Budget Resources

Proposed legislation (H.R. 1) that funds the federal government through the final six months of Fiscal Year 2011 (FY 2011) cuts funding for non-security discretionary programs by $66 billion, or an average of 14.3 percent. Economists warn that these reductions in federal spending, including grants to states, could increase unemployment and weaken the national economy in the short-term. They will also significantly decrease funding for programs that invest in our state’s long-term economic health and in the well-being of our residents.

This Budget Brief on the Governor’s proposals for MassHealth and related health care programs is the first in a new series being published by the Massachusetts Medicaid Policy Institute and produced by MassBudget in partnership with the Massachusetts Law Reform Institute. These fact sheets will be published at each stage of the budget process, examining and explaining the proposals put forth by the Governor, the House, and the Senate.

In the coming fiscal year (Fiscal Year 2012) the state is facing a budget gap of approximately $1.9 billion between the cost of providing current services and the revenue projected to be available. The Governor’s budget (House 1) proposes closing this gap with a combination of deep cuts, significant reforms, limited use of reserve funds and other temporary revenues, and modest revenue initiatives.

This Budget Brief examines the condition of state finances as the budget process begins for the fiscal year that starts on July 1, 2011. Walking readers through the steps involved in calculating a state budget gap, the brief projects a $1.78 billion preliminary budget gap facing the Commonwealth in FY 2012.

A series of facts sheets on state budget cuts during the fiscal crisis in the following areas: Overview.

This Budget Monitor examines each category of the budget, describing the FY 2011 post-veto spending levels, and comparing them to the FY 2010 budget and to recommendations from earlier in the budget process.