News Conference Committee proposes $52.7B FY ’23 budget, including $230M for Chapter 257 Reserve

A Conference Committee ironing out differences in the House and Senate budget plans announced late Sunday that they had reached agreement on a $52.7 billion spending plan for Fiscal Year 2023. The budget calls for a $5.1 billion spending increase from the current year’s budget and a $4.2 billion increase from what Gov. Charlie Baker recommended in January.

Just like the budget proposals from Gov. Baker, the House Ways & Means Committee and the Senate Ways & Means Committee, this proposal includes $230 million for the Chapter 257 Reserve. The Providers’ Council appreciates the additional funding and, with our fellow members of The Collaborative, will continue to advocate for market rate wages and for the state to fairly fund the human services sector.

The proposal also includes language proposed by SWM that would mandate 75 percent of Chapter 257 funding go toward front-line direct care, medical and clinical staff with uses including “hourly rate increases, wraparound benefits, shift differentials, overtime, hiring and retention bonuses or recruitment,” the line item reads.

In addition, the Conference Committee budget proposes some line items be increased above their FY ’22 levels, including Emergency Aid to Elderly Disabled & Children (32.55%), Early Intervention Services (25.27%), Transportation Services (25%) and HomeBASE (130.15%).

To download the Council’s preliminary budget analysis, which compares a selection of Conference Committee line items to their FY ’22 projected spending levels, the Governor’s FY ’23 H2 recommendation and both the HWM and SWM FY ’23 budget proposals, you can click here.

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