Now that the Massachusetts Senate has finalized its budget proposal for FY 2014, the next step is for the House and Senate to produce a single budget that reflects the priorities of the Legislature as a whole. To that end, a House-Senate … [Read more...]
MassKidsCount.org – What Can We Do to Help Kids?
MassKidsCount.org is a new group blog about the well-being of children in Massachusetts. The blog brings together leading voices in child advocacy and public policy research to present a fuller picture of the ways we can help … [Read more...]
Senate Ways & Means Budget for FY 2014
On Wednesday, the Senate Ways and Means Committee filed its budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2014. Like the proposals that preceded it, it is a statement of priorities, a detailed plan for what the Committee thinks we should do together … [Read more...]
Comparing revenue proposals & the investments they fund
Our state budget describes not only what we want to do together as a Commonwealth in the coming year but also longer-term investments to strengthen our communities, create high-wage jobs, and ensure the future vibrancy of our economy. In … [Read more...]
Limiting Access to Shelter, Promoting Housing
In order to ensure that every family in Massachusetts has a safe place to sleep and live, our state provides emergency shelters for short-term support and housing subsidies to help low-income families find more permanent homes. Our new … [Read more...]
What happened during debate? The House budget.
In three days of debate, the Massachusetts House of Representatives took up the budget proposal offered by the Ways & Means Committee, passed a series of amendments, and finalized its own proposal for next year. Most of the amendments … [Read more...]
Helping Young Adults
With the job market still weak and higher education growing more expensive, young people in Massachusetts today face some significant challenges. The Youth Empowerment programs that we fund through our state budget help young people find … [Read more...]
In January, the Governor released his budget proposal for FY 2014, laying out his priorities for what we will do together as a Commonwealth in the coming year. This week, the House Ways & Means Committee did the same. Although the … [Read more...]
Supporting Low-Income Children and Families
To help improve the lives of poor children and their families, Massachusetts provides direct cash assistance through a program known as TAFDC. MassBudget's new brief, "TAFDC: Declines in Support for Low-Income Children and Families" finds … [Read more...]
New Resource on Children in Massachusetts
One of the most important things we do through our government is help children grow and thrive. We build schools to educate them; we ensure they have access to quality health care; we provide housing and food assistance to those who need it … [Read more...]