The House Ways & Means Committee this afternoon released their FY ’24 budget proposal, a $56.2 billion spending plan that includes $173 million for the Chapter 257 Reserve.
The investment in the Chapter 257 line item represents an increase of $94 million, or nearly 119%, from FY ’22. The Council compared the Chapter 257 line item to the FY ’22 budget, rather than the FY ’23 budget, because the number of Chapter 257 rates reviewed by EOHHS alternate in proportion every other year.
The preliminary analysis from the Providers’ Council, which tracks frequently discussed human services line items, is located here.
The House Ways & Means budget proposal included higher funding amounts than the Administration’s House 1 budget proposal for several Department of Public Health line items. In particular, there was a 40.4% increase to Early Intervention Services, a 16% increase to HIV/AIDS Prevention Treatment and Services, a 13.03% increase to Bureau of Substance Addiction Services and a 6.98% increase to Family and Adolescence Reproductive Health.
Other items of interest include:
- EEC line item 3000-3060 – DCF and DTA Related Child Care – was set at $328.2 million, an increase from $325.5 million in FY ’23, but a decrease from the $355.7 million Gov. Healey proposed.
- DTA line item 4401-1000 – Employment Services Program – rose from $16.9 million in FY ’23 to $19.7 million, an increase of 16.5%. The line item also contains language absent in Gov. Healey’s budget proposal that would ensure CIES and YPP providers are funded at no less than FY ’23 levels.
- DCF line item 4800-0041 – Congregate Care Services – rose from $336.9 million in FY ’23 to $431 million, an increase of nearly 28%.
- DMH line item 5042-5000 – Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services – rose from $113 million in FY ’23 to $118 million, an increase of 4.4%.
- DDS line item 5920-2000 – Community Residential Services – rose from $1.44 billion in FY ’23 to $1.72 billion, an increase of nearly 19%.
- DHCD line item 7004-0101 – Emergency Assistance – Family Shelters and Services – rose from $219.4 million in FY ’23 to $324.1 million, an increase of 47.67%.