid by people who don't meet the state's health insurance mandate, employer health assessments and occasional transfers from the state's general fund.
So, it's not a new appropriation. They're saying that they can cover health insurance for enrollees who are under 400% of the federal poverty level.
Following alleged childcare subsidy fraud in Minnesota, last week, two Massachusetts lawmakers called on Gov. Healey to audit the state program that's responsible for helping low-income families in the state pay for childcare. I think it's important to note here that the federal government has frozen funding for family assistance grants in five states. None of those include Massachusetts.
So, what has the response been from Beacon Hill on the call for this audit? And do you get the sense that lawmakers believe an audit would find childcare subsidy fraud in Massachusetts?
Republican Representatives Marc Lombardo and Nicholas Boldyga were the lawmakers who called for this audit. They're urging it because they say that there's potential vulnerabilities in Massachusetts. They didn't specifically allege fraud in the state, but they're asking for verification of attendance records and internal controls. Healey's office and the Department of Early Education and Care have not publicly responded to the letter yet. There's no official audit launched. Legislators are urging caution. They're not actively accusing at this moment, but they do want a look at the program's controls after what's happened in other states.
The proposed ballot initiative to repeal adult use recreational marijuana in Massachusetts faces a new hurdle. And this comes after opponents filed an objection with Secretary of State William Galvin's office. The state Ballot Law Commission is slated to hold a pre-hearing conference today and a hearing tomorrow. What's the objectors’ concern?
Opponents are alleging that paid signature gatherers misled voters at locations like Trader Joe's, Market Basket, Whole Foods and Gillette Stadium, resulting in fraudulent signatures.
Challengers now need to come up with enough signatures that are invalid to disqualify the petition, out of tens of thousands of signatures, and they only have ten days to do so, after the pretrial hearing. Those pursuing the ballot question said they were already anticipating a challenge, and they're confident that the proposal is going to stay on track for the 2020 ballot.
Those signatures were collected at a point in time. How do you prove that there was something weird going on when somebody signed their name?
That's a great question! The onus of responsibility is on the people who brought the challenge. So, they have to be able to prove that. And that's something that Secretary of State William Galvin is now challenging them to do. He said that it's up to them to make that accusation and provide the evidence to do so. He had a press conference, and he didn't sound as if he had a lot of faith in the ability to provide that evidence, because it is such a challenging thing to be able to provide that those signatures were invalid and were fraudulent. It’s a difficult thing to prove.
